Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Energy News Digest for March 31, 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)

·         Why Centralia Matters - Everyone Has a Stake in Washington's Coal Plant
·         Clallam economic summit to focus on jobs creation
·         Grant County Helps Fund New PUD Substation - For BMW Parts Manufacturer
·         Oregon - City of Dalles City Backs Off PUD Fee Hike: Wireless fee could be in city’s future
·         California Public Utility Commission Picks Firm to Investigate PG&E Smart Meters
·         Los Angeles Leaders to Consider Smaller Electricity Rate Hike
·         Wyoming - Rocky Mountain Power Agrees to Trim Rate Increase
·         Second Radioactive Substance at Vermont Yankee Nuke Plant
·         Fire Reported at Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant
·         Calvert Cliffs - New Maryland Nuclear Reactor Depends on Loan Guarantee Constellation
·         Nuclear Power: Obama Team Touts Mini-Nukes to Fight Global Warming
·         Solar, Wind Power Groups Becoming Prominent Washington Lobbying
·         Sea Lions Cause a Stir at Willamette Falls
·         California Sport Salmon Fishermen Ready Their Reels
·         Field & Stream Columnist - Some Dams Are Better Than Others
·         Second Bald Eagle Found Shot Dead in Spokane’s Riverside State Park
·         California Sea Otter Population in Decline
·         Study Seconds Army's Plans for Hanson Dam
·         PUD Commissioners from Clallam, Grays Harbor, Pacific & Mason 3 to Meet With Energy Northwest in Joint Workshop on Radar Ridge Wind Project
·         Guest Column: (Radar Ridge) Wind Project Deserves Fair, Timely Review
·         Grayland Turbines Go Up to Keep Prices Down
·         Check Sequim School Solar Harvest on Web - Photovoltaic Stats Uploaded Live to the Internet
·         Washington State Energy Projects Get $16.5M in Stimulus Funds
·         Biofuels Company Will Mean New Toppenish Jobs
·         Here’s a list of the funded projects, includes in Clark & Pend Oreille Counties
·         Gone With the Wind: Capital for China’s Turbine Makers
·         Michigan - Grand Rapids Community College Will Train Students in Jobs to Manufacture, Maintain Wind Energy Turbines
·         Kansas - Big Biomass Plans Sink in Lane County: Prairie Fire plant
·         California Solar Projects Rush to Beat Deadline for Subsidies
·         Santa Clara County, Cities Team on Renewable Energy Project
·         Missouri Considers Animal Waste Gas as Renewable Energy
·         Seattle City Light’s “Company Towns” to Get Energy Upgrades
·         California - On the Money: Stimulus Funds Going Out of State?
·         Ed Begley Says $10 of Insulation Helped Shrink Utility Bills by Half
·         Harford Courant Op/Ed - Why Sabotage Effort to Save Energy?
·         United Kingdom Panel Calls Climate Data Valid
·         Carbon Trading & the Great Recession
·         Washington State among First to Get Nissan's New Leaf
·         Ford, Microsoft to Work on Electric-Car Charging
·         Profit from Backyard 'Green Power' – Feed-In Tariffs & the ‘Great Leap Forward’
·         German Film Offers Answers to Gore Climate Concerns
·         Plan Would Help Subsidize Access to Broadband
·         Verizon iPhone Report Sends Apple Shares to All-Time High
·         Verizon, Google Pretend They Don't Want Government Help
·         Microsoft, Google in Coalition to Boost 'Cloud' Privacy
·         State House Plans to be Back in Session Friday
·         State Lawmakers Debrief Bremerton Chamber Members on Special Session
·         Once-Underestimated, Sen. Patty Murray is Northwest's Most Powerful Politician
·         Asphalt Has Become So Expensive That Some States Are Going Back to Gravel
·         Washington Governor Signs $8.5B Transportation Budget
·         Once Envied, America's Aging Infrastructure is in Alarming Shape
·         Two-Vehicle Crash Injures Tumwater Man, Shelton Teen
·         Hate groups, militias on the rise in Washington State
·         Thousands May Receive Settlement Money in Indian Trust Lawsuit
·         Copper Prices Rise on Improving Economic News
·         Washington Wine Industry Tops 650 Wineries
·         Costco & the Paradox of Choice
·         Remove studded tires by April 11

WORD OF THE DAY

Reprobate • \REP-ruh-bait\ • noun - 1: a person foreordained to damnation *2: a depraved person: scoundrel

“Rooster, you reprobate,” shrilled Miss Hannigan at her hoodlum brother.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & Weather Alerts

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Why Centralia Matters - Everyone Has a Stake in Washington's Coal Plant (Sightline Daily)

Clallam economic summit to focus on jobs creation “…the hospital is a big economic driver in Clallam County, & so is the PUD when it comes to infrastructure…” (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Grant County Helps Fund New PUD Substation - For BMW Parts Manufacturer (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Oregon - City of Dalles City Backs Off PUD Fee Hike: Wireless fee could be in city’s future (The Dalles Chronicle, OR)

California Public Utility Commission Picks Firm to Investigate PG&E Smart Meters (San Francisco Business Times)

