Energy News Digest for October 27, 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 Seeks Help Determining Route of New SW Washington Transmission Line
• BPA Plans Line Route through Clark County
• Wyoming Governor Talks Energy with Western Lawmakers
• Portland General Electric Seeks Energy Production Partners
• When Are Those ‘Smart Meters’ Going To Start Paying Off?
• Millions of Homes to Get Smart Meters
• North Dakota Electric Settlement Includes Customer Refund
• California - Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant Ends Decommissioning
• FERC Chairman Offers Capital Hill Briefing on Competitive Electricity Markets
• Lack of Competition? - Critics Blame Higher Power Bills on Michigan Law
• Utility Group Spent $2.7M Lobbying Government in 3Q
• Fish Managers Plan to Stock Boise River with Steelhead
• Oregon - Handmade Fish Ladder Helps Fish
• Capitol Forest - After Salmon Seen, DNR Closes Trail Early
• 22 Fish You Mustn’t Eat
• Fish Signs Are Community Art Project in Arlington
• Westport Gets Proactive With Sea Lions
• City of Shelton Closing in on Sewer Rate Increase
• Coastal Algae Bloom: ‘It’s Like an Oil Spill, Without the Oil’
• Study Shows Portland Harbor Contamination Poses Risk to Humans, Environment
• Of Farms, Folks & Fish - A truce in California’s long & bitter fight over water
• Sacramento Tells Nestle: Stop Building Bottled Water Plant
• Water Use by Solar Projects Intensifies
• Pacific Gas & Electric to buy power from desert solar project
• California Utility Wants More Solar From Customers
• Solar: German Subsidy Update
• Transmission Deficit - Kansas Wind Energy Suffers a Blow
• The Wind Farm industry in New York State: Capped?
• Op/Ed - California Must Commit To More Renewable Energy
• Missouri - Hydroelectric Project on Mississippi River Won’t Include Hannibal
• 30 States Could Meet Power Needs with Renewable Energy
• Puget Sound Energy’s “Rock the Bulb” goes to 11!
• Southern Cal Edison Encourages Customers to Slay “Energy Vampires” This Halloween
• Statisticians Reject Global Cooling
• At Google, Chu Announces Grants for ‘Out-Of-The-Box’ Global Warming Projects
• Arkansas Energy Companies Make Case for Climate Bill
• Green Hotel Rooms: South Carolina Launching Green Hospitality Group
• How Bad Should I Feel About Taking Hot Showers?
• Mason PUD 3 Fiber Network - Economic Development Rides Light Waves on Lynch Road
• Lynch Road Businesses to Benefit From PUD. 3 Fiber
• Op/Ed - Washington View: High-Tech Poised to Lead Washington to Economic Recovery
• Google Voice ‘Lite’ — No New Number Required
• Top 10 E-mail Blunders of 2009, So Far
• Storm Brings Some Flooding, First Significant Mountain Snow
• Accusation: Seattle Quake Video Is ‘Fear-Mongering’
• Wayward Pilots Say They Were Working On Their Laptops
• Washington State Spends About Half-Billion in Stimulus
• Fire Marshal Says Change Smoke Alarm Batteries
• Sacramento Bee Finds State of California Buys Vehicles, Then Lets Them Sit Idle
• ‘Twilight’ Phenomenon Both Blessing, Curse for Forks

WORD OF THE DAY

Sanguine • \SAN-gwinn\ • adjective – 1: bloodred 2a: consisting of or relating to blood b: bloodthirsty, sanguinary c: of the complexion: ruddy 3: having blood as the predominating bodily humor; also: having the bodily conformation & temperament held characteristic of such predominance & marked by sturdiness, high color, & cheerfulness 4: confident, optimistic

Santa Claus was a jolly old elf. His sanguine nature made all who were touched by his presence better people. That is, except when he thundered about “Christmas Creep”. “Those retailers need to extend their holiday season to the entire year,” he blustered. “Christmas isn’t just one day a year, it should be celebrated in our hearts every day!”

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

BPA Seeks Help Determining Route of New SW Washington Transmission Line (Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/10/26/top_story/doc4ae677a675542187686347.txt

BPA Plans Line Route through Clark County - Agency hopes to avoid taking homes while easing congested transmission (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20091027/NEWS02/710279964/

Wyoming Governor Talks Energy with Western Lawmakers (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11386628

Portland General Electric Seeks Energy Production Partners (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/6085-pge-seeks-energy-production-partners/

When Are Those ‘Smart Meters’ Going To Start Paying Off? (Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://blogs.chron.com/newswatchenergy/archives/2009/10/when_are_those.html

Millions of Homes to Get Smart Meters - Government announces $3.4 billion in grants to help pay for 18 million meters as part of stimulus plan (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/27/news/economy/smart_grid/?postversion=2009102706

North Dakota Electric Settlement Includes Customer Refund (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010140003_apusottertailelectricrates.html?syndication=rss

California - Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant Ends Decommissioning (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=370365&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

FERC Chairman Offers Capital Hill Briefing on Competitive Electricity Markets “…markets will help us meet our carbon targets & reduce our overall carbon footprint…markets will deliver the most cost effective solutions when policies [promoting renewable energy production] come about…” (Electric Light & Power – “…all while balancing an egg on a spoon!...”)
http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display/8417898921/articles/electric-light-power/policy-and_regulation/2009/10/ferc-chairman_offers.html

Lack of Competition? - Critics Blame Higher Power Bills on Michigan Law (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/27/financial/f083327D51.DTL&feed=rss.business

Utility Group Spent $2.7M Lobbying Government in 3Q (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010145306_apusedisonelectriclobbying.html?syndication=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Fish Managers Plan to Stock Boise River with Steelhead (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/1015878.html

