Monday, May 23, 2011

Energy News Digest for May 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.

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NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Editorial - At Times, It’s Wind We Can’t Afford “...Windmills exist not to profit by selling electricity but by reaping federal tax credits…” (Wenatchee World, WA)

Energy NW Extends Power Outage at Columbia Generating Station (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Sea Lions Turn Salmon Run Into Buffet - Feeding Frenzy at Columbia River's Bonneville Dam Becomes Federal Case Weighing the Fate of Two Protected Species (Wall Street Journal)

Washington State Legislative Report Questions Energy Efficiency Standards for Public Buildings (Everett Herald, WA)

Movement to Stop Natural Gas Drilling Gains Ground (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Energy NW Extends Power Outage at Columbia Generating Station
  • Oregon - Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative CCEC to Raise Rates
  • Rate Increase by Power Supplier Angers Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-Op
  • REC Silicon Considers Expansion
  • Regulators Find Design Flaws in New Westinghouse Nuclear Reactors
  • Editorial - Focus on Hanford: Federal Foot-Dragging Continues
  • Movement to Stop Natural Gas Drilling Gains Ground
  • Bonneville Power Administration - Building a Better Transmission Tower
  • United Kingdom - Running-Men Transmission Tower Designs 'Will Still Send Opponents Racing Away from Pylons'
  • Appeals Court Upholds Oyster Creek Nuke Plant License
  • Most German Nuclear Power Plants Off the Grid
  • ISO New England Announces Election of Board of Directors – Includes Vickie VanZandt, formerly of Bonneville Power Administration
  • Protest against Chilean Dam Plan Ends in Violence
  • Bonneville Power Administration Shares New Wind Generation Forecast Online
  • Editorial - At Times, It’s Wind We Can’t Afford
  • Editorial - BPA's Wind Power Cutoff Sends a Troubling Signal
  • Clark Public Utilities on Sidelines of Wind Power Battle
  • Forced Outages for Northwest Wind Farms – 13 Gigs Wasted & Still Counting
  • Sea Lions Turn Salmon Run Into Buffet
  • Humane Society Sues to Halt Sea Lion Killings
  • Grant PUD White River Spring Chinook Hatchery Program Aimed at Mimicking Wild Fish as Much as Possible
  • Western Ranchers Cheered By Lifting Of Wolf Protections
  • Experts Consider Hood Canal Sewer Upgrades
  • Small Mercury Spill at Oregon City Home Becomes a Federal Case
  • Stench from Waste Facility Overwhelms Small Southern California Town, Angers Community
  • Montana - Landowners Challenge Renewable Energy Projects
  • US Wind Sector Faces 'Disaster' Unless Congress Acts, Says General Electric
  • Canada - Metro's Burning Trash May Warm Vancouver Homes
  • Arizona Regulators Asked to Credit Trash Burning as Renewable Energy
  • Google-Backed $5 Billion Wind Plan Sees Estimated Rate of Return Lowered
  • Michigan - Solar Cell Installers Say End to Utilities' Incentives is a Killer
  • Biomass Energy Production in the Interior West
  • Study Points Out Inherent Flaws in Manomet Woody Biomass Study
  • Washington State Legislative Report Questions Energy Efficiency Standards for Public Buildings
  • Green Schools Getting Mixed Grades
  • Tacoma Power Lands Federal Award for Energy Efficiency
  • Future Looks Bright for LED Light Bulbs, But Not Immediately
  • New LED Bulbs Are Likely to Hit Shelves in 2012
  • Canada - Incandescent Light-Bulb Ban Will Stay In BC
  • Innovation in Sustainable Product: Indow Windows
  • San Francisco Judge Puts California’s Cap & Trade Plan on Hold
  • Oregon's Electric Car Charging Network Is Behind Schedule
  • Tornadoes, Otter Pops and Other Unlikely Energy Technologies
  • Drive to Drop Paper Coffee Cup Brews in Seattle
  • Many Hotels Take 'Bath' Out of Bathrooms
  • Internet 'Health Map' Tracks Data Flow on Web
  • Battle over Internet Sales Taxes Rekindles In Congress
  • Colorado - Qwest Beats Silverton in Round 1 over Fiber Optics
  • Getting the Word Out, 140 Characters at a Time
  • Washington State Workers' Comp Deal Could Save the State $1 Billion
  • Washington State Senate Passes Liquor Privatization Bill
  • Mason County Selected for National Health Program
  • Running Start Students Face Tuition Increase
  • Lake Oswego Raises Utility Fees - Including Electricity - To Help Raise Funds for Schools
  • Comcast Apologizes to Group for Exec's Tweet Retaliation

WORD OF THE DAY

Acolyte • \ACK-uh-lite\ • Noun - 1: one who assists a member of the clergy in a liturgical service by performing minor duties 2: one who attends or assists: follower

The college intern’s enthusiasm over her new position at PepsiCo hit rock bottom on the second day. That’s when she learned that she’d been assigned to the “Gatorade” division, with the inauspicious title of “electrolyte acolyte.” Somewhere a clever HR staffer is still giggling.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Energy NW Extends Power Outage at Columbia Generating Station (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Oregon - Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative CCEC to raise rates: Increased wholesale prices at Bonneville Power behind hike (Curry County Reporter, Gold beach, OR)

Rate Increase by Power Supplier Angers Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-Op (Energy Central)

REC Silicon Considers Expansion – Depends on request for a power sales contract from Grant County PUD (Columbia Basin herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Regulators Find Design Flaws in New Westinghouse Nuclear Reactors (NY Times)

