Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Energy News Digest for June 15, 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

Pacific Power Wants 21 Percent Rate Hike – After 100th Birthday Party! (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

Feds Award Governor Replacement Contract at Grand Coulee (Water Power Magazine)

Envelopes with White Powder Sent to Fed Buildings (Associated Press)

Methow Valley Irrigators Fined for Diverting Too Much Water (Wenatchee World, WA)

Contract to Demolish Old Shelton Wastewater Treatment Plant Awarded (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Pacific Power Wants 21 Percent Rate Hike – After 100th Birthday Party!
·         Feds Award Governor Replacement Contract at Grand Coulee
·         Energy Department Official Visits Hanford Project
·         Bill Gates-Backed Nuclear Startup TerraPower Piles on Investors
·         N. Carolina - Rod Problem Shuts Duke Energy Nuclear Unit at McGuire Plant
·         Editorial – Yucca Mountain: Nuclear Wasteland
·         Electrical Arc from Substation May Have Caused Utah Oil Spill
·         Tennessee Valley Authority Hit With $11.5M Penalty for 2008 Coal Ash Spill
·         California State Sen. Mark Leno Takes Aim at Pacific Gas & Electric for Bankrolling Prop. 16
·         Pickens Pushes Natural Gas after Oil Spill
·         Gas Rally Boosts Coal’s Allure for Power Plants: Energy Markets
·         Shale Gas for Greener Energy on Obama’s Radar
·         Siemens signs Natural Gas turbine deal with Florida Power & Light
·         New Texas Rule Aims to Reduce the Pain of Power Outages
·         Alabama - Power Company’s Tree Cutting Angers Tuscaloosa Residents
·         Fun with Fishes at the Refuge - Scientist-author details history of interaction between man, fish in Columbia River basin
·         Methow Valley Irrigators Fined for Diverting Too Much Water
·         Editorial - Complex Water Rights Issues Smooth out When Cooperation Is Involved
·         Phoenicians Sue Arizona for Clean Air
·         Texas Asks Court to Intervene in Fight with EPA over Emissions
·         Roseburg Timber CEO: Lots of Ups & Downs in Industry over Next Year – Biomass!
·         Op/Ed – Montana: Time Is Right for Clean Energy Act
·         Is Texas Backing Away from a Hill Country Wind Transmission Line?
·         Wesley Clark: Renewable Energy in Need of More Support
·         Ohio - Toledo Reinvents Itself as a Solar-Power Innovator
·         Europe’s New Wind Power Rivals Gas
·         Belkin Gear Makes Electronics Smarter About Power
·         Scientists Develop Method to Detect, Track Carbon Dioxide
·         Participants in Climate Reviews Suggest Changes
·         Op/Ed - Don’t Believe the ‘Green Jobs’ Hype
·         Electric Cars - Tesla Raises IPO Goal to $178 Million
·         Highest Gas Mileage? List Shows Today’s Cars Can’t Match Old Ones
·         U.S. Broadband Is Big but It Needs to be Better
·         Sprint to More Tightly Restrict Roaming Laptop Data Users
·         The Green File: No Shortage of Candidates This Year
·         Contract to Demolish Old Shelton Wastewater Treatment Plant Awarded
·         Shelton Extends Sewer Hook-Up Moratorium Six More Months
·         Envelopes with White Powder Sent to Fed Buildings
·         Forecast for Newspaper Revenue Points Lower

WORD OF THE DAY

Polyonymous • \pah-lee-AH-nuh-mus\ • adjective - Having or known by various names

Bill Saluga was known for about the length of a sneeze as the polyonymous Raymond J. Johnson Jr. If you called him Johnson, he was funny only once…and one time only…with the following bit:

“…Ahh, ya doesn’t has to call me Johnson! You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me Johnny or you can call me Sonny, or you can call me RayJay, or you can call me RJ... but ya doesn’t hafta call me Johnson…”

For the strong of stomach, here’s the video:

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Pacific Power Wants 21 Percent Rate Hike – After 100th Birthday Party! (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

