Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Energy News Digest for March 16, 2010

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

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TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Massive Rockslide near Ross Dam’s Powerhouse
·         Tracking Electric Use Could Allow Utilities to Track You, Too
·         Old Vs. New: Smart Grid & Real Time Electricity Metering
·         The ‘Electromagnetically Hypersensitive’ Attack Smart Meters
·         News Whiz - Re-Regulation Bills Will Impede Electricity Choice, Reduce Savings
·         Greek Power Company Workers Strike
·         DNA Analysis of Whale Poop Brings Surprising Results – It Has a Canadian Accent
·         Free Lunch for Sea Lions Looks About Over
·         LA Times Editorial - An Upstream Battle over Chinook Salmon
·         Feds Pledge Money for Declining Sage Grouse in West
·         North Dakota - Power Line Includes $500K for Bird Diverters
·         State Budget May Limit Chehalis River Dam Options
·         Saving US Water & Sewer Systems Would be Costly
·         Oregon - Christmas Valley Resists Solar Push
·         Governors Seek Wind Energy Boost
·         REVE Op/Ed - KATU-TV Swallows Fossil-Fuel Line on Wind Energy
·         Canada - Proposed Metro Vancouver Incinerator & Power Plant Could Harm Health
·         Marine Tidal Power Generating Clean Electricity
·         Cash Rebates for Energy Efficient Appliances
·         Get Cash for Your Clunky Appliances
·         Tacoma Public Utilities Offers Appliance Rebates
·         Appliance Rebates Get Hot-And-Cold Response from Buyers
·         California Stimulus Funds for Energy Efficiency May Go to Oregon Firm
·         Oregon - A Great State of Carbon Caches
·         Midwest Electric Utilities Push Senate Climate Bill Co-Authors for More Allocations
·         In Climate Change Scheme, Iron Enrichment of Seawater Could be Toxic
·         Greenpeace Pokes Facebook over Data Center
·         Greenpeace’s Hosting: Not ‘Truly Green’
·         Canada - Future of ‘Green’ Wood Hangs on US Decision
·         Portland Ranked Greenest US City
·         Local High School Students Building Eco-Car
·         Rain, Even Urine, Would Help Make Bullitt HQ Seattle’s ‘Greenest Building Ever’
·         F.C.C. Says Adoption of New Broadband Plan Is Vital
·         FCC Unveiling Sweeping National Broadband Plan
·         FCC Plan Would Greatly Expand Broadband Internet Connections
·         Q&A: FCC Chairman Talks about Broadband Goals
·         China Without Google: ‘A Lose-Lose Scenario’
·         Tennessee - Ultra fast Google for city?
·         Five Injured in Head-On Crash on Hwy 101 Near Shelton
·         Search Continues in Olympia-Area Disappearance of Mom, Son
·         Mastermind Sentenced in Tribal Casino Scheme
·         Shelton School Board to Give Junior High More Time to Improve Testing Scores
·         Shoot-Out at Pot Activist’s Home Sparks Debate
·         Oregon - Two Men Arrested Following Alleged Metal Theft at Sherwood U-Haul
·         Bees in the City? New York May Let the Hives Come out of Hiding

WORD OF THE DAY


The aging scientist creaked back into his easy chair, exulting in the rapt attention that his fresh-faced pupils gave him during evening story time. “Let me relate to you my favorite anecdote,” he slowly drawled. “It was late 1925; I was working on an antidote for laughing sickness for a particular patient. An amusing little antidote it was.” His droopy little moustache rose as he smirked at his modest joke...the students tittered nervously as they tried to parse the nuanced humor.

Anecdotal • \ann-nick-DOE-tull\ • adjective – 1a: of, relating to, or consisting of anecdotes 2: based on or consisting of reports or observations of usually unscientific observers 3: of, relating to, or being the depiction of a scene suggesting a story

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & Weather Alerts

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Massive Rockslide near Ross Dam’s Powerhouse (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Tracking Electric Use Could Allow Utilities to Track You, Too (NY Times)

Old Vs. New: Smart Grid & Real Time Electricity Metering - The new smart electricity meter program should be an easy sell to consumers, but it’s not going over as planned (Christian Science Monitor)

The ‘Electromagnetically Hypersensitive’ Attack Smart Meters (Broadband Reports)

News Whiz - Re-Regulation Bills Will Impede Electricity Choice, Reduce Savings for Connecticut Residents & Businesses (Electric Energy Online)

