Energy News Digest for April 8, 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)

- Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated by Spies
- Energy Outlook 2050: Lower Carbon, But Not So Renewable
- Power Restored to Area near Yakima, Wash.
- Dangling Power Lines Trap Seattle Crash Victim
- Oregon- Hearing could affect Idaho Power Co. line
- Planning Starts for ‘Smart Grid’ Projects
- Rural Colorado Co-Ops Duke It out over Tiered Electricity Rates
- Safety Team Warns Of 'Catastrophic' Wiring in Iraq
- Fishery Managers Set Columbia River Gillnet Season
- Oregon- Removal of Rogue River Dam Spells End of Bitter Battle
- Walla Walla Salmon Projects In Line for Funds
- Cowlitz Still Producing Steelhead Salmon
- Environmental Group Claims Lower Snake 3rd Most Endangered River
- Chelan PUD Water Project under Budget
- Dozens of theories for creation of Mima Mounds
- Bill in Legislature Could Increase Some Water, Sewer Bills
- Texas- Debate Continues Over Wind Energy Tax Deals
- Daily Mail Editorial- Americans Need Reliable Electricity
- Applied Materials' $1.9 Billion Solar Panel Deal Trimmed Back
- Myths and Realities of Renewable Energy
- Energy Secretary Backs Clean-Coal Investments
- Regional U.S. Carbon Markets May Merge
- Energy Secretary Chu on climate threat: Earth is like the Titanic
- NY Times Op/Ed- Show Us the Ball
- Climate Legislation With a Sweetener for Taxpayers
- New Data Show Rapid Arctic Ice Decline
- FCC Broadband Proposal May Miss Out on Stimulus
- 2009: The FCC Finally Makes a Broadband Plan
- Metered Broadband Kills Jobs & May Violate 1st Amendment
- Due To Budget Shortfall, Mason County Commission Denies Contracts
- Grays Harbor County Looks To Cut More Jobs
- Port of Shelton Commission ousts Miles from Chairmanship
- Vancouver Columbian Newspaper May Face Foreclosure
- Alcoa Lost $497 Million in First Quarter
- Pollen delivers allergy season on time

WORD OF THE DAY

Nescience • \NESH-unts\ • noun - Lack of knowledge or awareness; ignorance

Barnabas was the envy of the second floor steno pool. As he blithely glided through his day, he was unaware of the economic turmoil or politics that constantly flailed at his troubled colleagues. Many of his co-workers marveled at his equanimity in the face of life altering, ulcer-inducing pressures in the plastic ukulele factory. His calmness wasn’t zen-like nor an inner peace…it was pure nescience. He had no idea what was going on around him at any time, whatsoever.

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

Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated by Spies (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123914805204099085.html

Energy Outlook 2050: Lower Carbon, But Not So Renewable (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/energy-outlook-2050-lower-carbon-but-not-so-renewable/

Power Restored to Area near Yakima, Wash. (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009002435_apwafireoutage1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Dangling Power Lines Trap Seattle Crash Victim (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009006032_apwapowerlinecrash.html?syndication=rss

Oregon - Hearing could affect Idaho Power Co. line (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Hearing-could-affect-Idaho-Power-Co-line

Planning Starts for ‘Smart Grid’ Projects (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4706-planning-starts-smart-grid-projects/

Rural Colorado Co-Ops Duke It out over Bill to Allow Tiered Electricity Rates (Colorado Independent – Hey EWEB, check out the meter face in the story photo!)
http://coloradoindependent.com/25897/rural-co-ops-duke-it-out-over-bill-to-allow-tiered-electricity-rates

Safety Team Warns Of 'Catastrophic' Wiring in Iraq (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009004316_apelectrocutionsiraq.html?syndication=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Fishery Managers Set Columbia River Gillnet Season (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/04/07//area_news/doc49dad42a72a80108009255.txt

Oregon - Removal of Rogue River Dam Spells End of Bitter Battle (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/812684.html

Walla Walla Salmon Projects In Line for Funds (Walla Walla Union Bulletin)
http://union-bulletin.com/articles/2009/04/07/local_news/090407local01snakeriverstimulus.txt

