Energy News Digest for April 16, 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)

- Idaho Power Seeks 11 Percent Rate Increase
- Northwest Natural Gas Plans $32M Refund
- Power Lines Fall On School Bus in Granite Falls
- Fatal Accident in Wapato Leaves Hundreds without Power for Hours
- Rocky Reach Dam to be featured on 'Dirty Jobs'
- Work Begins To Seal Hanford's N Reactor
- Missouri Nuclear Plant Bill Prompts Rival Rallies
- U.S. Power Plants to Burn Less Coal in 2009
- Feds Say Natural Gas Supplies Rose Last Week
- FERC’s State of the Markets – 2008
- PGE Expands Smart-Reader Program
- Shelton-Area Salmon Conference Kicks Off
- Hood Canal Shrimp Season Opens May 2
- Aquatic Reserve Proposed Off North Whidbey Island
- Water War Brews in Idaho’s Eagle Foothills
- Interior Chief Says California Water System Outdated
- Detective Work Cuts Off Flow of Chicken Goo into Columbia River
- Beware the Photo of Poo! - ‘Biosolids’ and Human Health
- In Green Energy, an Environmental Paradox
- The Real "Green" Innovation - Financial Wizardry
- Olympian Editorial - State Well-Positioned For Green Economy
- Register Guard Op/Ed - Denmark Proves That Green Power Can Pay
- Want A Career In The Green Economy? Go To School
- Texas Trash to Become Sacramento Power
- Ethanol Causing Damage in Small Engines
- Alabama – City Of Hoover Will Power Cars with Wood Waste
- Stimulus Money May Help Bring 'Smart Grid' To Northwest
- Capture Is Expensive Part of Carbon Sequestration Projects
- NE U.S - Organizers Call Regional Emissions Plan A Success
- Third-World Stove Soot Is Target in Climate Fight
- BBC Op/Ed - Time To Act On Carbon Markets
- Phone Company Shelves Unpopular Internet Cap Plan
- Here Comes the Connected Nation Sales Pitch
- Internet Used By More than Half in U.S. Election
- Qwest Closing Call Centers in Littleton, Omaha
- Manassas Preserves Broadband Over Powerline Program
- U.S. Telecoms Eager to Get Cuba on the Line
- Unemployment in Mason County up Another Percentage Point
- State Bill Would Ban New Urban Growth in Floodplains
- Seattle ‘Most Miserable Sports City’ In U.S.

WORD OF THE DAY

Parvum Opus • \PARR-vum OPE-uss\ • noun – Translated literally from Latin as “little work” (as opposed to magnum opus, which is “great work”)

Alfred’s once-tiny daughter always resented his referring to her as his “parvum opus”. As a child she did not reach her growth spurt until her late teens, when she shot up from a diminutive four-foot-two, to a six-foot-seven giantess by the age of 21. Her retort one day was that her “magnum opus” was to crack him over the head with a broom…which effectively ended his “little joke”.

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

Idaho Power Seeks 11 Percent Rate Increase (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/821187.html

Northwest Natural Gas Plans $32M Refund (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/04/13/daily32.html?ana=from_rss

Power Lines Fall On School Bus in Granite Falls (KIRTO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19192087/detail.html

Fatal Accident in Wapato Leaves Hundreds without Power for Hours (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10194300

Rocky Reach Dam to be featured on 'Dirty Jobs' (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090415/NEWS04/704169956/1001/NEWS04

Work Begins To Seal Hanford's N Reactor (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009069477_webnreactor16m.html?syndication=rss

Missouri Nuclear Plant Bill Prompts Rival Rallies (Fort Mills Times)
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/529964.html

U.S. Power Plants to Burn Less Coal in 2009 (The Electricity Forum)
http://www.electricityforum.com/news/apr09/USwillburnlesscoalthisyear.html

Feds say natural gas supplies rose last week (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/16/financial/f073921D47.DTL&feed=rss.business

FERC’s State of the Markets – 2008 (Links to PDF File)
http://www.ferc.gov/market-oversight/st-mkt-ovr/som-rpt-2008.pdf

PGE expands smart-reader program (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/04/13/daily35.html?ana=from_rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Shelton-Area Salmon Conference Kicks Off - Funding has improved habitat, but challenges remain (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/821431.html

Hood Canal shrimp season opens May 2 (Port Townsend Leader, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/Main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=23928

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Aquatic Reserve Proposed Off North Whidbey Island (Whidbey News-Times)
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/news/43069737.html

Water War Brews in Idaho’s Eagle Foothills - Developers claim there's plenty of water to support their plans, but neighbors fear their wells will dry up (Idaho Statesman, Boise)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/733473.html

Interior Chief Says California Water System Outdated (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1963022~Interior_chief_says_Calif__water_system_outdated.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Detective Work Cuts Off Flow of Chicken Goo into Columbia River (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/04/food_processor_fined_for_dumpi.html

Beware the Photo of Poo! - ‘Biosolids’ and Human Health (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/biosolids-and-human-health/?partner=rss&emc=rss

RENEWABLE & ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

In Green Energy, an Environmental Paradox - Wind and Solar Projects May Carry Costs for Wildlife (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/15/AR2009041503622.html?nav=rss_email/components

The Real "Green" Innovation - Why alternative energy depends more on financial wizardry than mechanical wizardry (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2216129/?from=rss

Olympian Editorial - State Well-Positioned For Green Economy
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/821162.html

Register Guard Op/Ed - Denmark Proves That Green Power Can Pay (pay no attention to that fossil fuel backup generation…)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/opinion/11562119-46/story.csp

Jobs, Blowing in the Wind - Want a career in the green economy? Go to school. (Newsweek)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/194106?from=rss

Texas Trash to Become Sacramento Power (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2009/04/13/daily41.html?ana=from_rss

Ethanol Causing Damage in Small Engines (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10191957

Alabama – City Of Hoover Will Power Cars with Wood Waste (Birmingham Business Journal – No, not Stanley Steamers)
http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2009/04/13/daily28.html?ana=from_rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Stimulus Money May Help Bring 'Smart Grid' To Northwest (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/4786-stimulus-money-may-help-bring-smart-grid-northwest/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Capture Is Expensive Part of Carbon Sequestration Projects (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4775-can-carbon-sequestration-ease-pace-climate-change/

NE U.S - Organizers Call Regional Emissions Plan A Success (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009058931_apnjnjgreenhousegases.html?syndication=rss

Third-World Stove Soot Is Target in Climate Fight (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/science/earth/16degrees.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

BBC Op/Ed - Time to act on carbon markets (United Kingdom)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8000156.stm

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Phone Company Shelves Unpopular Internet Cap Plan (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/15/financial/f125227D22.DTL&feed=rss.business

Here Comes the Connected Nation Sales Pitch - Two senators insist broadband mapping firm play central role (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Here-Comes-The-Connected-Nation-Sales-Pitch-101925

Internet Used By More than Half in U.S. Election (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE53E6UL20090415?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

Qwest Closing Call Centers in Littleton, Omaha (Denver Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/04/13/daily43.html?ana=from_rss

Manassas Preserves Broadband Over Powerline Program - Funds to Continue While Service Is Studied (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041403723.html?wprss=rss_technology

U.S. Telecoms Eager to Get Cuba on the Line (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041403144.html?wprss=rss_business

GENERAL NEWS

Unemployment in Mason County up Another Percentage Point (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6998/reftab/1632/t/UNEMPLOYMENT-IN-MASON-COUNTY-UP-ANOTHER-PERCENT/Default.aspx

State Bill Would Ban New Urban Growth in Floodplains (Bellingham Herald, WA)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/869870.html

Seattle ‘Most Miserable Sports City’ In U.S.: Forbes (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/04/13/daily29.html?ana=from_rss

DIVERSIONS

Whoops! Promotional Brass Knuckles Are Bad Idea
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/technology/2009/april/Whoops--Promotional-Brass-Knuckles-Are-Bad-Idea.html

Library Book Returned 145 Years after Soldier Stole It during Civil War
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12147378

'Caveman' Uses Ladder to Clobber Robber
http://www.kirotv.com/money/19189479/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_4pm&tmi=sea_4pm_1_06000104152009&ts=H

Move over, Guitar Hero, it's Oh-No Banjo
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10220352-1.html?tag=nl.e703

SONG OF THE DAY

Foggy Mountain Breakdown--Flatt and Scruggs & Foggy Mt Boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APl9fRFmdC0