Energy News Digest for May 13, 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)

- Okanogan PUD pays $75,000 for 2005 Methow fire
- Maintenance Fluke to Blame For April 23 Skagit Power Outage
- Chelan County PUD Still Seeing Red in Budget
- Two Regional Coal Companies to Merge in $2 Billion Deal
- Illinois - Rock Energy Files Lawsuit against Village of Rockton Acquisition
- High Growth Reported for Nuclear Energy Technologies Worldwide
- Smart Grid Electricity Costs Less, Wastes Less
- Survey Uncovers Utilities' Main Priorities
- Fisheries Managers Revising Salmon Projections
- NW Power Council OKs Colville Fish Hatchery
- Puget Sound Energy Salmon-Protection Efforts Receive National Recognition
- Hood Canal Sport Shrimp Season Extended to Include This Saturday
- Climate Change Cutting Wash. Cascade Snowpack
- Stimulus Money To Help Finish Columbia Deepening
- Idaho Cuts Water Quality Monitoring Program
- Washington Post Editorial - Federal Action on the Bay
- California - Judge Rules Desalinization Plant Decision Was Appropriate
- Turning Off Wind Turbines Saves Bats
- Oregon - Clean Energy Is a Breeze - Small wind turbines spin interest
- Alaska - Winds of Change Slow to Come to Seward
- United Kingdom- $3B pledge jump-starts massive offshore wind project
- Pacific Gas & Electric Strikes Huge Solar Power Deal With BrightSource
- Maine - Paper Mill Officials Lobby for Fuel Credit
- The Forgotten Piece of the Smart Grid: Energy Storage
- Bubble Trouble - Pacific Ethanol Considers Bankruptcy
- Chelan PUD’s Weatherization Loans Losing Out
- Cell Phones, TVs Undo Efficiency Gains: Study
- For LED Technology - Idaho seeks stimulus money for Micron
- Democrats to Relax House Emissions Bill
- OMB Criticizes EPA Finding on Greenhouse Gases
- White House Memo Challenges EPA Finding on Warming
- Tallying Climate Bill’s Cost to Consumers
- Carbon Geography of the United States
- Chehalis Pulls Plug on Citywide Wi-Fi Project
- Verizon Selling Washington Rural Phone Line Business to Frontier
- F.C.C.: Landline Number Move Should Take 1 Day, Not 4
- Data Storage Opens Up New Source of Work for IT Firms
- Rackspace Posts 21 Percent Hike in First-Quarter Earnings
- After a Shaky 2008, U.S. Broadband Growth Picks Up
- New Docs Show FCC Glossed Over BPL Flaws
- Ask.com CEO Leaving; President to Take Over Role
- Google Unveils A Series of New Search Features
- Washington Econ Forecasters Say Turning Point Near
- Gov OKs Tax Cut for Newspapers
- Columbia River Gorge panel braces for budget cuts
- Oregon Electronics Recycling Has Too Much Junk

WORD OF THE DAY

Clamor • \CLAM-err\ • noun - 1a: noisy shouting b: a loud continuous noise 2: insistent public expression (as of support or protest)

The doors of the “Price Cut” stores were rattling and bending inwards at locations throughout the country the day after Thanksgiving. The press of howling, ravenous shoppers clamoring for the new “Kick Me Elmo” doll was much greater than the cynical toy manufacturer had hoped.

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

Okanogan PUD pays $75,000 for 2005 Methow fire - PUD denies negligence in fire started by dead tree falling on power line (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090512/NEWS04/705129968/-1/PRINTINDEX?Okanogan-PUD-pays-$75-000-for-2005-Methow-fire-

Maintenance Fluke to Blame For April 23 Skagit Power Outage (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10355658

Chelan County PUD Still Seeing Red in Budget (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090512/NEWS04/705129960/1001/NEWS04

Two Regional Coal Companies to Merge in $2 Billion Deal (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051202032.html?wprss=rss_business

Illinois - Rock Energy Files Lawsuit against Village of Rockton Acquisition (WREX-TV, Rockford, IL)
http://www.wrex.com/Global/story.asp?S=10342104

High Growth Reported for Nuclear Energy Technologies Worldwide (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=362051&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Smart Grid Electricity Costs Less, Wastes Less (The Tennessean)
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090513/NEWS01/905130412/Smart+grid+electricity+costs+less++wastes+less

Survey Uncovers Utilities' Main Priorities (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=362015&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Fisheries Managers Revising Salmon Projections (Associated Press)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/fisheries_managers_revising_sa.html

NW Power Council OKs Colville Fish Hatchery (The Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/848999.html

News Release - Puget Sound Energy Salmon-Protection Efforts Receive National Recognition (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&id=111417

Hood Canal Sport Shrimp Season Extended to Include This Saturday (Port Townsend Leader, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/Main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=24181