Editorial - Focus on Hanford: Federal Foot-Dragging Continues, and what about the Yucca Mountain plan? (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Movement to Stop Natural Gas Drilling Gains Ground (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Bonneville Power Administration - Building a Better Transmission Tower (US Department of Energy)

United Kingdom - Running-Men Transmission Tower Designs 'Will Still Send Opponents Racing Away from Pylons' (Wales Online, UK)

Appeals Court Upholds Oyster Creek Nuke Plant License (Courthouse News Service)

Most German Nuclear Power Plants Off the Grid “…maintenance work or shutdowns ordered by the government after Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster…” (Associated Press)

ISO New England Announces Election of Board of Directors – Includes Vickie VanZandt, formerly of Bonneville Power Administration (Energy Central)

Protest against Chilean Dam Plan Ends in Violence (Associated Press)

ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS: A MIGHTY WIND – A MIGHTY RIVER

Bonneville Power Administration Shares New Wind Generation Forecast Online - Forecast Helps BPA Manage Wind (Bonneville Power Administration)

Editorial - At Times, It’s Wind We Can’t Afford “...Windmills exist not to profit by selling electricity but by reaping federal tax credits…” (Wenatchee World, WA)

Editorial - BPA's Wind Power Cutoff Sends a Troubling Signal “…need a fresh look by our political leadership at federal and state incentives that got all the wind developments here in the first place…” (Oregonian, Portland)

Clark Public Utilities on Sidelines of Wind Power Battle (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Forced Outages for Northwest Wind Farms – 13 Gigs Wasted & Still Counting (Forbes Magazine)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Sea Lions Turn Salmon Run Into Buffet - Feeding Frenzy at Columbia River's Bonneville Dam Becomes Federal Case Weighing the Fate of Two Protected Species (Wall Street Journal)

Humane Society Sues to Halt Sea Lion Killings (Reuters)

Grant PUD White River Spring Chinook Hatchery Program Aimed at Mimicking Wild Fish as Much as Possible (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Western Ranchers Cheered By Lifting Of Wolf Protections (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Experts Consider Hood Canal Sewer Upgrades (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Small Mercury Spill at Oregon City Home Becomes a Federal Case (Oregonian, Portland)

Stench from Waste Facility Overwhelms Small Southern California Town, Angers Community (Washington Post)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Montana - Landowners Challenge Renewable Energy Projects (Associated Press)

US Wind Sector Faces 'Disaster' Unless Congress Acts, Says General Electric - The wind industry still needs help from policymakers to carry the growth and investment of the past decade on into the next (Recharge)

Canada - Metro's Burning Trash May Warm Vancouver Homes (Surrey Leader, BC)

Arizona Regulators Asked to Credit Trash Burning as Renewable Energy - Panel to vote if garbage energy meets standard (Arizona Republic, Phoenix)

Google-Backed $5 Billion Wind Plan Sees Estimated Rate of Return Lowered (Bloomberg News)

Michigan - Solar Cell Installers Say End to Utilities' Incentives is a Killer (Saginaw News, MI)

Biomass Energy Production in the Interior West (High Country News, Paonia, CO)

Study Points Out Inherent Flaws in Manomet Woody Biomass Study (Biomass Magazine)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Washington State Legislative Report Questions Energy Efficiency Standards for Public Buildings (Everett Herald, WA)

Green Schools Getting Mixed Grades (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Tacoma Power Lands Federal Award for Energy Efficiency (Tacoma Daily Index, WA)

Future Looks Bright for LED Light Bulbs, But Not Immediately (Seattle Times)

New LED Bulbs Are Likely to Hit Shelves in 2012 (Associated Press)

Canada - Incandescent Light-Bulb Ban Will Stay In BC: Feds may delay restrictions due in part to concerns over compact fluorescent light bulbs (Vancouver Sun, BC)

Innovation in Sustainable Product: Indow Windows (Sustainable Business Oregon)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

San Francisco Judge Puts California’s Cap & Trade Plan on Hold (Sacramento Bee, CA)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Oregon's Electric Car Charging Network Is Behind Schedule (Oregonian, Portland)

Tornadoes, Otter Pops and Other Unlikely Energy Technologies - Cold is our friend when it comes to saving power (Green-Tech Media)

Drive to Drop Paper Coffee Cup Brews in Seattle (Seattle Times)

Many Hotels Take 'Bath' Out of Bathrooms (USA Today)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Internet 'Health Map' Tracks Data Flow on Web (PC World)

Battle over Internet sales taxes rekindles in Congress (Seattle Times)

Colorado - Qwest Beats Silverton in Round 1 over Fiber Optics (Durango Herald, CO)

Getting the Word Out, 140 Characters at a Time - Conference promotes value of Twitter to public agencies (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Workers' Comp Deal Could Save the State $1 Billion (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Washington State Senate Passes Liquor Privatization Bill (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Mason County Selected for National Health Program (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Running Start Students Face Tuition Increase (Northwest Public Radio)

Lake Oswego Raises Utility Fees - Including Electricity - To Help Raise Funds For Schools (Oregonian, Portland)

Comcast Apologizes to Group for Exec's Tweet Retaliation (Everett Herald, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Gold, Silver Coins to be Legal Currency in Utah

Meet Cooper, the Cat Who's the Star of Seattle's Photography Scene

We All Have Superpowers – We Just Can’t Focus, Neuroscientist Says

Iran’s Leader Says Europe 'Stealing Iran's Rain' (The Daily Telegraph, UK

SONG OF THE DAY

Eric Clapton - Let It Rain