Energy News Digest for April 7, 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)

- State's “Secret Deal” With Centralia Coal Plant Sparks Outcry
- Utilities Tie 'Clean' Costs To Rates
- Idaho Power Backs Off Parma Transmission Line Plan
- AARP Protests Ameren Bill for Nuke Plant Construction
- United Kingdom - A Nuclear White Elephant
- Land Trust Buys Prime Columbia River Salmon Habitat
- State Seeks Millions in Salmon and Habitat Grants
- Chinook Limits Proposed On Bering Sea Pollock Fleets
- Asian Oysters Banned From Chesapeake
- Congressman Hastings is Strong Supporter of Black Rock Reservoir Project
- California’s Two Longest Rivers Called Most Endangered
- Energy from landfill to power homes
- Salazar: Eastern Wind Could Replace Coal for Power
- Daily News Op/Ed - Wound Up Over Windmills
- Residential Wind Power Reaps Investors and Political Support
- Burning Desire - An Update on the Wood Pellet Market
- Drawing power from the Mississippi River Currents
- Australia - Green Status of Snowy Power Station in Doubt
- Decoupling Utilities: Separating Profits from Energy Use
- NY Times Op-Ed Contributor - This Old Wasteful House
- Empire State Building to Go "Green", Save Millions
- Washington to Become a Leader in Solving Challenge of Climate Change?
- Support in Oregon, rest of West, cools for climate caps
- Montana Governor Supports GOP Carbon Storage Bill
- Gallup Poll: Economy Takes Precedence over Environment
- U.S. power plant carbon emissions fell in 2008: study
- CO2 Down Nationally, But Not In WA – Washington Ranks 39th in CO2 Emissions
- Carbon Slump Threatens Emission-Cut Goals
- Emissions bill fuels fight in Congress
- Satellite data shows Arctic on thinner ice
- Canada - Green dies hard: "Green revolution stalls on cheap oil"
- FCC to begin broadband policy overhaul
- NY Times Op/Ed - How the Internet Got Its Rules
- Australia Moves to Build High-Speed Network
- Swedish Internet Traffic Plummets After File-Sharing Law Is Implemented
- British ISPs Required to Store E-Mail Data for a Year
- $3 Billion Construction Bond Proposal Could Hurt State Credit Rating
- Lewis County Fuel Theft Leads To Homicide
- Norm Dicks Earmark Requests Include Projects in Mason County
- Deal Would Keep KGY at Port Site At Least Five Years

WORD OF THE DAY

Gratuitous • \grat-TOO-it-uss\ • adjective - 1a: given unearned or without recompense b: not involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration c: costing nothing: free 2: not called for by the circumstances: unwarranted.

In the end, it was the flippant, gratuitous comment at the end of the Kingsford peace negotiations that doomed the Diamond Empire to oblivion. After years of careful crafting, tense sessions over “just the right wording,” the Diamond diplomat couldn’t resist a parting shot, “I still think you’re all jerks,” he muttered to the departing delegation. The Diamond star system is now the prime source of charcoal briquettes for the Kingsford Confederacy.

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

State's “Secret Deal” With Centralia Coal Plant Sparks Outcry (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008997025_coal07m.html?syndication=rss

Utilities Tie 'Clean' Costs To Rates - PacifiCorp and Portland General Electric seek increases for 2010, citing renewable energy projects (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1239076517314060.xml&coll=7

Idaho Power Backs Off Parma Transmission Line Plan (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1946381~Idaho_Power_backs_off_Parma_transmission_line_plan.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

AARP Protests Ameren Bill for Nuke Plant Construction (St. Louis Business Journal, MO)
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/04/06/daily6.html?ana=from_rss

United Kingdom - A Nuclear White Elephant: Call for public inquiry as Sellafield recycling plant is costing taxpayer millions every year (The Independent, UK)
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/a-1631bn-nuclear-white-elephant-1664427.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Land Trust Buys Prime Columbia River Salmon Habitat - $362K from BPA (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/04/land_trust_buys_prime_columbia.html

State Seeks Millions in Salmon and Habitat Grants, Including Money for Skokomish River (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/811693.html

Chinook Limits Proposed On Bering Sea Pollock Fleets (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008997399_webfish06m.html?syndication=rss

Asian Oysters Banned From Chesapeake - Threat to Ecosystem Outweighs Possible Benefits, Officials Decide; Efforts Will Focus on Native Species (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/06/AR2009040602010.html?nav=rss_email/components

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Congressman Hastings is Strong Supporter of Black Rock Reservoir Project (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10140274

California’s Two Longest Rivers Called Most Endangered (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1947719~Calif_s_2_longest_rivers_called_most_endangered.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Energy from landfill to power homes (Associated Press)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=153432

