Energy News Digest for August 3, 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)

• BPA: Plan To Sell Energy to Aluminum Smelters Draws Ire of Franklin PUD
• Snohomish PUD and AIG Duking It Out In New York Courtroom
• Grays Harbor County PUD Power Rates Won’t Go Up This Year
• BPA Sets Rules to Deal with "Explosive" Power Growth
• Columnist - Hydro Projects Hold Much Promise
• News Release - Puget Sound Energy Files Updated Energy Strategy
• BPA Power Line Installation; WSDOT Pavement Repairs Will Impact Traffic This Week
• Natural Gas Pipeline Proposal Topic Of Fed Meetings
• Op/Ed - California should revive nuclear energy option
• If Nuclear Power Has a More Promising Future…
• Pacific Gas & Electric Workers Get $17.25 Million in OT Case
• Texas - Electricity customers may pay for Oncor Smart meters
• Electric Distribution Co-Ops Report Strong Performance during Downturn
• Northern Wasco County PUD Building Expansion Project Nears End
• Bill Opens Possibility of Lower Snake River Dam Removal
• Redfish Lake Sockeye Making A Comeback After Near Extinction
• Fall Salmon Season Opens Today In Columbia River Basin
• Alaska - Declining King Salmon Run Devastating to River Villages
• Town on Columbia, Tribes Clash Over 1855 Treaty
• Quotas on the Way to Oregon Fisheries, Bolstering Stocks
• BPA Plans Public Meeting On Hatchery Changes
• Kittitas County - Lawmakers Address Exempt Well Moratorium
• Idaho Water Officials Enforce Curtailment Order
• Tribes Combine Science, Canoes for Water Quality
• Utility Raises Cleanup Cost in Tennessee
• Wildlife Hinders (Radar Ridge) Wind Farm Strategy
• Sage Grouse Unlikely Focus Of Wyoming Wind Wars
• Montana Wind Farm Taking Toll on Bats, Birds
• Oregon Governor Signals Intent to Veto Rollback of Wind Energy Tax Breaks
• $100 Million - Kittitas Solar Plant Could Be Super Expensive
• Rep Inslee - House Will Get another Shot at Feed-In Tariffs
• Offshore Windmills Hold Clean-Energy Promise
• Oregon – Port Of Morrow's Bio-Gen Power Plant Finds Buyer
• Editorial – Renewable Energy: Power Co-Ops Should Quit Whining
• Renewable Energy - The Transmission Question
• Alaska – Home Wind Turbine Looks Good As Energy Costs Rise
• Weak Economy Makes Solar Panels More Affordable to Homeowners
• EPA Ranks Top 20 On-Site Green Power Producers
• $23 Million for Weatherization Work Spreads Across Washington State
• Taking Energy Credit Where It's Due
• Feds Warn About Misleading Claims of Benefits from Energy-Saving Devices
• Duke Energy Elbows Co-ops for Carbon Permits in Climate Measure
• Clean-Tech Is On the Rebound from a Steep Plunge in Investments
• Op/Ed - Falling Behind On Green Tech
• Clearwire to Launch WiMAX in 10 U.S. Cities
• Kitsap County Backs Out of Agreement for High-Tech Development
• Cable Industry: Our Awesomeness Cannot Be Denied
• Wildfire Contained In Mason County
• Fires in Olympics Prompts More Trail Closures
• Judge To Consider WaMu Exec's 'Golden Parachutes'
• Weyerhaeuser's Quarterly Loss Widens
• Bank Teller Tackles Suspected Robber, Gets Canned
• AP newsman Rory Marshall dead at 54

WORD OF THE DAY – THE HAIKU VERSION

Ideate • \EYE-dee-ate\ • verb – To form an idea or conception of - to form an idea

Ideate a Plan
Put it into Motion Now
Seemed Right at the Time

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

BPA: Plan To Sell Energy to Aluminum Smelters Draws Ire of Franklin PUD (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/1406/story/667771.html

Snohomish PUD and AIG Duking It Out In New York Courtroom (Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090801/NEWS01/708019920

