Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Energy News Digest for August 11, 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

Russian Fires Raise Fears of Radioactivity in Smoke (NY Times – Now THAT’S what I call a biomass hazard!)

Think This Summer Is Hot? Get Used to It (USA Today)

Mason PUD 3 Commissioners Break Ground for Johns Prairie Operations Center (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Investigators Say Elma 6-Year-Old Was Shot by 8-Year-Old Brother (KING-TV, Seattle)

Gregoire Tells White House She Doesn’t Want Federal Job (Olympian, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

  • Russian Fires Raise Fears of Radioactivity in Smoke
  • Mason PUD 3 Commissioners Break Ground for Johns Prairie Operations Center
  • City of Shelton pulls plug on 114 streetlights
  • Pennsylvania - Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant Declares Alert Due to Freon Leak
  • South Carolina Court Rejects Part of Nuclear Plant Rate Hike
  • Editorial - Wrong Answer at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant
  • Germany - Merkel Faces Tough Decision on Nuclear Energy
  • Protests Spew over Montana-Gulf Pipeline Plan
  • Natural Gas - 8,000 People? EPA Defers Hearing on Fracking
  • New York Power Authority Holds Line on Hydro Rates
  • The US Power Sector: Where the Power Plants Are, When They Were Built, What They Pollute
  • NOAA Approves Reform of West Coast Fish Harvest
  • Dry British Columbia Summer Puts Fish Stocks in Jeopardy, Government Warns
  • Editorial - Hatchery versus Wild: Limiting One to Help the Other
  • Canada - Opening of Geoduck Fishery Put Off Amid First Nations Protest
  • Study Finds Chemicals in Washington Water & Fish
  • Biomass Power - Port of Shelton Discusses ADAGE Leases; Spells Out Hearing Procedures
  • Michigan - Detroit Edison Cleared to Buy 20MW Biomass Power
  • Editorial – Ohio: Biomass at Burger. A good idea has become more complicated
  • New York - Food Waste Digester Plan Put on Back Burner
  • A Green Idea for Brown Farm Fields in California
  • Largest Source of Independent Power in British Columbia Goes on the Grid
  • Connecticut - Wind Turbine Plan Stalls in Shelton
  • United Kingdom - Plan for Largest Hydropower Scheme in Europe Approved
  • Montana - Missoula City Council Gives Green Light to $1 Million in Energy Conservation
  • Time Is Running Out for Idahoans to Get Federal Rebates for Buying Energy-Efficient Appliances
  • Think This Summer Is Hot? Get Used to It
  • Does One Bad-Ass Summer Prove Climate Change?
  • Cleantech Industry Coming Out Against California Climate Change Initiative
  • Scientists See Links from Asian Floods to Russian Heat
  • Seattle - Would Less Trash Service Lead to Less Trash, or More Smells?
  • Washington Attorney General Settles With Internet Search Firm for $1.3 Million
  • Net Neutrality & the Google-Verizon Compromise
  • Google’s Deal on Equal Internet Access Opens Door to New Clout
  • Editorial - Net Neutrality Lost in Google-Verizon Deal
  • Verizoogle Pretends Pact Isn’t About Protecting Android
  • McAfee Says Malware Threat at a New High
  • Broadband Additions Hit a New Low in the US
  • Iowa - Stimulus Money Brings in the Broadband
  • Murray, Cantwell Remember Stevens: A ‘Pacific Northwest Icon’
  • Gregoire Tells White House She Doesn’t Want Federal Job
  • District 35 State House Race Focus Is Taxes
  • Gay Rights Foes Head Back to Court to Keep R-71 Names Secret
  • Investigators Say Elma 6-Year-Old Was Shot by 8-Year-Old Brother
  • Woman Found Slain in Tenino Truck Remembered as ‘One of Those Bright Lights’
  • Another Slow Tremor Beneath Olympic Peninsula
  • WA Man Sentenced for Helping Steal Olympic Peninsula Maple Trees
  • Oregon Files Price-Fixing Lawsuit Against TV Makers
  • Thurston County Seeks to Rescind Giant Water Park’s Tax-Exempt Status
  • Speeding Motorcyclists ‘Taunt’ Trooper Trapped in Wrecked Cruiser
  • How ‘Star Wars’ Changed Everything
  • Website Lets College Students Place Bets on Their Own Grades

WORD OF THE DAY

Stolid • \STAH-lid\ • adjective - Having or expressing little or no sensibility: unemotional

Jennifer was of stolid, Midwestern stock. Even as her potluck tuna casserole flopped at the church social, she returned the next week to silence her critics with her prize-winning “Spam” casserole. It was a hit…especially since the slices were cut into fish-shaped bits; a passive-aggressive nose-thumbing to her previous week’s critics.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Russian Fires Raise Fears of Radioactivity in Smoke (NY Times – Now THAT’S what I call a biomass hazard!)

