Energy News Digest for May 5, 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)

- Wind Advisory in Effect - No Reported PUD 3 Outages from Overnight Storm
- Storm Brings Outages to Western Washington
- Grant PUD Sees Declining Revenues
- Chelan PUD Annual Report to Be Printed By Request
- Kansas Governor Approves Coal Compromise
- New York Hydro Project Nixed
- Portland General Electric Short of Wall Street Expectations
- Duke Energy’s Earnings Down 26%
- Constellation Energy Swings To Loss On $271M Charges
- Congressional Research Service - Electric Power Transmission
- Salmon Salvation - Will a New Political Order Be Enough to Finally Bring the Dams Down?
- California – Study Shows Most Key Fishing Spots in State Polluted
- Can Clean Energy Revive Manufacturing?
- Vestas Makes Colorado a Clean-Energy Hub
- News Digest Flashback: Oregon - Plans for New Vestas Headquarters on Hold: Company to lay off 1,900 workers
- Chicago Tribune Columnist - Don't Need a Law to Know Which Way the Wind Blows
- GE Energy to Help Forecast Wind
- Cashing In On Wind: Locals Discuss Money Saved by Installing New Turbines
- Idaho - Assessor lowers tax value on closed ethanol plant
- United Kingdom - Surge in Renewable Power Fuels Fears of Energy Crisis
- White House, House GOP Convene Meetings on Climate
- Atlanta Journal Constitution Op/Ed - Is Cap And Trade Necessary to Ease Climate Change?
- US Chamber Of Commerce under Fire on Warming Stance
- How Green Are Our Ports? Very, if you’re shipping from Asia to Midwest
- More Pink Slips Go Out At Microsoft
- California Seeks $1 Billion in Stimulus Funds
- Bumping into Qwest's Invisible Cap
- Hackers Break into Virginia Health Professions Database, Demand Ransom
- U.S. Should Cede Control of Internet, European Union Honcho Says
- Obama's Tax Plans Raises High-Tech Hackles
- Wind, rain expected to ease up by midday today
- Storm Delays Hood Canal Bridge Work, Shuttle Ferry
- Flood Advisory for Mason, Pierce, Kitsap Counties
- Weyerhaeuser’s Loss Deepens amid Housing Downturn
- Man charged with draining mother's savings, racking up her credit card
- Mexican Dominance on May 5 Irks Other Latinos

WORD OF THE DAY

Cinco de Mayo • \SINK-oh – deh - MY-oh \ • noun - Spanish, fifth of May: Mexican and Mexican-American celebration held on May 5 in commemoration of the Mexican victory over the French at Puebla in 1862. NOT Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 15.

Hank was having a wonderful time on his Mexican vacation. The swirling dancers, loosely harmonic Mariachi bands and surging crowds were all in a ecstatic mood for the Cinco De Mayo celebration. When told that the Mexican Independence Day parties were even more extravagant, he immediately put in a reservation for the week of September 15.

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

Wind Advisory in Effect - No Reported PUD 3 Outages from Overnight Storm (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=548

Storm Brings Outages to Western Washington (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_050509WXB-washington-spring-storm-LJ.1fd65ff2.html?rss

Grant PUD Sees Declining Revenues - Rate Increases, Capital Project Deferrals Discussed (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/05/04/news/doc49ff286f43809729484856.txt

Chelan PUD Annual Report to Be Printed By Request (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090505/NEWS04/705059986/-1/WEATHER?Chelan-PUD-Annual-Report-to-be-printed-by-request

Kansas Governor Approves Coal Compromise (Wichita Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2009/05/04/daily13.html?ana=from_rss

New York Hydro Project Nixed - Delaware County Electric Cooperative cites insurmountable obstacles presented by New York City (The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY)
http://www.thedailystar.com/local/local_story_125041544.html

Portland General Electric Short of Wall Street Expectations despite Increased Profit (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/05/04/daily3.html?ana=from_rss

Duke Energy’s Earnings Down 26% (Charlotte Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/05/04/daily11.html?ana=from_rss

Constellation Energy Swings To Loss On $271M Charges (Wall Street Journal – Here’s your bonus…)
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090505-711697.html

