Monday, January 31, 2011

Energy News Digest for January 31, 2011

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

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

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

TransAlta’s Centralia Power Plant under Fire - Business ranks 125th in nation in mercury emissions, according to new report (Olympian, WA)

Shelton - Clean Air Agency Will Hold Biomass Hearings (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

New Law Could Change How Local Governments Communicate with the Public (Longview Daily News, WA)

Monroe Prison Guard Complained About Working Solo Before Inmate Killed Her (Seattle Times)

Obama? Bon Jovi? Redford? Olympic National Park Seeks Big Names to Celebrate Start of Dam Removals (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         TransAlta’s Centralia Power Plant under Fire - Business ranks 125th in nation in mercury emissions
·         First of 16 New Turbine Runners at Chief Joseph Dam Enters Commercial Testing Phase
·         Susitna Dam Projected to Cost $4.5 Billion
·         Alcoa Appeals North Carolina Move Blocking Dam Relicensing
·         Oregon - Harnessing the Power of Water: City of Ashland
·         Obama? Bon Jovi? Redford? Olympic National Park Seeks Big Names to Celebrate Start of Dam Removals
·         Disputed Oversized Loads to Start Rolling in Idaho
·         Montana - Could the City of Great Falls Convert Electric Utility to Co-Op?
·         Utility Giant National Grid to Lay Off 1,200 in Restructuring
·         Kansas - As Smart Meter Use Grows Across Kansas, So Do Options for Easy Use
·         New Electricity Meters Stir Fears
·         Nuclear Plants Expected to Hire 50,000 in Next Five Years
·         After Clean Energy Buzz Last Week, Talks Could Restart Soon in Senate
·         Op/Ed - The Snake River Basin Is a Model of Environmental & Economic Sustainability
·         Alaska Senator Sends Obama Salmon Sample
·         Klickitat PUD - New Water Will Boost Business Expansion in White Salmon
·         Longview to Spend Thousands on Water Plant It Plans to Abandon
·         200 Billion Gallons of Water Drawn Each Day for US Coal, Nuclear Power
·         Shelton - Clean Air Agency Will Hold Biomass Hearings
·         Study to Examine Olympic Peninsula’s Potential for Renewable Energy
·         Ohio Op/Ed - Brake on Biomass: A case before the Ohio Supreme Court should have a lot to say about the state’s renewable-energy standards
·         Sale of Energy Credits in California Supports Canada Wind Farms
·         Wyoming - Interior Official Addresses Wind Energy, Transmission Lines
·         Editorial – Wind Power Transmission: Spinning the Color Wheel for a ‘Green’ Alternative
·         Idaho - Solar Roadways Traveling Toward Another $100K Grant
·         Smart Appliance Sales to Surge, Pike Research Says
·         Alaska Seeing Impact of Climate Change in Its Infrastructure, Villages
·         Fertilizing Oceans Seen Fruitless in Climate Fight
·         Some States Offer Electric Car Incentives
·         Cold Truths About Electric Cars’ Cold-Weather Shortcomings
·         Once Popular, Car Pools Go the Way of Hitchhiking
·         Want to Toss That Tree? Get a Permit First, Seattle Tree Group Proposes
·         NFL Promises the Greenest Gridiron Yet in Dallas Area
·         Stimulus Funds Help Wire Rural Homes for Internet
·         AT&T Expects USF Reform Starting February 8
·         Portland’s Dream of the ‘00s -- Fast, Cheap Broadband -- Is Alive
·         Free Wi-Fi on Amtrak Cascade Trains Starts February 1
·         FCC Seeks to Dismiss Challenges to Internet Rules
·         New Law Could Change How Local Governments Communicate with the Public
·         Washington State Redistricting Board Selects Chairwoman
·         Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler Says Legal Costs of Ethics Investigation Waste Public Money
·         Spin Control: West Side Plays Victim in County-Merging Pitch
·         Agencies in Cost-Cutting California Told Not to Buy New Cars
·         Monroe Prison Guard Complained About Working Solo Before Inmate Killed Her
·         Puget Sound Residents Traveling in Egypt Trying to Get Home
·         Cosmopolis Pulp Mill Coming Back on Line
·         Even County Fairs May Fall Victim to Washington State’s Budget Cuts
·         Prizes for Thriftiness? Washington State Eyes Savings Lotteries
·         Insurers Are Scouring Social Media for Evidence of Fraud
·         Microbreweries Turning from Glass to Metal

WORD OF THE DAY

Interminable • \in-TERM-nuh-bull\ • Adjective - Having or seeming to have no end; especially: wearisomely protracted

Sorry classical fans…my definition of interminable includes the “Impressionistic” period. ‘Nuff Said. Baroque=Bach….yeah baby!

