Friday, October 22, 2010

Energy News Digest for October 22, 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

Storm Will Reach Western Washington This Weekend (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Gig Harbor - Logging Truck Causes Peninsula Blackout: A logging truck is to blame for a widespread power outage on the Key Peninsula that plunged 31,000 homes & businesses into darkness Thursday night & caused massive backups during rush hour (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Neighboring Technologies – Mason County Residents Use Technology to Match Renewable Energy with demand (Time Magazine)

Spokane-Area Alcoa Site Could Open for Silicon - 55 Megawatt Load Estimated (Istock Analyst)

New Deal with Pend Oreille PUD Provides Water for 23,000 Homes in Northeast Washington (Associated Press)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Gig Harbor - Logging Truck Causes Peninsula Blackout
·         Gig Harbor Darkened - Log Truck Knocks Down Power Lines; Highway 101 Blocked for Hours
·         Gig Harbor - Logging Truck Knocks Out Power to 31,000
·         Spokane-Area Alcoa Site Could Open for Silicon - 55 Megawatt Load Estimated
·         Expecting a Big Dip, Douglas PUD Approves Budgets
·         Intalco Aluminum Hires New Plant Manager, Rousseau Moves to South Carolina
·         Idaho - Oil Sands Effort Turns on a Fight over a Road
·         Attack of the Oil Company Mega-Loads? Big Shipments Scare NW Watchdogs
·         Connecticut Utility Wants Massachusetts Clean Energy Law Changed to Include Large Hydro
·         Parent Company for Contractor of PUD 3 Operations Center Receives Added Safety Recognition
·         Save Some Salmon for the Bears & Whales, Study Says
·         Mason County Getting State Grants to Restore Puget Sound for Salmon
·         Oregon’s Governor, BPA to Sign Willamette Habitat Agreement
·         Washington State Fines Darigold $10,000 for Fish Kill
·         In Pursuit of Geoducks: Some Worry High Prices Are Leading to Poaching
·         River & Lake Fish ‘Neglected But Essential’
·         Predators Gone, Small Fish Get Bolder
·         New Deal with Pend Oreille PUD Provides Water for 23,000 Homes in Northeast Washington
·         Elected Officials Celebrate Completion of Columbia River Dredging Project
·         Neighboring Technologies – Mason County Residents Use Technology to Match Renewable Energy with demand
·         Technology Companies Are Lining Up for Smart Grid Business
·         Oregon Public Health Office Decides It’s Time to Study Health Effects of Wind Turbines
·         New South Dakota Wind Farm to Benefit More than Power Company
·         Vermont Utilities Agree to Buy Wind Power from New Hampshire
·         Columbia Biogas Plans Portland Food Waste-to-Power Plant
·         Oregon - Pendleton Goes Solar
·         High Permit Fees & Delays Discourage Solar Power
·         GE Develops Efficient LED Bulb
·         Sea Ice Melting as Arctic Temperature Rises
·         Portland General Electric Receives Two National Green Power Awards
·         California Apollo Program Promotes Cleantech Jobs
·         Dancing Polar Bears Sue United States
·         Indoor Pot Makes Cash, But Isn’t Green
·         Netflix Suffers Big Outage as Stock Hits New Peak
·         Google Spends More Lobbying Congress
·         Texas Governor Uses I-1098 to Court Washington Business
·         Editorial - Washington Looks to Add a Congressional District
·         Oregon Governor Candidates Differ on Oregon’s Green Streak
·         In Social Networking Era, Do Newspaper Endorsements Still Matter?
·         Gresham City Councilor Wants to Ban Text Messaging & E-Mailing by Public Officials During Open Meetings
·         Storm Will Reach Western Washington This Weekend
·         Powerful Storm Expected This Weekend
·         Man Gets 55 Years for Killing Stepdaughter at Lake Cushman Cabin
·         Cold Weather Poses Threat to Vineyards
·         Oregon Wine Grape Growers’ Late Harvest Compounded by Infestation of Feasting Birds
·         New Cigarette Tax Driving More Smokers to Black Market
·         Water Scarcity a Municipal Bond Risk, Study Warns
·         Traffic Accidents Are Top Killer of US Travelers Abroad
·         High School Football Refs in Trouble for Using Pink Whistles

WORD OF THE DAY

Neophyte • \NEE-uh-fite\ • Noun - 1: a new convert: proselyte 2: novice 3: tyro, beginner

