Energy News Digest for April 10, 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.

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TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- Intalco Tells BPA It Could Shut Down In Weeks Without Rate Cut
- Rio Tinto cuts jobs, expansion at its aluminum division headquarters
- Alcoa to lay off 275 at Quebec smelter
- Michigan - Disappointment abounds about Hydro Aluminum’s closure
- Pend Oreille PUD Dam Pact Aims to Alleviate Box Canyon Hydro Damage
- DOE Defends TransAlta Deal
- Seattle Times Op/Ed - Gov. must lead Washington beyond its reliance on coal
- BPA to build $1 million hangar in Spokane
- Washington Post Editorial - Down to the Wires
- Salmon Season Looks 'Fantastic' For Wash. Anglers
- Word from State and Tribes on Salmon Season Setting Process
- Oregon Delegation Appeals For Fishing Aid In Wake Of Closure
- Federal Hatchery to Truck Calif. Salmon to the Sea
- Point-Counterpoint: Oregon’s Bird Seed Tax
- Shellfish Harvesting Restricted in Allyn; More Local Beaches Could Follow
- Vancouver-Area Environmental Agency Offices Pollute Nearby Creek
- Comments Being Taken For Puget Sound Recovery Plan
- Washington snowpack back to normal
- Yakima Basin Storage Project Dies -- Or Does It?
- California - Judge Tentatively Rejects Argument against Desalinization Plant
- New Tidal Turbine for Vancouver Island
- Rhode Island - National Grid backs down on renewables
- Global Warming Reports: Poor Prospects for Corn Ethanol
- Energy blamed more than ethanol for food prices
- Developer shrugs off recession, plots all-solar Fla. City
- Electric grid changes loom
- Carbon Market in a Slump
- Congressmen Bachmann's Forum on Energy Emissions Draws Cheers, Jeers
- Dissenter on Warming Expands His Campaign
- Vandals in CA Cut Eight Fiber Optic Cables, $100K Reward Offered
- Report: Microsoft, Google Court Twitter
- Cuts to Mason Co. Sheriff's Office: Criminals 'Expect A Lead Enema'
- State Lawmaker: 'Open Season on Criminals'
- Prosecutors Seek 18 Months for Wash. Timber Theft
- Puyallup Man Gets 10 Years for Cheating Wood Mill
- Hood Canal Bridge Closure Looms; Businesses Prepare

WORD OF THE DAY

Effete • \ih-FEET\ • adjective - 1: no longer fertile 2a: having lost character, vitality, or strength b: marked by weakness or decadence *c: soft or delicate from or as if from a pampered existence 3: effeminate

The Carthaginians were justifiably angry. Arms akimbo, the survivors of the Roman scourge watched the invading fleet head out to the Mediterranean, the once fertile fields in the north African empire left effete by the salt which had been sown by the merciless invaders.

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

Intalco Tells BPA It Could Shut Down In Weeks Without Rate Cut - Smelter wants to tie its electricity bill to price of aluminum (Bellingham Herald, WA)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/865536.html

Rio Tinto cuts jobs, expansion at its aluminum division headquarters (The Globe & Mail, Canada)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090408.RALCAN08ART1928/TPStory/Business

Alcoa to lay off 275 at Quebec smelter “…because of the recession, reduced demand and falling aluminum prices…” (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/04/10/aloca-becancour-quebec-smelter-job-cuts.html

Michigan - Disappointment abounds about Hydro Aluminum’s closure (Daily Telegram, Adrian, MI)
http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x1931053646/Disappointment-abounds-about-Hydro-s-closure

Pend Oreille PUD Dam Pact Aims to Alleviate Damage - Utility to help fish, improve tribal land (Spokesman Review, Spokane)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/apr/10/dam-pact-aims-to-alleviate-damage/

DOE Defends TransAlta Deal - Pollution: Proposal Now Enters Into Public Hearings Phase (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.outdoorslc.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1239384325&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5&

Seattle Times Op/Ed - Gov. Gregoire must lead Washington beyond its reliance on coal
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009015513_opinc10sierra.html

BPA to build $1 million hangar in Spokane (Spokane Journal of Business)
http://www.spokanejournal.com/article.php?id=4452

