Monday, April 25, 2011

Energy News Digest for April 25, 2011

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Winter Returns to the Pacific Northwest with Wind, Rain, & Snow (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

EPA Takes Control of North Dakota’s Air Quality Program (Bismarck Tribune, ND)

Invasive Species: Are Scientists Fighting a Losing Battle? (Seattle Times)

Amazon’s Cloud is Back, But Still Hazy (CNN Money)

New York Internet Case Underscores Importance Of Secure Wi-Fi (Associated Press)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Port Townsend Paper Mill Locks in Low-Cost Power for Another Two Years
·         SW Washington State Coal Plant Will Shut Down in 14 Years
·         Southern Montana Electric Increases Wholesale Rates for Co-Op Members
·         Portland General Electric Seeks Input on Power Request
·         Illinois - Clinton Nuclear Plant Running Out of Space for Spent Fuel
·         Nuclear Reactors, Residents & Risk
·         Apples ‘n Oranges - Japan Needs $150 Billion in Solar Panels by 2020 – To Replace Nuclear
·         Tennessee Valley Authority Showcases Melton Hill Dam Enhancements
·         Big Battery - The Landing Mall Display Harbinger of Power Storage Project in Port Angeles
·         Invasive Species: Are Scientists Fighting a Losing Battle?
·         Inland Waterbird Colonies Show Unexpectedly High Predation Rate on Specific, Listed Salmonid Stocks
·         Dredging vs. Salmon in Portland’s Willamette Harbor
·         Cold, Rushing Rivers Likely to Create Frigid Start to Chinook Season
·         What the Federal Delisting for Wolves Means for Oregon’s Packs, Ranchers
·         Dam Leak Leaves Sultan Reservoir Dry
·         Corps of Engineers Approves Hanford Reach Interpretive Center
·         Urban Buildings Unplug from Water Grid
·         Alaska - Wind Farm Struggles to Sign Up Energy Utilities
·         Idaho PUC Considers What’s Next for Idaho’s Green Energy
·         Wisconsin Loves Wind Power, But for the Right Reasons?
·         General Electric Says Wind Turbine Demand Fell Last Year
·         Solar: California’s New Gold Rush
·         Environmentalists, Green Industries at Odds over San Bernardino County Desert Development
·         Wind & Solar - Upside to Duke Energy from Renewable Projects
·         Easier To Track Renewable Energy Sources at New Cal Independent System Operator HQ
·         Op/Ed - Save Money with the Help of a Free Energy Savings Kit
·         On Earth Day, More Green Light Bulbs
·         Richland School District Finding Energy Efficient Ways to Balance Its Budget
·         EPA Takes Control of North Dakota’s Air Quality Program
·         A Separation on Power - For Six states, regulating greenhouse gas is a matter for the courts, but the Supreme Court thinks it’s the EPA’s job
·         Texas Fires Push Climate Change Hot Buttons
·         Forget Carbon Dioxide; This Pollution Fight is Over Noise
·         French Project to Turn Dog Poop into Fertilizer
·         Amazon’s Cloud is Back, But Still Hazy
·         Wireless Carriers Grapple with Spectrum Shortage
·         Vancouver, Clark County Review Comcast Deals
·         New York Internet Case Underscores Importance of Secure Wi-Fi
·         Port Angeles Fiber Optics - State Attorney General Will Take No Action against Former Mayor after State Auditor’s Report
·         AT&T Starts Selling ‘Cell Tower in a Suitcase’
·         Microhoo? - Might Microsoft be Interested (Again) in Buying Yahoo?
·         Olympia’s Odd Couple Craft Bipartisan Washington State Budget
·         Washington State Legislature’s Special Session to Start with Two Plans Full of Cuts
·         End-of-Session Washington State Legislative Summary
·         Winter Returns to the Pacific Northwest with Wind, Rain, & Snow
·         Wind Advisory for South Puget Sound & Hood Canal
·         Six Dead in Early Easter Fire in Vancouver, WA
·         Washington State - Time to Remove Studded Tires
·         Fire Ravages Downtown Olympia Warehouse; Fireworks Heard Hours before Blaze
·         Pot Wars: Private Land New Frontier in California
·         Vatican Investigating Possible Miracle in Washington State

WORD OF THE DAY

Irreprehensible • \ih-rep-ree-HENSE-ih-bull\ • Adjective - Beyond reproach: deserving no censure

“Your irreprehensible comment about my motives was unwarranted, irregardless of its intent,” intoned the hard-pressed administrative assistant to the manager. Somewhere in the distance a dog barked…followed by the popping sound of a grammarian’s head exploding.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Port Townsend Paper Mill Locks in Low-Cost Power for Another Two Years (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA – A ‘Thank You’ note to public power would be nice here…)

SW Washington State Coal Plant Will Shut Down in 14 Years (Northwest Public Radio)

Southern Montana Electric Increases Wholesale Rates for Co-Op Members (Associated Press)

Portland General Electric Seeks Input on Power Request (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Illinois - Clinton Nuclear Plant Running Out of Space for Spent Fuel (Peoria Journal-Star, IL)

Nuclear Reactors, Residents & Risk - A world population analysis reveals the locations that could put the most people in danger should a nuclear accident occur (Nature)

Apples ‘n Oranges - Japan Needs $150 Billion in Solar Panels by 2020 – To Replace Nuclear (Bloomberg News)

Snake Causes Easter Sunday Power Outage for Thousands of Pepco Customers (Washington Post)

Tennessee Valley Authority Showcases Melton Hill Dam Enhancements (WBIR-TV, Knoxville, TN)

Big Battery - The Landing Mall Display Harbinger of Power Storage Project in Port Angeles (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Invasive Species: Are Scientists Fighting a Losing Battle? (Seattle Times)

Inland Waterbird Colonies Show Unexpectedly High Predation Rate on Specific, Listed Salmonid Stocks (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Dredging vs. Salmon in Portland’s Willamette Harbor (Oregon Public Radio)

Cold, Rushing Rivers Likely to Create Frigid Start to Chinook Season (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

What the Federal Delisting for Wolves Means for Oregon’s Packs, Ranchers (Oregonian, Portland)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Dam Leak Leaves Sultan Reservoir Dry (Everett Herald, WA)

Corps of Engineers Approves Hanford Reach Interpretive Center (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Urban Buildings Unplug from Water Grid (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Alaska - Wind Farm Struggles to Sign Up Energy Utilities (Anchorage Daily News, AK)

Idaho PUC Considers What’s Next for Idaho’s Green Energy (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Wisconsin Loves Wind Power, But for the Right Reasons? (Midwestern Energy News)

General Electric Says Wind Turbine Demand Fell Last Year (Reuters)

Solar: California’s New Gold Rush - Green energy offers the prospect of an economic boon, but some worry the environmental, cultural cost is too high (The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, CA)

Environmentalists, Green Industries at Odds over San Bernardino County Desert Development (San Bernardino Sun, CA)

Wind & Solar - Upside to Duke Energy from Renewable Projects (NASDAQ)

Easier To Track Renewable Energy Sources at New Cal Independent System Operator HQ (Sacramento Bee, CA)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Op/Ed - Save Money with the Help of a Free Energy Savings Kit (Longview Daily News, WA)

On Earth Day, More Green Light Bulbs (USA Today)

Richland School District Finding Energy Efficient Ways to Balance Its Budget (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

EPA Takes Control of North Dakota’s Air Quality Program (Bismarck Tribune, ND)

A Separation on Power - For Six states, regulating greenhouse gas is a matter for the courts, but the Supreme Court thinks it’s the EPA’s job. (Bend Bulletin, OR)

Texas Fires Push Climate Change Hot Buttons (Hamilton Spectator, Ontario)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Forget Carbon Dioxide; This Pollution Fight is Over Noise - Mount Rainier National Park Flight Fight Hits Turbulence

French Project to Turn Dog Poop into Fertilizer (Bloomberg News – Guess the movie: “Monsieur, I have to poop!” Answer: the small, white poodle in “What Women Want”)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Amazon’s Cloud is Back, But Still Hazy (CNN Money)

Wireless Carriers Grapple with Spectrum Shortage (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Vancouver, Clark County Review Comcast Deals - 15-year agreements due to expire at end of 2012; early resolution targeted (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

New York Internet Case Underscores Importance of Secure Wi-Fi (Associated Press)

Port Angeles Fiber Optics - State Attorney General Will Take No Action against Former Mayor after State Auditor’s Report (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

AT&T Starts Selling ‘Cell Tower in a Suitcase’ (Associated Press)

Microhoo? - Might Microsoft be Interested (Again) in Buying Yahoo? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Olympia’s Odd Couple Craft Bipartisan Washington State Budget (Seattle Times)

Washington State Legislature’s Special Session to Start with Two Plans Full of Cuts (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

End-of-Session Washington State Legislative Summary (Olympian, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Winter Returns to the Pacific Northwest with Wind, Rain, & Snow (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

Wind Advisory for South Puget Sound & Hood Canal (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Six Dead in Early Easter Fire in Vancouver, WA (Associated Press)

Washington State - Time to Remove Studded Tires (Associated Press)

Fire Ravages Downtown Olympia Warehouse; Fireworks Heard Hours before Blaze – Olympia FIREPLACE & Spa (Olympian, WA)

Pot Wars: Private Land New Frontier in California (SF Chronicle)

Vatican Investigating Possible Miracle in Washington State (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

DIVERSIONS

500-Year-Old Book Surfaces in Utah - Despite Age, Book May Only Fetch $50,000

Feeling Down? Study Suggests You May Want to Avoid Places Where Everyone Else is Happy

A Head-Scratcher: Police Say Burglars Steal ‘Valuable’ Hair from Chicago Business

Reno Man Reunited With Cat That Vanished Four Years Ago & Turned Up on Oregon Coast

SONG OF THE DAY

Danny O’Keefe - Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues