Energy News Digest for March 18, 2009

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)

- 25 Minute Shelton Power Outage Affects 5,000 customers
- Grays Harbor County PUD May Raise Power Rates By 4 Percent
- Chelan PUD Ratepayers Have Their Say about Increase
- Chelan County PUD Imposes Employee Furloughs to Cut Costs
- US FERC agrees California ISO is ready to start new market design
- W.Pa. Aluminum Plant Announces Plans to Close by End of March
- Feds Reconsider Navajo Power Line Decision
- Arizona Nuclear Plant Has Made Progress Addressing Safety Issues
- NY Times Op/Ed - A Nuclear Waste
- Sempra Energy's CEO Compensation Rises in 2008
- State Lays Out Case against Taylor Shellfish
- NOAA Issues Biological Opinion to Protect Willamette Salmon and Steelhead
- Fish Count On Cowlitz to Be Exception to Slow Trend
- Big Creek Hatchery Closure Would Take Big Slice from Chinook Fishery
- Logging Lawsuit Includes Endangered Species Claims
- State Court Denies Appeal of Skagit PUD Assessment by Bay View Couple
- Congress and Environmentalists Dispute Summer Recreation at Ski Resorts
- Meeting on SE Washington Wind Energy's Economic Effect Set
- Hydropower Roundtable: New Growth for an Old Industry
- Solar Stocks Go Red As Equipment Maker Warns
- Economy Forces Consolidation in Solar Industry
- Large Wind Projects on Neighbor Islands Would Feed Power to Oahu
- Mayor of Spanish Wind-Power Town Arrested In Corruption Probe
- Study: Microwind Turbines a Tough Sell in Massachusetts
- Photos: Small Wind Turbines Take Shape
- Grid Improvements
- Orcas Power and Light Mails 7,000 Customers Energy Kits
- Oregonian Editorial - Hands off that Energy Trust money
- Appalachian States Could Save Billions, Create Jobs With Conservation
- Gregoire Pleads For Teeth in a Climate Bill
- Idaho Committee Stops Expansion of Rural Phone Lines
- Downturn or Not, Mobile Broadband Is Growing Fast
- PC Maker Uses Couture to Sell Luxury Laptops in Recession
- Hit-And-Run of Pedestrian on Highway 3 near Belfair
- State of Mason County: Revenues Continue to Decline
- Lawmakers Get Revenue Forecast Thursday to Write Next State Budget
- State Patrol Says Labor E-Mail Not Criminal
- Gary Locke Faces Confirmation Hearing for Commerce Secretary
- Parents Sue Thurston County over Son's Death from Cannon Shrapnel
- Forbes Reports Tri-Cities and Yakima Best Cities for Job Growth
- Centralia Got Raw Deal on Stimulus
- Winter Just Keeps Hanging On

WORD OF THE DAY

Eyas • \EYE-us\ • noun - An unfledged bird; specifically: a nestling hawk

“Ah, my little eyas, the time has come for you to fly,” fluttered the high school counselor to her students. “While most of you will find work in the biggest employer in town, the tiddlywinks factory, some will have to settle for work at A.I.G. Please remember me on bonus day,” she twittered as the class dully marched from the classroom.

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

25 Minute Shelton Power Outage Affects 5,000 customers (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=526

Grays Harbor County PUD May Raise Power Rates By 4 Percent (The Daily World)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/03/17/local_news/02news.txt

Chelan PUD Ratepayers Have Their Say about Increase (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090317/NEWS04/703179980/1001/NEWS04

Chelan County PUD Imposes Employee Furloughs to Cut Costs (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090317/NEWS04/703179972/1001/NEWS04

US FERC agrees California ISO is ready to start new market design (Platts)
http://www.platts.com/Electric%20Power/News/6206011.xml?sub=Electric%20Power&p=Electric%20Power/News&

W.Pa. Aluminum Plant Announces Plans to Close by End of March, Eliminating About 300 Jobs (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008874647_aluminumplantclosing.html?syndication=rss

Feds Reconsider Navajo Power Line Decision (Associated Press)
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/41321757.html

Regulators Say Arizona Nuclear Plant Has Made 'Significant' Progress Addressing Safety Issues (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008875855_paloverde.html?syndication=rss

NY Times Op/Ed - A Nuclear Waste
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/opinion/18cooke.html

Sempra Energy's CEO Compensation Rises in 2008 (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1910109~Sempra_Energy_s_CEO_compensation_rises_in_2008.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

FISH & WILDLIFE

State Lays Out Case against Taylor Shellfish (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/mar/17/state-lays-out-case-against-taylor-shellfish/?partner=RSS

NOAA’s Fisheries Service Issues Biological Opinion to Protect Willamette Basin Salmon and Steelhead (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080711_willamette.html

Fish Count On Cowlitz to Be Exception to Slow Trend (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/outdoors/story/674176.html

