Energy News Digest for May 11, 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.

http://www.energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- Mason County Public Utility District Considering $41 Million Expansion
- Snohomish County PUD Thinking Small Dams
- Hydropower Doesn't Count As Green Energy, But Some Say It Should
- Hydropower: It's Renewable, But Is It Green?
- A Look Back At the Washington State Legislative Session
- POWER: Columbia Generating Station Shut Down For Refueling
- Kalama Coal Plant Gives Way To Greener Ideas
- Kyrgyzstan Ambassador Tours Rocky Reach Dam, Tree Top
- Puget Sound Energy Request Gas Rate Decrease
- Montana Alberta Tie Line developers cautious despite recent victory
- Prominent Power Lines Dim Green Enthusiasm for Some
- Wyoming - We're getting a Clean-Coal Facility
- Tennessee Valley Authority Utilities' New Co-Op Could Cut Power Bills
- Cost Of S.C. Nuke Plant Has Duke In Search For Partner
- Flipping Nuclear Power Back On - For investors, many nuclear options
- NOAA: Mild Solar Storm Season Predicted
- Officials Fret Bonneville Salmon Count Accuracy
- Good News, Bad News on Spring Chinook Fishing
- Oregon Considers Planting Salmon Eggs
- Big Birds in Snohomish County Getting Protection from Power Lines
- British Columbia - Rescue Group Struggles To Deal with Bird Electrocutions
- Eld Inlet Duck Hunting Leads to Dispute
- Abalone Are Treasured — Nearly To Extinction Locally
- Chelan PUD: Clean-Water Guru Thrives On His Connections
- Agency Proposes Puget Sound Aquatic Reserve
- Grays Harbor “Green” Projects Survive
- Mason County PUD No. 3 Holding Hearing on SEPA Policies and Procedures
- Weed Whackers Can Spew Some Serious Pollutants
- Springtime Smoke in Siberia Is Our Arctic Haze
- Save Birds by Promoting Wind Energy
- Noise protesters howling about wind farms
- Detroit News, Op/Ed - Bigger Isn't Better For Wind Power
- Wind Energy Finds New Backers from Automakers’ Woes
- Mafia Link to Sicily Wind Farms Probed
- Wyoming - Landowners: Slow Down Wind Energy
- Green Energy: Rooftop Unit Generates Electricity in Moderate Wind
- Ethanol Industry’s 15% Solution Raises Concerns
- Stimulus Money to Go to Washington State Energy Efficiency
- Industry Looks to LED Bulbs for the Home
- Cut Energy Use, Make Your Home Efficient With Easy Steps
- Smart Meters: Monitoring A Cleaner, Greener Grid
- What Will Carbon Caps Cost?
- Oregon State House gives Kulongoski a victory on greenhouse gases
- Oregon’s Governor- Straight Talk, or Unhelpful Scolding?
- House Dems Edge Closer To Consensus on Climate and Energy Bill
- ‘Kill Bill’ Climate Strategy Plays like Old Movie
- Chevron’s O’Reilly: Cap-and-Trade Means ‘Pre-Industrial Economy’
- China Hydropower "Subprime Carbon" Flood May Slow
- Australia - Carbon Market's Disappearing Act
- Agro-Forestry Study May Open Carbon Market to Poor
- Though Rural, Clallam County Attacks Climate Change
- Will the Sun’s Decreased Activity Mean another Little Ice Age?
- As Data Centers Suck Up Energy Industry Looks to Turn Down the Heat
- Microsoft looking to cut data center power bills
- There's a Downside to Letting Go Of Your Landline
- Metered Internet Likely On Way
- UTOPIA Launches North America’s Fastest Residential Internet Connection
- Utopia Hits 100Mbps - First to 100Mbps, but not really
- Tennessee - No Profit yet For Jackson Energy Authority Telecom Division
- Minnesota - A Bubble of Broadband Spending
- Washington Reports First Death of Person with Swine Flu
- Peel 'Em And Weep: First-Class Stamps Rise 2 Cents
- Repairs to Temporary Tahuya River Bridge Finished
- E-Mails Show outside Influence on Yakima Budget Process
- Lakewood Might Check Legal Status of Its City Workers
- Gregoire on the Spot Over Performance Audits
- California Fires Sparked by Power Tool, Officials Say
- Md. Town's Bid for Economic Stimulus Starts a Fight

