Energy News Digest for July 31, 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)

• Grays Harbor PUD Financial Analysis Determines Utility to Face Significantly Increased Costs
• Inland Power to Delay Rate Increase until Next Spring
• Grant PUD to Invest In Nuclear Power Study
• Northern Wasco County PUD Sets Power Record
• Montana - Judge Reaffirms That City Must Turn Over Southern Montana Electric Generation-Related Papers
• Ohio - Ormet Aluminum Files Layoff Notice for All Workers
• Op/Ed - Help Avoid Job Losses at Ormet
• Sector Snap: Utilities Rated "Neutral" On Outlook
• In Canadian Hydro Move TransAlta Puts Its Credit Rating First
• Constellation Energy Earnings Plummet to $28.3 Million in 2nd Quarter
• Energy Regulator Pushes Back Review of Constellation Energy-EDF Deal
• One in Ten Americans Say They Are Knowledgeable Where Electricity Comes From
• Fish for Dinner: Overfishing Easing In Some Areas
• Scientists Who Debated On Fisheries Team Up For Comprehensive Study
• Imperiled Fisheries Make a Comeback, Study Shows
• Op/Ed - It’s Harvest! It’s Harvest! It’s Harvest!
• Idaho Sockeye Start To Trickle In - At least 30 ‘red fish’ have arrived
• Montana – Yellowtail Dam Problem Gets Fish Stranded
• Fall Fishing Ramps up Saturday
• Oregon - Record Kokanee at Wallowa Lake Comes With a Down Side
• End May Be Near In Kittitas Wells Dispute
• Idaho Orders Shut Down Of Groundwater Wells
• Oregon Views Aired On Biomass Power Plant
• Heat Wave Demonstrates Limitations to Wind Power
• Becalmed - After a record year, America’s wind industry is suffering growing pains
• North Carolina - Utilities Chase Distant Winds: Critics cry foul
• New York Wind Energy Corruption Probe Reaches Vermont
• Developers Set To Equip Wind-Powered Home
• British Columbia Green Power Gets Red Light
• Solar Integration - PV Powered, Portland General Electric Receive Up To $3M
• Big Price Rise for Western Australia Users of Renewable Energy
• Efficiency Drive Could Cut Energy Use 23% by 2020, Study Finds
• Free Light Bulb Promotion Comes to Kitsap This Week
• Summer Conservation Program Helps Youths Make a Different Kind of Green
• Chicago - South Side Solar Plant Closer to Reality
• Op/Ed: The Folly Of 'Magical Solutions' For Targeting Carbon Emissions
• Google Voice Ban Is Clear Network Neutrality Violation
• Gunman in Wal-Mart Robbery Pleads Guilty
• Time running out for Shelton’s Historic St. Edwards Church
• Teenager Drowns In Kitsap County
• Dosewallips Area - Peninsula Cools Off, While Constance Fire Spreads
• Threshold Met - Anti-Gay Initiative: 137,689 Signatures, Sec of State Says
• Pot Operation Busted In Lincoln County Cornfield
• Increasing Postal Deficits Intensify Talks on Solution
• Editorial - Lost Money Is Teachable Moment for Evergreen

WORD OF THE DAY

Mohair • \MOH-hair\ • noun - A fabric or yarn made wholly or in part of the long silky hair of the Angora goat; also: this hair

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they’re so spaced out,
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jetssssssss
Oh but they’re weird and they’re wonderful
Oh Bennie she’s really keen
She’s got electric boots, a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jetssssssss

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

Grays Harbor PUD Financial Analysis Determines Utility to Face Significantly Increased Costs (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)
http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=721

Inland Power to Delay Rate Increase until Next Spring (Spokane Journal of Business)
http://www.spokanejournal.com/article.php?id=4978

Grant PUD to Invest In Nuclear Power Study (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090730/NEWS04/707309881

Northern Wasco County PUD Sets Power Record (Dalles Chronicle, OR)
http://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/2009/07/news07-30-09-02.shtml

Montana - Judge Reaffirms That City Must Turn Over Southern Montana Electric Generation-Related Papers (Great Falls Tribune, MT)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090731/NEWS01/907310316/1002/news01

Ohio - Ormet Aluminum Files Layoff Notice for All Workers “…Ormet has been embroiled in a battle with alumina supplier…accused of failing to deliver raw materials…The company (has also been) granted an electricity rate reduction from American Electric Power…” (Marietta Times, OH)
http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/514611.html?nav=5002

Wheeling News Register Op/Ed - Help Avoid Job Losses at Ormet
http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/526579.html?nav=511

Sector Snap: Utilities Rated "Neutral" On Outlook (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009570695_apusutilitiessectorsnap.html?syndication=rss

In Canadian Hydro Move TransAlta Puts Its Credit Rating First (The Financial Post, Canada)
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1847282

Constellation Energy Earnings Plummet to $28.3 Million in 2nd Quarter (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/07/27/daily59.html?ana=from_rss

Maryland Energy Regulator Pushes Back Review of Constellation Energy-EDF Deal (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/07/27/daily56.html?ana=from_rss