The newbie Public Utility District commissioner received his bright, shiny, ten pound “Big Book ‘O Acronyms” on his first day on the job. The resounding thud it made when he placed it on the kitchen table that night made the neophyte have second thoughts about the day he passed his filing fee, hands shaking, to the wooden faced clerk at the Auditor’s office.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Gig Harbor - Logging Truck Causes Peninsula Blackout: A logging truck is to blame for a widespread power outage on the Key Peninsula that plunged 31,000 homes & businesses into darkness Thursday night & caused massive backups during rush hour (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Gig Harbor Darkened - Log Truck Knocks Down Power Lines; Highway 101 Blocked for Hours (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Gig Harbor - Logging Truck Knocks Out Power to 31,000 (KING-TV, Seattle)

Spokane-Area Alcoa Site Could Open for Silicon - 55 Megawatt Load Estimated (Istock Analyst)

Expecting a Big Dip, Douglas PUD Approves Budgets (Wenatchee World, WA)

Intalco Aluminum Hires New Plant Manager, Rousseau Moves to South Carolina (Bellingham Herald, WA)

Idaho - Oil Sands Effort Turns on a Fight over a Road: Concerns over heavy weight of large machinery (NY Times)

Attack of the Oil Company Mega-Loads? Big Shipments Scare NW Watchdogs (Lake Stevens Journal, WA)

Connecticut Utility Wants Massachusetts Clean Energy Law Changed to Include Large Hydro (Boston Business Journal, MA)

Parent Company for Contractor of PUD 3 Operations Center Receives Added Safety Recognition (Mason County PUD No. 3)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Save Some Salmon for the Bears & Whales, Study Says (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

Mason County Getting State Grants to Restore Puget Sound for Salmon (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Oregon’s Governor, BPA to Sign Willamette Habitat Agreement (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Washington State Fines Darigold $10,000 for Fish Kill (Puget Sound Business Journal)

In Pursuit of Geoducks: Some Worry High Prices Are Leading to Poaching (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

River & Lake Fish ‘Neglected But Essential’ (British Broadcasting Corporation)

Predators Gone, Small Fish Get Bolder (NY Times)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

New Deal with Pend Oreille PUD Provides Water for 23,000 Homes in Northeast Washington (Associated Press)

Elected Officials Celebrate Completion of Columbia River Dredging Project (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Neighboring Technologies – Mason County Residents Use Technology to Match Renewable Energy with demand (Time Magazine)

Technology Companies Are Lining Up for Smart Grid Business (NY Times)

Oregon Public Health Office Decides It’s Time to Study Health Effects of Wind Turbines (Oregonian, Portland)

New South Dakota Wind Farm to Benefit More than Power Company (KDLT-TV, Sioux Falls, SD)

Vermont Utilities Agree to Buy Wind Power from New Hampshire (Associated Press)

Columbia Biogas Plans Portland Food Waste-to-Power Plant (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Oregon - Pendleton Goes Solar (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

High Permit Fees & Delays Discourage Solar Power (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

GE Develops Efficient LED Bulb (Bloomberg News)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Sea Ice Melting as Arctic Temperature Rises (Associated Press)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Portland General Electric Receives Two National Green Power Awards (Electric Energy Online)

California Apollo Program Promotes Cleantech Jobs (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Dancing Polar Bears Sue United States (Courthouse News Service)

Indoor Pot Makes Cash, But Isn’t Green (SF Chronicle)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Netflix Suffers Big Outage as Stock Hits New Peak (USA Today)

Google Spends More Lobbying Congress (USA Today)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Texas Governor Uses I-1098 to Court Washington Business (Seattle Times)

Editorial - Washington Looks to Add a Congressional District (Seattle Times)

Oregon Governor Candidates Differ on Oregon’s Green Streak (Sustainable Business Oregon)

In Social Networking Era, Do Newspaper Endorsements Still Matter? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Gresham City Councilor Wants to Ban Text Messaging & E-Mailing by Public Officials During Open Meetings (Oregonian, Portland)

GENERAL NEWS

Storm Will Reach Western Washington This Weekend (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Powerful Storm Expected This Weekend (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Man Gets 55 Years for Killing Stepdaughter at Lake Cushman Cabin (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Cold Weather Poses Threat to Vineyards (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Oregon Wine Grape Growers’ Late Harvest Compounded by Infestation of Feasting Birds (Oregonian, Portland)

New Cigarette Tax Driving More Smokers to Black Market (KING-TV, Seattle)

Water Scarcity a Municipal Bond Risk, Study Warns (NY Times)

Traffic Accidents Are Top Killer of US Travelers Abroad (USA Today)

High School Football Refs in Trouble for Using Pink Whistles (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

1,810-Pound Pumpkin Is World’s Heaviest

Smashing Pumpkins, the Halloween Rage

Shoplifting Teen in Virginia Made to Dress Up as Sesame Street Character as Punishment

Activist clown charged with making threats in Bell

SONG OF THE DAY

Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time