WORD OF THE DAY

Sandbag • \SAND-bag \ • verb – 1: to bank, stop up, or weight with sandbags 2a: to hit or stun with or as if with a sandbag b: to treat unfairly or harshly *3: to conceal or misrepresent one's true position, potential, or intent especially in order to take advantage of

The dark, surging water of “Pressure Creek” kept rising, its oily surface hiding the destructive power pummeling the ever-higher pile of sandbags placed on the riverbank. As the velvety darkness fell on the “bucket-brigade” of volunteers, the foreman on the growing levee fell, sandbagged into unconsciousness by an unknown assailant. Suddenly atop the improvised dam appeared a man in deep purple robes, the fabric spangled with diamonds that shone like starlight on the darkest night. “Do not be afraid,” he bellowed to the sweaty, begrimed workers, “The waters will not pass this point.” Fortunately, the dark toil did not abate, as the experienced flood survivors knew that the peculiar “Lord of the Rings” fanboy was merely trying to sandbag them into believing that he was one of the mysterious wizards of middle-earth.

(What a long walk for a little weird humor…)

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

Mason County Public Utility District Considering $41 Million Expansion (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/may/10/mason-county-utility-district-considering-41/

Snohomish County PUD Thinking Small Dams - PUD wants 10 new mini-dams; environmentalists see trouble (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_small_dams.html?source=mypi

Hydropower Doesn't Count As Green Energy, But Some Say It Should (Everett Herald, WA)
http://heraldnet.com/article/20090510/NEWS01/705109905

Hydropower: It's Renewable, But Is It Green? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4953-hydropower-its-renewable-it-green/

A Look Back At the Washington State Legislative Session (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/local/story/736742.html

POWER: Columbia Generating Station Shut Down For Refueling (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/572547.html

Kalama Coal Plant Gives Way To Greener Ideas (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/05/11//area_news/doc4a06613db3c88933983777.txt

Kyrgyzstan Ambassador Tours Rocky Reach Dam, Tree Top (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090509/NEWS04/705099956/-1/FAM?Kyrgyzstan-ambassador-tours-Rocky-Reach-Dam--Tree-Top

Puget Sound Energy Request Gas Rate Decrease (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_pse_rates.html?source=mypi

Montana Alberta Tie Line developers cautious despite recent victory, but other transmission lines are in the works (Great Falls Tribune, MT)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090510/NEWS01/905100301/1002/news01/MATL+developers+cautious+despite+recent+victory++but+other+transmission+lines+are+in+the+works

Prominent Power Lines Dim Green Enthusiasm for Some (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1850173.html

Wyoming - We're getting a Clean-Coal Facility (Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne, WY)
http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2009/05/09/news/20local_05-09-09.txt

Tennessee Valley Authority Utilities' New Co-Op Could Cut Power Bills, But At A Price (The Tennessean)
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=87216&catid=2

Cost Of S.C. Nuke Plant Has Duke In Search For Partner - Company could drop the $11 billion project if it can’t share financial risk (Charlotte Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/05/11/story8.html?ana=from_rss

Flipping Nuclear Power Back On - For investors, many nuclear options. But tread carefully. (Barron’s Online)
http://online.barrons.com/article/SB124182248204002189.html?mod=googlenews_barrons

NOAA: Mild Solar Storm Season Predicted (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=361685&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Officials Fret Bonneville Salmon Count Accuracy (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2009/05/officials_fret_bonneville_salm.html

Good News, Bad News on Spring Chinook Fishing For Some Columbia River Tributaries (Seattle Times)
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reeltimenorthwest/2009/05/09/good_news_bad_news_on_spring_c.html

Oregon Considers Planting Salmon Eggs (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2008008~Oregon_considers_planting_salmon_eggs.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Big Birds in Snohomish County Getting Protection from Power Lines (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_050809WAB-birds-power-lines-KS.7da3178.html?rss

