Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Energy News Digest for March 30, 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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Wind Generates Eastern Washington/Idaho Problems
·         Southern Montana Electric Cooperative Critics Get Some Answers about Power Costs
·         Oregon - Bonneville Power to Replace Transmission Line between Bandon & Gold Beach
·         Colorado House Passes Bill to Spur Utilities to Switch from Coal to Gas
·         Colorado Gas-Coal Fight Could Preview National Battle
·         Oregon – City of Dalles Eyes Increased Franchise Fees: Budget shortfall in the city’s street fund may ultimately lead to a hike in local electrical rates
·         San Jose Mercury News Op/Ed - Two-Thirds Vote Should be Needed to Let Government Start a Utility
·         Lawrence to Become First City in Kansas to Get Smart Electricity Meters
·         Zanesville Times-Recorder Op/Ed - Electric Utility Industry is Heading into a ‘Perfect Storm’
·         Atlantic City Electric Urges Customers to be Safe This Spring
·         Canada - Warm Water Partly Cause of Fraser River Salmon Decline, Study Finds
·         Gill-Netting on Lower Columbia River is on for Tuesday; Sport Fishing Closed
·         Canada - Calls to Save BC Salmon from Across the Pond
·         Electric Power Research Institute Seeks Test Site for Fish Friendly Hydropower Turbine
·         Campaign Launched Against Nestle Waters Proposed Cascade Locks Plant
·         Groups Say They Intend to Sue over Sage Grouse
·         Part of PUD 3 Tree Program - Mason County Conservation District & Shelton High Students Enhance Oakland Bay Shoreline Habitat
·         Trash Bound for Mainland Keeps Piling Up in Hawaii
·         Montana - Region Continues Move toward Wind Development
·         Small Wind Group Begins Site Assessor Training
·         California - ‘Free Solar’ Scam: Sunnyvale Man Sentenced to Eight Months in Jail
·         California - Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative Opens New Cogeneration Power Plant
·         Ohio - Benefits, Peril Seen in Energy Transition
·         Electric Tankless Water Heater Manufacturers Form Coalition
·         Can Carbon ‘Cap & Trade’ Make a Comeback?
·         EPA Phases in Permits for Greenhouse Gas Pollution
·         EPA Delays Plants’ Pollution Permits
·         Among Weathercasters, Doubt on Warming
·         Professor Criticized for Climate Change Work Says Research Holds Up
·         Energy Secretary Steven Chu on the Nation’s Energy Future
·         Public to Get Look at Simpson Tacoma Community ‘Footprint’
·         Coal Fuels Much of Internet “Cloud”, Says Greenpeace
·         “Judge Not, That Ye be Judged…” Greenpeace Loses Round Two in Tiff with Facebook
·         Nissan Prices Its First Electric Car at Roughly $25K
·         Pearl Jam Giving $210,000 to Offset Carbon Emissions
·         The Press Realizes the FiOS Party is Over
·         Sweden Predicts the Future of Broadband & It May Scare You
·         Parts of Cleveland Getting 1 Gbps, for Free
·         Maine Rejects Radiation Warning Labels on Cell Phones
·         More Than $34,000 Poorer, Puyallup Goes Back to Free Parking
·         Recession Creating More Washington State Highway Projects This Season
·         Cause of Simpson’s Shelton Waterfront Fire Likely from “Hot Work”
·         Worker Killed in Port Angeles Conveyor Accident
·         Home Being Washed Away on Washington Coast
·         Storm Damage 2010: States Ring Up the Cost
·         Lt. Governor Talks about Underage Drinking at Shelton Town Hall Meeting
·         Moses Lake Officials Hopeful about BMW Announcement
·         Nine Charged With Bullying Teen Who Killed Herself
·         Chinese Court Hands Down Stiff Sentences to Four Mining Company Employees
·         Washington Post Poll: Majority Support Cutting Saturday Mail

WORD OF THE DAY

Fecund • \FECK-und\ • adjective - 1: fruitful in offspring or vegetation: prolific
2: intellectually productive or inventive to a marked degree

Barty’s fevered, fecund mind was in overdrive. He was the workhorse in the Menlo Park facility headed by the famed Thomas Edison. Unfortunately for Barty, he was never given the really BIG projects. He normally got assignments like, come up with an idea for “strike anywhere matches,” or a way to keep maple syrup from running down the outside of the jug. “What I don’t do in flashy inventions,” he was wont to say, “I make up for in quantity!”

