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.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- PSE gets earful over rate plan, proposed buyout
- Grant PUD studying 6 percent rate increase
- Coal opponents: Petitions succeed against a carbon sequestration experiment and potential power plant
- A Natural-Gas High – demand and the price of natural gas to hit unprecedented levels
- Weather safety rule starts next month – Measure protects workers from heat
- Penalties Sought From Utilities over Untrimmed Trees
- Montana – Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Employees Brace for Layoffs
- Idaho company announces plan for depleted uranium plant
- Another Texas electric provider defaults
- San Francisco supervisors postpone power plant vote
- Expensive Wildlife Conservation Efforts Yield Mixed Results
- Liquefied Natural Gas backers say controversial terminal will help salmon in Columbia River
- Outdoors Report: Salmon success modest; coast catch disappointing
- Whiting boats cleared to accidentally catch salmon
- Oregon – Mistake puts local fisherman at risk: Salmon relief plan reeled back in by printing error
- Dam it All: River Ways tackles controversial Northwest dams
- Lost crab pots killing off resource
- Alaska's Copper River salmon a golden catch
- Former Reclamation Commissioner Dies
- California – Schwarzenegger declares drought, pushes dam-building plan
- Vestas Wind Systems to add 200 workers in Portland
- Seattle Renewable Energy Company Investment Places F.C.C. Aide amid Fraud Inquiry
- U.S. Western Governors Seek 30 GW of Renewable Energy by 2015
- Utilities Owning, Buying More Wind, Planning for Carbon Regulations
- Store wind energy for later? Idea still inefficient
- Boston Globe Editorial: A spark for clean energy
- New York – Paterson praises Iberdrola wind-power plan
- Danish leader offers advice on energy alternatives
- Wave Energy Popular With New Zealanders
- Battle of the biofuels at food crisis summit
- Michigan – Scio Township man aims to reduce electric costs with his own wind turbine
- Two schools get on green-energy grid
- Times Union Op/Ed – Use of electronic meters can motivate consumers to help conserve energy
- Economic risks imperil federal climate bill
- Senate action on climate bill seems doomed
- Nuclear Energy Votes Could Doom Senate Climate Change Legislation
- An Idea To Reduce Our Carbon Footprint – Shut Down Drive Through Lanes
- Amazon rainforest shrinking at faster rate
- Why Tiered Broadband Is the Enemy of Innovation
- Illinois – Cut fiber optic cables knock out services for thousands
- Time Warner to Test Metered Internet Usage
- Tiny Water Pipes May Cool Computer Chips, IBM Says
- Mason County Candidate Filings
- Neatherlin files under “Prefers No Gas Tax (GOP) Party”
- Soaring fuel costs dent government budgets
- Bush says he will veto timber payments bill
- Any day now – purchase and sale agreement pending for mothballed Cosmopolis Pulp Mill
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Euphonious• \you-FONE-ee-us\ • adjective – Pleasing or agreeable to the ear
The soothing sound of water rushing over pebbles in the nearby small stream provided a euphonious backdrop for the loving couple’s noon-time picnic. Unfortunately for them, the stagnant, brackish pools below the rushing rapids provided a “mosquito hotel” which issued forth a constant stream of the voracious, blood-sucking insects, all focused on being the first to partake of the movable feast represented by the lounging couple.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
(NOTE: Some readers have noted that the NWS forecast has not been updated regularly. Apparently there is a refresh issue with the weather web site. If you visit and the forecast isn’t updated, press F5 or refresh the web page. That should take care of the issue)
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
PSE gets earful over rate plan, proposed buyout (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/469400.html
Grant PUD studying 6 percent rate increase – Proposal indicates increases could begin in 2009 (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/06/04/news/news03.txt
Coal opponents: Petitions succeed – Hundreds have signed petitions against a carbon sequestration experiment and potential power plant (The Union Bulletin, Walla Walla, WA)
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/06/05/local_news/080604local01coal.txt
Forbes Magazine Op/Ed – A Natural-Gas High: greenhouse gas reduction targets and the lack of low-carbon energy sources can start a massive switch from coal to natural gas by the power industry...will drive up both the demand and the price of natural gas to unprecedented levels
http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/06/04/carbon-natural-gas-oped-cx_pc_0604climate.html
Weather safety rule starts next month – Measure protects workers from heat (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/365805_heat05.html?source=rss
Penalties Sought From Utilities over Untrimmed Trees (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/business/05grid.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1212681943-6L2symyq8ltxRIn+byeb0w
Montana – Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Employees Brace for Layoffs (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/cfac_employees_brace_for_layoffs/3778/
Idaho company announces plan for depleted uranium plant (The Associated Press, via the Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP06052008news325200.cfm
Another Texas electric provider defaults – E-tricity is 3rd retailer in a month to lose customers (The Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5819713.html
San Francisco supervisors postpone power plant vote (San Francisco Chronicle) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/04/BAOD112T69.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
FISH & WILDLIFE
Expensive Wildlife Conservation Efforts Yield Mixed Results (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/May-June-08/Expensive-Wildife-Conservation-Efforts-Yield-Mixed-Results.html
Liquefied Natural Gas backers say controversial terminal will help salmon in Columbia River (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1212636332154220.xml&coll=7
Outdoors Report: Salmon success modest; coast catch disappointing (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/365816_out05.html
Whiting boats cleared to accidentally catch salmon – Officials allow 11,000 Chinook to be snared as bycatch (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1212645309226030.xml&coll=7
Oregon – Mistake puts local fisherman at risk: Salmon relief plan reeled back in by printing error (Curry County Reporter, Gold Beach, OR)
http://www.currycountyreporter.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=3611