One in Ten Americans Say They Are Knowledgeable Where Electricity Comes From (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=367084&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Fish for Dinner: Overfishing Easing In Some Areas (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009570347_apusscisavingseafood.html?syndication=rss

Scientists Who Debated On Fisheries Team Up For Comprehensive Study (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009572947_fisheries31m.html?syndication=rss

Imperiled Fisheries Make a Comeback, Study Shows – Harvest Control Works (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111376512&ft=1&f=2

Othello Outlook Op/Ed - It’s Harvest! It’s Harvest! It’s Harvest!
http://othellooutlook.com/?p=3613

Idaho Sockeye Start To Trickle In - At least 30 ‘red fish’ have arrived in the Sawtooth Valley so far (Idaho Mountain Express & Guide, Sun Valley)
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005127213

Montana – Yellowtail Dam Problem Gets Fish Stranded, Loss of Trout Blamed On Malfunctioning Gate (Billings Gazette, MT)
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_5dc82da8-7d92-11de-b517-001cc4c002e0.html

Fall Fishing Ramps up Saturday (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090730/SPORTS04/907309988

Oregon - Record Kokanee at Wallowa Lake Comes With a Down Side (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2009/07/record_kokanee_at_wallowa_lake.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

End May Be Near In Kittitas Wells Dispute (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/925596.html

Idaho Orders Shut Down Of Groundwater Wells (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/926021.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon Views Aired On Biomass Power Plant - A proposed wood-fired boiler at a local sawmill is either a great new source of sustainable electricity…or a burdensome polluter that will sicken neighbors and foul the air (Eugene Register Guard, OR)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/updates/17958982-55/story.csp

Heat Wave Demonstrates Limitations to Wind Power (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/mnEnergy/idUS86005469820090731

Becalmed - After a record year, America’s wind industry is suffering growing pains (The Economist)
http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14140349

North Carolina - Utilities Chase Distant Winds: Critics cry foul over buying of renewable energy credits (News & Observer, Raleigh, NC)
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1628333.html

New York Wind Energy Corruption Probe Reaches Vermont (Rutland Herald, VT)http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20090731/NEWS03/907310367/0/NEWS02

Developers Set To Equip Wind-Powered Home (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090731/BIZ01/707319976/-1/BIZ

British Columbia Green Power Gets Red Light (Surrey Leader, BC)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/surreyleader/business/Green_power_gets_red_light.html

Solar Integration - PV Powered, Portland General Electric Receive Up To $3M (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/07/27/daily47.html?ana=from_rss

Big Price Rise for Western Australia Users of Renewable Energy (Perth Sunday Times, Australia)
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25864647-2761,00.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Efficiency Drive Could Cut Energy Use 23% by 2020, Study Finds (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/business/energy-environment/30energy.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Free Light Bulb Promotion Comes to Kitsap This Week (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jul/30/free-light-bulb-promotion-comes-to-kitsap-this/?partner=RSS

Summer Conservation Program Helps Youths Make a Different Kind of Green (Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_12938558?source=rss&nclick_check=1

Chicago - South Side Solar Plant Closer to Reality (Chicago Public Radio)
http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=35853

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

United Kingdom – Guardian Op/Ed: The Folly Of 'Magical Solutions' For Targeting Carbon Emissions
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/31/network-climate-change

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Google Voice Ban Is Clear Network Neutrality Violation - And both AT&T and Apple should share the blame (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Google-Voice-Ban-Is-Clear-Network-Neutrality-Violation-103692

GENERAL NEWS

Gunman in Wal-Mart Robbery Pleads Guilty (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=195017

Time running out for Shelton’s Historic St. Edwards Church (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7920/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Teenager Drowns In Kitsap County (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20232799/detail.html

Dosewallips Area - Peninsula Cools Off, While Constance Fire Spreads (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090731/news/307319991

Threshold Met - Anti-Gay Initiative: 137,689 Signatures, Sec of State Says (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/175049.asp?source=pimail

Pot Operation Busted In Lincoln County Cornfield (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/jul/30/pot-operation-busted-lincoln-county-cornfield/

Increasing Postal Deficits Intensify Talks on Solution (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/business/30postal.html?_r=1&ref=business

Olympian Editorial - Lost Money Is Teachable Moment for Evergreen
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/926289.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Texting Is 23-Times Riskier Than Using Cell Phone While Driving
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/07/texting-vs-cell-phone-risk-dangers-while-driving.html?EXTKEY=I91ECON&CMP=OTC-ConsumeristLinks

34 Hospitalized After Co-Worker Sprays Perfume
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20226511/detail.html

Stolen Sand? Mexico Shuts Cancun Beach
http://www.kirotv.com/travelgetaways/20232586/detail.html

Tiger Flees Magic Act Into Vegas Streets - Residents Reported Seeing Tiger Wandering Streets
http://www.kirotv.com/travelgetaways/20233293/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Jefferson Starship - Ride the Tiger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIufUOm_cWY