Energy News Digest for July 30, 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)

• Heat Brings Puget Sound Power Outages
• Portland Area Consumes Electricity at Record Rate
• Bonneville Power Hikes Utility Rates - Lewis County PUD
• Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative Residential Customers to Bear Brunt of Rate Increase
• A Change in the Wind's Direction: BPA Issues Final Record of Decision
• Chelan PUD Loses Potential Earnings in Lehman Deal
• Tacoma Power Settlement - Skokomish Tribe Reclaims Its Land, Breath
• US Dam Threatens to Flood BC Valley
• FERC Official: Better Grid Needed - Presence of BPA gives Pacific Northwest advantage
• Seattle City Light Chief Donates His 40k Bonus
• Avista Rewards Work Well Done - $2.3 million in bonuses
• Canadian Company Acquiring Montana Coal-To-Liquids Company
• Alaska - Golden Valley Electric Association Mulls Pre-Pay Electricity Option
• California Utility Pays Nearly $15 Million in 1999 Wildfire Case
• Smart Meters - New Fees Lurk In Texas Electricity Bills
• Senate Passes Energy And Water Bill – to close the Yucca Mountain
• Power Glut Forces United Kingdom Utilities to Idle Plants, Cut Spending
• Coho Run Projected To Be Largest since 2001
• Salmon Are Biting Like Crazy in Several Areas off The Coast
• King Salmon Are Mostly A No Show In Puget Sound
• Oregon Governor Threatens To Use Veto on Hatchery, Judicial Bills
• Trout Take a Leap off Dam For The Sake Of Science, Other Fish
• Pikeminnow Anglers Get Extra August Cash
• Warm Weather Prompts Oyster Health Warning
• Geoduck Season Carefully Monitored In WA
• Jellyfish May Help Keep Planet Cool by Mixing Seawater
• Mason County Water Use Restrictions
• Idaho Water Resources Must Reconsider Some Decisions
• Polluted Beach Closures on the Decline
• BPA Chart Shows Real Time Wind Generation
• BLM Seeks Public Input on Steens Mountain Wind Power Transmission Line
• U.S. Wind Industry Installs 1,200 MW in Second Quarter
• Wind Turbines 'Will Disrupt Sleep'
• Energy Giant's Adverts Showed Wind Turbines Half Size Of Those Planned
• Who Will Survive The Solar Energy Shakeout?
• Oregon Eases Ethanol Requirements
• The Dark Secret of Light-Emitting Diodes
• Shedding a New, Electricity-Saving Light on Retail Outlets
• Chelan PUD Nixes Weatherization Loans; To Give Cash Incentives
• GE's Smart (and Subsidized) Appliances
• White Roofs Catch on as Energy Cost Cutters
• U.S. Senate Climate Bill to Have Tough Market Controls
• Some Little States with Big Emissions Could See Allowance Windfall
• Natural-Gas Companies Challenge Coal Industry on Climate Change Bill
• Farm Lobby Divided Over Climate Bill
• Consumer Alert: Is That Business Really Green?
• Chehalis to Sell Wi-Fi Equipment for $5,000
• Microsoft and Yahoo Are Linked Up. Now What?
• Does the Microsoft-Yahoo Deal Matter?
• An Internet Landmark Heads to the Recycle Bin
• 104 - Need We Say More? High temperature ties record from 1981
• Relief from Heat Still A Few Days Away
• Lit Cigarette Blamed for Brush Fire along I-5 near Federal Way
• Wash. Gov Opposing Revenue-Cap I-1033
• Ben Settle Update - Judge Halts Release of Wash. Referendum Signatures

WORD OF THE DAY

Con amore • \kahn-uh-MOR-ee\ • adverb - 1: with love, devotion, or zest 2: in a tender manner -- used as a direction in music

As the throbbing strings from his well-worn Percy Faith album swelled in the background, Aloise sidled up “con amore” to his date. “My Dear,” he began, “your beauty is beyond compare. Excepting, of course, a mint-condition Superman #1 comic book.” The last sound of the night was the skipping needle of his record player, dislodged by the thunderous slamming of the door has his date fled the apartment.

