Energy News Digest for January 27, 2010

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

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

•  Grant County PUD Chooses Transmission Line Route in Ephrata

•  The Future Of Coal Power Will Require Hard Choices

•  Displacing Coal with Generation from Existing Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants

•  Power Theft the Key – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Finds Elaborate Pot Grow

•  Oak Harbor to Utilities: We Will Bury You

•  Activists Look To Transform Colorado Power Grid One Co-Op Election At A Time

•  Vermont Utility Regulators Question Nuke Statements

•  SMUD hosts Youth Energy Summit

•  Hoquiam Water Bill Glitch Balloons Bills

•  California Brown Pelicans Linger On Oregon Coast

•  Mystery Surrounds Fate Of Sage Grouse

•  Mason PUD 3 Commissioners Briefed on Water Line Extension Agreement

•  Residents Add Water Line Extension to Concerns over PUD 3's John's Prairie Facility

•  Washington State To Cut Stormwater Pollution From Highways

•  Washington State Starts On Bills To Amend Renewable Energy Standard

•  Wisconsin - Lawmaker Questions Higher-Than-Expected Costs For Renewable Energy

•  New Mexico Utility Outlines Renewable Energy Plan

•  FERC Seeks Renewable Energy Transmission Advice

•  Southern Company & Ted Turner To Develop Renewable Energy Projects

•  Chelan County PUD Could Pay You to Save Energy

•  Storing Energy as Ice? (NY Times)

•  Advocates of Climate Bill Scale Down Their Goals (NY Times)

•  Courts as Battlefields in Climate Fights

•  Merrill Lynch: Carbon Markets Are Under "A Dark Cloud" Of Uncertainty

•  Can Climate Forecasts Still Be Trusted?

•  The Ozone Hole Is Mending. Now for the ‘But.’

•  Bill Gates Says Climate Cash May Hit Health Aid

•  More States Require 'Green' Cleaning Products

•  On New Environmental Scoreboard, U.S. and China Plummet While Iceland Leads

•  Kohl's Department Stores Achieves 100 Percent Green Power

•  Vandals Cut Fiber Optic Cables To Selah

•  Feds Taking Bids for Utah Data Center

•  Yahoo's 4Q Progress Brightens 2010 Outlook

•  El Niño To Top Extreme Tides

•  Oregon Voters OK Tax Hikes On Wealthy, Businesses

•  Green Light For Tax Increases? Gregoire Praises Oregon Vote

•  E-Mail Saves Time, but Being There Says More

•  How Many People Are Paying For Newsday.com? Not Many…

WORD OF THE DAY

Valhalla • \val-HAL-uh\ • noun - 1: the great hall in Norse mythology where the souls of heroes slain in battle are received 2: a place of honor, glory, or happiness: heaven

After years of agonizing patience, Bertrand was ready for his elevation to the Valhalla of the paper cup distribution company…the keys to the executive washroom. Unfortunately, what was considered the restroom of the gods in 1962 had, over time, degraded to a “washroom” reminiscent of a quick-stop gas station in a remote, wind-blown town on the western frontier. “Visiting Odin” took on a whole new meaning to Bertie that day.

“Visiting Odin” - Valhalla is additionally referenced in the phrase "visiting Odin" in a story describing that, upon his death, King Vanlandi went to Valhalla.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast and Weather Alerts

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Grant County PUD Chooses Transmission Line Route in Ephrata (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2010/01/26/news/doc4b5f81f9d043e122584456.txt

The Future Of Coal Power Will Require Hard Choices (Nat’l Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122952836&ft=1&f=3

Displacing Coal with Generation from Existing Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants (Congressional Research Reports)

http://opencrs.com/document/R41027/

Power Theft the Key – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Finds Elaborate Pot Grow (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

http://www.chronline.com/news/article_b66098ec-0aaa-11df-bef2-001cc4c03286.html

Oak Harbor to Utilities: We Will Bury You (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/sound/414658_sound82606567.html

