Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Energy News Digest for September 8, 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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The news digest will be on the road September 19-22 at the Northwest Innovations Conference - Marketing & Communication. Check out this exciting event here: https://gateway.nwppa.org/euclidweb/cgi-bin/eventsdll.dll/EventInfo?sessionaltcd=100970

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

China Blacks Out Towns to Meet Energy Goal (Associated Press)

Record Low Oxygen Levels Observed in Southern Hood Canal (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Tacoma’s Download Speeds Rank 48th of 50 State Cities - For a place that calls itself “The Wired City,” Tacoma’s Internet download speeds aren’t living up to the hype (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Light Bulb Factory Closes; End of Era for US Means More Jobs Overseas (Washington Post)

Construction Is Complete at Vantage Wind Farm in Washington State (North American Wind Power)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         China Blacks Out Towns to Meet Energy Goal
·         Study Says Smart Meters Alone May Not Save Much Energy
·         Pacific Gas & Electric Smart Meters Offer Solid Technology & a Public Relations Nightmare
·         California - Bobcat Climbing Power Pole Starts Five-Acre Fire
·         Canada - Commercial Fishermen Docked While First Nations Reap Sockeye
·         Private Forest Landowners Can Get ‘Safe Harbor’ from Owl Restrictions
·         Whale Researchers Hitch a Ride on Zeppelin
·         Booming Big Bird Populations Pose Problems
·         Video - Northwest Oyster Farms Unable to Fill Demand
·         Record Low Oxygen Levels Observed in Southern Hood Canal
·         Oxygen-Starved ‘Dead Zones’ Growing in US Waters
·         Yakima Valley Wells Still Contaminated With Nitrates
·         Odessa Water Issues Tied to Columbia Basin Development Project
·         Columbia, Snake Locks Will Close for Repairs
·         Construction Is Complete at Vantage Wind Farm in Washington State
·         Columnist - Wind Power Proliferation: Let’s Not Spoil Columbia Gorge’s Gorgeous Views
·         Wyoming - Duke Energy Appeals Tax Bills on Wind Projects
·         With Washington Pressing for Wind Energy, Companies Fight over Infrastructure
·         Chinese Offshore Wind Power Development Blows Past US
·         Oregon - PV Powered Wins $2.4 Million Energy Grant
·         Snohomish School Gets Major Solar Upgrade
·         Editorial - More ‘Green’ Power Means Big Dividends Elsewhere
·         California - Greenest State Behind in the Trash-to-Energy Race
·         Renewable Energy Touted at Nevada Policy ‘Summit
·         Residential Solar Energy Systems Put the Texas Sun to Work
·         Letters Support Carbon Neutrality of Biomass, National Renewable Energy Standard
·         US Keeping up with European Biomass Demand
·         With 70% of New Solar Systems in 2009, Europe Continues to Dominate
·         Loan Guarantee Issued for Nevada Geothermal Project
·         Light Bulb Factory Closes; End of Era for US Means More Jobs Overseas
·         Lights Out for the Incandescent Bulb
·         To Go Where Compact Fluorescents Cannot
·         Green Building: A Real Estate Revolution?
·         What’s a Watt?
·         US Department of Energy Giving $575 Million in Carbon Capture Grants
·         Jimmy Carter’s Solar Panels Headed Back to Washington, DC
·         Solar Cars & Homes & Panels. Oh, My! - If you own a solar home, should you charge your solar car there?
·         Green Gym Generates Electricity from Bikers
·         Tacoma’s Download Speeds Rank 48th of 50 State Cities
·         Google TV in Autumn, Chrome Tablets Coming, CEO Says
·         Tentative over Cell Towers - The iPhone’s NIMBY Problem Underscored
·         Google unveils ‘Google Instant’ to speed up Internet search
·         Judge Tosses Washington State Limit on Late Campaign Spending
·         Activists Hoping to Get Norm Dicks’ Attention at Bremerton Rally
·         Columnist - On Our Ballot: The Best Initiatives Big $ Can Buy
·         Forum for Clallam County Treasurer Candidates Focuses on Missing $617,467
·         How the Erie Canal & Hoover Dam Hold Lessons for Today’s Hard Times
·         Brown to be Washington State’s 78th Execution
·         New Group Formed: Citizens for a Prosperous Mason County
·         Calling Bruce Willis - Pair of Asteroids to Buzz Past the Earth
·         Self-Imposed Particulates? US Smoking Rate Still Stuck at 1 in 5 Adults
·         15 Colleges worth the Price – Including: The Evergreen State College
·         Growing Number of Kids Addicted to the Internet
·         Old Farmer’s Almanac: Global Cooling to Continue
·         Cheerleader Charged in Embezzlement Scheme

WORD OF THE DAY

Zenith • \ZEE-nith\ • - 1: the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the nadir and vertically above the observer 2: the highest point reached in the heavens by a celestial body 3: culminating point: acme

Ah yes, those big and bulky color television sets that were considered the zenith of home technology in the 1960’s. I remember being bundled up and herded across the street to the grandparents to join the Mitch Miller sing-along while parked in front of a hulking, wood-encased TV set that emitted odors of hot circuits and lemon pledge.

