Energy News Digest for September 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)

• Pacific Northwest Power Panel Backs Energy-Saving Ideas
• Pacific Northwest power plan would boost region's electricity conservation
• Billings Natural-Gas-Fired Power Plant Gains Tentative Air Permit Nod
• Oregon Senator Meets with Leaders to Talk About Minidoka Dam Repairs
• Kootenai Electric Cooperative Considers Rate Hike
• North Carolina - Rate-Hike Opponents Want Duke Energy’s Cliffside Plant Halted
• State Reopens Hood Canal Beach to Shellfishing
• Lewiston, Idaho Remains against Breaching Dams
• Chinook Salmon Are Moving Into Improved Nooksack River Channel
• Rainy Forks Running Low On Water
• Chehalis Developer Charged With Filling Wetlands
• Fate of Capital Lake in Hands of State
• Feds: California Water Crisis Isn't Washington's Fault
• Proposed Wind Power Project Deemed Safe for Wildlife
• PUD 3 a Participant - Proposed Pacific County Wind Power Project Deemed Safe for Wildlife
• Oregon Tribes Explore Wind Power
• California Renewable-Power Fight at Crossroads
• Illinois - Indifference, Uncertainty Meeting Wind Farms
• Massachusetts - Power Struggle Looms in Plans to Regulate Wind Turbines at Sea
• Renewable Energy, Meet the New Nimbys
• Chinese Solar Company Comes To Richland
• Nevada - Solar Isn’t Powering Local Budgets
• Arctic Reverses Trend, Is Warmest In Two Millennia
• Global Warming Could Forestall Ice Age
• Droplets of Seawater: A Global Warming Solution?
• Talk of China's Green Revolution Belies Its Voracious Energy Grab
• Nebraska - City Hires ‘Green' Official
• Happy 40th Birthday, Internet
• U.S. Broadband Growth Continues to Slow
• Will Google or Cisco Determine Our Future Broadband Networks?
• Cool, Wet Weekend Forecast For Western Washington
• Vandals Topple Everett Radio Towers
• Olympia’s KGY Braces for Possible Move

WORD OF THE DAY

Comminute • \KAH-muh-noot\ • verb - To reduce to minute particles: pulverize

Doing a modified version of “The Twist” Abercrombie comminuted the seemingly losing lotto ticket to dust. I think you know…..the rest --- of --- the --- story.

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

Pacific Northwest Power Panel Backs Energy-Saving Ideas (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009803466_northwestpower04.html?syndication=rss

Pacific Northwest power plan would boost region's electricity conservation (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/09/northwest_power_plan_would_boo.html

Billings Natural-Gas-Fired Power Plant Gains Tentative Air Permit Nod (Great Falls Tribune, MT)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090904/NEWS01/909040315/Natural-gas-fired+power+plant+gains+tentative+air+permit+nod

Oregon Senator Meets with Leaders to Talk About Minidoka Dam Repairs (KMVT-TV, Twin Falls, ID)
http://www.kmvt.com/news/local/57118767.html

Kootenai Electric Cooperative considers rate hike (Coeur d’Alene Press, ID)
http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2009/09/04/business/bus01.txt

North Carolina - Rate-Hike Opponents Want Duke Energy’s Cliffside Plant Halted (Triangle Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/08/31/daily51.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

State Reopens Hood Canal Beach to Shellfishing (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/03/state-reopens-beach-shellfishing/

Lewiston, Idaho Remains against Breaching Dams (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=18328

Chinook Salmon Are Moving Into Improved Nooksack River Channel (Bellingham Herald, WA)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/1054725.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Rainy Forks Running Low On Water; Officials Urge Conservation (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090904/news/309049991

Chehalis Developer Charged With Filling Wetlands (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/959471.html

Fate of Capital Lake in Hands of State - Lake or Estuary? Funding issues might stall progress, sway choice, but it is years in the making (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/959912.html

Feds: California Water Crisis Isn't Washington's Fault (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2200843~Feds__Calif__water_crisis_isn_t_Washington_s_fault.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Proposed Wind Power Project Deemed Safe for Wildlife (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)
http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=872

PUD 3 a Participant - Proposed Pacific County Wind Power Project Deemed Safe for Wildlife (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=590

Oregon Tribes Explore Wind Power (Oregon Business)
http://www.oregonbusiness.com/articles/69-september-2009/2176-tribes-explore-wind-power

California Renewable-Power Fight at Crossroads (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/04/BU5K19HH3E.DTL

Illinois - Indifference, Uncertainty Meeting Wind Farms (Morris Daily Herald, IL)
http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2009/09/03/38689994/index.xml

Massachusetts - Power Struggle Looms in Plans to Regulate Wind Turbines at Sea (Martha’s Vineyard Gazette, MA)
http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?22845

Renewable Energy, Meet the New Nimbys - Solar and Wind-Power Proposals Draw Opposition from Residents Fearing Visual Blight; a Dilemma for Some Environmentalists (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125201834987684787.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us

Chinese Solar Company Comes To Richland (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11044666

Nevada - Solar Isn’t Powering Local Budgets: But that could change with legislation that would force some lease revenue to be diverted to states, counties (Las Vegas Sun, NV)
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/04/solar-isnt-powering-local-budgets/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Arctic Reverses Trend, Is Warmest In Two Millennia (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009800788_apussciarcticwarming.html?syndication=rss

Global Warming Could Forestall Ice Age (NY Times – I think the editors were in a hurry when they wrote this headline)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/science/earth/04arctic.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Droplets of Seawater: A Global Warming Solution? (Wall Street Journal)
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/09/03/droplets-of-seawater-a-global-warming-solution/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Talk of China's Green Revolution Belies Its Voracious Energy Grab (The Telegram, UK)
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/rowenamason/100000797/talk-of-chinas-green-revolution-belies-its-voracious-energy-grab/

Nebraska - City Hires ‘Green' Official (Omaha World-Herald, NE)
http://www.omaha.com/article/20090903/NEWS01/709039828

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Happy 40th Birthday, Internet - Today marks the Internet's 40th birthday (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/178164.asp?source=pimail

U.S. Broadband Growth Continues to Slow (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/09/03/u-s-broadband-growth-continues-to-slow/

Will Google or Cisco Determine Our Future Broadband Networks? (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/09/03/will-google-or-cisco-determine-our-future-broadband-networks/

GENERAL NEWS

Cool, Wet Weekend Forecast For Western Washington (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009807190_apwalabordayweather.html?syndication=rss

Vandals Topple Everett Radio Towers (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_090409WAB_radio-towers-toppled-JM.14867d96a.html?rss?npc

Olympia’s KGY Braces for Possible Move - Station is busy boosting revenue in case port's plan forces it from waterfront home (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/959931.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Ex-Con Injured Sneaking Back Into Jail
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20690419/detail.html

Frivolous Lawsuit Critic Sues Sacramento Over Towing Of Vehicle
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2159806.html

Montana Officer Resigns Over Facebook Comments
http://www.examiner.com/a-2201432~Montana_officer_resigns_over_Facebook_comments.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines

Salmon Creek Alligator Caught
http://columbian.com/article/20090903/NEWS02/709049962/

This Is Just Sad - Want Facebook Friends? This Company Will Sell You Some
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13262859

SONG OF THE DAY

Jimmy Buffett - Come Monday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nqQUpH3cDk&feature=related