Grays Harbor County PUD Power Rates Won’t Go Up This Year (Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/07/31/local_news/doc4a732e2e65b2c975321488.txt

BPA Sets Rules to Deal with "Explosive" Power Growth (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ARTCL&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=367212&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Spokesman Review Columnist - Hydro Projects Hold Much Promise
http://www.pennenergy.com/index/articles/newsdisplay/s-133672955.html

News Release - Puget Sound Energy Files Updated Energy Strategy with State Regulators (BusinessWire)
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/worldenergysource/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090730005203&newsLang=en

BPA Power Line Installation; WSDOT Pavement Repairs Will Impact Traffic This Week (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7938/reftab/1632/t/POWER-LINE-INSTALLATION-AND-PAVEMENT-REPAIRS-WILL-IMPACT-TRAFFIC-THIS-WEEK/Default.aspx

Natural Gas Pipeline Proposal Topic Of Fed Meetings - It would run along Washington side of Columbia River Gorge (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090803/NEWS02/708039982

Sacramento Bee Op/Ed - California should revive nuclear energy option
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/story/2078569.html

If Nuclear Power Has a More Promising Future ... Seth Grae Wants to Be the One Leading the Charge (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/24/AR2009072401847.html?nav=rss_email/components

Pacific Gas & Electric Workers Get $17.25 Million in OT Case (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12969243?nclick_check=1

Texas - Electricity customers may pay for Oncor Smart meters: Whether it was Oncor's $93 million mistake or the Public Utility Commission's, electricity customers will probably end up paying for it (Dallas Morning News, TX)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-oncor_03bus.ART.State.Edition1.3cf2fb0.html

Electric Distribution Co-Ops Report Strong Performance during Downturn (Penn Energy)
http://www.pennenergy.com/index/articles/display/367251/s-articles/s-utility-automation-engineering-td/s-industry-news/s-electric-distribution-co-ops-report-strong-performance-during-downturn.html

Northern Wasco County PUD Building Expansion Project Nears End (Dalles Chronicle, OR)
http://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/2009/07/news07-31-09-02.shtml

FISH & WILDLIFE

Bill Opens Possibility of Lower Snake River Dam Removal (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/830620.html

Redfish Lake Sockeye Making A Comeback After Near Extinction (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2009583916_outn02.html?syndication=rss

Fall Salmon Season Opens Today In Columbia River Basin (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/outdoors/story/830573.html

Alaska - Declining King Salmon Run Devastating to River Villages: Three years of weak returns raise questions on bycatch (Anchorage Daily News, AK)
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/885663.html

Town on Columbia, Tribes Clash Over 1855 Treaty (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_or_fishing_rights.html

Quotas on the Way to Oregon Fisheries, Bolstering Stocks (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/08/quotas_on_the_way_to_oregon_fi.html

BPA Plans Public Meeting On Hatchery Changes - Events provide for community input on upgrades and improvements (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/297389/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Kittitas County - Lawmakers Address Exempt Well Moratorium (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/07/31/news/doc4a737a3aa8672358898415.txt

Idaho Water Officials Enforce Curtailment Order (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/927857.html

Tribes Combine Science, Canoes for Water Quality (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_paddling_for_science.html?source=pimail

Utility Raises Cleanup Cost in Tennessee (Associated Press)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/us/02tennessee.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wildlife Hinders Wind Farm Strategy - Turbines not the obvious "winner" state initially thought (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090802/NEWS02/708029968/Wildlife+hinders+wind+farm+strategy

Sage Grouse Unlikely Focus Of Wyoming Wind Wars (Reuters)
http://in.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idINTRE5720AF20090803

Montana Wind Farm Taking Toll on Bats, Birds (Associated Press)
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_ef85f7f5-8bf2-5263-9915-5cd16c3cab6c.html

Oregon Governor Signals Intent to Veto Rollback of Wind Energy Tax Breaks “...They don't employ very many people and they send most of their power to California…” (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/07/kulongoski_signals_intent_to_v.html

$100 Million - Kittitas Solar Plant Could Be Super Expensive (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/408805_solarplant3.html?source=rss