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

Heat Brings Puget Sound Power Outages (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=194890

Portland Area Consumes Electricity at Record Rate (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/07/portland_area_consumes_electri.html

Bonneville Power Hikes Utility Rates - Lewis County PUD Will See $2 Million Increase in Annual Cost, Manager Says (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/articles/2009/07/28/news/doc4a6f36e868647512825669.txt

Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative Residential Customers To Bear Brunt Of Rate Increase (Curry Coastal Pilot, Brookings, OR)
http://www.currypilot.com/20090729113597/News/Local-News/Residential-customers-to-bear-brunt-of-rate-increase

A Change in the Wind's Direction: BPA Issues Final Record of Decision in 2010 Rate Case (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/stoel-rives-6442/news/article/2009/07/a-change-in-the-winds-direction-bpa-issues-final-record-of-decision-in-2010-rate-case?cmpid=rss

Chelan PUD Loses Potential Earnings in Lehman Deal (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090728/NEWS04/707289966/1001/NEWS04

Tacoma Power Settlement - Skokomish Tribe Reclaims Its Land, Breath (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009565074_rename30m.html?syndication=rss

US Dam Threatens to Flood BC Valley (Epoch Times)
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/20315/

FERC Official: Better Grid Needed - Presence of BPA gives Pacific Northwest advantage (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/jul/29/official-better-grid-needed/

Seattle City Light Chief Donates His 40k Bonus (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/edcetera/2009553166_seattle_city_light_chief_gives.html

Avista Rewards Work Well Done - $2.3 million in bonuses paid to 1,400 workers last year (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/jul/29/avista-rewards-work-well-done/

Canadian Company Acquiring Montana Coal-To-Liquids Company (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2141332~Canadian_company_acquiring_coal_to_liquids_company.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines

Alaska - Golden Valley Electric Association Mulls Pre-Pay Electricity Option (Fairbands News Miner, AK)
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/jul/28/gvea-mulls-pre-pay-electricity-option/

California Utility Pays Nearly $15 Million in 1999 Wildfire Case (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/28/state/n161101D44.DTL&feed=rss.business

Smart Meters - New Fees Lurk In Texas Electricity Bills (Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6553861.html

Senate Passes Energy And Water Bill – to close the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility in Nevada (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009560285_apuscongressspending.html?syndication=rss

Power Glut Forces United Kingdom Utilities to Idle Plants, Cut Spending (Bloomberg News)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=adss.SrUxw90

FISH & WILDLIFE

Coho Run Projected To Be Largest since 2001 (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews?Coho-Run-Projected-To-Be-Largest-since-2=1&blockID=66100&feedID=410

Salmon Are Biting Like Crazy in Several Areas off The Coast (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/924900.html

King Salmon Are Mostly A No Show In Puget Sound - hope is the good fishing at Sekiu will eventually head this way (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2009560126_king_salmon_are_mostly_a_no_sh.html

Oregon Governor Threatens To Use Veto on Hatchery, Judicial Bills (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/07/kulongoski_threatens_to_use_ve.html

Trout Take a Leap off Dam For The Sake Of Science, Other Fish - Data will be used to help steelhead, Chinook (Statesman-Journal, Salem, OR)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090730/GREEN/907300337/1001

Pikeminnow Anglers Get Extra August Cash - Weekly drawings will award $1,000 prizes to 60 lucky anglers (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/296815/

Warm Weather Prompts Oyster Health Warning (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_072809HEB-oyster-bacteria-warning-TP.864dd614.html?rss

Geoduck Season Carefully Monitored In WA (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_072809WAB-geoduck-KS.860f6fbe.html?rss

Jellyfish May Help Keep Planet Cool by Mixing Seawater (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111346982&ps=cprs

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Mason County Water Use Restrictions for Beards Cove, Rustlewood & Hartstene Pointe (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7906/reftab/1632/t/WATER-USE-RESTRICTIONS-FOR-BEARDS-COVE-RUSTLEWOOD--HARTSTENE-POINTE/Default.aspx

Idaho Water Resources Must Reconsider Some Decisions (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/924633.html

Polluted Beach Closures on the Decline (Associated Press)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090729/NEWS02/707299821/1025/rss1025

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

BPA Chart Shows Real Time Wind Generation - Recent heat wave has led to record demands…power coming from wind turbines has been next to zero at times (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/07/bpa_chart_shows_real_time_wind.html

