Energy News Digest for August 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.

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TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Announces Rate Increase
• More Huge Dams May Be Answer for West
• Idaho Power: Open House About Proposed Langley Gulch Power Plant
• Trumpets BPA Deals - Aluminum Turns Table, Plugs Into Power Deals
• Energy Secretary Makes First Visit to Hanford
• Natural Gas Gets Attention Where Renewables Ruled
• Baltimore Banker Suing Constellation Energy for $65M
• NYISO Offering Courses on NY’s Electricity Markets
• Energy Secretary Chu Announces New Power Project in NW
• Obama Administration Wants Time To Make Pitch for Settlement on Salmon
• NOAA Gets More Time to Prepare Salmon Plan
• Op/Ed - Dam Decision Poses Test for Obama Team
• Editorial - Bust the Dams, Save the Salmon
• Economic Data Supports Efforts to Recover California’s Salmon Fisheries
• Idaho Ranchers Embrace Deal to Help Sage Grouse
• Clark Public Utilities - New Well Field to up Utility’s Pumping Capacity by a Third
• Interior Sect. Salazar to Highlight Water Challenges in West
• Editorial - An ill-advised veto; Governor retains generous wind power subsidies
• Idaho - Owners of Burley Ethanol Plant Post Bigger Loss
• Startup Plans $60M Biomass Plant In LaPine, Oregon
• Wind Power in Texas Begins to Reduce Electricity Costs
• Editorial - City Can't Ignore Savings of Tiered Electric Rates
• Conserving Electricity Saves Money Now and Later
• Washington Congressman Baird Defends Antarctica Trip
• Just Around The Corner - Where Are The Green Jobs?
• The Top Ten Worst Green Brand Names
• Broadband Stimulus Plan Has No Map for Success
• Vermont May Boot Fairpoint from State
• Qwest Wins $14M NASA Broadband Contract
• Google Provides Peek into New Search Engine
• Court Battle Looms over Identity of Donors to R-71
• Could the California fiscal death spiral happen here?
• Rock Bottom Timber Prices Hurt NW School Budgets
• Teen Wanted In Camano Island Burglaries May Be At It Again
• Tragic “I Told You So” - Autopsy Shows Bear Killed Woman Who Fed Animals

WORD OF THE DAY

Philoprogenitive • \fill-uh-proh-JEN-uh-tiv\ • adjective - *1: tending to produce offspring: prolific 2: of, relating to, or characterized by love of offspring

The Ambersons of Springfield were magnificent. Not just because of their upstanding character, but more so the philoprogenitive trait of the family. Preceding generations regularly had ten or more children. This was one reason that the most prestigious law firm in the community was known as Amberson, Amberson, Amberson, Amberson, Amberson, and Smith; the last partner coming from a shirt-tail relationship from the nearby town.

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

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Announces Rate Increase (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/OTEC-announces-rate-increase

More Huge Dams May Be Answer for West (Associated Press)
http://www.sunjournal.com/node/98722

Idaho Power Invites Public to an Open House to Learn About Proposed Langley Gulch Power Plant (PennEnergy)
http://www.pennenergy.com/index/articles/newsdisplay/s-133950880.html

Trumpets BPA Deals - Aluminum Turns Table, Plugs Into Power Deals (American Metal Market)
http://www.amm.com/login/denied_empty/2009-08-07__15-36-31.html/Aluminum+turns+table+plugs+into+power+deals

Energy Secretary Makes First Visit to Hanford (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10884153

Natural Gas Gets Attention Where Renewables Ruled - On eve of clean energy summit, Reid voices support for fuel some see as bridge to future (Las Vegas Sun, NV)
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/aug/10/natural-gas-gets-attention-where-renewables-ruled/

Baltimore Banker Suing Constellation Energy for $65M - Developer says energy giant misled him over power plant (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/othercities/baltimore/stories/2009/08/10/story1.html?b=1249876800^1895321&s=industry&i=energy

NYISO Offering Courses on NY’s Electricity Markets (The Business Review)
http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/08/10/daily1.html?ana=from_rss

Energy Secretary Chu Announces New Power Project in NW (KPLU Radio, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1541214/KPLU.Local.News/Energy.Secretary.Chu.Announces.New.Power.Project.in.NW

