Friday, September 17, 2010

Energy News Digest for September 17, 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

La Niña Expected to Bring Wet, Gray Winter to Region - Increased chance of floods: Skiers, salmon fishers rejoice when Pacific cools

Oregon Public Utility Commission Approves PacifiCorp Surcharges for Klamath River Dam Removal – Could be up to $200 million (Oregonian, Portland)

Mercury Emissions Too High During Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy Incinerator Test (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

California - Pacific Gas & Electric PG&E Fined for Worker’s Electrocution (SF Chronicle)

Washington State Will Have to Pare $516 Million (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

  • Oregon Public Utility Commission Approves PacifiCorp Surcharges for Klamath River Dam Removal
  • Puget Sound Energy Seeks Rate Increase to Fund Energy Assistance Program
  • Bonneville Power Administration Wants to Avoid Giving Power Away
  • News Release - Congressman Hastings’ WAPA Bill Increases Transparency, Eliminates Taxpayer Bailouts
  • California - Pacific Gas & Electric PG&E Fined for Worker’s Electrocution
  • Pacific Gas & Electric - One-Quarter of High-Risk Lines Not Assessed
  • San Bruno Scams: Officials Watch for ‘Human Vermin’
  • Natural Gas Rises to Three-Week High on Gulf Storm Speculation
  • Tennessee - Power bills to jump $7, says Tennessee Valley Authority
  • Tennessee Valley Authority Releases Draft Energy Mix Plan with More Nuclear Power
  • North Carolina - Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant Looks Less Likely
  • News Release - FERC reaffirms NERC’s performance as the Nation’s Electric Reliability Organization
  • Cowlitz Fishing Gets Boost
  • Record Salmon Year, But Concerns Raised
  • Congressman Dicks to Attend Sewer Meeting Monday in Shelton
  • Go-Ahead Given to Use Lake Tapps for Drinking Water
  • Saving the oaks of Portland’s Elk Rock Island
  • Minnesota - Xcel Planning to Remove Large Dam; Upstream Water Users Say They’re Worried
  • Texas, EPA Present Draft Plan to Fix Air Permits
  • Snohomish PUD - Grants Helping Homeowners in County Make Switch to Solar
  • Goldendale - Northwest Wind Power Blows Way South
  • Portland General Electric Negotiating to Buy Gilliam County Wind Farm
  • Promoting Wind Energy - The US Broadens Investments in Wind Energy
  • Italy - Mafia ‘Wind-Leader’ Busted
  • Mercury Emissions Too High During Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy Incinerator Test
  • Lake Tahoe - Biomass Plant in Kings Beach: in or Out of the Basin?
  • Energy Storage on Grid Heats Up
  • Sell! Seven Perfect Ways to Pitch Renewable Energy
  • Rural Star - US House OKs Loans for Rural Energy Efficiency
  • California Braces for Showdown on Emissions
  • You’re ‘So Coal’: Angling to Shame Facebook
  • An Eye for an Eye as Facebook Attacks Greenpeace over Energy Use
  • Climate Models Show Fairbanks Shifting to Saskatoon-Like Conditions by 2100
  • Greening Access to Seattle’s Nearby National Parks
  • How to Ensure a Warmer Winter by Seasoning Your Firewood – to fuel your own personal biomass incinerator
  • Apps for Climate Change
  • Olympia - Severed Cable Kills Phone, Web Service for Hundreds
  • Frontier Downplays the Landline’s Demise
  • Yahoo to Upgrade E-Mail, Search Results This Fall
  • Carrier Pigeon Still Faster Than Broadband in Some Parts of Britain
  • Washington State Will Have to Pare $516 Million
  • Washington State Supreme Court Justice Awarded Four E-Mails in Disclosure Case
  • La Niña Expected to Bring Wet, Gray Winter to Region
  • Vancouver Acid ‘Victim’ Admits Injuring Herself
  • The Gores Group Acquires Cosmopolis Mill from Weyerhaeuser
  • Washington, Oregon, Idaho Get Millions from USDA for Ag Marketing
  • Fighting over Fruit - Licensing Deal for Hot New Apple Comes Under Fire
  • Report Says US West Coast Not Prepared for Tsunami
  • Honey Theft Not So Sweet for Whidbey Bee Keeper
  • Federal Stimulus Money Going Mostly to Richland
  • A Feud Between Airbus & Boeing Has Given Neither Side a Clear Advantage
  • Moses Lake Carbon Fiber Plant Seeking Annexation of 1,098 Acres
  • Second Key Peninsula Firefighter Fired over Wenatchee Conference Incident
  • Oregon Cities, Looking to Attract Development, Stall Out for Years in the State’s Land-Use System
  • Seattle Storm Clinch Second WNBA Title
  • Rider Records Bus Driver Reading Kindle on I-5

WORD OF THE DAY

Farrago • \fuh-RAH-go\ • noun - A confused mixture: hodgepodge

“Your paper was an interesting farrago of truth, speculation, innuendo and conspiracy theories,” intoned the Bhudda-like professor to his liberal arts student. “Unfortunately, when you began your thesis statement with ‘I may be wrong, but’ you turned out to be right.”

