Energy News Digest for June 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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. Not Done Fighting Yet
- Tennessee - Senate Passes Resolution Urging TVA to Finalize Contract with Alcoa
- Chinese Miner Orders Guyana Layoffs Amid Global Economic Crisis: Lower Demand For Bauxite
- BPA Contracts with Oregon Firm to Build Part of a New McNary-John Day Transmission Line
- RELOCATION: Cascade Natural Gas to move corporate office to Tri-Cities
- Alaska - Aurora Energy Plant Fire Will Affect Golden Valley Electric Association Bills
- Montana - Whitefish’s Hydropower Plant: A Mystery and an Opportunity
- Crow Sizzles, Downtown Bend Goes Without Power
- Maryland Regulators Say They Must OK Nuclear Power Deal
- Company Calls New Small Nuclear Reactor a 'Game Changer'
- Mississippi - (IGCC) Power Plant Challenges Dismissed
- Steep Contango Points to Sharp Rebound in Natural Gas
- 1,000-Page Bill Attracts Lobbyists to Energy Plan
- President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
- Chelan PUD boosts habitat budget for longevity
- Trapping Fish to Help Stocks Recover
- Puget Sound Anglers Come Through With Hatchery Help
- More fishing options looming in the Columbia River
- Columbia Steelhead Recreational Sport Fishery Opens Friday
- It's Early, but Salmon Fishing Looks Good On the Sound
- Farmed Salmon in High Demand but Still Faces Challenges
- "The Sea Lion Attack"
- Puget Sound Cleanup Budget May Rise By 150 Percent
- British Columbia - Victoria to Stop Sending Untreated Sewage to Sea
- Washington DOE to Lead Crescent Bar Water Raise
- Washington Tribes Receive Nearly $2 Million to Protect Puget Sound
- Portland Settles Bias Case by Sewer Worker
- Wyden Calls BPA Wind Energy Hikes 'Downright Unaffordable'
- Will wind energy follow ethanol's path?
- After Long Wait, Longview Man's Windmill Nearly Ready To Generate Energy
- Rhode Island Lawmakers Debate New Plan for Funding Wind Farm
- Study: Jobs in fledgling green-energy sector growing
- States with most, fewest clean energy jobs listed
- Congress abandoning Obama clean energy goals
- Electric Utilities Fail to Promote Their Energy-Efficiency Initiatives
- Japan Sets Emissions Targets, and No One Seems Pleased
- Of Kites, Coal and the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill
- World's Largest Fossil Bed Linked To Ancient Climate Change
- Data Center Overload - Pics of Central Washington Data Centers!
- Amazon’s EC2 Service Suffers Outage
- Community Broadband - High Capacity, Low Cost
- Comcast Sued Again Over Forced Equipment Leases
- Dry Spell: 23 Days without Rain
- Boy dies during PE class in Vancouver, Wash.
- State Finds Union Fire Commissioner Benefited From Vote
- Newspaper Subscribers Get Petitions on Immigration
- Bill Would Tone Down Commercials

WORD OF THE DAY

Toupee • \too-PAY\ • noun – 1: a curl or lock of hair made into a topknot on a periwig or natural coiffure; also: a periwig with such a topknot 2: a wig or section of hair worn to cover a bald spot

“Toupee or combover,” mused Phil as he reviewed his graybar motel grooming options. “Combover it is,” he decided. “I’m sure unnatural things would happen to my wonderful wig collection if it were to be confiscated by the other prisoners.”

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

Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. Not Done Fighting Yet - With production at just 10 percent of capacity and layoffs looming at the end of July, things look bleak “…Senator Baucus: "I've fought to help keep Columbia Falls Aluminum Co.'s doors open for 30 years, and I'm not giving up now…” (Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, MT)
http://dailyinterlake.com/articles/2009/06/10/news/local_montana/news_8755388518_02.txt

Tennessee - Senate Passes Resolution Urging TVA to Finalize Contract with Alcoa - For 500 employees: “…The smelter's power cost is in the top 15 percent of all smelters in North America…” (Blount Today, Marysville, TN)
http://www.blounttoday.com/news/2009/jun/10/senate-passes-resolution-urging-tva-finalize-contr/

Chinese Miner Orders Guyana Layoffs Amid Global Economic Crisis: Lower Demand For Bauxite (Associated Press)
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/06/03/ap6499547.html

BPA Contracts with Oregon Firm to Build Part of a New McNary-John Day Transmission Line (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/280520/

RELOCATION: Cascade Natural Gas to move corporate office to Tri-Cities (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/609305.html?mi_email=Tri-City%20Herald_PM+%26+Breaking+News

Alaska - Aurora Energy Plant Fire Will Affect Golden Valley Electric Association Bills (Fairbanks Daily News Miner, AK)
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/jun/11/aurora-energy-plant-fire-will-impact-electric-bill/

Montana - Whitefish’s Hydropower Plant: A Mystery and an Opportunity (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/whitefishs_hydropower_plant_a_mystery_and_an_opportunity/10984/

Crow Sizzles, Downtown Bend Goes Without Power (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2061679~Crow_sizzles__downtown_Bend_goes_without_power.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Maryland Regulators Say They Must OK Nuclear Power Deal (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/11/financial/f083221D80.DTL&feed=rss.business

Company Calls New Small Nuclear Reactor a 'Game Changer' (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/06/10/10greenwire-company-calls-new-small-nuclear-reactor-a-game-45123.html

Mississippi - Power Plant Challenges Dismissed - $2.2 billion integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) facility that converts “brown coal,” into a gas to generate lower-emission electricity (Associated Press)
http://www.sunherald.com/business/story/1402247.html

Steep Contango Points to Sharp Rebound in Natural Gas - Producers cut back exploration; prices still face pressure in short term (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/natural-gas-could-see-sharp-rebound-this-year?siteid=moren