FISH & WILDLIFE

Obama Administration Wants Time To Make Pitch for Settlement on Salmon (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/235/story/861638.html

NOAA Gets More Time to Prepare Salmon Plan (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009636279_bluebox11m.html?syndication=rss

Oregonian Op/Ed - Dam Decision Poses Test for Obama Team
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/08/dam_decision_poses_test_for_ob.html

Buffalo News Editorial - Bust the Dams, Save the Salmon: Obama administration has a chance to end series of flawed recovery plans
http://www.buffalonews.com/149/story/759426.html

Economic Data Supports Efforts to Recover California’s Salmon Fisheries (Fly Rod and Reel)
http://www.flyrodreel.com/node/12715

Idaho Ranchers Embrace Deal to Help Sage Grouse (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/935664.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Clark Public Utilities - New Well Field to up Utility’s Pumping Capacity by a Third (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090811/NEWS02/708119957/

Interior Sect. Salazar to Highlight Water Challenges in West (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2162095~Salazar_to_highlight_water_challenges_in_West.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon - Eugene Register Guard Editorial - An ill-advised veto; Governor retains generous wind power subsidies
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/opinion/18472366-47/story.csp

Idaho - Owners of Burley Ethanol Plant Post Bigger Loss (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2162701~Owner_of_Burley_ethanol_plant_post_bigger_loss.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Startup Plans $60M Biomass Plant In LaPine, Oregon (Portland Business Journal)
http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/08/10/story4.html?b=1249876800^1898931

Wind Power in Texas Begins to Reduce Electricity Costs (Yale Environment 360)
http://e360.yale.edu/content/digest.msp?id=1998

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Redding Record-Searchlight Editorial - City Can't Ignore Savings of Tiered Electric Rates
http://www.redding.com/news/2009/aug/11/city-cant-ignore-savings-of-tiered-electric/

Conserving Electricity Saves Money Now and Later (WTOP Radio, Washington, DC)
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1737285

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Washington Congressman Baird defends Antarctica trip – Cites firsthand investigation of climate change impacts (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009634789_apwacongressionaltripbaird1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Just Around The Corner - Where Are The Green Jobs? Alternative energy hiring has been slow, but upswing forecast (Associated Press)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090811/BIZ/708119954/-1/RSS03

The Top Ten Worst Green Brand Names (Fast Company)
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/alissa-walker/designerati/top-ten-worst-green-brand-names

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Broadband Stimulus Plan Has No Map for Success (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/08/10/broadband-stimulus-plan-has-no-map-for-success/

Vermont May Boot Fairpoint from State - Regulators want concrete evidence of improvement (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Vermont-May-Boot-Fairpoint-From-State-103886

Qwest Wins $14M NASA Broadband Contract (Denver Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/08/10/daily14.html?ana=from_rss

Google Provides Peek into New Search Engine (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009639365_apustecgooglesearchengine.html?syndication=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Court Battle Looms over Identity of Donors to R-71 (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10884091

Could the California fiscal death spiral happen here? Not so far, contends the State Treasurer (Crosscut Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/08/11/politics-government/19153/

Rock Bottom Timber Prices Hurt NW School Budgets (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/5593-rock-bottom-timber-prices-hurt-nw-school-budgets/

Teen Wanted In Camano Island Burglaries May Be At It Again (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009636115_colton11m.html

Tragic “I Told You So” - Autopsy Shows Bear Killed Woman Who Fed Animals (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/10/national/a172214D20.DTL&feed=rss.news

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Police: Suspect Caught By His Own Seat Belt
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/20344903/detail.html

Drug Dealers Beware: Don't Peddle Pot near Police Station
http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews?Drug-Dealers-Beware-Dont-Peddle-Pot-near=1&blockID=68494&feedID=410

Would-Be Thief Gets a Taste of Small Town Justice
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/52926842.html

Blind Oregon Man's Vision Returns, Surprising Doctors
http://www.nwcn.com/topstories/stories/NW_081009ORB-blind-man-sees-TP.ca96d736.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Robert Palmer - Bad Case of Loving You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNLfQkHQlE8