Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Energy News Digest for March 23, 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

Grays Harbor PUD Seeks Input on Possible Bonneville Power Administration Settlement (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Centralia Agrees to Bonneville Power Administration Settlement (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

New Studies Raise Doubts about Greenness of Biomass (Seattle Times)

Bill Would Limit Salmon Gillnetters on Columbia River (Associated Press)

Diesel Fumes? Yahoo! Hearing in Quincy Attracts Crowd (Columbia Basin Bulletin, Moses Lake, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Grays Harbor PUD Seeks Input on Possible Bonneville Power Administration Settlement
·         Centralia Agrees to Bonneville Power Administration Settlement
·         Idaho Bill Could Stifle Lawsuits Against Megaloads
·         Seattle City Light Named Climate Action Leader for Third Year
·         More on Liberal Insiders & BC Hydro’s Smart Meter Gold Rush
·         Salazar Opens 750M Tons of Wyoming Coal to Mining
·         Colorado - Stay With Xcel, or Form a Utility? Boulder Looks at Future Electricity Costs
·         Arizona - Energy Execs Push Deregulation at Conference
·         Natural Gas Prices Heading Up if Post-Disaster Japan Imports More?
·         Judges Hear States’ Attempt to Keep Yucca Mountain Open for Nuclear Waste
·         US Spent-Fuel Storage Sites Are Packed
·         Spent Nuclear Fuel throughout US Stored by State
·         Poll: Most See Nuclear Power as Safe
·         US Support for Nuclear Power Drops: Poll
·         Japan Atomic Agency Says Renewable Power Can’t Replace Nuclear After Quake
·         Germany Set to Abandon Nuclear Power for Good
·         Bill Would Limit Salmon Gillnetters on Columbia River
·         Elwha River Dam Removal Project Cost Estimate Shrinks
·         Chelan County PUD Fish Project
·         Catfish Wars Heat Up over Inspection Feud
·         An Irrigation Project With New Deal Echoes Blooms in Eastern Washington
·         It’s the Water - LOTT May Buy Olympia Brewery Land
·         New Studies Raise Doubts about Greenness of Biomass
·         Vestas Hit With Class-Action Lawsuit
·         Idaho - Wind Turbine Moratorium Killed in House Committee
·         Oregon - Geothermal Project Concerns Owner of Nearby Geyser
·         Illinois - Tire-Burning Power Plant Goes Dark in Ford Heights
·         South Carolina Company Wants to Build Plant to Turn Poultry Waste into Energy
·         City of Richland - Energy Efficient Apartments
·         City of Tumwater Replacing Old Lights at City Hall
·         Vancouver, WA - Fruit Valley Getting LED Street Lights This Month
·         GreenSpace: Cold War on the Inefficient Old Fridge
·         Is Cap-and-Trade Kaput?
·         Group Urges Northwest Governors to Kick the Bottled Water Habit
·         Amazon’s Green Headquarters
·         Op/Ed - if It Doesn’t Cut Coal Use, How Can It be Green?
·         Yahoo! Hearing in Quincy Attracts Crowd
·         Chelan PUD Fiber-Optic Costs Still Swelling
·         US Nuts for Wireless: 2.2 Trillion Minutes Last Year, Data Soars
·         FCC: 60% of Broadband Users Slower Than 4 Mbps
·         AT&T Focuses Immense Lobbying Power on DC
·         Washington State Senate Transportation Budget Nearly $9 Billion
·         Clackamas County Spends $289,000 on Little-Used Email Archive System
·         Groundbreaking for $33 Million Mason General Hospital Expansion in Shelton
·         Belfair Man Seriously Hurt in Highway 106 Crash
·         Mason County Cuts Down Shelton Tree
·         Work Starting on Washington Coastal Doppler Radar
·         Judge Ben Settle Presiding - Bangor Protesters’ Sentencing Next Monday

WORD OF THE DAY

Humorectomy • \hyoom-or-ECK-tom-mee\ • Noun - The surgical removal of a person’s sense of humor.

