Friday, October 15, 2010

Energy News Digest for October 15, 2010

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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

Energy Adequacy - Senator Wyden Calls on BPA, PacifiCorp to Aid Facebook Expansion in Central Oregon (KBNW Radio, Bend, OR)

Boil Water Notice for Two Mason County PUD 1 Water Systems (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Clallam County PUD Eyes Eight Percent Rate Hike (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Power & Water - Tacoma Public Utilities Bills Might Rise by $6.50 (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

State Officials Set to Reject Idaho Power Biomass Deal (Brighter Energy)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

  • Clallam County PUD Eyes Eight Percent Rate Hike
  • Power & Water - Tacoma Public Utilities Bills Might Rise by $6.50
  • German Electricity Costs May Rise Next Year - Renewable Subsidy Leaps 72%
  • Constellation’s Cancellation - America’s Nuclear Renaissance is Mighty Slow in Coming
  • Minnesota - Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant Clears Hurdle Toward 20-Year Extension
  • Mukilteo Outage - Not a Good Day to be a Squirrel
  • Central Maine Power Company’s ‘Smart Meters’ Not a Health Threat
  • Smart Metering Kicks Off in Two US States
  • A ‘Sea Change’ for Wild Pacific Salmon
  • Lower Columbia River Reopens for Chinook Retention
  • Late Coho Salmon Returns Appear Better Than Forecast
  • Salmon Habitat Restoration - Workers Tear into Old Entiat Dikes
  • Navy Wants to Avoid Another Hood Canal Oyster-Killing Incident
  • Beavers Just Too Dam Busy - Nine-member rodent family removed from Red Lake
  • Boil Water Notice for Two Mason County PUD 1 Water Systems
  • Yakima Clean Air Agency May Enact New Regulations for Dairies
  • State Officials Set to Reject Idaho Power Biomass Deal
  • Wood Chip Burner Among More Efficient Utilities
  • Eastern Illinois University Renewable Energy Center Likely to Use Wood Chips, Grass, Corn Stalks as Fuel
  • Puget Sound Tides Could be Tapped for Clean Energy
  • Silver Lining - Pacific Cooling Means Good Start to 2011 for US Wind Farms
  • Wisconsin - Some Farmers Raise Questions About Wind Farm Sites
  • California - Tea Party Activists Back Proposition 23 Climate Law Rollback in Sacramento Protest
  • How Electric Cars Could Become a Giant Battery for Renewable Energy
  • Stations Install Fast Chargers for Electric Cars
  • Seattle University to Stop Serving Bottled Water
  • How British Columbia is Achieving Sustainable Prosperity
  • Population Prophet - David Suzuki’s Five Kids
  • Energy Adequacy - Senator Wyden Calls on BPA, PacifiCorp to Aid Facebook Expansion in Central Oregon
  • General Election Ballots to be Mailed Friday
  • 35th District Races Could Turn Legislative Tide
  • Washington Governor Gregoire Leads Tour of Puget Sound
  • Union Sues over Wash Prison Job Cuts
  • Court: Tribal Cops Can Detain Off Reservation
  • Licensed Pot Grow Busted in Centralia for Cultivating Too Much Marijuana
  • New Hoover Dam Bypass Arches into the Sky

WORD OF THE DAY

Zeroth • \ZEE-roeth\ • Adjective - Being numbered zero in a series; also: of, relating to, or being a zero

“Less Than the Zeroth Preppy?” mused Bret Easton Ellis as he stared at the neatly typed line of text in his Royal Electric typewriter. “For some reason that just doesn’t grab me as a good title at all for my new book,” he muttered over his fourth morning cup of steaming, black coffee. 