BLM Seeks Public Input on Steens Mountain Wind Power Transmission Line (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/07/blm_seeks_public_input_on_stee.html

U.S. Wind Industry Installs 1,200 MW in Second Quarter (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=366971&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Wind Turbines 'Will Disrupt Sleep' - A doctor has called for a wind farm plan to be rejected because he believes it will give people living nearby sleepless nights (Leicester Mercury, UK)
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Turbines-disrupt-sleep/article-1209870-detail/article.html

United Kingdom - Energy Giant's Adverts Showed Wind Turbines Half Size Of Those Planned (The Scotsman, UK)
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/Energy-giant39s-adverts-showed-wind.5501784.jp

Who Will Survive The Solar Energy Shakeout? The recession is squeezing solar energy firms. These four could thrive (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/economyrebuild/2009/07/29/who-will-survive-the-solar-energy-shakeout/

Oregon Eases Ethanol Requirements (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/oregon-eases-ethanol-requirements/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

The Dark Secret of Light-Emitting Diodes (Azooptics)
http://azooptics.com/Details.asp?newsID=4627

Shedding a New, Electricity-Saving Light on Retail Outlets (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/07/29/29climatewire-shedding-a-new-electricity-saving-light-on-r-39713.html

Chelan PUD Nixes Weatherization Loans; To Give Cash Incentives (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090728/NEWS04/707289985/-1/NEWS90?PUD-nixes-weatherization-loans--to-give-cash-incentives

GE's Smart (and Subsidized) Appliances (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/gwmCarbonEmissions/idUS202789734420090727

White Roofs Catch on as Energy Cost Cutters (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/science/earth/30degrees.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

U.S. Senate Climate Bill to Have Tough Market Controls (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE56S6OG20090729

Some Little States with Big Emissions Could See Allowance Windfall (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/07/30/30climatewire-some-little-states-with-big-emissions-could-45222.html

Natural-Gas Companies Challenge Coal Industry On Climate Change Bill (The Hill)
http://thehill.com/business--lobby/natural-gas-companies-challenge-coal-industry-on-climate-change-bill-2009-07-29.html

Farm Lobby Divided Over Climate Bill (Politico)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25525.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Consumer Alert: Is That Business Really Green? (Idaho Statesman, Boise)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/business/story/848841.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

CHEHALIS TO SELL WI-FI EQUIPMENT FOR $5,000 - The Chehalis City Council unanimously voted Monday to sell the city’s surplus wireless fidelity equipment to Lewis County IT Services. The city will recoup almost $5,000 in the sale of the equipment that was purchased for nearly $26,000. Councilors decided to scrap the project, which aimed to provide Wi-Fi connectivity to the downtown area after the company the equipment was purchased from, GoNetworks, filed for bankruptcy. City officials said Chehalis would have to spend almost $19,000 to have the equipment installed and $14,500 a year to maintain the network. (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

Microsoft and Yahoo Are Linked Up. Now What? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/technology/companies/30soft.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Does the Microsoft-Yahoo Deal Matter? Now that the deal is complete, the real fight to watch will be between Microsoft and Google (Newsweek Magazine)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/209294?from=rss

An Internet Landmark Heads to the Recycle Bin - Adieu, Yahoo (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/29/AR2009072903349.html?wprss=rss_technology

GENERAL NEWS

104 - Need We Say More? High temperature ties record from 1981; not quite so hot today (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/925064.html

Relief from Heat Still A Few Days Away - Temperature could reach 100 degrees (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/922993.html

Lit Cigarette Blamed for Brush Fire along I-5 near Federal Way (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/828184.html

Wash. Gov Opposing Revenue-Cap I-1033 (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10807345

Ben Settle Update - Judge Halts Release Of Wash. Referendum Signatures (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009564704_apwadomesticpartnerships3rdldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Utah Boy, 7, Steals Car to Avoid Church
http://www.kirotv.com/family/20207757/detail.html

Flea Bombs Ignite, Blow up Ventura Apartment
http://www.examiner.com/a-2142345~Flea_bombs_ignite__blow_up_Ventura_apartment.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Dog Found After 9-Year, 1,200-Mile Journey
http://www.kirotv.com/family/20221906/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Grease - Summer Nights Lego Stop Motion Animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_whyjdt5Qso