Big Creek Hatchery Closure Would Take Big Slice from Chinook Fishery - Lack of Federal Funds Puts Salmon Program On Chopping Block (The Daily Astorian, OR)
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=59267&TM=64557.89

Logging Lawsuit Includes Endangered Species Claims (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1910449~Logging_lawsuit_includes_endangered_species_claims.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

State Court Denies Appeal of Skagit PUD Assessment by Bay View Couple (Skagit Valley Herald)
http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/court_denies_appeal_of_pud_assessment_by_bay_view_couple/

Congress and Environmentalists Dispute Summer Recreation at Ski Resorts
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10022598

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Meeting on SE Washington Wind Energy's Economic Effect Set - Findings of a study will be presented Wednesday evening at Pomeroy High School (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
http://union-bulletin.com/articles/2009/03/17/local_news/090317local05wind.txt

Hydropower Roundtable: New Growth for an Old Industry (Renewable Energy News)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/03/hydropower-new-growth-for-an-old-industry?src=rss

Solar Stocks Go Red As Equipment Maker Warns (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10198061-54.html?tag=nl.e433

Economy Forces Consolidation in Solar Industry (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/18/BUF016IC09.DTL

Large Wind Projects on Neighbor Islands Would Feed Power to Oahu (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008877336_apenergypartnership.html

Mayor of Major Spanish Wind-Power Town, 17 Others Arrested In Corruption Probe (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008879648_apspaincorruptionarrests.html?syndication=rss

Study: Microwind Turbines a Tough Sell in Massachusetts “…analysis of microwind turbines in Massachusetts found that they fell short of performance expectations…” (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10196182-54.html

Photos: Small Wind Turbines Take Shape (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/2300-11128_3-10000541-1.html?tag=nl.e703

Grid Improvements (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=356462&C=ENVIR&dcmp=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Orcas Power and Light Mails 7,000 Customers Energy Kits (Island Sounder)
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/sanjuans/isj/news/41340394.html

Oregonian Editorial - Hands off that Energy Trust money
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/03/hands_off_that_energy_trust_mo.html

Appalachian States Could Save Billions, Create Many Jobs by Cutting Energy Consumption (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008877823_apappalachiaenergyefficiency.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Gregoire pleads for teeth in a climate bill (Associated Press – What an unfortunately written headline! Has anyone seen my teeth…please find my teeth!)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008877830_climatechange18.html?syndication=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Idaho Committee Stops Expansion of Rural Phone Lines, Say It Is Personal Cost (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008875814_xgrruralphonelines.html?syndication=rss

Downturn or Not, Mobile Broadband Is Growing Fast (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/03/17/downturn-or-not-mobile-broadband-is-growing-fast/

Monsieur, You're Getting a Dell: PC Maker Uses Couture to Sell Luxury Laptops in Recession (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008878214_apusdellluxurylaptop.html?syndication=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Hit-And-Run of Pedestrian on Highway 3 near Belfair (KMAS News, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6723/reftab/1632/t/HIT-AND-RUN-OF-PEDESTRIAN-ON-HIGHWAY-3-NEAR-BELFAIR/Default.aspx

State of Mason County: Revenues Continue to Decline; More Layoffs Anticipated (KMAS News, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6720/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Washington Lawmakers Get Revenue Forecast Thursday to Write Next State Budget (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008879900_aprevenueforecast.html?syndication=rss

State Patrol Says Labor E-Mail Not Criminal (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/41390142.html

Former Wash. Gov. Gary Locke Faces Confirmation Hearing for Commerce Secretary (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008878874_apcommerce.html?syndication=rss

Parents Sue Thurston County over Son's Death from Cannon Shrapnel (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/791256.html

Forbes Reports Tri-Cities and Yakima Best Cities for Job Growth Nationally
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10017797

Centralia Got Raw Deal on Stimulus - Bargain Gone Wrong: Federal Cash Goes to Rural Projects (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.outdoorslc.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1237310638&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5&

Winter Just Keeps Hanging On (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_031709WXB-weather-tues-SW.44435cae.html?rss

DIVERSIONS

Girl named Marijuana Pepsi? Yes.
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=146196

Louisiana Police Arrest Growling Man on Drug Charges
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090318/ap_on_fe_st/odd_dog_act;_ylt=AvNmHtZrbdfzL5IE4rDed83tiBIF

Fake Firefighter Nabbed After Trying To Fight Fire
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090317/ap_on_fe_st/odd_bogus_firefighter;_ylt=AvrVj2trfm79Mdp6mgMpjJjtiBIF

Local Councils Declare War on Jargon
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_britain_jargon;_ylt=Au1RD1FVj7bRSbHn.4gyjV_tiBIF

SONG OF THE DAY

Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi (Original, Live)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlNZN94_u-s&feature=related

Counting Crows- Big Yellow Taxi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsPh_8Dxl3E