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Clallam County PUD Eyes Eight Percent Rate Hike (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Power & Water - Tacoma Public Utilities Bills Might Rise by $6.50 (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

German Electricity Costs May Rise Next Year - Renewable Subsidy Leaps 72% (Bloomberg News)

Constellation’s Cancellation - America’s Nuclear Renaissance is Mighty Slow in Coming (The Economist)

Minnesota - Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant Clears Hurdle Toward 20-Year Extension (Minnesota Public Radio)

Mukilteo Outage - Not a Good Day to be a Squirrel (Everett Herald, WA)

Central Maine Power Company’s ‘Smart Meters’ Not a Health Threat (Kennebec Journal, ME)

Smart Metering Kicks Off in Two US States (Energy Efficiency)

FISH & WILDLIFE

A ‘Sea Change’ for Wild Pacific Salmon “…historic sockeye run is providing a wonderful “teachable moment” that should restore hope in the face of what has been a growing sense of disillusion about the future for wild salmon…” (Vancouver Sun, BC)

Lower Columbia River Reopens for Chinook Retention (Seattle Times)

Late Coho Salmon Returns Appear Better Than Forecast (Longview Daily News, WA)

Salmon Habitat Restoration - Workers Tear into Old Entiat Dikes; Removal project will let river flow, restore long-lost habitat for salmon (Wenatchee World, WA)

Navy Wants to Avoid Another Hood Canal Oyster-Killing Incident (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Beavers Just Too Dam Busy - Nine-member rodent family removed from Red Lake (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Boil Water Notice for Two Mason County PUD 1 Water Systems (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Yakima Clean Air Agency May Enact New Regulations for Dairies (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

State Officials Set to Reject Idaho Power Biomass Deal (Brighter Energy)

Wood Chip Burner Among More Efficient Utilities; New Sustainability Institute Plays Increasing Role (Central Michigan University Press)

Eastern Illinois University Renewable Energy Center Likely to Use Wood Chips, Grass, Corn Stalks as Fuel (Decatur Herald Review, IL)

Puget Sound Tides Could be Tapped for Clean Energy (KING-TV, Seattle)

Silver Lining - Pacific Cooling Means Good Start to 2011 for US Wind Farms (Brighter Energy)

Wisconsin - Some Farmers Raise Questions About Wind Farm Sites (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, WI)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California - Tea Party Activists Back Proposition 23 Climate Law Rollback in Sacramento Protest (Sacramento Bee, CA)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

How Electric Cars Could Become a Giant Battery for Renewable Energy (The Guardian, UK)

Stations Install Fast Chargers for Electric Cars (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Seattle University to Stop Serving Bottled Water (Associated Press)

How British Columbia is Achieving Sustainable Prosperity - We’re well-positioned in terms of green power, and new policies will ensure that continues into the future (Vancouver Sun, BC)

Population Prophet - David Suzuki’s Five Kids (Mens’ News Daily)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Energy Adequacy - Senator Wyden Calls on BPA, PacifiCorp to Aid Facebook Expansion in Central Oregon (KBNW Radio, Bend, OR)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

General Election Ballots to be Mailed Friday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

35th District Races Could Turn Legislative Tide - Three Contests Show Diversity of Region (Bellingham Herald, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Washington Governor Gregoire Leads Tour of Puget Sound (Associated Press)

Union Sues over Wash Prison Job Cuts (Associated Press)

Court: Tribal Cops Can Detain Off Reservation (Associated Press)

Licensed Pot Grow Busted in Centralia for Cultivating Too Much Marijuana (Olympian, WA)

New Hoover Dam Bypass Arches into the Sky (Wenatchee World, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Worker Swept Through Sewer is Found Alive

Breast Cancer Bracelets Cause Controversy (Note: some of the titillating language in this story may give daintier readers of the news digest the “vapors”)

Georgia Woman Gets $1 Billion Electric Bill

Atascosa County Mistakes Chilean Flag for Texas’

SONG OF THE DAY – ARTIST INTERPRETATION EDITION

Patti Smith - Because the Night

10,000 Maniacs - Because the Night

Bruce Springsteen - Because the Night (author)