Energy News Digest for April 30, 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)

- National Electric Reliability Corporation Issues Flu Alert
- Operator of Centralia Power Plant - TransAlta Earnings Decline
- Wenatchee World Editorial – Chelan PUD Surcharge Is Justifiable
- Emerald Peoples’ Utility District Customers to See Higher Bills
- Cannady Named BPA’s Acting VP of Bulk Marketing
- Bird Loses Meal To Power Line: Lights Out In Salem
- Power Industry Sees New Phase In Energy Use
- Obama's Energy Plans Remain Works in Progress
- Utilities and Transmission Managers Try to Head off Congressional Grid Plans
- Power Structures Shape Northwest Landscape
- Energy Solutions Distinguished Awards Go to Tri-Cities Students
- Connecticut Electric Provider Bill Passes House – Rates should go down up to five percent
- News Whiz - Proposal to End Electric Choice is Harmful to Connecticut
- Constellation Energy CEO Gets $5.7M 2008 package
- Landmark Water Sale near Sisters Could Help Steelhead
- Tribes Get $2 Million for Watershed Restoration
- EPA News Release - Washington Tribes receive nearly $2 million
- Oregon - Stimulus Money to Reopen Willamette Falls Locks
- Records Seized in Illinois Town Accused of Water Irregularity
- Who Owns the Wind? An Emerging Public Policy Issue
- Renewable Energy Standards: Much Ado about Not Too Much
- Michigan - Utilities Brace for Renewable Energy Changes
- Energy Sec. Announces $193M for Energy Research
- United Kingdom - Large Wind Farm Project under Way
- The Grid May Be Smart, But Will It Also Be Green?
- Solar Tech: Not Just on the Roof Anymore
- A Clean Energy Machine That Works like the Sun
- Energy Adviser: Smart Meter Can Manage Energy Use
- Smart Meters: A Little Give and Take on Electricity
- Climate Catastrophe: What's The Worst-Case Scenario?
- B.C.'s Carbon Tax Rated Top Climate Policy
- Are Carbon Offsets Too Good to Be True?
- CO2 - From Smokestacks to Your Tank
- Disney to Plant 2.7 Million Trees for `Earth'
- Quincy Port Investigating State Zone Designation
- A Decade Later, FCC's E-Rate Program Still A Mess
- Flickr Hit Hard by Yahoo Layoffs
- Six Probable Swine-Flu Cases In Washington State
- Pig Advocates Call For Swine Flu Name Change
- Gregoire Convinced Special Session Is Needed Soon
- Boeing Jet Makes Emergency Landing at Sea-Tac
- Seattle Snow Response: Worse Than We Thought
- Up to 4 Feet of Snow in Montana Closes Highways

WORD OF THE DAY

Gesundheit • \geh-ZOONT-hite\ • interjection - German, literally, health: from gesund healthy (from Old High German gisunt) + -heit –hood. Used to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed

Practice this for the current health scare!

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

National Electric Reliability Corporation Issues Flu Alert (NERC)
http://www.nerc.com/news_pr.php?npr=301

Operator of Centralia Power Plant - TransAlta Earnings Decline (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.outdoorslc.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1241025410&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5&

Wenatchee World Editorial – Chelan PUD Surcharge Is Justifiable
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090429/OP02/704299883/-1/OP

Emerald Peoples’ Utility District Customers to See Higher Bills (KMTR-TV, Springfield, OR)
http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/EPUD-customers-to-see-higher-bills/qyvOxS3sWk2fHKh3xAzZaw.cspx

Cannady Named BPA’s Acting VP of Bulk Marketing (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/270152/

Bird Loses Meal To Power Line: Lights Out In Salem “…outage from an electrically fried fish is rare. Cooked squirrel is much more common…” (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1990283~Bird_loses_meal_to_power_line__Lights_out_in_Salem.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Power Industry Sees New Phase In Energy Use (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103438965&ft=1&f=3

Obama's Energy Plans Remain Works in Progress (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103615838&ft=1&f=2

Utilities and Transmission Managers Try to Head off Congressional Grid Plans (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/04/29/29climatewire-utilities-and-transmission-managers-try-to-h-12208.html

Power Structures Shape Northwest Landscape (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?verified=true&storyId=103648455#commentBlock

Energy Solutions Distinguished Awards Go to Tri-Cities Students (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10273166

Connecticut Electric Provider Bill Passes House – Rates should go down up to five percent (Connecticut Post)
http://www.connpost.com/ci_12256195?source=most_emailed

