Thursday, July 15, 2010

Energy News Digest for July 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.

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Capped for Now – BP Says No Oil Leaking into Gulf from Busted Well (USA Today)

Editorial - Go East, BPA: Power producer peers into forest for areas to build new transmission line (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Better hope its not DNR land … Oh, it is …)

Mason County EDC Supports Simpson Lumber’s Co-Gen Project (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Rural Electric Co-Ops Say Utility-Only Carbon Dioxide Limits Discriminatory (Platts)

State Finds Possible Fraud Involving Initiative (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Capped for Now – BP Says No Oil Leaking into Gulf from Busted Well
·         Natural Gas Jumps as Hot Weather Boosts Demand
·         Benton PUD Gets A-Plus Upgrade by Fitch Ratings
·         Editorial - Go East, BPA: Power producer peers into forest for areas to build new transmission line
·         BPA Picks Port Angeles for Pilot Project on Power Demand
·         Chelan PUD Nets June Gain in ‘Negatively Priced’ Power Trading
·         Douglas PUD to Pay $27,000 for Cyber Audit Dings
·         Bird Strike Power Outages Force Seattle City Light to Make Changes
·         Special Committee Assembled by Obama Tours Hanford
·         The Nuclear Option: Is Atomic Energy Clean & Green?
·         Modular Nuclear Reactor Boost as Bechtel Joins Forces with Babcock & Wilcox
·         Ms. Sparky Aims at KBR, Electrifies War-Contractor Scrutiny with Blog
·         Enviro Groups to Sue Coal Plant Touted by Texas as Permitting Success
·         US Chamber: A Flawed Permitting Process for Energy Projects
·         Trees’ Defender Sees a Conspiracy
·         Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power Workers Caught Drinking on the Job
·         Los Angeles DWP to Terminate 2 Workers Caught on Tape Apparently Drinking, Driving & Patronizing Strip Club
·         Salmon Returns to Columbia River Look Good So Far
·         Oregon - Surplus Salmon, Steelhead ‘Recycled’ to Make Trip up South Santiam Again
·         Fish Hatcheries Safe from Oregon Budget Cuts
·         Asian Carp Threat: Real or Overblown?
·         Mason County EDC Supports Simpson Lumber’s Co-Gen Project
·         Northwest-Born Fuel Cells Getting Close to Hitting the Open Road
·         Clean Energy Builds Slowly, Despite Federal Cash
·         Green Electricity Reaches ‘Tipping Point’
·         Landfill Gas Plant Construction Continues
·         Locally Owned Wind Power: Quaint it Ain’t
·         California Attorney General Sues Feds on Renewable Energy Loan
·         Editorial - Energy Program Assists Homeowners, Businesses
·         Rural Electric Co-Ops Say Utility-Only Carbon Dioxide Limits Discriminatory
·         Utilities, Signaling Support for Carbon Caps, Want ‘Relief’ on Other Air Pollutants
·         Report: Carbon Cap to Spur Nukes, Gas, Renewables
·         Columnist - Climategate & the Big Green Lie
·         Then & Now: The Retreating Glaciers
·         Will New Charging Stations Spark Electric Car Sales?
·         Michigan Governor: Electric Cars to Create 62,000 Jobs
·         Ads Backed by Fossil-Fuel Interests Argue ‘Carbon Dioxide Is Green’
·         FCC Seeks to Boost Rural Health Care Program Use
·         Google Launches New Community Fiber Website – But no actual deployment
·         Could Free Wi-Fi Hit the Skies? Travelers Reluctant to Pay
·         State Finds Possible Fraud Involving Initiative
·         Editorial - Petition Signers Should Beware
·         Study: Privatizing Email Will Not Save Washington Money
·         Fire Danger - Burn Ban in Effect in Mason County
·         Washington State Unemployment Rate Drops to 8.9 Percent in June
·         Cell Phone Traffic Tickets Potentially Invalid
·         Onalaska Farmer Catches Arsonist on Surveillance Video

WORD OF THE DAY

Bellicose • \BELL-ih-kose\ • adjective - Favoring or inclined to start quarrels or wars

The bellicose attitude of the nest leader would have been much more impressive to his opponents had they not been cats…and their antagonist had not been a plump, tomato-sized mouse.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Capped for Now – BP Says No Oil Leaking into Gulf from Busted Well (USA Today)

Natural Gas Jumps as Hot Weather Boosts Demand (Associated Press)

Benton PUD Gets A-Plus Upgrade by Fitch Ratings (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Editorial - Go East, BPA: Power producer peers into forest for areas to build new transmission line (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Better hope its not DNR land … Oh, it is …)