Greek Power Company Workers Strike (Associated Press)

FISH & WILDLIFE

DNA Analysis of Whale Poop Brings Surprising Results – It Has a Canadian Accent “…the fish at the top of their menu is the…Chinook Salmon...and it turns out most of those, some 90 percent come from the Fraser River in British Columbia…” (NW Cable News)

Free Lunch for Sea Lions Looks About Over (The Oregonian, Portland)

LA Times Editorial - An Upstream Battle over Chinook Salmon: Wildlife officials are killing feasting sea lions to conserve the endangered fish population

Feds Pledge Money for Declining Sage Grouse in West (Associated Press)

North Dakota - Power Line Includes $500K for Bird Diverters (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

State Budget May Limit Chehalis River Dam Options - Flood authority wary of Senate proposal (Olympian, WA)

Saving US Water & Sewer Systems Would be Costly “…a significant water line bursts on average every two minutes somewhere in the country…” (NY Times)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon - Christmas Valley Resists Solar Push; Residents object to funding, say arrays don’t fit area (Bend Bulletin, OR)

Governors Seek Wind Energy Boost (Associated Press)

REVE Op/Ed - KATU-TV Swallows Fossil-Fuel Line on Wind Energy

Canada - Proposed Metro Vancouver Incinerator & Power Plant Could Harm Health (Vancouver Sun, BC)

Marine Tidal Power Generating Clean Electricity (The BBC, UK)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Cash Rebates for Energy Efficient Appliances (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Get Cash for Your Clunky Appliances (Everett Herald, WA)

Tacoma Public Utilities Offers Appliance Rebates (Tacoma Daily Index, WA)

Cash for Appliances – Washington

Appliance Rebates Get Hot-And-Cold Response from Buyers (USA Today)

California Stimulus Funds for Energy Efficiency May Go to Oregon Firm (Los Angeles Times, CA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Oregon - A Great State of Carbon Caches (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

Midwest Electric Utilities Push Senate Climate Bill Co-Authors for More Allocations (NY Times)

In Climate Change Scheme, Iron Enrichment of Seawater Could be Toxic (NY Times)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Greenpeace Pokes Facebook over Data Center - Social networking giant is under pressure to switch from coal to renewable power, but are other offenders being overlooked? (Mother Nature Network)

Greenpeace’s Hosting: Not ‘Truly Green’ (Data Center Knowledge)

Canada - Future of ‘Green’ Wood Hangs on US Decision (Tyee Online)

Portland Ranked Greenest US City (Portland Business Journal)

Local High School Students Building Eco-Car (KING-TV, Seattle)

Rain, Even Urine, Would Help Make Bullitt HQ Seattle’s ‘Greenest Building Ever’ (Seattle Times)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

F.C.C. Says Adoption of New Broadband Plan Is Vital (NY Times)

FCC Unveiling Sweeping National Broadband Plan (Nat’l Public Radio)

FCC Plan Would Greatly Expand Broadband Internet Connections (Washington Post)

Q&A: FCC Chairman Talks about Broadband Goals (Associated Press)

China Without Google: ‘A Lose-Lose Scenario’ (Associated Press)

GA-GA OVER GOOGLE

Tennessee - Ultra fast Google for city? (The Oak-Ridger, TN)

GENERAL NEWS

Five Injured in Head-On Crash on Hwy 101 Near Shelton (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Search Continues in Olympia-Area Disappearance of Mom, Son (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Mastermind Sentenced in Tribal Casino Scheme – Marks Included Washington State Businesses (Christian Science Monitor)

Shelton School Board to Give Junior High More Time to Improve Testing Scores (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Shoot-Out at Pot Activist’s Home Sparks Debate (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Oregon - Two Men Arrested Following Alleged Metal Theft at Sherwood U-Haul (The Oregonian, Portland)

Bees in the City? New York May Let the Hives Come out of Hiding (NY Times)

DIVERSIONS

Deer-Car Crashes in Rural New Hampshire Mean Free Dinner

British Woman Faces Jail in Dubai for Kissing Friend in Public

Condo Dustup over Girl’s Chalk Pictures Draws Ire - Resident Told to Erase Sidewalk Art

It’s in His Blood - Man Says Packers Loyalty Saved Life

SONG OF THE DAY

Eartha Kitt - I Want to be Evil