Washington Post Editorial - Down to the Wires: Local resistance to transmission lines is keeping customers from getting the green power they need
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/09/AR2009040903914.html?nav=rss_opinions

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon Season Looks 'Fantastic' For Wash. Anglers (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/42816852.html

Word from State and Tribes on Salmon Season Setting Process (Seattle Times)
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reeltimenorthwest/2009/04/09/word_from_state_and_tribes_on.html

Oregon Delegation Appeals For Fishing Aid In Wake Of Closure
http://news.opb.org/article/4743-oregon-delegation-appeals-fishing-aid-wake-closure/

Federal Hatchery to Truck Calif. Salmon to the Sea (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/08/state/n104521D49.DTL&feed=rss.business

Point-Counterpoint: Oregon’s Bird Seed Tax (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/04/pointcounterpoint_the_birdseed.html

Shellfish Harvesting Restricted in Allyn; More Local Beaches Could Follow (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/apr/09/shellfish-harvesting-restricted-in-allyn-more/?partner=RSS

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Vancouver-Area Environmental Agency Offices Pollute Nearby Creek (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/42808357.html

Comments Being Taken For Puget Sound Recovery Plan (KIRO-Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=154617

Washington snowpack back to normal (Associated Press)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_041009WAB-AP-snowpack-KS.bfe46c5a.html?rss

Yakima Basin Storage Project Dies -- Or Does It? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/04/09/09greenwire-yakima-basin-storage-project-dies--or-does-it-10496.html

California - Judge Tentatively Rejects Argument against Desalinization Plant (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1953830~Judge_tentatively_rejects_argument_against_plant.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

New Tidal Turbine for Vancouver Island (Victoria Times-Colonist, BC)
http://www.timescolonist.com/tidal+turbine+Vancouver+Island/1478950/story.html

Rhode Island - National Grid backs down on renewables - Drops appeal ruling that ordered the company to step up its efforts to find renewable energy sources (Providence Business News)
http://www.pbn.com/detail/41519.html

Global Warming Reports: Poor Prospects for Corn Ethanol (Los Angeles Times)
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/04/global-warming-reports-prospects-not-so-good-for-corn-and-ethanol.html

Energy blamed more than ethanol for food prices (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/09/BUHL1704UL.DTL

Developer shrugs off recession, plots all-solar Fla. City (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/04/09/09greenwire-developer-shrugs-off-recession-plots-allsolar-10492.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Electric grid changes loom - Futuristic smart grid offers bold energy saving solutions (Beaverton Valley Times, OR)
http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=123912620488398900

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Carbon Market in a Slump - Even 'Green' Trade Not Immune To Economic Woes (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102927032&ft=1&f=3

Congressmen Bachmann's Forum on Energy Emissions Draws Cheers, Jeers (The Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, MN)
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/42779967.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUr

Dissenter on Warming Expands His Campaign
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/us/politics/10morano.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Vandals in CA Cut Eight Fiber Optic Cables, $100K Reward Offered (TG Daily)
http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-42002-103.html

Report: Microsoft, Google Court Twitter (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/04/06/daily44.html?ana=from_rss

GENERAL NEWS

Cuts to Mason Co. Sheriff's Office: Criminals 'Expect A Lead Enema'
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19142861/detail.html

State Lawmaker: 'Open Season on Criminals'
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/42768172.html

Prosecutors Seek 18 Months for Wash. Timber Theft (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10162366

Puyallup Man Gets 10 Years for Cheating Wood Mill (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/816111.html

Hood Canal Bridge Closure Looms; Businesses Prepare (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/04/06/daily49.html?ana=from_rss

DIVERSIONS

In Legal Documents, Coldplay Says Satriani Song "Lacks Originality"
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/entertainment/2009/april/In-Legal-Documents-Coldplay-Say-Satriani-Long-Lacks-Originality.html

Court Fines Mother for Phoning Son Too Much
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKTRE5384R620090409

SONG OF THE DAY

Coldplay - Viva La Vida
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5TNK-TvIcI

Joe Satriani - If I Could Fly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMcjXo8ZuqE