BPA Picks Port Angeles for Pilot Project on Power Demand (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Chelan PUD Nets June Gain in ‘Negatively Priced’ Power Trading (Wenatchee World, WA)

Douglas PUD to Pay $27,000 for Cyber Audit Dings (Wenatchee World, WA)

Bird Strike Power Outages Force Seattle City Light to Make Changes (KING-TV, Seattle)

Special Committee Assembled by Obama Tours Hanford (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

The Nuclear Option: Is Atomic Energy Clean & Green? (Slate Magazine)

Modular Nuclear Reactor Boost as Bechtel Joins Forces with Babcock & Wilcox (Power-Gen Worldwide)

Ms. Sparky Aims at KBR, Electrifies War-Contractor Scrutiny with Blog (Oregonian, Portland)

Enviro Groups to Sue Coal Plant Touted by Texas as Permitting Success (NY Times)

US Chamber: A Flawed Permitting Process for Energy Projects - Cost of NIMBY is $560 Billion & 250,000 Jobs (Cape Fear Business News, NC)

Trees’ Defender Sees a Conspiracy - Indicted on six felony counts for objecting to the way a power company trimmed trees after Hurricane Ike (Courthouse News Service)

Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power Workers Caught Drinking on the Job (Video - KCAL-TV, Studio City, CA)

Los Angeles DWP to Terminate 2 Workers Caught on Tape Apparently Drinking, Driving & Patronizing Strip Club (Los Angeles Times, CA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon Returns to Columbia River Look Good So Far - Additional promising signs for later this year & next (Indian Country Today)

Oregon - Surplus Salmon, Steelhead ‘Recycled’ to Make Trip up South Santiam Again (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)

Fish Hatcheries Safe from Oregon Budget Cuts (Associated Press)

Asian Carp Threat: Real or Overblown? (NY Times)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Mason County EDC Supports Simpson Lumber’s Co-Gen Project (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Northwest-Born Fuel Cells Getting Close to Hitting the Open Road (Northwest Public Radio)

Clean Energy Builds Slowly, Despite Federal Cash (Nat’l Public Radio)

Green Electricity Reaches ‘Tipping Point’ - More invested in renewable power generation than in conventional plants (Globe & Mail, Canada)

Landfill Gas Plant Construction Continues - Methane will be converted to electricity when finished (NWA Online)

Locally Owned Wind Power: Quaint it Ain’t (Miller McCune Magazine)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

California Attorney General Sues Feds on Renewable Energy Loan (Associated Press)

Editorial - Energy Program Assists Homeowners, Businesses (Olympian, WA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Rural Electric Co-Ops Say Utility-Only Carbon Dioxide Limits Discriminatory (Platts)

Utilities, Signaling Support for Carbon Caps, Want ‘Relief’ on Other Air Pollutants (NY Times)

Report: Carbon Cap to Spur Nukes, Gas, Renewables (CNET News)

Columnist - Climategate & the Big Green Lie (National Post, Canada)

Then & Now: The Retreating Glaciers (NY Times)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Will New Charging Stations Spark Electric Car Sales? (Christian Science Monitor)

Michigan Governor: Electric Cars to Create 62,000 Jobs (Associated Press)

Ads Backed by Fossil-Fuel Interests Argue ‘Carbon Dioxide Is Green’ (NY Times)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Seeks to Boost Rural Health Care Program Use - Expand use of the $400 million program that subsidizes Internet services at health care facilities in rural areas (Associated Press)

Google Launches New Community Fiber Website - Perhaps someday we’ll see an actual deployment (Broadband Reports)

Could Free Wi-Fi Hit the Skies? Travelers Reluctant to Pay (Associated Press)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

State Finds Possible Fraud Involving Initiative (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Editorial - Petition Signers Should Beware (Wenatchee World, WA)

Study: Privatizing Email Will Not Save Washington Money (Northwest Public Radio)

GENERAL NEWS

Fire Danger - Burn Ban in Effect in Mason County (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Washington State Unemployment Rate Drops to 8.9 Percent in June (Associated Press)

Cell Phone Traffic Tickets Potentially Invalid (KING-TV, Seattle)

Onalaska Farmer Catches Arsonist on Surveillance Video (KING-TV, Seattle)

DIVERSIONS

Buffalo, NY, Bus Driver Saves Ten from Burning Home

Parade-Goer Loses Claim over Float’s Coconut Toss

Sadly, the ‘Five-Second Rule’ is Not Really Safe

Sailboaters Moon State Ferry near Bainbridge

SONG OF THE DAY

Mark Knopfler & James Taylor - Sailing to Philadelphia