Thursday, September 9, 2010

700th Blog Post - Energy News Digest for September 9, 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

Lowering Lake Mills Begins Today; Preparation Central to Clearing Elwha River of Dams (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Residents Fume over Proposed Bonneville Power Administration Lines (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

Mining Companies Aim to Export Coal to China Through Northwest Ports (Oregonian, Portland)

Governor Gregoire Denies Clemency for Death Row Inmate (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Portland General Electric: Biglow Canyon Wind Farm Complete (Portland Business Journal)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Residents Fume over Proposed Bonneville Power Administration Lines
·         Centralia City Light Bond on Path for OK
·         Clallam PUD Warns of Telemarketing Scam
·         Natural Gas Stocks Expand Again
·         Oregon Pipeline Deals with Environmental Groups Have Ranchers Angry
·         Mining Companies Aim to Export Coal to China Through Northwest Ports
·         No Utility Increases Now In Ashland
·         Federal Energy Assistance Program Is Low on Funds
·         Chelan County PUD Plans Public Meetings to Talk About Future
·         Mason PUD 3 to Conduct Tree Trimming in Deckerville Road Area
·         American Electric Power to Meet New Ohio Standards to Lessen Outages
·         Do Higher Electricity Prices Drive Away Manufacturing Jobs?
·         Canada - Easy to be Complacent about Energy until its Too Late
·         Energysolutions Helps on Reactors in China
·         Lowering Lake Mills Begins Today; Preparation Central to Clearing Elwha River of Dams
·         Idaho Hatchery Officials Kill Thousands of Steelhead
·         Steelhead fishing opens up in North Central Washington
·         Coho Fishing Slows down in Strait of Juan de Fuca
·         Salmon Ending Epic Journey in Local Waterways
·         US Names Asian Carp Czar
·         Biologist Says Asian Carp Testing May be Misleading
·         Irrigators Push to Recover Conserved Water
·         Pacific Northwest Forests Could Face Beetle Damage: Report
·         Portland General Electric: Biglow Canyon Wind Farm Complete
·         New Transmission Essential for Oregon’s Renewable Energy Standard
·         Biofuel Project in Spokane County Wins $90,000 Grant - Converting straw to electricity
·         New York - Wood into Wattage: Biomass Energy System at VA Medical Center
·         Wisconsin - Biomass Hearing Date Set
·         Vermont - Citizen Group Forms to Fight Biomass Plan
·         Wind Power’s Growth Is Blowing Europe Toward Green Goals
·         Government Aid Puts China Ahead in Clean Energy
·         Ikea Wants a Green Future, Investing in Wind Farms
·         To Produce Power Inverters - California Energy Company Announces Phoenix Plant
·         Critics Say LEED Program Doesn’t Fulfill Promises
·         Federal Agency Sues LED Bulb Maker over Product Claims
·         Carbon Sequestration - Bellevue Company Gets $30 Million Energy Grant
·         Is ‘Carbon Capture’ Commercially Viable?
·         $3.1 Million Grant for Biofuel Research at PNNL
·         Iowa – Coal Fired Ethanol Plant Gets Grant to Convert to Biomass
·         Ten Eco-Business Subsidies You Should Know About
·         Steelworkers Launch War With Chinese Green Energy
·         Southern California Edison Unveils Online ‘Plug-in Car Rate Assistant’ to Estimate Cost of Fueling Electric Vehicles
·         New York - Fill ‘Er Up - With Wood
·         Power from the Atmosphere: Is it Real?
·         Taking over from Verizon - Frontier Communications Dials in Its Focus
·         Minnesotans Surprised to Learn They Have Fast Broadband
·         Worker Used State E-Mail to Promote Murray Campaign Event
·         Board Size, Term Lengths - Port of Shelton Opposes Citizen Initiatives
·         Governor Gregoire Denies Clemency for Death Row Inmate
·         Schools to Remain Closed as Ferndale Teachers Strike
·         Highway deaths fall to lowest level since 1950
·         Time to Put Together An Emergency Kit for You & Your Family

WORD OF THE DAY

Laconic • \luh-CONN-ick \ • adjective - Using or involving the use of a minimum of words: concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious

“Laconic? Yup, nice word for it,” quipped the tight-lipped farmer.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Residents Fume over Proposed Bonneville Power Administration Lines (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

Centralia City Light Bond on Path for OK (iStock Analyst)

Clallam PUD Warns of Telemarketing Scam (Sequim Gazette, WA)

Natural Gas Stocks Expand Again (Associated Press)

Oregon Pipeline Deals with Environmental Groups Have Ranchers Angry (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Mining Companies Aim to Export Coal to China Through Northwest Ports (Oregonian, Portland)

No Utility Increases Now in Ashland (Medford Mail Tribune, OR)

