Energy News Digest for Setpember 9, 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)

• Hearings Set On NW Power Plan
• Yakima - Accident Leaves 1,450 without Power
• FERC-NERC-WECC - Chelan PUD to Pay $42,000 for Rule Violations
• State Pollution Board Upholds Energy Northwest Fine
• Fitch Affirms Arrowrock Hydroelectric Project Revenue Bonds at 'BBB+'
• A ‘Nuclear Renaissance’ Stumbles Forward
• Chesapeake CEO Convinced Compressed Natural Gas Popularity Will Grow
• Developing World's Energy Needs Set Stage for Fight
• Flores Hopes Fish Plan Sticks
• Idaho - Biologists to Release Sockeye into Redfish Lake
• Columbia River and Tributary Fish Checks
• British Columbia Bears Dying From Salmon Shortage
• Huge Squid Appear En Masse Around Clallam Bay/Sekiu
• Half of Fish Consumption Attributed to Aquaculture
• Montana - Restoration River: Unlocking Upper Clark Fork's Potential
• Entiat Sewage to Get Chelan PUD Boost
• Suntech Snubs Oregon
• Suntech Says Solar Demand Has Turned Up
• Bechtel to build solar plants for BrightSource
• States Sharing the Sea for Wind Industry
• How Do You Grow A Wind-Power Startup To Utility-Grade?
• Earth Talk - Compare Costs of Alternative Energy
• Pellet Stoves Have Positives and Negatives
• Naval Base Kitsap Facilities Recognized for Conservation
• ‘Smart Grid’ To Get Test
• San Francisco Green Buildings Standard Seen As Flawed
• Workshop Uses Power Of Faith To Save Energy
• At Last, an LED Bulb worth Talking About
• Energy Bill's Proponents Prepare Counterattack
• Coalition Launches Campaign to Pass Climate Bill
• Electric rates will increase
• Stimulus Money to Train Scientists to Store Carbon to Fight Global Warming
• Storing Carbon Dioxide Could Be Britain’s New Oil Industry
• Bid to Make ‘Green’ Palm Oil Advances
• Eugene Named A ‘Smarter City’
• Are Blackboards More Environmentally Friendly Than Whiteboards?
• Comcast Launches 100Mbps Business Service to Take on Telcos
• Connected Nation Bails on Kentucky
• Ex-Yahoo Executive to Lead AOL's E-Mail Effort
• For Green Data Centers, Tech Firms Pick Up Where LEED Left Off
• 28 Have Sought Life-Ending Prescriptions under Washington State Law
• Soaring Forest Service leases to drive families out of cabins they've had for generations
• Large Marijuana Grows Dangerous To Environment & Humans
• North Mason Chamber's Proposed Name Change Raises Eyebrows
• Challenges Facing Gorge Cities Mount
• Olympia Looks to Ease Traffic Congestion at Busiest Intersection
• State Department Contractor electrocuted in Iraqi shower
• Olympic National Park Will Be On New U.S. Quarter
• Bellingham Offers Key to "Daily Show" Host

WORD OF THE DAY

Solipsism • \SO-lup-siz-um \ • noun – A theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing; also: extreme egocentrism

Norbert’s pudgy fingers reached for another chocolate bon bon. “It’s good to the King,” he mused through his hazy, and all to frequent, bouts of solipsism. After the life-altering “bee in the motorcycle helmet” incident, Norbert sensed that he was the reincarnation of Louis the 14th of France…the “Sun King”, as ordained by God. His wife merely rolled her eyes and handed him another powdered wig.

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

Hearings Set On NW Power Plan (Idaho Business Review)
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2009/09/08/Hearings-set-on-NW-power-plan

Yakima - Accident Leaves 1,450 without Power; Truck Driver Cited (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/09/08/truck-snaps-utility-power-leaving-1-000-without-power

FERC-NERC-WECC - Chelan PUD to Pay $42,000 for Rule Violations “…Manager puts it succinctly, ‘“Not only have we seen a plethora of new regulations and standards coming out…these are being interpreted and developed ... right up to the day of the audit, in many cases.’” (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2009/sep/09/chelan-pud-to-pay-42000-for-rule-violations/

State Pollution Board Upholds Energy Northwest Fine (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009826558_webwaste08.html?syndication=rss

Fitch Affirms Arrowrock Hydroelectric Project Revenue Bonds at 'BBB+' (Yahoo! Finance)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fitch-Affirms-Boise-Kuna-bw-2662308920.html?x=0&.v=1

A ‘Nuclear Renaissance’ Stumbles Forward (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/a-nuclear-renaissance-stumbles-forward/

Chesapeake CEO Convinced Compressed Natural Gas Popularity Will Grow (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/08/financial/f145445D95.DTL&feed=rss.business

Developing World's Energy Needs Set Stage for Fight (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/08/AR2009090804019.html?nav=rss_email/components

FISH & WILDLIFE

Flores Hopes Fish Plan Sticks - Terry Flores is hoping the third time will be the charm for the Northwest Salmon Plan (Dalles Chronicle, OR)
http://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/2009/09/news09-0809-01.shtml

Idaho - Biologists to Release Sockeye into Redfish Lake (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/964770.html

Columbia River and Tributary Fish Checks (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2009827361_columbia_river_and_tributary_f.html

British Columbia Bears Dying From Salmon Shortage, Globe Says (Bloomberg News)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=a4Wi3OaH9XC0

Huge Squid Appear En Masse Around Clallam Bay/Sekiu -- Why? (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090909/news/309099988