News Whiz - Proposal to End Electric Choice is Harmful to Connecticut (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&id=110450

Constellation Energy CEO Gets $5.7M 2008 package (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009146427_apusconstellationenergygroupexecutivecompensation.html?syndication=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Landmark Water Sale near Sisters Could Help Steelhead (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/4893-landmark-water-sale-near-sisters-could-help-steelhead/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Tribes Get $2 Million for Watershed Restoration (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_042909WAB-skagit-reservation-KS.282d7fb.html?rss

EPA News Release - Washington Tribes receive nearly $2 million for projects to protect Puget Sound (EPA, includes Skokomish & Squaxin Island Tribes)
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/bc9a848b9beae114852575a700696a81?OpenDocument

Oregon - Stimulus Money to Reopen Willamette Falls Locks (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1990233~Stimulus_money_to_reopen_Willamette_Falls_Locks.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Records Seized in Illinois Town Accused of Water Irregularity (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/us/30crestwood.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Who Owns the Wind? An Emerging Public Policy Issue (Energy Pulse)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=2021

Renewable Energy Standards: Much Ado about Not Too Much (Wall Street Journal)
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/04/30/renewable-energy-standards-much-ado-about-not-too-much/

Michigan - Utilities Brace for Renewable Energy Changes (Michigan Business Review)
http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/oakland/index.ssf/2009/04/utilities_brace_for_renewable.html

Energy Sec. Announces $193M for Energy Research (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009145383_apenergysecretarynrel.html?syndication=rss

United Kingdom - Large Wind Farm Project under Way (THE BBC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/essex/8026694.stm

The Grid May Be Smart, But Will It Also Be Green? (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103415232&ft=1&f=2

Solar Tech: Not Just on the Roof Anymore (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/business/businessspecial2/30solar.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

A Clean Energy Machine That Works like the Sun (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/business/energy-environment/30fusion.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Clark Public Utilities - Energy Adviser: Smart Meter Can Manage Energy Use (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090430/LIVING/704309976

Smart Meters: A Little Give and Take on Electricity (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/business/energy-environment/30grid.html?ref=garden

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Catastrophe: What's The Worst-Case Scenario? (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2009-04-29-climate-worst-case-scenario_N.htm

B.C.'s Carbon Tax Rated Top Climate Policy (Globe and Mail, Canada)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090429.wbcelxncarbon0429/BNStory/politics/home

Are Carbon Offsets Too Good to Be True? (NY Times)
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/are-carbon-offsets-too-good-to-be-true/

CO2 - From Smokestacks to Your Tank (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/business/energy-environment/30carbon.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Disney to Plant 2.7 Million Trees for `Earth'
http://www.examiner.com/a-1988172~Disney_to_plant_2_7_million_trees_for__Earth_.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Quincy Port Investigating State Zone Designation (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/04/29/news/doc49f8b8fca1c08179106075.txt

A Decade Later, FCC's E-Rate Program Still A Mess (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/A-Decade-Later-FCCs-ERate-Program-Still-A-Mess-102201

Flickr Hit Hard by Yahoo Layoffs (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/04/29/flickr-hit-hard-by-yahoo-layoffs/

GENERAL NEWS

Six Probable Swine-Flu Cases In Washington State - Seattle school closed until next Wednesday (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009151140_webflutest30m.html?syndication=rss

Pig Advocates Call For Swine Flu Name Change (Associated Press)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=162083

Gregoire Convinced Special Session Is Needed Soon (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/4886-gregoire-convinced-special-session-needed-soon/

Boeing Jet Makes Emergency Landing at Sea-Tac (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/725801.html

Seattle Snow Response: Worse Than We Thought (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009147216_websnowresponse29.html?syndication=rss

Up to 4 Feet of Snow in Montana Closes Highways (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/29/national/a114434D74.DTL&feed=rss.business

DIVERSIONS

Woman Accused of Making Bomb Threat to Stop Husband from Gambling
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009145600_webbombthreat29m.html?syndication=rss

One City's Toilets Are another Man's Treasure
http://www.outdoorslc.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1241026101&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5&

Tremendous Tresses Shown Off At Hair Show - International Fantasy Hair Competition Draws Stylists Turned Artists
http://www.kirotv.com/entertainment/19310369/detail.html

Off-Road Commode Has Wackiest Warning Label
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/29/BUIE17BFDN.DTL&feed=rss.business

Girl Fights Off Muggers With Marching Band Baton
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19328026/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

POCO – Rose of Cimarron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KJ50lZA27c