British Columbia - Rescue Group Struggles To Deal with Bird Electrocutions (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)
http://www.timescolonist.com/Technology/Rescue+group+struggles+deal+with+bird+electrocutions/1581900/story.html

Eld Inlet Duck Hunting Leads to Dispute - Homeowners seek controlled zone, ban (The Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/846314.html

Abalone Are Treasured — Nearly To Extinction Locally: Today, so few of the shellfish remain that scientists with kitchen utensils and model-train glue are trying to mate survivors in a lab (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009202083_abalone10m.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Chelan PUD: Clean-Water Guru Thrives On His Connections (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090508/NEWS04/705089974/0/NEWS03?Clean-water-guru-thrives-on-his-connections

Agency Proposes Puget Sound Aquatic Reserve - Environment: Plan safeguards thousands of acres of marine habitat in Nisqually Reach-Anderson Island area (The Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/845534.html

Grays Harbor “Green” Projects Survive (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/05/10/local_news/doc4a0526e0b6b6f058519173.txt

Mason County PUD No. 3 Holding Hearing on SEPA Policies and Procedures (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7211/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Weed Whackers Can Spew Some Serious Pollutants (South Coast Today, MA)
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090510/LIFE/905100310

Springtime Smoke in Siberia Is Our Arctic Haze (Anchorage Daily News, AK)
http://www.adn.com/life/alaskana/story/789948.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Save Birds by Promoting Wind Energy - A new study shows that wind farms and nuclear power plants are substantially better for avian wildlife than fossil-fueled power stations (Scitizen)
http://scitizen.com/screens/blogPage/viewBlog/sw_viewBlog.php?idTheme=14&idContribution=2731

Noise protesters howling about wind farms (Toronto Star, Ontario, Canada)
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/632161

Detroit News, Op/Ed - Bigger Isn't Better For Wind Power
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090511/OPINION01/905110318/1008/Bigger-isn-t-better-for-wind-power

Wind Energy Finds New Backers from Automakers’ Woes (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/847232.html

Mafia Link to Sicily Wind Farms Probed (Financial Times of London)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f828472c-390c-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

Wyoming - Landowners: Slow Down Wind Energy (Caspar Star-Tribune, WY)
http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/05/09/news/energy/doc4a062e8428e62605633140.txt

Green Energy: Rooftop Unit Generates Electricity in Moderate Wind (Control Engineering)
http://www.controleng.com/article/CA6657104.html?industryid=48514


Ethanol Industry’s 15% Solution Raises Concerns (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/automobiles/10ETHANOL.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Stimulus Money to Go to Washington State Energy Efficiency (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/735935.html

Industry Looks to LED Bulbs for the Home (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/technology/11led.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Cut Energy Use, Make Your Home Efficient With Easy Steps (Associated Press)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-energy-efficiency-0511,0,195607.story

Smart Meters: Monitoring A Cleaner, Greener Grid - How would they work, who benefits — and who will pay? (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/11/smart-meters

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

What Will Carbon Caps Cost? “…Portland General Electric…warned of rate increases as much as 120% to meet carbon cap targets that may be enforced in Oregon…” (Motley Fool)
http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2009/05/08/what-will-carbon-caps-cost.aspx

Oregon State House gives Kulongoski a victory on greenhouse gases (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/house_gives_kulongoski_a_victo.html

Oregon’s Governor- Straight Talk, or Unhelpful Scolding? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/business/energy-environment/11iht-green11.html

House Dems Edge Closer To Consensus on Climate and Energy Bill (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/05/11/11climatewire-house-dems-edge-closer-to-consensus-on-clima-10572.html

‘Kill Bill’ Climate Strategy Plays like Old Movie (Bloomberg News)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=aSSAAFtlyE2c&refer=home

Chevron’s O’Reilly: Cap-and-Trade Means ‘Pre-Industrial Economy’ (Wall Street Journal)
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/05/08/chevrons-oreilly-cap-and-trade-means-pre-industrial-economy/#mod=yahoo_hs