Cowlitz Still Producing Steelhead Salmon (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/outdoors/story/702800.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Group Claims Lower Snake 3rd Most Endangered River (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009000859_webdams07.html?syndication=rss

Chelan PUD Water Project under Budget (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090407/NEWS04/704079893/1001/NEWS04

Dozens of theories for creation of Mima Mounds (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090407/NEWS03/704079970/1025/rss1025

Bill in Legislature Could Increase Some Water, Sewer Bills (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/apr/07/bill-in-legislature-could-increase-some-water/?partner=RSS

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Texas - Debate Continues Over Wind Energy Tax Deals (KWES-TV, Midland, TX)
http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=10148064&nav=menu505_2

Daily Mail Editorial - Americans Need Reliable Electricity (Charleston, WV)
http://www.dailymail.com/Opinion/Editorials/2009040788765

Applied Materials' $1.9 Billion Solar Panel Deal Trimmed Back To $250 Million (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12090539

Myths and Realities of Renewable Energy (Smart Grid Newsletters)
http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/commentary/Myths_and_Realities_of_Renewable_Energy-556.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY



CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Energy Secretary Backs Clean-Coal Investments (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123913664020498157.html

Regional U.S. Carbon Markets May Merge (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKTRE5366TN20090407

Energy Secretary Chu on climate threat: Earth is like the Titanic (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/greenenergy/ci_12092138?nclick_check=1

NY Times Op/Ed - Show Us the Ball “…Since the opponents of cap-and-trade are going to pillory it as a tax anyway, why not go for the real thing — a simple, transparent, economy-wide carbon tax?...”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/opinion/08friedman.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Climate Legislation With a Sweetener for Taxpayers - Entrepreneur's Vision Inspires Proposal for a Pollution Dividend (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040703998.html?hpid=topnews

New Data Show Rapid Arctic Ice Decline - Proportion of Thicker, More Persistent Winter Cover Is the Lowest on Record (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/06/AR2009040601634.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Broadband Proposal May Miss Out on Stimulus - Networks May Be Built Ahead of Policies (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040703996.html?wprss=rss_technology

2009: The FCC Finally Makes a Broadband Plan - Now the real test: shaking off lobbyist influence (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/2009-The-FCC-Finally-Makes-A-Broadband-Plan-101787

Congressman: Metered Broadband Kills Jobs & May Violate 1st Amendment (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/04/08/congressman-metered-broadband-kills-jobs-may-violate-1st-amendment/

GENERAL NEWS

Due To Budget Shortfall, Mason County Commission Denies Contracts (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6927/reftab/1632/t/DUE-TO-BUDGET-SHORTFALL-COUNTY-DENIES-CONTRACTS/Default.aspx

Grays Harbor County Looks To Cut More Jobs (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/813433.html

Stroke of State: Port of Shelton Commission outs Miles from Chairmanship (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6926/reftab/1632/t/NEW-PORT-OF-SHELTON-COMMISSION-CHAIR---MILES-OUSTED/Default.aspx

Vancouver Columbian Newspaper May Face Foreclosure (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009000311_apwanewspaperforeclosure1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Alcoa Lost $497 Million in First Quarter “…excess supplies of aluminum worldwide…further production cuts are needed to match falling orders…the actual market decline will be twice as much as Alcoa projected…” (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/07/financial/f132142D84.DTL&feed=rss.business

Pollen delivers allergy season on time (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2009003730_allergy08m0.html?syndication=rss

DIVERSIONS

Motorist Survives Three Accidents in an Hour
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE53653820090407?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Woman Calls 911 over Lack of Shrimp in Fried Rice
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090408/ap_on_fe_st/odd_skimp_on_shrimp;_ylt=AoyWBU3vM2i.bFU50SpzC97tiBIF

Fox To Make Reality TV Show Out Of Company Layoffs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090408/ap_on_en_tv/tv_fox_layoff_show;_ylt=Asn58YcIByaw8Ji5gzppqv7tiBIF

Almost Half of French Approve of Locking Up Bosses
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090407/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_france_bosses;_ylt=AsIS2yFmdCk9bEhNiO1C9lftiBIF

SONG OF THE DAY

Night on Bald Mountain - Fantasia 1940 (Nightmare Food for Kids)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gd2YKyEImY