Energy News Digest for August 4, 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)

• Lawsuits Filed Over 2007 Egg Drop Accident - Avista worker died
• BPA Proposes Reduced Rate to Port Townsend Paper Mill
• Power Costs Could Go Up (23 Percent) In Eastern Oregon
• Chelan PUD Strikes 3-Year Deal with Union
• Clallam PUD Approves Bid for Carlsborg Warehouse
• Portland General Electric’s Second Quarter Revenue, Profits Decline
• BPA Invites Feedback on Proposed Transmission Line Replacement Project at Grand Coulee Dam
• Environment, Economy - TVA Posts $167M Loss in Third Quarter
• Without Nuclear Power & "Clean Coal," Cost to Meet Emissions Goal Could Double
• Kansas - Lawsuit Seeks Coal Plant Review
• Salmon Bill Would Put Removal of Snake River Dams Back on Table
• US Senator Mike Crapo - Salmon Tour to Showcase Efforts for Endangered Fish & Local Economy
• Record Rainbow Yanked From Snake River
• Orting Hatchery Coming Back To Life
• Hatchery Staff Battled To Save Salmon Fry
• Kootenai Tribe Restoring Sturgeon Habitat
• The War on Seagulls Continues At State Ferry Terminals
• California - Sea Lions Swarm Long-Abandoned Seal Rocks
• Oysters Are on the Rebound in the Chesapeake Bay
• Giant Vortex Of Floating Trash Swirling In Pacific
• Sun Will Help Power Nine Portland Schools
• LEDs: As Energy Efficient as Compact Fluorescents
• The Smart Grid: Is It Worth It?
• Scenarios: Fate of Climate Change Bill in Congress
• Greenhouse Gas Legislation - Congressional Research Reports
• Nobel Halo Fades Fast for Climate Change Panel
• Water Waste Shame of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Company
• Washington State Gov’t Data Center Plan Moves Ahead
• FCC Chair Touts Broadband as Top Priority
• The Struggle to Stay Wired, in a Hotel Room or a Crisis
• Microsoft's Bing Gains Another 1 Percent of U.S. Search
• Help Arrives To Help Battle Olympic National Park Fires
• Brush Fire in Shelton Quickly Controlled
• Hoquiam mill reopens after 8 months
• More Time to Comment on Shelton/Mason County U-G-A Agreement
• Typo Turns Woman's Life Upside Down

WORD OF THE DAY

Cimmerian • \sih-MEER-ee-un\ • adjective – Very dark or gloomy

It was late…too late. Francis was tip-toeing through the living room of his house, trying to grope his way through the Cimmerian darkness towards the bedroom. His hopes to slide into bed without waking his wife failed miserably as his tender, bare foot came down hard on one of his childrens’ wayward Lego blocks. The resulting screams woke not only his wife, but the neighbors on either side of the home.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & 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

Lawsuits Filed Over 2007 Egg Drop Accident - Avista worker died during school lesson in Othello (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/08/03/news/doc4a77769f37850297095314.txt

Bonneville Power Administration Proposes Reduced Rate to Port Townsend Paper Mill (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090804/news/308049989

Power Costs Could Go Up (23 Percent) In Eastern Oregon (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/07/27/daily64.html?ana=from_rss

Chelan PUD Strikes 3-Year Deal with Union (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090803/NEWS04/708039904/1001/NEWS04

Clallam PUD Approves Bid for Carlsborg Warehouse (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090804/news/308049995

Portland General Electric’s Second Quarter Revenue, Profits Decline (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/08/03/daily4.html?ana=from_rss

BPA Invites Public to Provide Feedback on Proposed Transmission Line Replacement Project at Grand Coulee Dam (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/297879/

Environment, Economy - TVA Posts $167M Loss in Third Quarter (Memphis Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2009/08/03/daily3.html?ana=from_rss

Without Nuclear Power & "Clean Coal," Cost To Meet Emissions Goal Could Double (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/03/BULF193ADP.DTL&feed=rss.business