Congressional Research Service - Electric Power Transmission: Background and Policy Issues
http://opencrs.com/document/R40511/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon Salvation - Will a New Political Order Be Enough to Finally Bring the Dams Down? (High Country News, CO)
http://www.hcn.org/issues/41.8/salmon-salvation

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

California – Study Shows Most Key Fishing Spots in State Polluted (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/05/MN5I17EG6E.DTL&feed=rss.news

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Can Clean Energy Revive Manufacturing? “…the availability of land zoned for industrial use was also important…” (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/can-clean-energy-revive-manufacturing/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Vestas Makes Colorado a Clean-Energy Hub (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/vestas-makes-colorado-a-clean-energy-hub/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Chicago Tribune Columnist - Don't Need a Law to Know Which Way the Wind Blows
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-tue-greising-wind-may05,0,1462917.column

News Digest Flashback: Oregon - Plans for New Vestas Headquarters on Hold: Company to lay off 1,900 workers in Denmark and England (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/04/27/daily15.html?ana=from_rss

GE Energy to Help Forecast Wind (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/05/04/daily28.html?ana=from_rss

Cashing In On Wind: Locals Discuss Money Saved by Installing New Turbines (Foster’s Daily Democrat, Dover, NH)
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090504/GJNEWS_01/705049913

Idaho - Assessor lowers tax value on closed ethanol plant (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/840241.html

United Kingdom - Surge in Renewable Power Fuels Fears of Energy Crisis (The Scotsman, UK)
http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Surge-in--renewable-power.5233307.jp

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

White House, House GOP Convene Meetings on Climate (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009174459_apusclimatetalks.html?syndication=rss

Atlanta Journal Constitution Op/Ed - Is Cap And Trade Necessary to Ease Climate Change?
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/05/05/proconed.html

US Chamber Of Commerce under Fire on Warming Stance (Politico)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22101.html

How Green Are Our Ports? Very, if you’re shipping from Asia to Midwest (Seattle Times)
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/soundeconomyblog/2009/05/04/how_green_are_our_ports_very_i.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

More Pink Slips Go Out At Microsoft (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44364487.html

California Seeks $1 Billion in Stimulus Funds to Bring Broadband Link to Every Household (Sacramento Bee)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1833842.html

Bumping into Qwest's Invisible Cap - The same kind of cap that resulted in a Comcast fine (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Bumping-Into-Qwests-Invisible-Cap-102275

Hackers Break into Virginia Health Professions Database, Demand Ransom (Washington Post)
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/05/hackers_break_into_virginia_he.html

U.S. Should Cede Control of Internet, European Union Honcho Says (Bloomberg News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12294802

Obama's Tax Plans Raises High-Tech Hackles (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1997435~Obama_s_tax_plans_raises_high_tech_hackles.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

GENERAL NEWS

Wind, rain expected to ease up by midday today; drier weather by the weekend (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/storm/2009175772_webstorm05m.html?syndication=rss

Storm Delays Hood Canal Bridge Work, Shuttle Ferry (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009176128_apwaspringstormhoodcanal.html?syndication=rss

Flood Advisory for Mason, Pierce, Kitsap Counties (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/841128.html

Weyerhaeuser’s Loss Deepens amid Housing Downturn (Associated Press)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/05/05/business/AP-US-Earns-Weyerhaeuser.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Man charged with draining mother's savings, racking up her credit card (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009170892_webtheft04m.html?syndication=rss

Mexican Dominance on May 5 Irks Other Latinos - Cinco de Mayo to Be Celebrated This Week
http://www.kirotv.com/family/19370924/detail.html

DIVERSIONS

Woman Finds $120,000 at ATM - Rightful Owners Has 30 Days To Claim Cash
http://www.kirotv.com/money/19359009/detail.html

French Excel at Eating, Sleeping, Study Says - Norwegians Spend One-Quarter Of Day On Leisure
http://www.kirotv.com/health/19362828/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_12pm&tmi=sea_12pm_1_02000105042009&ts=H

Brawl Breaks Out During Karaoke at Oregon Restaurant
http://www.examiner.com/a-1996842~Brawl_breaks_out_during_karaoke_at_Ore__restaurant.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Are You Killing the Apostrophe?
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Features/Columns/?article=ApostropheCatastrophe&GT1=27004

SONG OF THE DAY

James Taylor – Mexico (Live & Acoustic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FVAUP_Yigw