Activists Look To Transform Colorado Power Grid One Co-Op Election At A Time - Co-ops account for 23 percent of electrical power consumed in the state (Colorado Independent)

http://coloradoindependent.com/46560/activists-look-to-transform-colorado-power-grid-one-co-op-election-at-a-time

Vermont Utility Regulators Question Nuke Statements (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010904084_apusvermontyankee.html

SMUD hosts Youth Energy Summit - Second year of event attracts nearly 100 students who learn about clean energy and sustainability (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=126337

Hoquiam Water Bill Glitch Balloons Bills (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/01/26/local_news/doc4b5f393b3fae3361056263.txt

FISH & WILDLIFE

California Brown Pelicans Linger On Oregon Coast (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/82767162.html

Mystery Surrounds Fate Of Sage Grouse - Agencies Could List Bird By Next Month (Magic Valley Times-News, Twin Falls, ID)

http://www.magicvalley.com/special-section/local/strain-of-survival/article_263dbdf3-9de5-5cbd-8cd1-6e2743d58d40.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Mason PUD 3 Commissioners Briefed on Water Line Extension Agreement (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1198:pud-3-commissioners-briefed-on-water-line-extension-agreement&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Residents Add Water Line Extension to Concerns over PUD 3's John's Prairie Facility (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1199:residents-add-water-line-extension-to-concerns-over-pud-3s-johns-prairie-facility&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Washington State To Cut Stormwater Pollution From Highways (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010894767_apwastormwaterpollution.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Washington State Starts On Bills To Amend Renewable Energy Standard (SNL Financial)

http://www.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-10624199-11060

Wisconsin - Lawmaker Questions Higher-Than-Expected Costs For Renewable Energy (Wisconsin State Journal)

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt_and_politics/blog/article_82802146-0a28-11df-8389-001cc4c03286.html

New Mexico Utility Outlines Renewable Energy Plan (Businessweek)

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9DFHGPG0.htm

FERC Seeks Renewable Energy Transmission Advice - Do rules, regulations, tariffs and industry practices act as barriers to variable and renewable energy? (Renewable Energy Focus)

http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/6817/ferc-seeks-renewable-energy-transmission-advice/

Southern Company & Ted Turner To Develop Renewable Energy Projects (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/01/southern-company-ted-turner-to-develop-renewable-energy-projects?cmpid=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Chelan County PUD Could Pay You to Save Energy (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

http://www.kpq.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1770

Storing Energy as Ice? (NY Times)

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/storing-energy-as-ice/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Advocates of Climate Bill Scale Down Their Goals (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/science/earth/27climate.html

Courts as Battlefields in Climate Fights (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/business/energy-environment/27lawsuits.html

Merrill Lynch: Carbon Markets Are Under "A Dark Cloud" Of Uncertainty (Power Engineering)

http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=372719&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Can Climate Forecasts Still Be Trusted? (Spiegel Online)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,674087,00.html

The Ozone Hole Is Mending. Now for the ‘But.’ (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/science/earth/26ozone.html

Bill Gates Says Climate Cash May Hit Health Aid (AFP)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jzvc4zYujxgDP31smr04Qg5cg7Sw

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

More States Require 'Green' Cleaning Products (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010899357_apusgreencleaning.html

On New Environmental Scoreboard, U.S. and China Plummet While Iceland Leads (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/science/earth/27index.html

Kohl's Department Stores Achieves 100 Percent Green Power (Fox Business News)

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/retail/kohls-department-stores-achieves--percent-green-power/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Vandals Cut Fiber Optic Cables To Selah (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/1116716.html

Feds Taking Bids for Utah Data Center (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010893950_apusnsadatacenter.html

Yahoo's 4Q Progress Brightens 2010 Outlook

http://www.examiner.com/a-2442665~Yahoo_s_4Q_progress_brightens_2010_outlook.html

GENERAL NEWS

El Niño To Top Extreme Tides - Region has seen high water already this winter and likely will again in the next few weeks (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/1045397.html