Half of Fish Consumption Attributed to Aquaculture, Study Finds (Yale Environment 360)
http://e360.yale.edu/content/digest.msp?id=2044

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Montana - Restoration River: Unlocking Upper Clark Fork's Potential for Recreation, Wildlife (Missoulian, MT)
http://www.missoulian.com/news/local/article_edba697c-9c36-11de-8792-001cc4c03286.html

Entiat Sewage to Get Chelan PUD Boost (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2009/sep/09/entiat-sewage-to-get-pud-boost/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Suntech Snubs Oregon (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/09/07/daily8.html?ana=from_rss

Suntech Says Solar Demand Has Turned Up (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5874TB20090908

Bechtel to build solar plants for BrightSource (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/09/BUPE19K87F.DTL&feed=rss.business

States Sharing the Sea for Wind Industry (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/09/09/09climatewire-states-sharing-the-sea-for-wind-industry-58551.html

How Do You Grow A Wind-Power Startup To Utility-Grade? (Massachusetts High Tech)
http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2009/09/07/weekly9-How-do-you-grow-a-wind-power-startup-to-utility-grade.html

Earth Talk - Compare Costs of Alternative Energy: Is it better to go with your utility's renewable power option or install your own solar or wind power? (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/09/08/earth-talk-compare-costs-of-alternative-energy/

Pellet Stoves Have Positives and Negatives (KYTV-TV, Springfield, MO)
http://www.ky3.com/news/contactky3reports/57716177.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Naval Base Kitsap Facilities Recognized for Conservation (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/09/naval-base-kitsap-facilities-recognized-for/

‘Smart Grid’ To Get Test - Led by Battelle, utilities will incorporate tools to better manage electricity use (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/sep/09/smart-grid-to-get-test/

San Francisco Green Buildings Standard Seen As Flawed (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/09/BU1A19K7LM.DTL&feed=rss.business

Workshop Uses Power Of Faith To Save Energy - Cool Congregations shows how people can cut their carbon footprint (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/19842902-46/story.csp#ID:19842902

At Last, an LED Bulb worth Talking About - Other LEDs disappoint, but the new bulb from Philips has the power to drag low-carbon spotlights out of the shadows (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/sep/09/led-light-bulb

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Energy Bill's Proponents Prepare Counterattack - While Washington focuses on health care, another battle looms in the Senate for carbon cap-and-trade legislation (BusinessWeek)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32757053/ns/business-businessweekcom/

Coalition Launches Campaign to Pass Climate Bill (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/08/AR2009090802295.html?wprss=rss_business

Electric rates will increase (Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD)
http://www.argusleader.com/article/20090909/VOICES09/909090319/1057/COLUMNISTS

Stimulus Money to Train Scientists to Store Carbon to Fight Global Warming (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/09/stimulus_money_to_train_scient.html

Storing Carbon Dioxide Could Be Britain’s New Oil Industry (Times of London, UK)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/earth-environment/article6826737.ece

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Bid to Make ‘Green’ Palm Oil Advances (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/business/energy-environment/10palm.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Eugene Named A ‘Smarter City’ - A group ranks the leaders high in the “environmental vanguard’’ (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/19846539-46/story.csp#ID:19846539

Are Blackboards More Environmentally Friendly Than Whiteboards? (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2227692/?from=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Comcast Launches 100Mbps Business Service to Take on Telcos (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/09/08/comcast-launches-100mbps-business-service-to-take-on-telcos/

Connected Nation Bails on Kentucky - After state demands too much of the organization (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Connected-Nation-Bails-On-Kentucky-104356

Ex-Yahoo Executive to Lead AOL's E-Mail Effort (Associated Press)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/08/AR2009090803219.html?wprss=rss_technology

For Green Data Centers, Tech Firms Pick Up Where LEED Left Off (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/09/08/for-green-data-centers-tech-firms-pick-up-where-leed-left-off/

GENERAL NEWS

28 Have Sought Life-Ending Prescriptions Under Washington State Law (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009827702_death09m.html

Soaring Forest Service leases to drive families out of cabins they've had for generations (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/traveloutdoors/2009827693_cabin09m.html?syndication=rss

Large Marijuana Grows Dangerous To Environment & Humans (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11096117

North Mason Chamber's Proposed Name Change Raises Eyebrows (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/08/north-mason-chambers-proposed-name-change-raises/?partner=RSS

Challenges Facing Gorge Cities Mount - Mixed messages abound at first-ever bi-state gathering (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090909/NEWS02/709099958/

Olympia Looks to Ease Traffic Congestion at Busiest Intersection (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/871211.html

State Department Contractor electrocuted in Iraqi shower (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/08/national/w150306D79.DTL&feed=rss.business

Olympic National Park Will Be On New U.S. Quarter (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/09/07/daily15.html?ana=from_rss

Bellingham Offers Key to "Daily Show" Host (Associated Press)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_090909WAB-AP-bellingham-key-jon-stewart-LJ.16274cc85.html?rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Owners Say Horses Indicate Early Winter
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20794400/detail.html

Fanboys Rejoice - Tolkien Settlement Clears Way for 'Hobbit' Movies
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13291548

Police: Robber Returned To Ask Victim Out
http://www.kirotv.com/money/20798748/detail.html

Vermont Group Tries To Take Chili's Pepper Sign
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20793784/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Otis Redding – Respect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JGJXmpKGXY

Aretha Franklin – Respect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0XAI-PFQcA