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Oregon Public Utility Commission Approves PacifiCorp Surcharges for Klamath River Dam Removal – Could be up to $200 million (Oregonian, Portland)

Puget Sound Energy Seeks Rate Increase to Fund Energy Assistance Program (Federal Way Mirror, WA)

Bonneville Power Administration Wants to Avoid Giving Power Away (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

News Release - Congressman Hastings’ WAPA Bill Increases Transparency, Eliminates Taxpayer Bailouts (Congressman Doc Hastings)

California - Pacific Gas & Electric PG&E Fined for Worker’s Electrocution (SF Chronicle)

Pacific Gas & Electric - One-Quarter of High-Risk Lines Not Assessed (Associated Press)

San Bruno Scams: Officials Watch for ‘Vermin’ - Two Women Charged With Attempting to Impersonate Victims of Last Week’s Deadly Pipeline Blast (SF Chronicle)

Natural Gas Rises to Three-Week High on Gulf Storm Speculation (Bloomberg News)

Tennessee - Power bills to jump $7, says Tennessee Valley Authority - largest monthly fuel cost adjustment ever by the TVA (The Tennessean, Nashville, TN)

Tennessee Valley Authority Releases Draft Energy Mix Plan with More Nuclear Power (The Tennessean, Nashville)

North Carolina - Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant Looks Less Likely (Raleigh News & Observer, NC)

News Release - FERC reaffirms NERC’s performance as the Nation’s Electric Reliability Organization (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Cowlitz Fishing Gets Boost (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

Record Salmon Year, But Concerns Raised - Environmentalists worried hatchery fish will have negative impact on wild salmon (South County Spotlight, Portland, OR)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Congressman Dicks to Attend Sewer Meeting Monday in Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Go-Ahead Given to Use Lake Tapps for Drinking Water (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Saving the oaks of Portland’s Elk Rock Island (Oregonian, Portland)

Minnesota - Xcel Planning to Remove Large Dam; Upstream Water Users Say They’re Worried (West Central Tribune, Willmar, MN)

Texas, EPA Present Draft Plan to Fix Air Permits (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Snohomish PUD - Grants Helping Homeowners in County Make Switch to Solar (Everett Herald, WA)

Goldendale - Northwest Wind Power Blows Way South (Earth Techling)

Portland General Electric Negotiating to Buy Gilliam County Wind Farm (Portland Business Journal)

Promoting Wind Energy - The US Broadens Investments in Wind Energy on its Path Toward Becoming a Clean Energy Economy (Voice of America)

Italy - Mafia ‘Wind-Leader’ Busted (Renewable Energy World)

Mercury Emissions Too High During Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy Incinerator Test (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

Lake Tahoe - Biomass Plant in Kings Beach: in or Out of the Basin? (Sierra Sun, Truckee, CA)

Energy Storage on Grid Heats Up (CNET News)

Sell! Seven Perfect Ways to Pitch Renewable Energy (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Rural Star - US House OKs Loans for Rural Energy Efficiency (Associated Press)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California Braces for Showdown on Emissions (NY Times)

You’re ‘So Coal’: Angling to Shame Facebook (NY Times)

An Eye for an Eye as Facebook Attacks Greenpeace over Energy Use (Data Center Dynamics)

Climate Models Show Fairbanks Shifting to Saskatoon-Like Conditions by 2100 (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Greening Access to Seattle’s Nearby National Parks - We live in a beautiful place surrounded by gorgeous parks, but our wilderness, including national parks, are mostly accessible only by car (Crosscut Seattle)

How to Ensure a Warmer Winter by Seasoning Your Firewood – to fuel your own personal biomass incinerator (Ecologist Magazine)

Apps for Climate Change (Vancouver Sun, BC)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Olympia - Severed Cable Kills Phone, Web Service for Hundreds (Olympian, WA)

Frontier Downplays the Landline’s Demise - Executive doesn’t think you need FiOS-level speeds anyway (Broadband Reports)

Yahoo to Upgrade E-Mail, Search Results This Fall (Associated Press)

Carrier Pigeon Still Faster Than Broadband in Some Parts of Britain (Broadband Genie, UK)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Will Have to Pare $516 Million (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Awarded Four E-Mails in Disclosure Case (Associated Press)

GENERAL NEWS

La Niña Expected to Bring Wet, Gray Winter to Region - Increased chance of floods: Skiers, salmon fishers rejoice when Pacific cools

Vancouver Acid ‘Victim’ Admits Injuring Herself (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

The Gores Group Acquires Cosmopolis Mill from Weyerhaeuser - Mill will operate under the name of Cosmo Specialty Fibers (MarketWatch)

Washington, Oregon, Idaho Get Millions from USDA for Ag Marketing (Associated Press)

Fighting over Fruit - Licensing Deal for Hot New Apple Comes Under Fire (Associated Press)

Report Says US West Coast Not Prepared for Tsunami (Associated Press)

Honey Theft Not So Sweet for Whidbey Bee Keeper (KING-TV, Seattle)

Federal Stimulus Money Going Mostly to Richland (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

A Feud Between Airbus & Boeing Has Given Neither Side a Clear Advantage (NY Times)

Moses Lake Carbon Fiber Plant Seeking Annexation of 1,098 Acres – Nearly Two Square Miles (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Second Key Peninsula Firefighter Fired over Wenatchee Conference Incident (Associated Press)

Oregon Cities, Looking to Attract Development, Stall Out for Years in the State’s Land-Use System (Oregonian, Portland)

Seattle Storm Clinch Second WNBA Title (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Rider Records Bus Driver Reading Kindle on I-5 (KING-TV, Seattle)

DIVERSIONS

Teenager’s Nose Ring More Than Fashion, It’s Faith: Church of Body Modification

I Bet the Printer LOVED This: NY GOP Governor Hopeful Sends Trash-Scented Flier

Greeks Find Human Skulls in Luggage of US Tourists

Woman Stabs Man After “Smelly” Feet Insult, Prosecutors Allege

SONG OF THE DAY

Sabazios - Dies Irae (Day of Wrath: formerly part of the Mass of the Dead and the Office of the Dead)