Energy News Digest for September 8, 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)

• North Korea Opens Dams; Six Missing In Resulting Flooding
• South Korea Demands Apology from North over Dam Incident
• Editorial - Permit For Montana Gas-Fired Plant Good News For Energy Future
• Editorial - It's Time for More Clarity on Great Falls' Utility Venture
• Natural Gas Hits a Roadblock in New Energy Bill
• Texas - Bills To Rise Without Nuke Investment
• Volkswagen Plans to Sell Domestic Gas Fired Power Plants for Homes
• Charging Customers to Mail Their Bills Makes Some Mad
• Baltimore Gas & Electric Plan to Divulge Customer Information under Fire
• Pennsylvania - Utilities' Smart Meters Save Money, But Erode Privacy
• Stock Market Batters Constellation Energy Fund to Close Nuke Plants
• Op/Ed - Electricity Deregulation Gives Alberta Consumers More Choices
• Smart-Grid Competition Heats Up With Involvement of Telecom Technology
• Op/Ed - Gordon Smith: Common ground can preserve green energy, salmon & jobs
• No Answers in British Columbia’s Sudden Salmon Collapse
• West Coast Fishermen Embark On New Wave Of Fishing
• Chilean Fish Virus Boosts British Columbia Salmon Prices
• Yakima - Removal of Cowiche Creek Diversion Dams A Boon to Fish
• Drought-Stricken Streams Threaten California Salmon
• Op/Ed - How Fishing Can Aid Wild Salmon
• Two Tunneling Machines on Brightwater Sewer Project Are Damaged
• Dams, Water Conservation at Issue in Water Reform
• Wyoming Community Blames Oil & Gas Well ‘Fracking’ For Water Woes
• Northwest Kayakers Descend Tieton River during Fall Dam Releases
• Editorial - A Second Wind Is Needed On Climate & Energy Bill
• TransAlta’s Canadian Wind Farm Fire Source Remains Mystery
• Researchers Look for Ways to Eliminate Bird, Bat Deaths from Wind Turbines
• Study Finds Risk to Some Birds Nesting Near Oil Fields in Alaska
• Op/Ed - Windmills Are Killing Our Birds: One standard for oil companies, another for green energy sources
• Idaho Charter School Uses Turbine as Teaching Tool
• Developer: Colorado Wind Farm Will Feed Power into California
• Cantwell: US, China Must Cooperate On Clean Energy
• Seeds for Change - Rural Electric Co-Ops & Renewable Energy
• North Carolina Utilities Squawk at Deal to Buy Chicken-Waste Power
• Renewables Impact on the Grid? Answers from Telecom History
• Recycling Fridge Could Win You an Organized Garage Courtesy of Tacoma Power
• Bellingham Cold Storage Project Saves Power
• Recession Pushes Businesses to Rethink, Curtail Energy Usage
• California State Fees on Greenhouse Gas Output Could Be Near
• Portland, Seattle among Top 10 Green Cities in the World
• Obama 'Green Jobs' Adviser Quits Amid Controversy
• Energy Makeover Illustrates Potential of Green Job
• Editorial - Finally, Investors Are Choosing Green Industry
• Demand Heavy For Broadband Stimulus Funds
• Tulalip.Com? Tribes Aim To Enter Telecom Biz
• Cable Makes Big Push for Tax on Satellite TV
• Rains Soak Olympic National Park Fires
• Satsop, Ten Years down The Road
• Satsop: Company Realizes Potential in Massive Former Turbine Building
• Legends Casino Facing Hefty Fine
• For Sale: Centralia Post Office, Slightly Used
• Stealing Headlines: Hartford Courant Competitors Seethe over Web Site

WORD OF THE DAY

Marmoreal • \marh-MOR-ee-ul\ • adjective - Of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue especially in coldness or aloofness

Daphne’s beauty was stunning. As she glided through the cubicles on her way to the corner office every gopher’s head turned to follow her progress. Her one flaw was the marmoreal air with which she treated her office mates. “O Pygmalion, become flesh and leave your stony bearing,” wailed one of her suitors…but his pleas were all for naught.