Federal Energy Assistance Program Is Low on Funds (Nat’l Public Radio)

Chelan County PUD Plans Public Meetings to Talk About Future (Wenatchee World, WA)

Mason PUD 3 to Conduct Tree Trimming in Deckerville Road Area (Mason County PUD No. 3)

American Electric Power to Meet New Ohio Standards to Lessen Outages “…more aggressive tree-trimming program & more sophisticated meters that alert the company…” (Associated Press)

Do Higher Electricity Prices Drive Away Manufacturing Jobs? California’s “Global Warming Solutions Act,” AB32, mandates reductions in carbon dioxide & other greenhouse gas emissions. Will this cost jobs? (Christian Science Monitor)

Canada - Easy to be Complacent about Energy until its Too Late: When you have a lot of hydro energy, complacency can obscure the need for much more dramatic steps toward sustainable energy (Crosscut Seattle)

Energysolutions Helps on Reactors in China (Tri-City Herald, WA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Lowering Lake Mills Begins Today; Preparation Central to Clearing Elwha River of Dams (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Idaho Hatchery Officials Kill Thousands of Steelhead (Associated Press)

Steelhead fishing opens up in North Central Washington (Wenatchee World, WA)

Coho Fishing Slows down in Strait of Juan de Fuca (Seattle Times)

Salmon Ending Epic Journey in Local Waterways (Blue Mountain Eagle, Grant County, OR)

US Names Asian Carp Czar (WGN-TV, Chicago)

Biologist Says Asian Carp Testing May be Misleading (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Irrigators Push to Recover Conserved Water (Columbia Basin Herald, WA)

Pacific Northwest Forests Could Face Beetle Damage: Report (Portland Business Journal)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Portland General Electric: Biglow Canyon Wind Farm Complete (Portland Business Journal)

New Transmission Essential for Oregon’s Renewable Energy Standard (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Biofuel Project in Spokane County Wins $90,000 Grant - Farm Power converting straw to electricity (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

New York - Wood into Wattage: Biomass Energy System at VA Medical Center (WBNG-TV, Binghamton, NY)

Wisconsin - Biomass Hearing Date Set (Wausau Daily Herald, WI)

Vermont - Citizen Group Forms to Fight Biomass Plan (Bennington Banner, VT)

Wind Power’s Growth Is Blowing Europe Toward Green Goals (The Guardian, UK – Check out the photo. These must be some of those hybrid turbines I’ve heard about…)

Government Aid Puts China Ahead in Clean Energy (NY Times)

Ikea Wants a Green Future, Investing in Wind Farms (Families in Business)

To Produce Power Inverters - California Energy Company Announces Phoenix Plant (Associated Press)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Critics Say LEED Program Doesn’t Fulfill Promises (Nat’l Public Radio)

Federal Agency Sues LED Bulb Maker over Product Claims (NY Times)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Carbon Sequestration - Bellevue Company Gets $30 Million Energy Grant (Associated Press)

Is ‘Carbon Capture’ Commercially Viable? (iStock Analyst)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

$3.1 Million Grant for Biofuel Research at PNNL (Associated Press)

Iowa – Coal Fired Ethanol Plant Gets Grant to Convert to Biomass (Des Moines Register, IA)

Ten Eco-Business Subsidies You Should Know About (Forbes Magazine)

Steelworkers Launch War With Chinese Green Energy (Newsweek Magazine)

Southern California Edison Unveils Online ‘Plug-in Car Rate Assistant’ to Estimate Cost of Fueling Electric Vehicles (Electric Energy Online)

New York - Fill ‘Er Up - With Wood (North Country Public Radio, Canton, NY)

Power from the Atmosphere: Is it Real? (Green Tech Media)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Taking over from Verizon - Frontier Communications Dials in Its Focus (Everett Herald, WA)

Minnesotans Surprised to Learn They Have Fast Broadband - Questions Ookla stats, which show different picture from Connected Nation (Broadband Reports)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Worker Used State E-Mail to Promote Murray Campaign Event - Employment Security official says employee will be disciplined (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Board Size, Term Lengths - Port of Shelton Opposes Citizen Initiatives (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Governor Gregoire Denies Clemency for Death Row Inmate (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Schools to Remain Closed as Ferndale Teachers Strike (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Highway deaths fall to lowest level since 1950 (Associated Press)

Time to Put Together An Emergency Kit for You & Your Family (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Should Have Checked Expedia - Gamer suspended over name of W.Va. town: Fort Gay

Unique Haircut Helps Capture Robbery Suspect

Kentucky Farmer Claims Some Corn Popped on the Stalk

New Hospital Gowns Cover All Options – No London, France, or Underpants!

SONG OF THE DAY

Dr John - Right Place, Wrong Time