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Climate Change Cutting Wash. Cascade Snowpack (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/848848.html

Stimulus Money to Help Finish Columbia Deepening (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009215294_apwacolumbiadredging.html?syndication=rss

Idaho Cuts Water Quality Monitoring Program (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/849626.html

Washington Post Editorial - Federal Action on the Bay: President Obama wades into the Chesapeake
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051203232.html?nav=rss_opinions

California - Judge Rules Desalinization Plant Decision Was Appropriate (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009213088_apuscalifdesalinationplant.html?syndication=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Turning Off Wind Turbines Saves Bats (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/05/11/daily21.html?ana=from_rss

Oregon - Clean Energy Is a Breeze - Small wind turbines spin interest from homeowners, schools, city (The Astorian, OR)
http://www.dailyastorian.com/Main.asp?SectionID=2&ArticleID=60840

Alaska - Winds of Change Slow to Come to Seward (KTUU, Anchorage, AK)
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10351955

United Kingdom- $3B pledge jump-starts massive offshore wind project (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/05/12/12greenwire-3b-pledge-jump-starts-massive-offshore-wind-pr-19116.html

Pacific Gas & Electric Strikes Huge Solar Power Deal With BrightSource (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12359880

Maine - Paper Mill Officials Lobby for Fuel Credit (Mainebiz.com)
http://www.mainebiz.biz/news44572.html

The Forgotten Piece of the Smart Grid: Energy Storage (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/05/13/the-forgotten-piece-of-the-smart-grid-energy-storage/

Bubble Trouble - Pacific Ethanol Considers Bankruptcy (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/05/11/daily28.html?ana=from_rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Chelan PUD’s Weatherization Loans Losing Out - wants to get out of the home weatherization-loan business, commissioners learned (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090512/NEWS04/705129927/1025/rss1025

Cell Phones, TVs Undo Efficiency Gains: Study (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE54C4K420090513

For LED Technology - Idaho seeks stimulus money for Micron (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/849740.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Democrats to Relax House Emissions Bill - Deal Courts Industrial-State Votes (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051203962.html?wprss=rss_business

OMB Criticizes EPA Finding on Greenhouse Gases (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104065600&ft=1&f=2

White House Memo Challenges EPA Finding on Warming (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009210631_apusepaclimate.html?syndication=rss

Tallying Climate Bill’s Cost to Consumers (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/tallying-climate-bills-cost-to-consumers/

Carbon Geography of the United States (The Guardian, UK)http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8504944

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Chehalis Pulls Plug on Citywide Wi-Fi Project - Council Member Calls Implementation of Plan a ‘Fiasco’ as City Looks to Recoup Only $5,000 of $26,000 Investment (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/articles/2009/05/13/news//doc4a09c28aebd40825348265.txt

Verizon Selling Washington Rural Phone Line Business to Frontier (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/05/11/daily37.html?ana=from_rss

F.C.C.: Landline Number Move Should Take 1 Day, Not 4 (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/05/13/technology/AP-US-TEC-FCC-Number-Portability.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Data Storage Opens Up New Source of Work for IT Firms - Contractors Shift Focus to Cloud Computing, Virtualization (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051103378.html?wprss=rss_technology

Rackspace Posts 21 Percent Hike in First-Quarter Earnings (San Antonio Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2009/05/11/daily15.html?ana=from_rss

After a Shaky 2008, U.S. Broadband Growth Picks Up (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/05/13/after-a-shaky-2008-u-s-broadband-growth-picks-up/

New Docs Show FCC Glossed Over BPL Flaws - Surprising, well, nobody (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/New-Docs-Show-FCC-Glossed-Over-BPL-Flaws-102422

Ask.com CEO Leaving; President to Take Over Role (Associated Press)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12352895

Google Unveils A Series of New Search Features (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009213345_googlerefine13.html?syndication=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Washington Econ Forecasters Say Turning Point Near (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009214801_apwastateeconomy.html?syndication=rss

Gov OKs Tax Cut for Newspapers (Associated Press)
http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/44843807.html

Columbia River Gorge panel braces for budget cuts - Effort to measure conditions faces uncertain future (The Columbian, Vancouver, OR)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090513/NEWS02/705139954/Gorge+panel+braces+for+budget+cuts

Oregon Electronics Recycling Has Too Much Junk (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2012987~Oregon_electronics_recycling_has_too_much_junk.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

DIVERSIONS

“Titanic” Stars Aid the Disaster’s Last Survivor
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Europe/2009/may/Titanic-Stars-Aid-Last-Survivor.html

A “Finger of God” Story - Rowdy Partier Bangs on Neighbor's Door, Gets a Big Surprise
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44883537.html

Top Baby Names in Washington? Ethan, Olivia
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/05/11/daily31.html?ana=from_rss

SONG OF THE DAY

Bill Withers - use me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3hBYTkI-sE