Friday, May 21, 2010

Energy News Digest for May 21, 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

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Feds: No Major Changes for Columbia Basin Salmon Plan (Associated Press)

Jefferson PUD to Meet With Power Suppler Officials Friday (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

Microsoft Starts Data Center’s Phase Three in Quincy (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Clallam among PUDs Reviewing Roles in Costly Wind Project (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Study Says Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill Would Prompt Decade of Job Growth (NY Times)


NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Jefferson PUD to Meet With Power Suppler Officials Friday
·         Areva Nuclear Project in Idaho Snags Federal Loan Guarantee
·         New Nuclear Energy Grapples with Costs
·         California – Pacific Gas & Electric Reduces Its Highest Rates Following Outcry
·         California Limits What Utilities Can Say About Community Electric Power Efforts
·         GeorgiaAtlanta Gas & Light Surcharge Prevails in Court
·         Energy Adviser: Put Safety First With Outdoor Electricity
·         Feds: No Major Changes for Columbia Basin Salmon Plan
·         Obama Administration Says Climate Change Has Already Hurt Salmon
·         Obama Administration Presents Plan for Columbia Basin Salmon
·         Feds Submit Revised Salmon Plan for Columbia, Snake Rivers
·         California - Will Controlling Sacramento Pikeminnow Help Salmonids?
·         Nisqually Indian Activist Wins Wilderness Award
·         Washington State Fines Yakima Valley Dairy for Runoff
·         Lower Yakima Valley Residents Clean Own Well Water While Awaiting Help
·         Artesian Well May Soon Belong to City of Olympia
·         Report Says OK to Swim, Boat in Portland Harbor, but Avoid Eating Certain Fish
·         One in Eight Public Pools Closed, Fecal Matter Common in Kids’ Swim Area
·         Clallam among PUDs Reviewing Roles in Costly Wind Project
·         Bellingham Herald Op/Ed - America’s Energy Future: The Answer Isn’t Blowin’ in the Wind
·         Wind Turbine Parts Maker to Build Arkansas Plant
·         Iowa - Windmill Blade Maker Gains Incentives if It Builds Sioux City Plant
·         United Kingdom - Fatal Windmill Blade Transport Accident in Harwich
·         Solexant Plans Massive Oregon Solar Plant
·         Kentucky - Wood-Burning Power Plant Approved at Hazard
·         Study Suggests US Power Grid Could Tap More Wind, Solar
·         US Presses Beijing on Clean-Energy Market Access
·         Warming Up? Large-Scale Solar Water Heating in North America
·         Canada - BC Hydro Offers Industry $80 Million for Energy Savings
·         Study Says Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill Would Prompt Decade of Job Growth
·         Foes of California Global Warming Law Seek Government E-Mails
·         Toyota Invests $50M in Tesla Electric Car Plant
·         Cruise Lines Fail to Make the Green Grade, Enviros Say
·         It’s Love-Hate: Plants & Carbon Dioxide
·         Six-Acre Meadow on Top of Vancouver, BC, Building
·         Microsoft Starts Data Center’s Phase Three in Quincy
·         Microsoft Expands Data Center in Quincy
·         Check Your Washington State Broadband Options, With New Interactive Map
·         Feds: Worker at Wireless Industry Group Took $700K
·         Google Announces Television Initiative
·         dustry Uncompetitive
·         CenturyTel Changes Its Name to Match CenturyLink Brand
·         Palin Tweets Support for WA GOP Senate Candidate Clint Didier
·         Rodent Scurries by as Obama Lauds Wall Street Vote
·         Three Teens Injured in Crash near Belfair
·         Vandals Smash Lacey School Windows, Trash Classrooms
·         Weather Service Confirms Tornado Struck Near Moses Lake
·         After Unusual May Storm, Problems with Weather Buoys Come to Light
·         Washingtonians Are Smoking Less in Their Homes
·         Union Opens Visitor Information Center for Travelers & Artists
·         More Americans Will Travel This Memorial Day
·         The Identity Theft Threat from Copiers
·         Grammarian Alert: ‘So’ Pushes to the Head of the Line

WORD OF THE DAY

Diphthong • \DIFF-thong\ • noun – A sound in a word that is made by two vowel sounds in one syllable (boil: boy-ul – smile: smie-ul – etc…)

Diana was flummoxed. Her first outing in a new bathing suit in Rio de Janeiro was fraught with language and cultural barriers. For example, a friendly woman on a nearby beach towel offered in a heavy accent “did you know that the word ‘Rio’ is a diphthong?” Diana spent the rest of the sunny afternoon constantly checking her skimpy swimsuit for a “wardrobe malfunction.”

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Jefferson PUD to Meet With Power Suppler Officials Friday (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

Areva Nuclear Project in Idaho Snags Federal Loan Guarantee (Chillicothe Gazette, OH)

New Nuclear Energy Grapples with Costs - Exelon Sees Weak Market, Others Think Climate Concerns Will Propel Industry (National Geographic Magazine)

California – Pacific Gas & Electric Reduces Its Highest Rates Following Outcry (SF Chronicle)

California Limits What Utilities Can Say About Community Electric Power Efforts – I’m lookin’ at you PG&E (San Francisco Business Times)

GeorgiaAtlanta Gas & Light Surcharge Prevails in Court (Atlanta Business Chronicle)

Energy Adviser: Put Safety First With Outdoor Electricity (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Feds: No Major Changes for Columbia Basin Salmon Plan (Associated Press)

Obama Administration Says Climate Change Has Already Hurt Salmon - Calls for more studies & monitoring (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)

Obama Administration Presents Plan for Columbia Basin Salmon (Oregonian, Portland)

Feds Submit Revised Salmon Plan for Columbia, Snake Rivers (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

California - Will Controlling Sacramento Pikeminnow Help Salmonids? (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Nisqually Indian Activist Wins Wilderness Award (Olympian, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Washington State Fines Yakima Valley Dairy for Runoff (Associated Press)

Lower Yakima Valley Residents Clean Own Well Water While Awaiting Help (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

Artesian Well May Soon Belong to City of Olympia (Olympian, WA)

Report Says OK to Swim, Boat in Portland Harbor, but Avoid Eating Certain Fish (Oregonian, Portland)

One in Eight Public Pools Closed, Fecal Matter Common in Kids’ Swim Area (USA Today)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Clallam among PUDs Reviewing Roles in Costly Wind Project (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Bellingham Herald Op/Ed - America’s Energy Future: The Answer Isn’t Blowin’ in the Wind (Hurray! another 25 cent royalty payment to Bob Zimmerman)

Wind Turbine Parts Maker to Build Arkansas Plant (Associated Press)

Iowa - Windmill Blade Maker Gains Incentives if It Builds Sioux City Plant: Announcement comes a day after TPI of Arizona cut 237 workers, dropping its work force to 233 (Des Moines Register, IA)

United Kingdom - Fatal Windmill Blade Transport Accident in Harwich (Vertikal Net)

Solexant Plans Massive Oregon Solar Plant (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/05/17/daily37.html

Kentucky - Wood-Burning Power Plant Approved at Hazard (Associated Press)

Study Suggests US Power Grid Could Tap More Wind, Solar (Reuters)

US Presses Beijing on Clean-Energy Market Access (Associated Press)

Warming Up? Large-Scale Solar Water Heating in North America (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Canada - BC Hydro Offers Industry $80 Million for Energy Savings: Four-year Power Smart program targets conservation (Vancouver Sun, BC)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Study Says Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill Would Prompt Decade of Job Growth (NY Times)

Foes of California Global Warming Law Seek Government E-Mails (SF Chronicle)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Toyota Invests $50M in Tesla Electric Car Plant (Associated Press)

Cruise Lines Fail to Make the Green Grade, Enviros Say (Spot.US)

It’s Love-Hate: Plants & Carbon Dioxide (NY Times)

Six-Acre Meadow on Top of Vancouver, BC, Building (KING-TV, Seattle)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Microsoft Starts Data Center’s Phase Three in Quincy (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Microsoft Expands Data Center in Quincy (Seattle Times)

Check Your Washington State Broadband Options, With New Interactive Map (Seattle Times)

Here’s a Link to the State Site (WA Department of Information Services – Holy Smokes! This is one slow web site – Shelton missing a few broadband providers in its listing)

Feds: Worker at Wireless Industry Group Took $700K (Associated Press)

Google Announces Television Initiative (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

FCC Unable/Unwilling to Conclude Wireless Industry Uncompetitive (Broadband Reports)

CenturyTel Changes Its Name to Match CenturyLink Brand (Kansas City Business Journal)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Palin Tweets Support for WA GOP Senate Candidate Clint Didier (Associated Press)

Rodent Scurries by as Obama Lauds Wall Street Vote (Associated Press)

GENERAL NEWS

Three Teens Injured in Crash near Belfair (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Vandals Smash Lacey School Windows, Trash Classrooms (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Weather Service Confirms Tornado Struck Near Moses Lake (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

After Unusual May Storm, Problems with Weather Buoys Come to Light (KING-TV, Seattle)

Washingtonians Are Smoking Less in Their Homes (Associated Press - Take your personal biomass incinerator outside!)

Union Opens Visitor Information Center for Travelers & Artists (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

More Americans Will Travel This Memorial Day (Associated Press)

The Identity Theft Threat from Copiers (NY Times)

Grammarian Alert: ‘So’ Pushes to the Head of the Line (NY Times)

DIVERSIONS

Crowd Boos Calls for McDonald’s to Retire Ronald

Ninja Good Samaritans Help Mugging Victim - Australian Ninja Students Had Just Left Class

School Bus Takes Wrong Students on Field Trip

Sunnyvale Foundation Buys 1794 Silver Dollar for Nearly $8 Million

SONG OF THE DAY

Kingston Trio - Greenback Dollar