Oregon Voters OK Tax Hikes On Wealthy, Businesses (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010899111_apusoregontaxvote10thldwritethru.html

Green Light For Tax Increases? Gregoire Praises Oregon Vote (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politicsnorthwest/2010904073_green_light_for_tax_increases.html

E-Mail Saves Time, but Being There Says More (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/business/26road.html

How Many People Are Paying For Newsday.com? Try 35 - $4 million site redesign netting just $9,000 in new revenue... (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/How-Many-People-Are-Paying-For-Newsdaycom-Try-35-106616

DIVERSIONS

PETA Proposes Robotic Groundhog For Pennsylvania Festival

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_14277960

Blindfolded Coach Hits Half-Court Shot

http://www.kirotv.com/sports/22338200/detail.html

Court Upholds Prison Ban of Dungeons & Dragons

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/us/27dungeons.html

Mamma Mia! ABBA Theme Park Opens In London

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2010894350_webabbalondon26.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Abba - S.O.S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f19GKcZU1vg

Energy News Digest for January 26, 2010

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

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

•  Four Men Sentenced for Shooting down High-Voltage Power Line near Lebanon

•  Grant County PUD Hydropower Auction Yields $64 Million

•  Damages from Gig Harbor Copper Wire Thefts Near $50K

•  Mason PUD 3 Customers Donate Over $66,000 to Help Neighbors with Electricity Bill

•  Pacific Gas & Electric Smart Meters Likely to Boost Shut-Offs

•  Exxon-Xto Deal Forces Congress to Reconsider Natural Gas

•  State of Kansas; Utility; Federal Agencies Settle Lawsuit

•  Baker City Herald Editorial – Bull Trout Habitat: A Little Bit Fishy

•  Idaho Company Snags Stimulus Cash for Fishery Work

•  Bureau of Land Management Hopes to Find Room for Spotted Owl, Logging

•  Man Loses Hunting Licenses for Killing Elk in Olympic National Park

•  City of Shelton Releases Draft Water Agreement for John's Prairie

•  Waves Growing on the Oregon Coast

•  EPA Focus on Freeway Pollution Could Mean More Air Monitors for Portland

•  Daily News Letter to the Editor - Wind Project Is Safe for Birds

•  Wind Power Grows 39% for the Year

•  Intel Plans Massive Solar Installations

•  Vermont - Fight Brews Over Renewable Energy Program

•  Advancing the Flywheel for Energy Storage & Grid Regulation

•  Philippines - Coalition Donates Hydro Plant in Bid to Save World Heritage Site

•  Vancouver, WA to Choose Between Select Vendors for LED Streetlight Project

•  Methane Causes Vicious Cycle in Global Warming

•  Mozilla Leader Worries about Internet Limits

•  Chelan PUD Switches to LocalTel for Phone Service

•  Missing Shelton Woman Located in Wenatchee

•  Shelton Espresso Stand Robbed

•  Person of Interest in Centralia Credit Union Robbery Attempt in Custody

•  Cell Phone Call Causes Crash near Allyn

•  US DOT Bars Commercial Drivers from Texting at Wheel

WORD OF THE DAY

Funicular • \fyoo-NIK-yuh-ler\ • noun – A cable railway ascending a mountain; especially: one in which an ascending car counterbalances a descending car

“Whee! Let’s do that again,” squealed the Ottumwa grade school students. The subject of their glee was the 512 foot ride on Dubuque Iowa’s Fourth Street Elevator, the world-renowned funicular railway.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & Weather Alerts

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Four Men Sentenced for Shooting down High-Voltage Power Line near Lebanon (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/four_men_sentenced_for_shootin.html

Grant County PUD Hydropower Auction Yields $64 Million (Hydro World)

http://www.hydroworld.com/index/display/article-display/_saveArticle/articles/hrhrw/News-2/2009/11/hydropower-auction.QP129867.adPoolId=.adLocationId=.dynamicAd=no.brandLogo=.html

Damages from Gig Harbor Copper Wire Thefts Near $50K (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22344395/detail.html

Mason PUD 3 Customers Donate Over $66,000 to Help Neighbors with Electricity Bills - “Project Share” Contributions set Record (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=670

Pacific Gas & Electric Smart Meters Likely to Boost Shut-Offs (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/25/BUUG1BNBVD.DTL

Exxon-Xto Deal Forces Congress to Reconsider Natural Gas (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/01/25/25climatewire-exxon-xto-deal-forces-congress-to-reconsider-94843.html

State of Kansas; Utility; Federal Agencies Settle Lawsuit (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010886124_apuswestarlawsuit.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Baker City Herald Editorial – Bull Trout Habitat: A Little Bit Fishy

http://www.bakercityherald.com/Editorials/A-little-bit-fishy

Idaho Company Snags Stimulus Cash for Fishery Work (Associated Press)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2440150~Idaho_company_snags_stimulus_cash_for_fishery_work.html

Bureau of Land Management Hopes to Find Room for Spotted Owl, Logging (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11878160

Man Loses Hunting Licenses for Killing Elk in Olympic National Park (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010889734_elkshot26m.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

City of Shelton Releases Draft Water Agreement for John's Prairie (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1187:city-releases-draft-water-agreement-for-johns-prairie&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Waves Growing on the Oregon Coast (Oregon Public Radio)

http://news.opb.org/article/6601-waves-growing-oregon-coast/

EPA Focus on Freeway Pollution Could Mean More Air Monitors for Portland (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/01/epa_focus_on_freeway_pollution.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Daily News Letter to the Editor - Wind Project Is Safe for Birds

http://www.tdn.com/news/opinion/article_39ba12ee-09e4-11df-aec4-001cc4c002e0.html

Wind Power Grows 39% for the Year (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/business/energy-environment/26wind.html

Intel Plans Massive Solar Installations (Portland Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/01/25/daily2.html

Vermont - Fight Brews Over Renewable Energy Program (Vermont Public Radio)

http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/87001/

Advancing the Flywheel for Energy Storage & Grid Regulation (NY Times)

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/advancing-the-flywheel-for-energy-storage-and-grid-regulation/

Philippines - Coalition Donates Hydro Plant in Bid to Save World Heritage Site (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/01/25/25greenwire-coalition-donates-hydro-plant-in-bid-to-save-wo-1452.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Vancouver, WA to Choose Between Select Vendors for LED Streetlight Project (New Streetlight)

http://www.newstreetlights.com/index_files/LED_streetlight_news_Vancouver_Washington_choosing_LED_streetlight_vendors_137.htm

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Methane Causes Vicious Cycle in Global Warming (Nat’l Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122638800&ft=1&f=3

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Mozilla Leader Worries about Internet Limits (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010885907_apeueudigitalfuture.html

Chelan PUD Switches to LocalTel for Phone Service (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jan/26/chelan-pud-switches-to-localtel-for-phone-service/

GENERAL NEWS

Missing Shelton Woman Located in Wenatchee (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1114997.html

Shelton Espresso Stand Robbed (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1194:shelton-espresso-stand-robbed&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Person of Interest in Centralia Credit Union Robbery Attempt in Custody (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Person-of-interest-in-Centralia-robbery-attempt-in-custody-82680492.html

Cell Phone Call Causes Crash near Allyn (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jan/25/collision-blocks-traffic-nearly-allyn/

US DOT Bars Commercial Drivers from Texting at Wheel (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010893443_apustruckdriverstexting.html

DIVERSIONS

Snohomish Bullfrog Forecasts Weather (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11876589

Growers to Battle for 'Cannabis Crown'

http://www.kirotv.com/health/22334788/detail.html

Fla. Man Finds $3,100 Hidden in Trashed Picture - Cash Was Stuffed Behind Space Shuttle Photo

http://www.kirotv.com/money/22333002/detail.html

Police: Man Coughs Up Ring He Tried to Steal

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22332268/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Elton John - Tiny Dancer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O80b002XT0