Kansas - Lawsuit Seeks Coal Plant Review (Topeka Capital Journal)
http://www.cjonline.com/news/state_government/2009-08-03/lawsuit_seeks_coal_plant_review

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon Bill Would Put Removal of Snake River Dams Back on Table (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/08/salmon_bill_would_put_removal.html

US Senator Mike Crapo - Salmon Tour to Showcase Efforts For Endangered Fish & Local Economy: Watershed project shows funding, partnerships working (US Senator Mike Crapo, Idaho)
http://crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/release_full.cfm?id=233106

Record Rainbow Yanked From Snake River (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/929890.html

Orting Hatchery Coming Back To Life (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/832881.html

Hatchery Staff Battled To Save Salmon Fry (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/832883.html

Kootenai Tribe Restoring Sturgeon Habitat (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/929195.html

The War on Seagulls Continues At State Ferry Terminals (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009593739_seagulls04m.html

California - Sea Lions Swarm Long-Abandoned Seal Rocks (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/03/MN111910I2.DTL&feed=rss.news

Oysters Are on the Rebound in the Chesapeake Bay (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/science/04oyster.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Giant Vortex Of Floating Trash Swirling In Pacific (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009593728_garbage04.html?syndication=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Sun Will Help Power Nine Portland Schools (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/08/sun_will_help_power_nine_portl.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

LEDs: As Energy Efficient as Compact Fluorescents (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/leds-as-energy-efficient-as-compact-fluorescents/?partner=rss&emc=rss

The Smart Grid: Is It Worth It? (Energy Pulse Commentary)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=2117

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Scenarios: Fate of Climate Change Bill in Congress (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed7/idUSTRE5724HX20090803

Greenhouse Gas Legislation: Summary & Analysis of H.R. 2454 as Passed by the House of Representatives (Congressional Research Reports)
http://opencrs.com/document/R40643/

Nobel Halo Fades Fast for Climate Change Panel (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/science/earth/04clima.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Water Waste Shame of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Company (Wandsworth Guardian, UK)
http://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/4521700.Water_waste_shame_of_eco_friendly_ice_cream_company/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Washington State Gov’t Data Center Plan Moves Ahead - $180 million piece of project ignores state’s technology problem, says legislator (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/929723.html

FCC Chair Touts Broadband as Top Priority (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12985485

The Struggle to Stay Wired, in a Hotel Room or a Crisis (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/business/04road.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Microsoft's Bing Gains Another 1 Percent of U.S. Search (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE57222G20090803?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

GENERAL NEWS

Help Arrives To Help Battle Olympic National Park Fires (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090804/NEWS/308049997

Brush Fire in Shelton Quickly Controlled (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7951/reftab/1896/t/BRUSH-FIRE-IN-SHELTON-QUICKLY-CONTROLED/Default.aspx

Hoquiam mill reopens after 8 months (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_080309WAB-hoquiam-plywood-mill-TP.a4d1bbc1.html?rss

More Time to Comment on Shelton/Mason County U-G-A Agreement (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7950/reftab/1896/t/MORE-TIME-TO-COMMENT-ON-SHELTON-U-G-A-AGREEMENT/Default.aspx

Typo Turns Woman's Life Upside Down (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/money/20267306/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_7am&tmi=sea_7am_1_09000108042009&ts=H

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Jobless NYC Woman Sues College for $70K in Tuition
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090803/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_jobless_grad_sues;_ylt=Aq2PS6qkBb7i4FTYqENObpTtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ0aGt0aWMyBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwODAzL3VzX29kZF9qb2JsZXNzX2dyYWRfc3VlcwRjcG9zAzUEcG9zAzIEc2VjA3luX2hlYWRsaW5lX2xpc3QEc2xrA2pvYmxlc3NueWN3bw--

Mother Finds Own Child for Sale Online
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20263403/detail.html

Vermont Says Man Must Give Up Pet Moose
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20236771/detail.html

Oregon Park Dropping Torture Reference From Name - Switching the name from Lloyd Knox Water Board Park to simply Lloyd Knox Park
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/52433467.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Chicago - Saturday in the Park
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWxA3e9f6rY