Feds Award Governor Replacement Contract at Grand Coulee (Water Power Magazine)

Energy Department Official Visits Hanford Project (Associated Press)

Bill Gates-Backed Nuclear Startup TerraPower Piles on Investors (Earth2Tech)

N. Carolina - Rod Problem Shuts Duke Energy Nuclear Unit at McGuire Plant (Charlotte Business Journal)

Editorial – Yucca Mountain: Nuclear Wasteland (Washington Post)

Electrical Arc May Have Caused Utah Oil Spill - Breached section of pipe lies underground, inches away from a metal fence post outside an electrical substation (Associated Press)

Tennessee Valley Authority Hit With $11.5M Penalty for 2008 Coal Ash Spill (Associated Press)

California State Sen. Mark Leno Takes Aim at Pacific Gas & Electric for Bankrolling Prop. 16 (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Pickens Pushes Natural Gas after Oil Spill (Dallas Business Journal)

Gas Rally Boosts Coal’s Allure for Power Plants: Energy Markets (Bloomberg Businessweek)

Shale Gas for Greener Energy on Obama’s Radar (SF Chronicle)

Siemens signs Natural Gas turbine deal with Florida Power & Light - Six gas turbine-generators for next-generation clean energy centers (Orlando Business Journal)

New Texas Rule Aims to Reduce the Pain of Power Outages - New rule requires electric utilities to file detailed plans for dealing with severe weather (Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX)

Alabama - Power Company’s Tree Cutting Angers Tuscaloosa Residents (Tuscaloosa News, AL)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Fun with Fishes at the Refuge - Scientist-author details history of interaction between man, fish in Columbia River basin (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Methow Valley Irrigators Fined for Diverting Too Much Water (Wenatchee World, WA)

Editorial - Complex Water Rights Issues Smooth out When Cooperation Is Involved (Olympian, WA)

Phoenicians Sue Arizona for Clean Air (Courthouse News Service)

Texas Asks Court to Intervene in Fight with EPA over Emissions (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Roseburg Timber CEO: Lots of Ups & Downs in Industry over Next Year “…Roseburg Forest Products is workings towards more biomass opportunities, through the upgrade of its existing Dillard biomass facilities…” (KMTR-TV, Springfield, OR)

Op/Ed – Montana: Time Is Right for Clean Energy Act (Helena Independent Record, MT)

Is Texas Backing Away from a Hill Country Wind Transmission Line? (Austin Statesman, TX)

Wesley Clark: Renewable Energy in Need of More Support (Bismarck Tribune, ND)

Ohio - Toledo Reinvents Itself as a Solar-Power Innovator (USA Today)

Europe’s New Wind Power Rivals Gas (NY Times)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Belkin Gear Makes Electronics Smarter About Power (CNET News)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Scientists Develop Method to Detect, Track Carbon Dioxide (Associated Press)

Participants in Climate Reviews Suggest Changes (NY Times)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Op/Ed - Don’t Believe the ‘Green Jobs’ Hype (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA)

Electric Cars - Tesla Raises IPO Goal to $178 Million (NY Times)

Highest Gas Mileage? List Shows Today’s Cars Can’t Match Old Ones (USA Today)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

U.S. Broadband Is Big but It Needs to be Better (GigaOM)

Sprint to More Tightly Restrict Roaming Laptop Data Users (Broadband Reports)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

The Green File: No Shortage of Candidates This Year (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Contract to Demolish Old Shelton Wastewater Treatment Plant Awarded (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Shelton Extends Sewer Hook-Up Moratorium Six More Months (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Envelopes with White Powder Sent to Fed Buildings (Associated Press)

Forecast for Newspaper Revenue Points Lower (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

Idaho Woman Suspect in Library Condiment Vandalism

Mummified Corpse Found in Smoke Stack

Ancient Ocean of Mars Uncovered

USB Typewriter Turns Ancient Object into Something Almost Useful

SONG OF THE DAY

Jerry Lewis - Typewriter