China Hydropower "Subprime Carbon" Flood May Slow – “…China’s booming hydropower sector is facing mounting criticism for generating "subprime carbon" credits from projects that don't need extra earnings to succeed, raising the risk of tougher rules and putting billions of dollars of clean energy investments at risk…” (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-BusinessofGreen/idUSTRE5452AI20090506

Australia - Carbon Market's Disappearing Act (The Australian)
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25457368-5005200,00.html

Agro-Forestry Study May Open Carbon Market to Poor (Reuters)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LB352772.htm

Though Rural, Clallam County Attacks Climate Change (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090511/news/305119996

Will the Sun’s Decreased Activity Mean another Little Ice Age? (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/may/Will-the-Sun-s-Decreased-Activity-Mean-Another-Little-Ice-Age-.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

As Data Centers Suck Up Energy, Money, Tech Industry Looks to Turn Down the Heat (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2009204767_greendata11.html?syndication=rss

Microsoft looking to cut data center power bills - $3.4 million electrical bill last year to operate data center in Quincy (Associated Press)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/737926.html

There's a Downside to Letting Go Of Your Landline (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12318854

Metered Internet Likely On Way (McClatchy Newspapers)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009204491_btisps11.html?syndication=rss

UTOPIA Launches North America’s Fastest Residential Internet Connection (Consumer Electronics Net) “…The customer, in Layton , Utah , is setting records by connecting his home to the first symmetrical, non-shared 100 Mbps fiber-optic Internet connection in the United States …” Ed. Note: I think I’ve got some customers using Public Utility District wholesale fiber in the Pacific Northwest that would like to challenge that assumption…
http://audiovideo.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=738634

Utopia Hits 100Mbps - First to 100Mbps, but not really – PUD’s in Washington State have been wholesaling 100Mbps for almost a decade… (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Utopia-Hits-100Mbps-102365?r=773

Tennessee - No Profit yet For Jackson Energy Authority Telecom Division (Jackson Sun, TN)
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20090510/NEWS01/905100315

Minnesota - A Bubble of Broadband Spending - Network equipment operator Clearfield of Plymouth is on hold while potential federal stimulus-plan spenders connect the dots (Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN)
http://www.startribune.com/business/44610777.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUvDE7aL_V_BD77:DiiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

GENERAL NEWS

Washington Reports First Death Of Person With Swine Flu (Associated Press)
http://columbian.com/article/20090509/NEWS02/705099938/

Peel 'Em And Weep: First-Class Stamps Rise 2 Cents (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009200627_apuspostalrates.html?syndication=rss

Repairs to Temporary Tahuya River Bridge Finished (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7199/reftab/1632/t/REPAIRS-TO-TEMPORARY-TAHUYA-RIVER-BRIDGE-FINISHED/Default.aspx

Online Consultation: E-Mails Show outside Influence on Yakima Budget Process - Documents reveal Business Times' Bruce Smith worked behind the scenes with council allies (Yakima Herald Republic)
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/05/07/e-mails-show-outside-influence-on-yakima-budget-process

Lakewood Might Check Legal Status of Its City Workers (Associated Press)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_051109WAB-lakewood-city-workers-LJ.15d6b5b0.html?rss

Gregoire on the Spot Over Performance Audits (Crosscut Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/18947/

California Fires Sparked by Power Tool, Officials Say (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/05/10/us/AP-US-Wildfires.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Md. Town's Bid for Economic Stimulus Starts a Fight - U.S. Funds Sought for Development Project's Sewage Plant (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/10/AR2009051002138.html?nav=rss_email/components

DIVERSIONS

Woman Who Kept Mom's Body and Benefits Charged
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE5473JM20090508?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

China - Lost Tourist Search Turns Up Seven Corpses
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE5473KR20090508?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

"Honest Pint" Bill Passes Oregon House
http://www.examiner.com/a-2005427~_Honest_pint__bill_passes_Ore__House.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Mom Accused in Little League Assault
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_051009WAB-mom-arrested-SW.11e139f9.html?rss

SONG OF THE DAY

Pieces of April - Three Dog Night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEo0btreHi4