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

North Korea Opens Dams; Six Missing In Resulting Flooding (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009818720_flood07.html?syndication=rss

South Korea Demands Apology from North over Dam Incident (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/world/asia/09korea.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Great Falls Tribune Editorial - Permit for Montana Gas-Fired Plant Good News for Energy Future
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090906/OPINION01/909060304/Permit+for+gas-fired+plant+good+news+for+energy+future

Great Falls Tribune Editorial - It's Time for More Clarity on Great Falls' Utility Venture
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090908/OPINION01/909080304/It+s+time+for+more+clarity+on+Great+Falls++utility+venture

Natural Gas Hits A Roadblock In New Energy Bill (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/07/business/07gas.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Texas - Bills To Rise Without Nuke Investment (San Antonio Express News, TX)
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/57578942.html

Volkswagen Plans to Sell Domestic Gas Fired Power Plants for Homes (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=368778&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Charging Customers to Mail Their Bills Makes Some Mad (Oregonian)
http://blog.oregonlive.com/complaintdesk/2009/09/charging_customers_to_mail_the.html

Baltimore Gas & Electric Plan to Divulge Customer Information under Fire (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/09/07/story9.html?ana=from_rss

Pennsylvania - Utilities' Smart Meters Save Money, But Erode Privacy (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA)
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20090906_Utilities__smart_meters_save_money__but_erode_privacy.html

Stock Market Batters Constellation Energy Fund to Close Nuke Plants (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/09/07/story8.html?ana=from_rss

Edmonton Journal Op/Ed - Electricity Deregulation Gives Alberta Consumers More Choices
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Electricity+deregulation+gives+Alberta+consumers+more+choices/1969063/story.html

Smart-Grid Competition Heats Up With Involvement of Telecom Technology (Bloomberg News)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009813989_smartgrid06.html?syndication=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

East Oregonian Op/Ed - Gordon Smith: Common Ground Can Preserve Green Energy, Salmon & Jobs “…Removal of the Snake River dams would devastate the region & further damage a fragile economy by hampering commerce for Northwest farmers & shippers, raising electricity rates for small businesses & citizens of the Northwest & increasing the region's carbon emissions….”
http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=14&SubSectionID=50&ArticleID=97445&TM=19714.59

No Answers in British Columbia’s Sudden Salmon Collapse (Globe & Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/no-answers-in-bcs-sudden-salmon-collapse/article1277846/

West Coast Fishermen Embark On New Wave Of Fishing (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009812996_apusfishingcatchshare.html?syndication=rss

Chilean Fish Virus Boosts British Columbia Salmon Prices (Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.vancouversun.com/Chilean+fish+virus+boosts+salmon+prices/1970231/story.html

Yakima - Removal of Cowiche Creek Diversion Dams A Boon to Fish (Yakima Herald-Republic)
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/09/05/removal-of-cowiche-creek-diversion-dams-a-boon-to-fish

Drought-Stricken Streams Threaten California Salmon (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2204341~Drought_stricken_streams_threaten_Calif__salmon.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Daily News Op/Ed - How Fishing Can Aid Wild Salmon
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/09/06/readers/doc4aa40ae425b14116057185.txt

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Two Tunneling Machines on Brightwater Sewer Project Are Damaged — and 300 Feet Deep (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009822764_brightwater08m.html?syndication=rss

Dams, Water Conservation at Issue in Water Reform (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2166129.html

Wyoming Community Blames Oil & Gas Well ‘Fracking’ For Water Woes (Associated Press – And I thought Frack was a “Battlestar Galactica” curse word…)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/06/financial/f133957D60.DTL&feed=rss.business

Northwest Kayakers Descend Tieton River during Fall Dam Releases (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/5760-northwest-kayakers-descend-tieton-river-during-fall-dam-releases/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregonian Editorial - A Second Wind Is Needed On Climate & Energy Bill
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/09/a_second_wind_is_needed_on_cli.html