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

TransAlta’s Centralia Power Plant under Fire - Business ranks 125th in nation in mercury emissions, according to new report (Olympian, WA)

First of 16 New Turbine Runners at Chief Joseph Dam Enters Commercial Testing Phase (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Susitna Dam Projected to Cost $4.5 Billion (Anchorage Daily News, AK)

Alcoa Appeals North Carolina Move Blocking Dam Relicensing (Associated Press)

Oregon - Harnessing the Power of Water: City of Ashland’s Watershed Hydroelectric Power Plant Supplies 2 Percent of City’s Electricity (Ashland Daily Tidings, OR)

Obama? Bon Jovi? Redford? Olympic National Park Seeks Big Names to Celebrate Start of Dam Removals (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Disputed Oversized Loads to Start Rolling in Idaho (Associated Press)

Montana - Could the City of Great Falls Convert Electric Utility to Co-Op? (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

Utility Giant National Grid to Lay Off 1,200 in Restructuring (Associated Press)

Kansas - As Smart Meter Use Grows Across Kansas, So Do Options for Easy Use (Lawrence Journal World, KS)

New Electricity Meters Stir Fears (NY Times)

Nuclear Plants Expected to Hire 50,000 in Next Five Years - LTC students need to be strong in science, math (Gannett Wisconsin Media)

After Clean Energy Buzz Last Week, Talks Could Restart Soon in Senate (NY Times)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Op/Ed - The Snake River Basin Is a Model of Environmental & Economic Sustainability (Oregonian, Portland)

Alaska Senator Sends Obama Salmon Sample (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Klickitat PUD - New Water Will Boost Business Expansion in White Salmon, Washington “…allows White Salmon to divert more water from Buck Creek, mitigated in part by water formerly used at the Goldendale Aluminum Plant…” (Water World Magazine)

Longview to Spend Thousands on Water Plant It Plans to Abandon (Longview Daily News, WA)

200 Billion Gallons of Water Drawn Each Day for US Coal, Nuclear Power (Sustainable Business)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Shelton - Clean Air Agency Will Hold Biomass Hearings (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Study to Examine Olympic Peninsula’s Potential for Renewable Energy (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Ohio Op/Ed - Brake on Biomass: A case before the Ohio Supreme Court should have a lot to say about the state’s renewable-energy standards & the utility-industry actions that are acceptable to meet them (Toledo Blade, OH)

Sale of Energy Credits in California Supports Canada Wind Farms (Bloomberg News)

Wyoming - Interior Official Addresses Wind Energy, Transmission Lines (Billings Gazette, MT)

Editorial – Wind Power Transmission: Spinning the Color Wheel for a ‘Green’ Alternative (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Idaho - Solar Roadways Traveling Toward Another $100K Grant (Bonner County Daily Bee, Sandpoint, ID)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Smart Appliance Sales to Surge, Pike Research Says (Bloomberg News)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Alaska Seeing Impact of Climate Change in Its Infrastructure, Villages (Fairbanks News Miner, AK)

Fertilizing Oceans Seen Fruitless in Climate Fight (STV)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Some States Offer Electric Car Incentives (USA Today)

Cold Truths About Electric Cars’ Cold-Weather Shortcomings (Washington Post)

Once Popular, Car Pools Go the Way of Hitchhiking (NY Times)

Want to Toss That Tree? Get a Permit First, Seattle Tree Group Proposes (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

NFL Promises the Greenest Gridiron Yet in Dallas Area (Dallas Morning News, TX)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Stimulus Funds Help Wire Rural Homes for Internet (USA Today)

AT&T Expects USF Reform Starting February 8 - Will Begin Shift Toward Funding Rural Broadband (Broadband Reports)

Portland’s Dream of the ‘00s -- Fast, Cheap Broadband -- Is Alive (Oregonian, Portland)

Free Wi-Fi on Amtrak Cascade Trains Starts February 1 (Tacoma Index, WA)

FCC Seeks to Dismiss Challenges to Internet Rules (Reuters)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

New Law Could Change How Local Governments Communicate with the Public (Longview Daily News, WA)

Washington State Redistricting Board Selects Chairwoman (Associated Press)

Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler Says Legal Costs of Ethics Investigation Waste Public Money (Oregonian, Portland)

Spin Control: West Side Plays Victim in County-Merging Pitch (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Agencies in Cost-Cutting California Told Not to Buy New Cars (NY Times)

GENERAL NEWS

Monroe Prison Guard Complained About Working Solo Before Inmate Killed Her (Seattle Times)

Puget Sound Residents Traveling in Egypt Trying to Get Home (KING-TV, Seattle)

Cosmopolis Pulp Mill Coming Back on Line (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Even County Fairs May Fall Victim to Washington State’s Budget Cuts (Seattle Times)

Prizes for Thriftiness? Washington State Eyes Savings Lotteries (Associated Press)

Insurers Are Scouring Social Media for Evidence of Fraud (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Microbreweries Turning from Glass to Metal (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

Irony Alert - ‘Nuclear Sludge’ Candy Has Lead in it, Says FDA

California Mayor Wants to Broadcast Bird Songs

How IKEA Seduces Its Customers: by Trapping Them

Triple-Overtime Basketball Game Finishes with Bizarre 38-31 Score

SONG OF THE DAY

John Lee Hooker - One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

Friday, January 28, 2011

Energy News Digest for January 28, 2011

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

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

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Conservationists Seek Endangered Status for Klamath Chinook Salmon (Northwest Public Radio)

Indian Leader: Unleash Energy on Tribal Lands (Associated Press)

Washington State Must Act Quickly to Catch Clean-Tech Wave (Sustainable Industries)

Uranium Prices Boom, Time to Invest (Christian Science Monitor)

Idaho Megaloads Foes Abandon Legal Fight (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Idaho Megaloads Foes Abandon Legal Fight
·         Nevada Congressman Files First Bill, on Power Generated at Hoover Dam
·         Brazilian Dam Clears Hurdle
·         Uranium Prices Boom, Time to Invest
·         Senator Who Shot Cap-and-Trade Bill in Ad Named to Energy Panel
·         Minnesota Supreme Court Hands Dairy Farmers a Win over Stray Voltage
·         San Diego Gas & Electric Offers Power Line Safety Reminder
·         Conservationists Seek Endangered Status for Klamath Chinook Salmon
·         Lower Columbia May Become ‘Critical Habitat’ to Protect Smelt
·         Washington State Closes Fishing in Clallam County Streams to Protect Wild Steelhead
·         One Fish, Two Fish, Who Regulates You, Fish?
·         Kitsap County Looking at Ways to Conserve Water
·         Balmy Weather Eats Away at Mt Hood Snowpack
·         DEQ Puts Oregon on Track to Cut Through Regulations to Reuse Graywater
·         Oregon - Wetlands Bubble Back Near Cannon Beach Junction on the Oregon Coast
·         Indian Leader: Unleash Energy on Tribal Lands
·         Minnesota Lawmakers Debate Restrictions on North Dakota-Produced Electricity
·         North Dakota - Wilton-Area Landowners Want More for Their Wind
·         FirstEnergy Corp.: Not Enough Solar Power Available to Meet Ohio Renewable Energy Standards
·         The Dark Side of Incentives - Loss of Solar Jobs Has Massachusetts Rethinking State Aid
·         Austerity Pulling Plug on Europe’s Green Subsidies
·         Clark PUD Energy Adviser: Tune into Savings When Buying a TV
·         Greenland Glaciers Spring Surprise
·         Washington State Must Act Quickly to Catch Clean-Tech Wave
·         For Excess Solar Flow, a Veg-O-Matic for Voltage
·         TreeShagger: 15 Places to Meet a Green Hottie
·         Oregon - Wireless Network Could be No More in Hermiston
·         Frontier Facing Questions in Portland over Huge FiOSTV Hike
·         Frontier Fighting Community Fiber in Minnesota
·         FairPoint Meets Broadband Commitment in Maine
·         White House Moves to Give Airwaves to Public Safety for Emergency Wireless Network
·         FCC Selects Companies to Secure Internet Service over TV Waves
·         The Day Part of the Internet Died: Egypt Goes Dark
·         Save the Internet by Doing Nothing - Governments should butt out of Internet regulation
·         Patty Murray to Chair Veterans’ Affairs Committee
·         Gregoire Appoints Former Senator Marr to State Liquor Board
·         US Senators skewer Air Force over Tanker Bids
·         Microsoft Says Employee Took it for $450K