1965 Zenith Television Ad

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

China Blacks Out Towns to Meet Energy Goal (Associated Press)

Study Says Smart Meters Alone May Not Save Much Energy (Reuters)

Pacific Gas & Electric Smart Meters Offer Solid Technology & a Public Relations Nightmare (Get Solar)

California - Bobcat Climbing Power Pole Starts Five-Acre Fire (Associated Press)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Canada - Commercial Fishermen Docked While First Nations Reap Sockeye (Vancouver Sun, BC)

Private Forest Landowners Can Get ‘Safe Harbor’ from Owl Restrictions (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Whale Researchers Hitch a Ride on Zeppelin (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Booming Big Bird Populations Pose Problems (USA Today)

Video - Northwest Oyster Farms Unable to Fill Demand (Wall Street Journal)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Record Low Oxygen Levels Observed in Southern Hood Canal (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Oxygen-Starved ‘Dead Zones’ Growing in US Waters (Tucson Sentinel, AZ)

Yakima Valley Wells Still Contaminated With Nitrates (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Odessa Water Issues Tied to Columbia Basin Development Project (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Columbia, Snake Locks Will Close for Repairs - Three-month outage will begin in December (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Construction Is Complete at Vantage Wind Farm in Washington State (North American Wind Power)

Columnist - Wind Power Proliferation: Let’s Not Spoil Columbia Gorge’s Gorgeous Views (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Wyoming - Duke Energy Appeals Tax Bills on Wind Projects (Associated Press)

With Washington Pressing for Wind Energy, Companies Fight over Infrastructure - Utilities Grapple With How to Pay for, Install Lines to Move Wind Energy from West to East (Washington Independent)

Chinese Offshore Wind Power Development Blows Past US (NY Times)

Oregon - PV Powered Wins $2.4 Million Energy Grant (Portland Business Journal)

Snohomish School Gets Major Solar Upgrade (KING-TV, Seattle)

Editorial - More ‘Green’ Power Means Big Dividends Elsewhere (Idaho Mountain Express & Guide, Sun Valley, ID)

California - Greenest State Behind in the Trash-to-Energy Race (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Renewable Energy Touted at Nevada Policy ‘Summit’ (Associated Press)

Residential Solar Energy Systems Put the Texas Sun to Work (Dallas Morning News, TX)

Letters Support Carbon Neutrality of Biomass, National Renewable Energy Standard (Biomass Magazine)

US Keeping up with European Biomass Demand (Renewable Energy World)

With 70% of New Solar Systems in 2009, Europe Continues to Dominate (Smart Planet)

Loan Guarantee Issued for Nevada Geothermal Project (Bloomberg News)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Light Bulb Factory Closes; End of Era for US Means More Jobs Overseas (Washington Post)

Lights Out for the Incandescent Bulb (Washington Post)

To Go Where Compact Fluorescents Cannot (NY Times)

Green Building: A Real Estate Revolution? (Nat’l Public Radio)

What’s a Watt? Anyone who wants to follow the renewable versus traditional energy debate needs to know what we mean when we say “watt” (Renewable Energy World)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

US Department of Energy Giving $575 Million in Carbon Capture Grants (Associated Press)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Jimmy Carter’s Solar Panels Headed Back to Washington, DC (Associated Press)

Solar Cars & Homes & Panels. Oh, My! - If you own a solar home, should you charge your solar car there? (Christian Science Monitor)

Green Gym Generates Electricity from Bikers (MSNBC)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Tacoma’s Download Speeds Rank 48th of 50 State Cities - For a place that calls itself “The Wired City,” Tacoma’s Internet download speeds aren’t living up to the hype (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Here’s the Ookla Ratings for Washington State (Ookla)

Google TV in Autumn, Chrome Tablets Coming, CEO Says (Seattle Times)

Tentative over Cell Towers - The iPhone’s NIMBY Problem Underscored (GigaOM)

Google unveils ‘Google Instant’ to speed up Internet search (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Judge Tosses Washington State Limit on Late Campaign Spending (Associated Press)

Activists Hoping to Get Norm Dicks’ Attention at Bremerton Rally (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Columnist - On Our Ballot: The Best Initiatives Big $ Can Buy (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Forum for Clallam County Treasurer Candidates Focuses on Missing $617,467 (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

How the Erie Canal & Hoover Dam Hold Lessons for Today’s Hard Times - We’re desperate for jobs, so why not put people to work fixing America’s decaying infrastructure? (Crosscut Seattle)

GENERAL NEWS

Brown to be Washington State’s 78th Execution (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

New Group Formed: Citizens for a Prosperous Mason County – Backs ADAGE Biomass Project (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Calling Bruce Willis - Pair of Asteroids to Buzz Past the Earth: The asteroids will pass earth Wednesday at a distance closer than the moon (Christian Science Monitor)

Self-Imposed Particulates? US Smoking Rate Still Stuck at 1 in 5 Adults (Associated Press)

15 Colleges worth the Price – Including: The Evergreen State College, Linfield, & Western Oregon (Washington Post)

Growing Number of Kids Addicted to the Internet (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Old Farmer’s Almanac: Global Cooling to Continue - The West will see a mild winter with average precipitation (Associated Press)

Cheerleader Charged in Embezzlement Scheme (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

DIVERSIONS

Yellow Jackets Sting Massachusetts Woman 500-Plus Times

Hold Your Nose & Look It Up…If You Dare - Non-Word `Refudiate’ Gets Most Online Searches: Merriam-Webster’s “Word of the Summer” is not even a word

Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Summer Runners-Up

Woman Devours 181 Chicken Wings in Contest

SONG OF THE DAY

The B-52’s - Private Idaho