1,000-Page Bill Attracts Lobbyists to Energy Plan (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105240996&ft=1&f=3

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts: John R. Norris, Nominee for Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (The White House)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Announces-More-Key-Administration-Posts-6-10-09/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Chelan PUD boosts habitat budget for longevity (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090610/NEWS04/706109961/-1/PRINTINDEX?PUD-boosts-habitat-budget-for-longevity

Trapping Fish to Help Stocks Recover (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/articles/2009/06/11/news//doc4a2ffd17b9468537238719.txt

Puget Sound Anglers Come Through With Hatchery Help (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090611/news/306119987

More fishing options looming in the Columbia River (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2009324924_more_fishing_options_looming_i.html

Columbia Steelhead Recreational Sport Fishery Opens Friday (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/06/11//area_news/doc4a30a37686965956923002.txt

It's Early, but Salmon Fishing Looks Good On the Sound (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2009325220_fish11.html?syndication=rss

Farmed Salmon in High Demand but Still Faces Challenges (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)
http://www.timescolonist.com/Technology/Farmed+salmon+high+demand+still+faces+challenges/1682302/story.html

"The Sea Lion Attack" (w/ photos) (Tri City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/blogs/degerman/story/608410.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Puget Sound Cleanup Budget May Rise By 150 Percent (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/774823.html

British Columbia - Victoria to Stop Sending Untreated Sewage to Sea (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_victorias_sewage.html?source=pimail

Washington DOE to Lead Crescent Bar Water Raise - May be too expensive for Wanapum Dam power increase (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/06/10/news/doc4a30286b6a533917846217.txt

Washington Tribes Receive Nearly $2 Million to Protect Puget Sound (Indian Country Today)
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/northwest/47225337.html

Portland Settles Bias Case by Sewer Worker (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2062825~Portland_settles_bias_case_by_sewer_worker.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wyden Calls BPA Wind Energy Hikes 'Downright Unaffordable' – Proposed wind integration rate increase (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/5185-wyden-calls-wind-energy-hikes-downright-unaffordable/

Will wind energy follow ethanol's path? (The Wichita Eagle, KS)
http://www.kansas.com/topstories/story/847964.html

After Long Wait, Longview Man's Windmill Nearly Ready To Generate Energy (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/06/10/area_news//doc4a2f0fcdc8525763528756.txt

Rhode Island Lawmakers Debate New Plan for Funding Wind Farm (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009325166_aprixgrrenewableenergy.html?syndication=rss

Study: Jobs in fledgling green-energy sector growing (Associated Press)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12565163

States with most, fewest clean energy jobs listed (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/10/financial/f134945D85.DTL&feed=rss.business

Congress abandoning Obama clean energy goals (Associated Press)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12565794

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Electric Utilities Fail to Promote Their Energy-Efficiency Initiatives (Forbes Magazine)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/gigaom/green/2009_06_10_electric_utilities_fail_to_promote_their_energy_efficiency_initiatives.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Japan Sets Emissions Targets, and No One Seems Pleased (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/world/asia/11emit.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Of Kites, Coal and the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/gwmEnergy/idUS387554852520090608

World's Largest Fossil Bed Linked To Ancient Climate Change (Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA)
http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_12562210

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Data Center Overload - Pics of Central Washington Data Centgers! (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/magazine/14search-t.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Amazon’s EC2 Service Suffers Outage - Lost connectivity in a part of its network because of a “localized power issue.” (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/06/10/amazons-ec2-service-suffers-outage/

Community Broadband - High Capacity, Low Cost (MuniNetworks)
http://www.muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-high-capacity-low-cost

Comcast Sued Again Over Forced Equipment Leases - May ultimately result in one class action suit (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-Sued-Again-Over-Forced-Equipment-Leases-102883

GENERAL NEWS

Dry Spell: 23 Days without Rain (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=177347

Boy dies during PE class in Vancouver, Wash. (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009325320_webboycollapses10.html?syndication=rss

State Finds Union Fire Commissioner Benefited From Vote (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7505/reftab/1632/t/STATE-FINDS-UNION-FIRE-COMMISSIONER-BENEFITED-FROM-VOTE/Default.aspx

Newspaper Subscribers Get Petitions on Immigration (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009325131_apwaimmigrationpetitions2ndldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Bill Would Tone Down Commercials - Broadcasters have their own plan to lower volume (The Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/jun/11/bill-would-tone-down-commercials/

DIVERSIONS

Dog Gets High On Pot Found In Park
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_061009WAB-dog-pot-park-KC.6b862fc4.html?rss?npc

Mo. Family Christmas Photo Turns Up In Czech Ad
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090611/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_card_photo_prague;_ylt=AvSFVL8wwR_XKNDRgcSH4WXtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJwM3JlZDRmBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwNjExL3VzX29kZF9jYXJkX3Bob3RvX3ByYWd1ZQRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDbW9mYW1pbHljaHJp

Man Toupee (To Pay) For Revealing Bald Truth
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090609/od_nm/us_taiwan_wig;_ylt=AvMzrDFYSskEcVqIbfyQgIrtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJpcGMzbWxqBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMDkwNjA5L3VzX3RhaXdhbl93aWcEcG9zAzYEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNtYW50b3VwZWVmb3I-

Venezuela Bans Coke Zero, Cites "Danger to Health"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090611/od_nm/us_venezuela_coke;_ylt=AnaG72JLa2314tDxS8reLkPtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJtaWVmbm1hBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMDkwNjExL3VzX3ZlbmV6dWVsYV9jb2tlBHBvcwMzBHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDdmVuZXp1ZWxhYmFu

SONG OF THE DAY

Jigsaw - Sky High
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mudlXF3MA8Q