The room of public power executives roared with laughter over Jay’s outrageous joke about energy traders. The one holdout was Barnabas. Because of his overactive tomfoolery as a child, he was subjected to a partial humorectomy, which left him immune to all forms of frivolity but one: circus clowns.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Grays Harbor PUD Seeks Input on Possible Bonneville Power Administration Settlement (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Centralia Agrees to Bonneville Power Administration Settlement (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

Idaho Bill Could Stifle Lawsuits Against Megaloads (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Seattle City Light Named Climate Action Leader for Third Year - California Climate Action Registry Certifies Utility’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory (Electric Energy Online)

More on Liberal Insiders & BC Hydro’s Smart Meter Gold Rush (The Tyee, BC)

Salazar Opens 750M Tons of Wyoming Coal to Mining (Associated Press)

Colorado - Stay With Xcel, or Form a Utility? Boulder Looks at Future Electricity Costs (The Daily Camera, Boulder, CO)

Arizona - Energy Execs Push Deregulation at Conference (Arizona Republic, Phoenix)

Natural Gas Prices Heading Up if Post-Disaster Japan Imports More? (Christian Science Monitor)

THE NUCLEAR SCIENCE READING ROOM

Judges Hear States’ Attempt to Keep Yucca Mountain Open for Nuclear Waste (Associated Press)

US Spent-Fuel Storage Sites Are Packed (Associated Press)

Spent Nuclear Fuel throughout US Stored by State (Associated Press)

Poll: Most See Nuclear Power as Safe (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)

US Support for Nuclear Power Drops: Poll (Yahoo! News)

Japan Atomic Agency Says Renewable Power Can’t Replace Nuclear After Quake (Bloomberg News)

Germany Set to Abandon Nuclear Power for Good (Associated Press)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Bill Would Limit Salmon Gillnetters on Columbia River (Associated Press)

Elwha River Dam Removal Project Cost Estimate Shrinks (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Chelan County PUD Fish Project (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

Catfish Wars Heat Up over Inspection Feud (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

An Irrigation Project With New Deal Echoes Blooms in Eastern Washington (Crosscut Seattle)

It’s the Water - LOTT May Buy Olympia Brewery Land (Olympian, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

New Studies Raise Doubts about Greenness of Biomass (Seattle Times)

Vestas Hit With Class-Action Lawsuit (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Idaho - Wind Turbine Moratorium Killed in House Committee (Idaho Reporter)

Oregon - Geothermal Project Concerns Owner of Nearby Geyser (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Illinois - Tire-Burning Power Plant Goes Dark in Ford Heights (Crain’s Chicago Business, IL)

South Carolina Company Wants to Build Plant to Turn Poultry Waste into Energy (Anderson Independent-Mail, SC)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

City of Richland - Energy Efficient Apartments (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

City of Tumwater Replacing Old Lights at City Hall - New energy-efficient systems will save city $6,000 a year on energy bill (Olympian, WA)

Vancouver, WA - Fruit Valley Getting LED Street Lights This Month (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

GreenSpace: Cold War on the Inefficient Old Fridge (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Is Cap-and-Trade Kaput? - While the US has abandoned carbon trading, Europe is staying the course (Renewable Energy World)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Group Urges Northwest Governors to Kick the Bottled Water Habit (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Amazon’s Green Headquarters (Sustainable Industries)

Op/Ed - If It Doesn’t Cut Coal Use, How Can It be Green? (Cumberland Times-News, MD)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Diesel Fumes? Yahoo! Hearing in Quincy Attracts Crowd (Columbia Basin Bulletin, Moses Lake, WA)

Chelan PUD Fiber-Optic Costs Still Swelling - Chelan PUD might end up giving back $25 million to feds, rethinking build out (Wenatchee World, WA)

US Nuts for Wireless: 2.2 Trillion Minutes Last Year, Data Soars (Seattle Times)

FCC: 60% of Broadband Users Slower Than 4 Mbps - As Data Shows Broadband Growth Slowed in 2010 (Broadband Reports)

AT&T Focuses Immense Lobbying Power on DC - Strove to Keep Deal Secret to Avoid Opponent Head Start (Broadband Reports)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Senate Transportation Budget Nearly $9 Billion (Associated Press)

Clackamas County Spends $289,000 on Little-Used Email Archive System (Oregonian, Portland)

GENERAL NEWS

Groundbreaking for $33 Million Mason General Hospital Expansion in Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Belfair Man Seriously Hurt in Highway 106 Crash (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Mason County Cuts Down Shelton Tree (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Work Starting on Washington Coastal Doppler Radar (Associated Press)

Judge Ben Settle Presiding - Bangor Protesters’ Sentencing Next Monday (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Film Legend Elizabeth Taylor Dies at 79

Refrigerated Romance: Yes, That’s a Royal Wedding Fridge

Man throws $100 to strangers at Boston Starbucks

Inventor of ‘Note to God’ iPhone App Awakens from Eight-Day Coma

SONG OF THE DAY

Alex North – Cleopatra