Dam it All: River Ways tackles controversial Northwest dams (The Source Weekly, Bend, OR)
http://www.tsweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2896&Itemid=43
Lost crab pots killing off resource – Long after the pots have been lost or abandoned, they continue to catch crabs, a waste that the Stillaguamish Tribe is studying (The Herald, Everett, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080605/NEWS01/762057833/-1/rss02
Alaska's Copper River salmon a golden catch (Reuters, via KPLU Radio, Tacoma)
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1291992
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
Former Reclamation head dies – Retired U.S. Commissioner of Reclamation John Keys, a well-known figure in Northwest and national water circles, died late last week in a light plane crash (The Herald-Republic, Yakima, WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/4662
California – Schwarzenegger declares drought, pushes dam-building plan (San Jose Mercury News, CA – Let’s see how THESE dams go over in CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9481289?source=rss
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Vestas Wind Systems to add 200 workers in Portland – Danish company, however, passes up Oregon for $25 million research center (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/121254992636170.xml&coll=7
Seattle Renewable Energy Company Investment Places F.C.C. Aide amid Fraud Inquiry (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/business/05fcc.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
U.S. Western Governors Seek 30 GW of Renewable Energy by 2015 (Renewable Energy World Online)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52675&src=rss
Utilities Owning, Buying More Wind, Planning for Carbon Regulations (Renewable Energy World Online)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52676&src=rss
Store wind energy for later? Idea still inefficient – Experts try to improve on two underground vaults that use compressed air (MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24971884/
Boston Globe Editorial: A spark for clean energy (Boston, MA)
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2008/06/editorial_a_spark_for_clean_en.html
New York – Paterson praises Iberdrola wind-power plan – Governor urges quick PSC action on Energy East takeover (The Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY)
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080605/BUSINESS/806050343/1001
Danish leader offers advice on energy alternatives (Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Oh, I forgot to ask, “How do you firm up the renewable energy?)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/365513_svend03.html
Wave Energy Popular With New Zealanders (The Scoop)
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0806/S00049.htm
Battle of the biofuels at food crisis summit – U.S. at center of debate on hunger (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/365833_biofuel05.html?source=rss
Michigan – Scio Township man aims to reduce electric costs with his own wind turbine (The Ann Arbor News, MI)
http://www.mlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/06/scio_township_man_aims_to_redu.html
Two schools get on green-energy grid (The Columbian, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004458579_greenschools05m.html?syndication=rss
CONSERVATION
Times Union Op/Ed – Use of electronic meters can motivate consumers to help conserve energy (Albany, NY)
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=693663&category=OPINION&newsdate=6/5/2008
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Economic risks imperil federal climate bill – In the Senate, opponents focus on pump prices and tax consequences (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0605/p02s05-uspo.html
Senate action on climate bill seems doomed (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004457944_apclimatecongress.html?syndication=rss
Nuclear Energy Votes Could Doom Senate Climate Change Legislation (Congressional Quarterly Politics)
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000002887429
An Idea To Reduce Our Carbon Footprint – Shut Down Drive Through Lanes (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/147/reftab/1632/Default.aspx
Amazon rainforest shrinking at faster rate (McClatchy News Service, via the Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080604/NEWS01/695694007/1025/rss1025
TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Why Tiered Broadband Is the Enemy of Innovation (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/06/04/why-tiered-broadband-is-the-enemy-of-innovation/
Illinois – Cut fiber optic cables knock out services for thousands (The Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL)
http://pantagraph.com/articles/2008/06/05/news/doc48477773610eb627602700.txt
Time Warner to Test Metered Internet Usage (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/technology/May-June-08/Time-Warner-to-Test-Metered-Internet-Usage.html
Tiny Water Pipes May Cool Computer Chips, IBM Says – Buildup Of Heat Is Key Obstacle To Smaller Chips (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9486566?source=rss
GENERAL NEWS
Mason County Candidate Filings (Includes Mason County PUD No. 1 and PUD No. 3 filings)
http://wei.secstate.wa.gov/MASON/ELECTIONS/Pages/CandidateFilings.aspx
Neatherlin files under “Prefers No Gas Tax (GOP) Party” (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/06/05/local_news/05news.txt
Soaring fuel costs dent government budgets – Higher Metro fares, slower ferries possible (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/365869_gas05.html?source=rss
Bush says he will veto timber payments bill (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004457921_aptimbercounties.html?syndication=rss
Any day now – Every weekday since last Friday, Roy Nott has expected that Evergreen Pulp Cosmopolis would sign a purchase and sale agreement with Weyerhaeuser to buy the mothballed Cosmopolis Pulp Mill (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/06/05/local_news/01news.txt
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Goat Reunited With Owner After Boarding Bus – Operator Locks Goat In Bus, Calls For Help
http://www.kirotv.com/family/16491143/detail.html
Oregon Fishing Town Loses Namesake Tuna Statue
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/16510527/detail.html
Fine Could Rise For Failure To Scoop Poop – $250 Fines Would Apply In New York City, Albany, Yonkers
http://www.kirotv.com/family/16509430/detail.html
Most People Relate To Wild Road Trip Films
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/16454612/detail.html