Oregon - Handmade Fish Ladder Helps Fish (Mail Tribune, Medford, OR)
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20091026%2FNEWS%2F910260304%2F-1%2Frss01

Capitol Forest - After Salmon Seen, DNR Closes Trail Early (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1015618.html

22 Fish You Mustn’t Eat (EcoWorldly)
http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/27/22-fish-you-mustnt-eat/

Fish Signs Are Community Art Project in Arlington (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11384685

Westport Gets Proactive With Sea Lions (Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/10/26/local_news/doc4ae5e5db6f500452947838.txt

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

City of Shelton Closing in on Sewer Rate Increase (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=476:city-of-shelton-closing-in-on-sewer-rate-increase-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Coastal Algae Bloom: ‘It’s Like an Oil Spill, Without the Oil’ (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/6098-coastal-algae-bloom-its-oil-spill-without-oil/

Portland Harbor Contamination Poses Risk To Humans, Environment, Study Shows (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/10/portland_harbor_contamination.html

Of Farms, Folks & Fish - A truce in California’s long & bitter fight over water at last appears possible (The Economist)
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14699639

Sacramento Tells Nestle: Stop Building Bottled Water Plant (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2283859.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Water Use by Solar Projects Intensifies (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/water-use-by-solar-projects-intensifies/

Pacific Gas & Electric to buy power from desert solar project - Electricity from desert to power 80,000 homes in Northern California (Desert Sun, Palm Springs, CA)
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20091026/NEWS01/91026014/PG&E+to+buy+power+from+desert+solar+project

California Utility Wants More Solar From Customers (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/26/financial/f144602D06.DTL&feed=rss.business

Solar: German Subsidy Update (Barron’s Magazine)
http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2009/10/26/solar-german-subsidy-cuts-coming/

Transmission Deficit - Kansas Wind Energy Suffers a Blow (Kansas City Star, MO)
http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/1531651.html

The Wind Farm industry in New York State: Capped? – Rule requires…studies to determine whether projects they propose may threaten hydro plants or other existing sources of renewable energy (WMAC Radio, Great Barrington, MA)
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1570298/WAMC.New.York.News/The.Wind.Farm.industry.in.New.York.State.Capped

San Jose Mercury News Op/Ed - California Must Commit To More Renewable Energy
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_13648653

Missouri - Hydroelectric Project on Mississippi River Won’t Include Hannibal (Hannibal Courier-Post, MO)
http://www.hannibal.net/news/x1615057261/Hydroelectric-project-on-river-won-t-include-in-Hannibal

30 States Could Meet Power Needs with Renewable Energy (Environmental Leader)
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/10/26/report-finds-30-states-could-meet-their-power-needs-with-homegrown-renewable-power/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Puget Sound Energy’s “Rock the Bulb” goes to 11! (Reuters - Spinal Tap wants its headline back…)
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS183263+26-Oct-2009+BW20091026

Southern Cal Edison Encourages Customers to Slay “Energy Vampires” This Halloween (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS155120+26-Oct-2009+BW20091026

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Statisticians Reject Global Cooling (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010139346_apussciglobalcooling.html?syndication=rss

At Google, Chu Announces Grants for ‘Out-Of-The-Box’ Global Warming Projects (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13644411

Arkansas Energy Companies Make Case for Climate Bill (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/27/financial/f045704D39.DTL&feed=rss.business

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Green Hotel Rooms: South Carolina Launching Green Hospitality Group (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/27/financial/f071117D96.DTL&feed=rss.business

How Bad Should I Feel About Taking Hot Showers? (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2233527/?from=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Mason PUD 3 Fiber Network - Economic Development Rides Light Waves on Lynch Road (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=610

Lynch Road Businesses to Benefit From PUD. 3 Fiber (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=479:lynch-road-businesses-to-benefit-from-pud-3-fiber&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Columbian Op/Ed - Washington View: High-Tech Poised to Lead Washington to Economic Recovery
http://columbian.com/article/20091027/BIZ01/710279996/-1/BIZ

Google Voice ‘Lite’ — No New Number Required (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/google-voice-lite-no-new-number-required/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Top 10 E-mail Blunders of 2009, So Far (Information Week)
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220900597&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News

GENERAL NEWS

Storm Brings Some Flooding, First Significant Mountain Snow (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/weather/21426525/detail.html

Accusation: Seattle Quake Video Is ‘Fear-Mongering’ (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/66277607.html

Wayward Pilots Say They Were Working On Their Laptops (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010139830_apusnorthwestflightoverflown.html?syndication=rss

Washington State Spends About Half-Billion in Stimulus (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010140921_apwawashstimulus.html?syndication=rss

Fire Marshal Says Change Smoke Alarm Batteries (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1015635.html

Sacramento Bee Finds State of California Buys Vehicles, Then Lets Them Sit Idle (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2281287.html

‘Twilight’ Phenomenon Both Blessing, Curse for Forks (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010136404_forks26m.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Fan Files Suit over Seats from Old Yankee Stadium
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010139428_apusyankeesseats.html?syndication=rss

Necco Goes Natural; Green Wafer Misses the Cut
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13644392

Illinois Man Took $470,000 in Pay from Company He Never Worked For
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13645523

Possible Cheating Probed At National Sudoku Match
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010145157_apussudokutournament.html?syndication=rss

SONG OF THE DAY

Patsy Cline - Your Cheatin’ Heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgnmiLeM76Q

Hank Williams - Your Cheatin’ Heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rvLeCMTofE

Hank Williams Jr. - Your Cheatin’ Heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YVzFRGp_Lk