Salazar: Eastern Wind Could Replace Coal for Power (Associated Press – and what about spinning reserves?)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008993062_apoffshorewindmills.html?syndication=rss

Daily News Op/Ed - Wound Up Over Windmills (Andover, MA)
http://www.newburyportnews.com/puopinion/local_story_096233309.html?keyword=secondarystory

Residential Wind Power Reaps Investors and Political Support (Yale Environment 360)
http://e360.yale.edu/content/digest.msp?id=1819

Burning Desire - An Update on the Wood Pellet Market (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/04/burning-issues-an-update-on-the-wood-pellet-market?src=rss

Drawing power from the Mississippi River Currents (Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6362021.html

Australia - Green Status of Snowy Power Station in Doubt “…flows were only a third of those promised and water was being diverted to the Murray River to boost crop irrigation…” (Augusta-Margaret River Mail)
http://margaretriver.yourguide.com.au/news/national/national/general/green-status-of-snowy-power-station-in-doubt/1445609.aspx

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Decoupling Utilities: Separating Profits from Energy Use (Sightline Institute)
http://www.sightline.org/research/sust_toolkit/solutions/decoupling-utilities-seperating-profits-from-energy-use

NY Times Op-Ed Contributor - This Old Wasteful House
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/opinion/06moe.html?em

Empire State Building to Go "Green", Save Millions (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUKN0641844120090406

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Seattle Times Op/Ed - Gov. Gregoire: Crisis Offers Washington a Chance to Become a Leader in Solving Challenge of Climate Change
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008995804_opina07gregoire.html?syndication=rss

Support in Oregon, rest of West, cools for climate caps (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/04/support_in_oregon_rest_of_west.html

Montana Governor Supports GOP Carbon Storage Bill (Associated Press)
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/04/07/ap6264715.html

Gallup Poll: Economy Takes Precedence over Environment - First time majority has supported economy in 25 years of asking question (Gallup)http://www.gallup.com/poll/116962/Americans-Economy-Takes-Precedence-Environment.aspx

U.S. power plant carbon emissions fell in 2008: study (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/behindTheScenes/idUKTRE5355T220090406

CO2 Down Nationally, But Not In WA – Washington Ranks 39th in CO2 Emissions (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://blog.seattlepi.com/energy/archives/165836.asp?source=rss

To see the report: Environment Integrity Project Report lists the following plants as CO2 emitters: Centralia Steam Plant, Chehalis Natural Gas, Grays Harbor Energy Center, Goldendale Generating Center, Mint Farm - Longview, River Road, Fredrickson, (Links to PDF File)
http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/generatePub.cfm?pubID=617

Carbon Slump Threatens Emission-Cut Goals (Japan Times)
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20090407mr.html

Emissions bill fuels fight in Congress (Politico.Com_
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/20959.html

Satellite data shows Arctic on thinner ice (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5356SA20090406

Canada - Green dies hard: "Green revolution stalls on cheap oil" (The Financial Post)
http://www.financialpost.com/news-sectors/story.html?id=1419566

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC to begin broadband policy overhaul (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10213179-94.html?tag=nl.e433

NY Times Op/Ed - How the Internet Got Its Rules
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/opinion/07crocker.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Australia Moves to Build High-Speed Network (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/technology/internet/08broadband.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Swedish Internet Traffic Plummets After File-Sharing Law Is Implemented (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/technology/2009/april/Swedish-Internet-Traffic-Plummets-After-File-Sharing-Law-Is-Implemented.html

British ISPs Required to Store E-Mail Data for a Year (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Europe/2009/april/British-ISPs-Required-to-Store-E-Mail-Data-for-a-Year.html

GENERAL NEWS

State Treasurer: $3 Billion Construction Bond Proposal Could Hurt Credit Rating (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_040609POB-bond-measure-SW.ac925ad5.html?rss

Lewis County Fuel Theft Leads To Homicide (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_040609WAB-mossyrock-fuel-theft-KC.ae3653fc.html?rss

Norm Dicks Earmark Requests Include Projects in Mason County (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6917/reftab/1632/t/NORM-DICKS-EARMARK-REQUESTS-INCLUDE-PROJECTS-IN-MASON-COUNTY/Default.aspx

Deal Would Keep KGY at Port Site At Least Five Years (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/811699.html

DIVERSIONS

Is Toledo Weather Vane World's Largest?
http://www.outdoorslc.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1239037300&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5&

Drug-Sniffing Dog Finds Pot in Art Frames
http://www.kirotv.com/entertainment/19099963/detail.html

Feathers Ruffled At Detroit Pillow Fight - Police Say Cleanup At Issue
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19096764/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Gilligan’s Island - Stairway to Heaven (Too Weird)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTCYLbFxTpI&feature=related