Energy News Digest for April 2, 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)

- PNW Coal Power Plant Cuts Deal to Cut Mercury & Regional Haze
- As Winter Drags Into Spring, Many Need Help Keeping Heat on
- Sacramento Utility (SMUD) Could Boost Rates 13 Percent
- Itron Says U.S. Smart Meter Projects On Track
- Pacific Gas & Electric CEO Receives $8.7M in 2008 Compensation
- Nuclear Reactor’s Life Is Prolonged in New Jersey
- Ohio - Business Rebate Lawsuit against Duke Energy Dismissed
- Can you imagine 3 TONS of FOOD?? Cowlitz PUD employees can
- Obama Administration Wants New Spotted-Owl Plan
- Puget Sound Energy Investing $50 Million on New Hatchery
- Steelhead Fishing Heats Up In Western Washington Rivers
- Ecology Agency Finds Dioxin in Shelton’s Oakland Bay
- Idaho Senate Clears Dispute over Snake River Water Rights
- At Solar Silicon Plant - Two REC Employees Sent To Hospital
- Oregon - Biodiesel Stuck in Storage Instead Of the Tank
- Ohio - FirstEnergy to Convert Plant Units to Burn Biomass
- Large Turbine Blade Factory Slated for Wisconsin Rapids
- Environmentalist Group Report Praises Renewables over Nuclear
- Google Shows Alternative Energy Firms the Way
- 2009 Oregon and Washington ENERGY STAR Award Winners
- E.U. Carbon Trading System “Shows Signs” of Working
- Washington Post Op/Ed - Climate Change's Dim Bulbs
- Report: Qwest's Long-Haul Network for Sale
- Mason County PUD No. 3 Connects Southside School to Fiber Network
- The Ugly Truth about Broadband: Upload Speeds
- Snohomish County PUD Finds the Power of Virtual Backups
- Snow Forecast for Lake Cushman - Especially Tonight
- WA Senate Democrats Introduce Income Tax Bill
- Mason County to Present Plan for Belfair Roads
- Allyn-Area Fire District Asks for Levy Increase
- King Co. Asks Supreme Court to Undo Public Records Act Ruling
- New Accounting Rules for Mortgage-Backed Securities

WORD OF THE DAY

Diaphanous • \dye-AF-uh-nus\ • adjective - *1: of so fine a texture as to be transparent 2: characterized by extreme delicacy of form: ethereal 3: insubstantial, vague

Derwood turned away from his computer, blushing at the sight. He was intimately aware of the inner workings of the wondrous machine, but had never seen it in such a revealing way. The cold, tan metal cover had been stripped away, replaced with a fine, diaphanous metal mesh. The whirring fans, blinking lights and clattering sounds were too much for Derwood to bear, as he quietly slunk from the room, vowing to avert his eyes whenever he needed to use the computer to check email or cruise the internet.

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

PNW Coal Power Plant Cuts Deal to Cut Mercury & Regional Haze (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4664-coal-power-plant-cuts-deal-cut-mercury-regional-haze/

As Winter Drags Into Spring, Many Need Help Keeping Heat on (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/apr/01/as-winter-drags-into-spring-many-need-help-heat/?partner=RSS

Sacramento Utility (SMUD) Could Boost Rates 13 Percent (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1937492~Sacramento_utility_could_boost_rates_13_percent.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Itron Says U.S. Smart Meter Projects On Track (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/behindTheScenes/idUKTRE53103B20090402

Pacific Gas & Electric CEO Receives $8.7M in 2008 Compensation (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1937967~PG_E_CEO_receives__8_7M_in_2008_compensation.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Nuclear Reactor’s Life Is Prolonged in New Jersey (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/science/earth/02nuclear.html

Ohio - Business Rebate Lawsuit against Duke Energy Dismissed (Business Courier of Cincinnati)
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/03/30/daily55.html?ana=from_rss

3 Tons of Food! - Can you imagine 3 TONS of FOOD?? Cowlitz PUD employees can (Valley Bugler, Longview, WA)
http://www.valleybugler.com/2009/04/3-tons-of-food/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Obama Administration Wants New Spotted-Owl Plan (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008966135_webowl01m.html?syndication=rss