Los Angeles Leaders to Consider Smaller Electricity Rate Hike – Original increase was 37% to pay for green projects (Associated Press)

Wyoming - Rocky Mountain Power Agrees to Trim Rate Increase (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)

Second Radioactive Substance at Vermont Yankee Nuke Plant (Associated Press)

Fire Reported at Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant (WECT-TV, Wilmington, NC)

Calvert Cliffs - New Maryland Nuclear Reactor Depends on Loan Guarantee Constellation (NASDAQ)

Nuclear Power: Obama Team Touts Mini-Nukes to Fight Global Warming (Christian Science Monitor)

Solar, Wind Power Groups Becoming Prominent Washington Lobbying (Open Secrets)

FISH, WATER & WILDLIFE

Sea Lions Cause a Stir at Willamette Falls - Officials will try to scare the massive mammals with explosives (Oregon City News, OR)

California Sport Salmon Fishermen Ready Their Reels (Associated Press)

Field & Stream Columnist - Some Dams Are Better Than Others


Second Bald Eagle Found Shot Dead in Spokane’s Riverside State Park (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

California Sea Otter Population in Decline (Associated Press)

Study Seconds Army's Plans for Hanson Dam (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

PUD Commissioners from Clallam, Grays Harbor, Pacific & Mason 3 to Meet With Energy Northwest in Joint Workshop on Radar Ridge Wind Project (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Guest Column: (Radar Ridge) Wind Project Deserves Fair, Timely Review (Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WA)

Grayland Turbines Go Up to Keep Prices Down (Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WA)

Check Sequim School Solar Harvest on Web - Photovoltaic Stats Uploaded Live to the Internet (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Washington State Energy Projects Get $16.5M in Stimulus Funds (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Biofuels Company Will Mean New Toppenish Jobs (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

Here’s a list of the funded projects, includes in Clark & Pend Oreille Counties (Links to PDF File)

Gone With the Wind: Capital for China’s Turbine Makers (Wall Street Journal)

Michigan - Grand Rapids Community College Will Train Students in Jobs to Manufacture, Maintain Wind Energy Turbines (Grand Rapids Press, MI)

Kansas - Big Biomass Plans Sink in Lane County: Prairie Fire plant, designed to boost economy, has officially closed down (Trading Markets)

California Solar Projects Rush to Beat Deadline for Subsidies (USA Today)

Santa Clara County, Cities Team on Renewable Energy Project (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)

Missouri Considers Animal Waste Gas as Renewable Energy (Associated Press)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Seattle City Light’s “Company Towns” to Get Energy Upgrades (Puget Sound Business Journal)

California - On the Money: Stimulus Funds Going Out of State? Millions Could be Going to Oregon (KOVR-TV, Sacramento, CA)

Ed Begley Says $10 of Insulation Helped Shrink Utility Bills by Half (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Harford Courant Op/Ed - Why Sabotage Effort to Save Energy?

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

United Kingdom Panel Calls Climate Data Valid (Associated Press)

Carbon Trading & the Great Recession (NY Times)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Washington State among First to Get Nissan's New Leaf (KPLU Radio, Tacoma, WA)

Ford, Microsoft to Work on Electric-Car Charging (Associated Press)

Profit from Backyard 'Green Power' – Feed-In Tariffs & the ‘Great Leap Forward’ (Money Week)

German Film Offers Answers to Gore Climate Concerns (Reuters)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Plan Would Help Subsidize Access to Broadband (Nat’l Public Radio)

Verizon iPhone Report Sends Apple Shares to All-Time High (Associated Press)

Verizon, Google Pretend They Don't Want Government Help - Push publicly for limited government, privately for regulation of one another (Broadband Reports)

Microsoft, Google in Coalition to Boost 'Cloud' Privacy (Seattle Times)

GOVERNANCE & POLITICS

State House Plans to be Back in Session Friday (Olympian, WA)

State Lawmakers Debrief Bremerton Chamber Members on Special Session (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Once-Underestimated, Sen. Patty Murray is Northwest's Most Powerful Politician (The Oregonian, Portland)

Asphalt Has Become So Expensive That Some States Are Going Back to Gravel (Kiplinger)

GENERAL NEWS

Washington Governor Signs $8.5B Transportation Budget (Associated Press)

Once Envied, America's Aging Infrastructure is in Alarming Shape (Crosscut Seattle)

Two-Vehicle Crash Injures Tumwater Man, Shelton Teen (Olympian, WA)

Hate groups, militias on the rise in Washington State (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Thousands May Receive Settlement Money in Indian Trust Lawsuit (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Copper Prices Rise on Improving Economic News (Associated Press)

Washington Wine Industry Tops 650 Wineries (Associated Press)

Costco & the Paradox of Choice (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Remove studded tires by April 11 (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Florida Deputy Uses Google Earth to Make Arrest

Man Fleeing Police Jumps Fence - Into Prison

Tenant Says She Was Evicted over Easter Décor

Portland's Coffee Culture Swipes Seattle's Crown

SONG OF THE DAY

Frank Sinatra - The Coffee Song

The Coffee Song - The Arrogant Worms