Rep Inslee - House Will Get another Shot at Feed-In Tariffs (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/08/03/03greenwire-house-will-get-another-shot-at-feed-in-tariffs-70749.html

Offshore Windmills Hold Clean-Energy Promise (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/02/BA0Q18ABIT.DTL&feed=rss.news

Oregon – Port Of Morrow's Bio-Gen Power Plant Finds Buyer (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR)
http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=96068&SectionID=13&SubSectionID=48

Fargo Forum Editorial – Renewable Energy: The Power Co-Ops Should Quit Whining
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/248547/

The Transmission Question - There will be no magic involved in adding new renewable energy to the electricity mix (EnergyBiz Insider)
http://www.scoop.com/remote/article/include/104988765/53616c7465645f5ff99a2eb05b194f8087766c98003ea9a176e1be2836949b2d

Alaska – Home Wind Turbine Looks Good As Energy Costs Rise (Anchorage Daily News, AK)
http://www.adn.com/3221/story/884945.html

Weak Economy Makes Solar Panels More Affordable to Homeowners (LA Times)
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover-solar2-2009aug02,0,7808025.story

EPA Ranks Top 20 On-Site Green Power Producers (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/mnEnergy/idUS176651644220090731

Here’s the Top-20 List; two are in Oregon
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top20onsite.htm

Top 20 Local Government
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top20localgov.htm

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

$23 Million for Weatherization Work Spreads Across Washington State (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009584131_weatherize02m.html

Taking Energy Credit Where It's Due (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/business/story/668315.html

Feds Warn About Misleading Claims of Benefits from Energy-Saving Devices (Federal Trade Commission)
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/04/energysurf2002.shtm

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Duke Energy Elbows Co-ops for Carbon Permits in Climate Measure (Bloomberg News)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aQQH_8kliSTU

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Clean-Tech Is On the Rebound from a Steep Plunge in Investments (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12969563

Washington Post Op/Ed - Falling Behind On Green Tech
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/02/AR2009080201563.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Clearwire to Launch WiMAX in 10 U.S. Cities - The markets include Boise, Idaho; Bellingham, Wash. (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/08/03/clearwire-to-launch-wimax-in-10-u-s-cities-in-september/

Kitsap County Backs Out of Agreement for High-Tech Development near Kitsap Lake (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jul/30/county-backs-out-of-agreement-for-planned-near/

Cable Industry: Our Awesomeness Cannot Be Denied - NCTA says cable efforts have saved consumers $35 billion EVERY YEAR (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Cable-Industry-Our-Awesomeness-Cannot-Be-Denied-103702

GENERAL NEWS

Wildfire Contained In Mason County (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20259941/detail.html

Fires in Olympics Prompts More Trail Closures
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/aug/02/fires-in-olympics-prompts-more-trail-closures/?partner=RSS

Judge To Consider WaMu Exec's 'Golden Parachutes' (NW Cable News)
http://www.nwcn.com/topstories/stories/NW_080309WAB-wamu-golden-parachutes-SW.a3bdcbe8.html

Weyerhaeuser's Quarterly Loss Widens (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/31/business/AP-US-Earns-Weyerhaeuser.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Bank Teller Tackles Suspected Robber, Gets Canned (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/52271217.html

AP newsman Rory Marshall dead at 54 (Sorry to see this today in the SF Chronicle. I always liked sending feeds to Rory. He seemed like such a good guy.)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/02/national/a162757D47.DTL&feed=rss.business

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Raccoons Infest Storage Unit, and Company Won't Pay For Damage
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-thu-problem-public-storage-jul30,0,2048166.column

Phone Lost 4 Days At Sea Found, Recharged, Returned
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE56U4A920090731?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Ukuleles Have Gone Viral
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ukuleles25-2009jul25,0,5302658.story

New York Post Sends In the Clown – The Newspaper made the phrase “media circus” literal when it hired a clown to roam the corridors of the New York State Capitol
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/business/media/03clown.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

SONG OF THE DAY

Judy Collins - Send in the Clowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5yG1Dy5b4A

Roger Whittaker - Send in the Clowns (I like Roger Whittaker, but this version will haunt your dreams for weeks!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7TriKN-8i8