Puget Sound Energy Investing $50 Million on New Hatchery, Fish Trap to Further Aid Baker River Salmon (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&id=108583

Steelhead Fishing Heats Up In Western Washington Rivers (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/806655.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Ecology Agency Finds Dioxin in Oakland Bay - Shellfish Harvested There Still Safe To Eat, Health Officials Say (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/806674.html

In Dispute over Water Rights on the Snake River, Idaho Senate Committee Passes Swan Falls Dam Bills (Associated Press Writer)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/806394.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

At Solar Silicon Plant - Two REC Employees Sent To Hospital; Chemical Release Reported (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/04/01/news/doc49d3cbe954957441355960.txt

Oregon - Biodiesel Stuck in Storage Instead Of the Tank: Lawmakers consider kick starting mandate for petroleum blends (Salem Statesman Journal, OR)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090401/GREEN/304010006

Ohio - FirstEnergy to Convert Plant Units to Burn Biomass (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ii2n7vvRFIy81WbsRNHWFeLXXrowD979UBM01

Large Turbine Blade Factory Slated for Wisconsin Rapids (The Business Journal Of Milwaukee)
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/03/30/daily51.html?ana=from_rss

Environmentalist Group Report Praises Renewable Energy over Nuclear (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033104619.html

Google Shows Alternative Energy Firms the Way (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/01/MNH216R1OL.DTL

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

2009 Oregon and Washington ENERGY STAR Award Winners (Environmental Protection Agency)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/03bb68b6db72241b8525758b005979f3?OpenDocument

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

E.U. Carbon Trading System “Shows Signs” of Working “…Most of the decline was from falling industrial and electricity production…” (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/business/global/02climate.html?_r=1

Washington Post Op/Ed - Climate Change's Dim Bulbs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/01/AR2009040103042.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Report: Qwest's Long-Haul Network for Sale (Denver Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/03/30/daily52.html?ana=from_rss

Mason County PUD No. 3 Connects Southside School to Fiber Network (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=535

The Ugly Truth about Broadband: Upload Speeds (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/04/02/the-ugly-truth-about-broadband-upload-speeds/

News Release – Snohomish County PUD Finds the Power of Virtual Backups (Eweek)
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Virtualization/Public-Utility-Finds-the-Power-of-Virtual-Backups-210212/

GENERAL NEWS

Snow Forecast for Lake Cushman - Especially Tonight, Rain Elsewhere (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6867/reftab/1632/t/SNOW-FORECAST-FOR-LAKE-CUSHMAN---ESPECIALLY-TONIGHT-RAIN-ELSEWHERE/Default.aspx

WA Senate Democrats Introduce Income Tax Bill - 1 Percent Income Tax On People Making More Than $500,000 A Year (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008971850_webincometax02m.html?syndication=rss

Mason County to Present Plan for Belfair Roads (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/apr/01/mason-county-to-present-plan-for-belfair-roads/?partner=RSS

Allyn-Area Fire District Asks for Levy Increase (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/apr/01/allyn-area-fire-district-asks-for-levy-increase/?partner=RSS

King Co. Asks Supreme Court to Undo Public Records Act Ruling (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10114685

New Accounting Rules for Mortgage-Backed Securities (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0235590020090402

DIVERSIONS

Twin Twitchers: Connecticut Pet Shop Has 2-Nosed Bunny
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090402/ap_on_fe_st/odd_two_nosed_bunny;_ylt=ArN0KvOLVO7OWj69hqTPTE3tiBIF

Man Crashes into House, Says He Was Just Trying To 'Blow Off Some Steam'
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/42304752.html

Computer Addiction A Growing Problem
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/42296677.html

Man Cries after Attempt to Rob Liquor Store Fails
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090402/ap_on_fe_st/odd_crying_robbery_suspect;_ylt=AkoPH0coKPPMdlIvrTxDnXbtiBIF

SONG OF THE DAY

Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower (Cover, 1968)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14qTXRkAKr8

Bob Dylan - All Along the Watchtower (Original, 1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkok1Z4WJuY&feature=related

All Along the Watchtower - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Along_the_Watchtower