Mason PUD 3 Commissioners Break Ground for Johns Prairie Operations Center (Mason County PUD No. 3)

City of Shelton pulls plug on 114 streetlights (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Pennsylvania - Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant Declares Alert Due to Freon Leak (Penn Energy)

South Carolina Court Rejects Part of Nuclear Plant Rate Hike (Associated Press)

Editorial - Wrong Answer at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant (NY Times)

Germany - Merkel Faces Tough Decision on Nuclear Energy (NY Times)

Protests Spew over Montana-Gulf Pipeline Plan (USA Today)

Natural Gas - 8,000 People? EPA Defers Hearing on Fracking (NY Times)

New York Power Authority Holds Line on Hydro Rates (Business First of Buffalo)

The US Power Sector: Where the Power Plants Are, When They Were Built, What They Pollute (Grist Online)

FISH & WILDLIFE

NOAA Approves Reform of West Coast Fish Harvest (Associated Press)

Dry British Columbia Summer Puts Fish Stocks in Jeopardy, Government Warns (Globe & Mail, Canada)

Editorial - Hatchery versus Wild: Limiting One to Help the Other (Oregonian, Portland)

Canada - Opening of Geoduck Fishery Put Off Amid First Nations Protest (Vancouver Sun, BC)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Study Finds Chemicals in Washington Water & Fish (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Biomass Power - Port of Shelton Discusses ADAGE Leases; Spells Out Hearing Procedures (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Michigan - Detroit Edison Cleared to Buy 20MW Biomass Power (Brighter Energy)

Editorial – Ohio: Biomass at Burger. A good idea has become more complicated (Akron Beacon Journal, OH)

New York - Food Waste Digester Plan Put on Back Burner (Steuben Courier, NY)

A Green Idea for Brown Farm Fields in California (NY Times)

Largest Source of Independent Power in British Columbia Goes on the Grid - $663-million Toba run-of-river project outperforms many BC Hydro facilities (Vancouver Sun, BC)

Connecticut - Wind Turbine Plan Stalls in Shelton (New Haven Register, CT)

United Kingdom - Plan for Largest Hydropower Scheme in Europe Approved for Teddington Weir (Richmond & Twickenham Times, UK)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Montana - Missoula City Council Gives Green Light to $1 Million in Energy Conservation Work (The Missoulian, MT)

Time Is Running Out for Idahoans to Get Federal Rebates for Buying Energy-Efficient Appliances (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Think This Summer Is Hot? Get Used to It (USA Today)

Does One Bad-Ass Summer Prove Climate Change? (Grist Online)

Cleantech Industry Coming Out Against California Climate Change Initiative (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Scientists See Links from Asian Floods to Russian Heat (NY Times)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Seattle - Would Less Trash Service Lead to Less Trash, or More Smells? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Washington Attorney General Settles With Internet Search Firm for $1.3 Million (Northwest Public Radio)

Net Neutrality & the Google-Verizon Compromise (Christian Science Monitor)

Google’s Deal on Equal Internet Access Opens Door to New Clout (Washington Post)

Editorial - Net Neutrality Lost in Google-Verizon Deal (SF Chronicle)

Verizoogle Pretends Pact Isn’t About Protecting Android - Justifications for no wireless neutrality still don’t add up... (Broadband Reports)

McAfee Says Malware Threat at a New High (Reuters)

Broadband Additions Hit a New Low in the US (GigaOM)

Iowa - Stimulus Money Brings in the Broadband (Telegraph Herald, Dubuque, IA)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Murray, Cantwell Remember Stevens: A ‘Pacific Northwest Icon’ (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Gregoire Tells White House She Doesn’t Want Federal Job (Olympian, WA)

District 35 State House Race Focus Is Taxes (Olympian, WA)

Gay Rights Foes Head Back to Court to Keep R-71 Names Secret (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

GENERAL NEWS

Investigators Say Elma 6-Year-Old Was Shot by 8-Year-Old Brother (KING-TV, Seattle)

Woman Found Slain in Tenino Truck Remembered as ‘One of Those Bright Lights’ (Olympian, WA – Note: some may find a few details of this case disturbing. Beware)

Another Slow Tremor Beneath Olympic Peninsula (Associated Press)

WA Man Sentenced for Helping Steal Olympic Peninsula Maple Trees (Associated Press)

Oregon Files Price-Fixing Lawsuit Against TV Makers (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Thurston County Seeks to Rescind Giant Water Park’s Tax-Exempt Status (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Speeding Motorcyclists ‘Taunt’ Trooper Trapped in Wrecked Cruiser (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

How ‘Star Wars’ Changed Everything

Website Lets College Students Place Bets on Their Own Grades (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

Bizarre McDonalds Drive-Thru Rampage Ends With Arrest & YouTube Fame

Idaho Farmer Unknowingly Tends to 300 Pot Plants

Blind Cat Found 3,000 Miles from Shelter

Pennsylvania Man Wants to Change Name to Boomer the Dog

SONG OF THE DAY

The Animals - We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place