WORD OF THE DAY

Auteur • \AWT-ur\ • Noun - 1: a film director whose practice accords with the auteur theory; broadly: director 2: an artist (as a musician or writer) whose style and practice are distinctive

I guess if you use it in a literal sense, “Tiny Tim” was a ukulele auteur. As an artist, perhaps not.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Idaho Megaloads Foes Abandon Legal Fight (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Nevada Congressman Files First Bill, on Power Generated at Hoover Dam (Las Vegas Sun, NV)

Brazilian Dam Clears Hurdle (NY Times)

Uranium Prices Boom, Time to Invest (Christian Science Monitor)

Senator Who Shot Cap-and-Trade Bill in Ad Named to Energy Panel (Bloomberg News)

Minnesota Supreme Court Hands Dairy Farmers a Win over Stray Voltage (Minnesota Public Radio)

San Diego Gas & Electric Offers Power Line Safety Reminder (Electric Energy Online)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Conservationists Seek Endangered Status for Klamath Chinook Salmon (Northwest Public Radio)

Lower Columbia May Become ‘Critical Habitat’ to Protect Smelt (Longview Daily News, WA)

Washington State Closes Fishing in Clallam County Streams to Protect Wild Steelhead (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

One Fish, Two Fish, Who Regulates You, Fish? Is federal salmon oversight as complicated as President Obama claims? (Slate Magazine)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Kitsap County Looking at Ways to Conserve Water - As population grows, demand on Kitsap’s limited water supply will also increase (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Balmy Weather Eats Away at Mt Hood Snowpack (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

DEQ Puts Oregon on Track to Cut Through Regulations to Reuse Graywater (Oregonian, Portland)

Oregon - Wetlands Bubble Back Near Cannon Beach Junction on the Oregon Coast (Oregonian, Portland)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Indian Leader: Unleash Energy on Tribal Lands (Associated Press)

Minnesota Lawmakers Debate Restrictions on North Dakota-Produced Electricity (Grand Forks Herald, ND)

North Dakota - Wilton-Area Landowners Want More for Their Wind (Bismarck Tribune, ND)

FirstEnergy Corp.: Not Enough Solar Power Available to Meet Ohio Renewable Energy Standards (Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH)

The Dark Side of Incentives - Loss of Solar Jobs Has Massachusetts Rethinking State Aid (National Public Radio)

Austerity Pulling Plug on Europe’s Green Subsidies (Globe & Mail)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Clark PUD Energy Adviser: Tune into Savings When Buying a TV (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Greenland Glaciers Spring Surprise - Some Greenland glaciers run slower in warm summers than cooler ones, meaning the icecap may be more resistant to warming than previously thought (British Broadcasting Corporation)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Washington State Must Act Quickly to Catch Clean-Tech Wave (Sustainable Industries)

For Excess Solar Flow, a Veg-O-Matic for Voltage

TreeShagger: 15 Places to Meet a Green Hottie (Grist Magazine)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Oregon - Wireless Network Could be No More in Hermiston (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Frontier Facing Questions in Portland over Huge FiOSTV Hike - MACC Wonders if This Was the Plan All Along, Despite Previous Assurances (Broadband Reports)

Frontier Fighting Community Fiber in Minnesota - Insists Aging DSL Can Deliver ‘Same Speed of Service’ as Fiber (Broadband Reports)

FairPoint Meets Broadband Commitment in Maine (Associated Press)

White House Moves to Give Airwaves to Public Safety for Emergency Wireless Network (Washington Post)

FCC Selects Companies to Secure Internet Service over TV Waves (Bloomberg News)

The Day Part of the Internet Died: Egypt Goes Dark (USA Today)

Save the Internet by Doing Nothing - Governments should butt out of Internet regulation, because the Internet will civilize itself (Slate Magazine)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Patty Murray to Chair Veterans’ Affairs Committee (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Gregoire Appoints Former Senator Marr to State Liquor Board (Seattle Times)

GENERAL NEWS

US Senators skewer Air Force over Tanker Bids - Panel highlights missteps; decision due in February (Olympian, WA)

Microsoft Says Employee Took it for $450K (Courthouse News Service)

DIVERSIONS

And Here’s Why Your State Doesn’t Suck

Taco Bell fights lawsuit with ‘truth’ ads about its beef

Waitress Fired for Shaving Head in Support of Cancer-Riddled Uncle

$3,000 In Cash Discovered in Donation of Record Albums

SONG OF THE DAY

Taco - Puttin’ on the Ritz