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & Weather Alerts

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Wind Generates Eastern Washington/Idaho Problems - Area socked with gusts that down power lines (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

Southern Montana Electric Cooperative Critics Get Some Answers about Power Costs (Billings Gazette, MT)

Oregon - Bonneville Power to Replace Transmission Line between Bandon & Gold Beach (Bandon World, OR)

Colorado House Passes Bill to Spur Utilities to Switch from Coal to Gas (SNL Financial)

Colorado Gas-Coal Fight Could Preview National Battle (KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs, CO)

Oregon – City of Dalles Eyes Increased Franchise Fees: Budget shortfall in the city’s street fund may ultimately lead to a hike in local electrical rates (Dalles Chronicle, OR)

San Jose Mercury News Op/Ed - Two-Thirds Vote Should be Needed to Let Government Start a Utility

Lawrence to Become First City in Kansas to Get Smart Electricity Meters (Lawrence Journal-World)

Zanesville Times-Recorder Op/Ed - Electric Utility Industry is Heading into a ‘Perfect Storm’

Atlantic City Electric Urges Customers to be Safe This Spring - Steer clear of overhead & underground utility lines (Electric Energy Online)

FISH & WATER

Canada - Warm Water Partly Cause of Fraser River Salmon Decline, Study Finds (Globe & Mail)

Gill-Netting on Lower Columbia River is on for Tuesday; Sport Fishing Closed (The Oregonian, Portland)

Canada - Calls to Save BC Salmon from Across the Pond (Globe & Mail)

Electric Power Research Institute Seeks Test Site for Fish Friendly Hydropower Turbine (Renewable Energy World)

Campaign Launched Against Nestle Waters Proposed Cascade Locks Plant (The Oregonian, Portland)

ECOLOGY & THE ENVIRONMENT

Groups Say They Intend to Sue over Sage Grouse (Associated Press)

Part of PUD 3 Tree Program - Mason County Conservation District & Shelton High Students Enhance Oakland Bay Shoreline Habitat (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Trash Bound for Mainland Keeps Piling Up in Hawaii (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Montana - Region Continues Move toward Wind Development (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

Small Wind Group Begins Site Assessor Training (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)

California - ‘Free Solar’ Scam: Sunnyvale Man Sentenced to Eight Months in Jail

California - Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative Opens New Cogeneration Power Plant (Lassen County News, CA)

Ohio - Benefits, Peril Seen in Energy Transition (Toledo Blade, OH)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Electric Tankless Water Heater Manufacturers Form Coalition to Achieve ENERGY STAR® Certification (Business Wire)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Can Carbon ‘Cap & Trade’ Make a Comeback? The recession has dampened enthusiasm for cap-&-trade legislation (Christian Science Monitor)

EPA Phases in Permits for Greenhouse Gas Pollution (Reuters)

EPA Delays Plants’ Pollution Permits (NY Times)

Among Weathercasters, Doubt on Warming (NY Times)

Professor Criticized for Climate Change Work Says Research Holds Up, but There are Questions (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)

Energy Secretary Steven Chu on the Nation’s Energy Future (Washington Post)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Public to Get Look at Simpson Tacoma Community ‘Footprint’ (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Coal Fuels Much of Internet “Cloud”, Says Greenpeace (Reuters)

“Judge Not, That Ye be Judged…” Greenpeace Loses Round Two in Tiff with Facebook (Reuters)

Nissan Prices Its First Electric Car at Roughly $25K (Washington Post)

Pearl Jam Giving $210,000 to Offset Carbon Emissions (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The Press Realizes the FiOS Party is Over - But doesn’t quite see the bigger picture yet (Broadband Reports)

Sweden Predicts the Future of Broadband & It May Scare You (GigaOM)

Parts of Cleveland Getting 1 Gbps, for Free (Broadband Reports)

Maine Rejects Radiation Warning Labels on Cell Phones (Broadband Reports)

GOVERNANCE

More Than $34,000 Poorer, Puyallup Goes Back to Free Parking - ‘No real benefit’: City Council votes to end deal with company that managed garage (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Recession Creating More Washington State Highway Projects This Season (KING-TV, Seattle)

Cause of Simpson’s Shelton Waterfront Fire Likely from “Hot Work”; Repairs Underway (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Worker Killed in Port Angeles Conveyor Accident (Associated Press)

Home Being Washed Away on Washington Coast (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Storm Damage 2010: States Ring Up the Cost (Christian Science Monitor)

Lt. Governor Talks about Underage Drinking at Shelton Town Hall Meeting (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Moses Lake Officials Hopeful about BMW Announcement - Grant County PUD involved in talks (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Nine Charged With Bullying Teen Who Killed Herself (Associated Press)

Chinese Court Hands Down Stiff Sentences to Four Mining Company Employees (NY Times)

Washington Post Poll: Majority Support Cutting Saturday Mail

DIVERSIONS

Junk Food Addiction May be Clue to Obesity

Feds: Woman Posed as FBI Agent, ‘Hired’ Neighbors

Two Survive ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Crash in Burien

Washington State School Leader Warns About Dangerous New Fire Fad – Kids lighting themselves on fire with “industrial-strength” body spray

SONG OF THE DAY

Tori Amos - Smells Like Teen Spirit