Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Energy News Digest for December 14, 2010

The energy news digest will be away from the keyboard Wednesday, December 15. It will be attending two spellbinding sessions on residential exchange and Pacific Northwest energy, topping it off with an exciting local basketball tilt. See you on Thursday.

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.

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices: http://twitter.com/energydigest

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Challenge Filed to Export Coal from Cowlitz County Port on the Columbia (Associated Press)

Mason PUD 3 Adopts 2011 Budget - No Retail Rate Increase Anticipated Next Year (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Grays Harbor PUD Approves 2011 Budget (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Dilemma: Protected Stellar Sea Lions vs. Sturgeon (Oregon Public Radio)

Barristers Against Biomass - Concerned Citizens’ Motion to Reconsider Lawsuit against Port of Shelton Denied (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Challenge Filed to Export Coal from Cowlitz County Port on the Columbia
·         Mason PUD 3 Adopts 2011 Budget - No Retail Rate Increase Anticipated Next Yea
·         Grays Harbor PUD Approves 2011 Budget
·         Oregon - Central Electric Cooperative Members to Get Credit Payments
·         Op/Ed - Pay Fair Price to Take Land, Bonneville Power Administration
·         Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Delivers More Than Kilowatts
·         Entergy Overcharged for Electricity for a Decade, Judge Says
·         Texas - Former Pedernales Electric Cooperative General Manager Fuelberg Convicted on All Counts
·         Massachusetts - Closure of Salem Harbor Power Station Urged
·         United Kingdom - Ratcliffe Activists Found Guilty of Coal Station Plot
·         Dilemma: Protected Stellar Sea Lions vs. Sturgeon
·         Pacific Salmon Not Affected by Lice: Study
·         Battling Biomass Barristers - Concerned Citizens’ Motion to Reconsider Lawsuit against Port of Shelton Denied
·         Wyden Hits Obama Administration on Biomass Rules
·         Idaho Wind Farm May be Built, Despite Planning Denial
·         Massachusetts Business Group Challenges Wind Power Deal
·         Editorial – Maine Anti-Wind Groups Holding Back Fox Islands’ Growth
·         Ohio Utility Overseer: Give Clean Energy Regs Time
·         Home Heating 101: Six Cold Facts on Staying Warm This Winter
·         A Shift in Power: Energy Efficiency Will Slow Demand
·         As House Turns from Blue to Red, Will ‘Green the Capitol’ Survive?
·         Web Companies Fear Google’s Reach
·         Obama’s Broadband Punt
·         Yahoo to Lay Off More Than 600 Staffers: Sources
·         Gregoire Wants to Cut Some Washington State Public Pension Benefits, Double-Dip Loophole
·         Risk of Landslides Continues
·         Some Roads Still Closed in Mason County
·         Target Bangor - Anti-Nuclear Weapon Protesters Convicted in Tacoma
·         Weyerhaeuser Lays Out 2011 Dividend Plan, Sees Little Upside to Housing
·         Email, Birthdays of McDonald’s Customers Hacked
·         Charge: Temp Stole $6,000 in Two Days

WORD OF THE DAY

Frisson • \free-SON (ends with kind of a nasally-French pronunciation)\ • Noun - A brief moment of emotional excitement: shudder, thrill

My cat, Sheba, leapt onto my lap…in a tense pose of frisson…looking for the bird I obviously was hiding in my mouth.  You know; the one that was just whistling the guitar solo from “Sultans of Swing.”

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Challenge Filed to Export Coal from Cowlitz County Port on the Columbia (Associated Press)

Mason PUD 3 Adopts 2011 Budget - No Retail Rate Increase Anticipated Next Year (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Grays Harbor PUD Approves 2011 Budget (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Oregon - Central Electric Cooperative Members to Get Credit Payments (Bend Bulletin, OR)

Op/Ed - Pay Fair Price to Take Land, Bonneville Power Administration (Longview Daily News, WA)

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Delivers More Than Kilowatts (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Editorials/OTEC-delivers-more-than-kilowatts

Entergy Overcharged for Electricity for a Decade, Judge Says (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

Texas - Former Pedernales Electric Cooperative General Manager Fuelberg Convicted on All Counts: As punishment phase begins, defense will ask for probation, but prosectors will detail spending practices (Austin American Statesman, TX)

Massachusetts - Closure of Salem Harbor Power Station Urged (Electricity Forum)

United Kingdom - Ratcliffe Activists Found Guilty of Coal Station Plot: Campaigners who planned to shut down coal-fired power station convicted of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass (The Guardian, UK)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Dilemma: Protected Stellar Sea Lions vs. Sturgeon (Oregon Public Radio)

Pacific Salmon Not Affected by Lice: Study (CBC Canada)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Battling Biomass Barristers - Concerned Citizens’ Motion to Reconsider Lawsuit against Port of Shelton Denied (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Wyden Hits Obama Administration on Biomass Rules (Oregonian, Portland)

Idaho Wind Farm May be Built, Despite Planning Denial (KPVI-TV, Pocatello, ID)
http://www.kpvi.com/story.php?id=33644

Massachusetts Business Group Challenges Wind Power Deal (Associated Press)

Editorial – Maine Anti-Wind Groups Holding Back Fox Islands’ Growth (Bangor Daily News, ME)

Ohio Utility Overseer: Give Clean Energy Regs Time (Cincinnati Inquirer, OH)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Home Heating 101: Six Cold Facts on Staying Warm This Winter (Christian Science Monitor)

A Shift in Power: Energy Efficiency Will Slow Demand - As coal & hydropower go away, power companies will focus on conservation (Medford Mail Tribune, OR)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

As House Turns from Blue to Red, Will ‘Green the Capitol’ Survive? (Washington Post)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Web Companies Fear Google’s Reach (Washington Post)

Obama’s Broadband Punt - How an administration obsessed with green jobs missed the real growth sector of the economy (Newsweek Magazine)

Yahoo to Lay Off More Than 600 Staffers: Sources (Reuters)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Gregoire Wants to Cut Some Washington State Public Pension Benefits, Double-Dip Loophole (Seattle Times)

GENERAL NEWS

Risk of Landslides Continues (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Some Roads Still Closed in Mason County (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Target Bangor - Anti-Nuclear Weapon Protesters Convicted in Tacoma (Associated Press)

Weyerhaeuser Lays Out 2011 Dividend Plan, Sees Little Upside to Housing (Associated Press)

Email, Birthdays of McDonald’s Customers Hacked (Reuters)

Charge: Temp Stole $6,000 in Two Days (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

DIVERSIONS

Do Pregnant Women Count as Two People for Carpool Lanes?

Quick-Draw Champion Hurt When Holstered Gun Goes Off

Oklahoma Lawmaker Brags About Deer Kill, Faces Fine

Buzzwords to Avoid When Looking for a New Job

SONG OF THE DAY

Paul Anka – Havin’ My Baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZYNA6qUNTE