TransAlta’s Canadian Wind Farm Fire Source Remains Mystery (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/09/08/nb-wind-farm-fire-investigation-607.html

Researchers Look for Ways to Eliminate Bird, Bat Deaths from Wind Turbines (Vermont Public Radio)
http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/85746/

Study Finds Risk to Some Birds Nesting Near Oil Fields in Alaska (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/science/08bird.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Wall Street Journal Op/Ed - Windmills Are Killing Our Birds: One standard for oil companies, another for green energy sources
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203706604574376543308399048.html

Idaho Charter School Uses Turbine as Teaching Tool (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/963071.html

Developer: Colorado Wind Farm Will Feed Power into California (SNL Interactive)
http://www.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-10010918-15662

Cantwell: US, China Must Cooperate On Clean Energy (Associated Press)
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/09/07/business-as-china-us-clean-energy_6854214.html

Seeds for Change - Rural Electric Co-Ops Have Lagged Behind Other Utilities In Shifting To Alternative Energy. That's starting to change (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204619004574320094291018298.html

North Carolina Utilities Squawk at Deal to Buy Chicken-Waste Power (Charlotte Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/09/07/story13.html?ana=from_rss

Renewables Impact on the Grid? Answers from Telecom History (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/09/renewables-impact-on-the-grid-answers-from-telecom-history?cmpid=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Recycling Fridge Could Win You an Organized Garage Courtesy of Tacoma Power (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/870900.html

Bellingham Cold Storage Project Saves Power (Bellingham Herald, WA)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/602/story/1056084.html

Recession Pushes Businesses to Rethink, Curtail Energy Usage (Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2009/09/07/focus5.html?ana=from_rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California State Fees on Greenhouse Gas Output Could Be Near (San Diego Union Tribune, CA)
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/sep/06/state-fees-greenhouse-gas-output-could-be-near/?california&zIndex=161390

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Portland, Seattle among Top 10 Green Cities in the World (People’s Daily, China)
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/92900/6751296.html

Obama 'Green Jobs' Adviser Quits Amid Controversy (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5itKcwMMlf6EtyLvYW9VjF2xcVK7gD9AHR9NG0

Energy Makeover Illustrates Potential of Green Jobs (Salt Lake Tribune, UT)
http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_13278176

San Jose Mercury News Editorial - Finally, Investors Are Choosing Green Industry
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_13282902

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Demand Heavy for Broadband Stimulus Funds (Business First Of Buffalo)
http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/09/07/story3.html?ana=from_rss

Tulalip.Com? Tribes Aim to Enter Telecom Biz (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/09/07/story2.html?ana=from_rss

Cable Makes Big Push for Tax on Satellite TV (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/07/BUSR19HTB7.DTL&feed=rss.business

GENERAL NEWS

Rains Soak Olympic National Park Fires (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20776901/detail.html

Satsop, Ten Years down The Road (Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/09/07/local_news/doc4aa4559e67fbb156119054.txt

Satsop: Company Realizes Potential in Massive Former Turbine Building on Fuller Hill (Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/09/07/local_news/doc4aa457e67be15773960722.txt

Legends Casino Facing Hefty Fine (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11082664

For Sale: Centralia Post Office, Slightly Used (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/sep/05/sale-post-office-slightly-used/

Hartford Courant Competitors Seethe over Web Site – Courant “aggregating” content from local competitors & republishing it (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/04/financial/f120900D48.DTL&feed=rss.business

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

McDonald's Loses Fight against McCurry Indian Restaurant
http://www.kirotv.com/money/20787740/detail.html

Girl Poses As 71-Year-Old to Save On Tuition
http://www.kirotv.com/money/20711308/detail.html

Pennsylvania Man Fires Cannon, Hits Neighbor's House
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20723866/detail.html

Man Allegedly Calls 911 to Say He's Hungry
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20709803/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Bing Crosby - Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eih67rlGNhU