Energy News Digest for October 29, 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.

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TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Radar Ridge/Mustang Ridge to Benefit - $2.2 Billion Allotted for Clean Energy Bonds
• Neighbors Abuzz Over Power Lines - Hundreds Attend Meetings
• BPA Tree Removal Irks Homeowner
• Administration Works to Fast Track New Power Lines
• Federal Agencies Agree to Streamline Transmission Siting
• Avista Reports Higher Third-Quarter Earnings
• Montana - Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Offers Worker Retraining
• Downed Montana Power Line Zaps Wildlife
• Tacoma Power Pole-Top Rescue Team Named State Champs
• Natural Gas Stocks Climb to Record High
• Petcoke Gasification - Entergy Wants to Nix Louisiana Plant Conversion Plan
• Dim Bulb - Ohio Utility Responds to Irate Consumers’ Issues
• Amid Record Salmon Runs, Role of Hatcheries Debated
• Nature’s Bounty of Huge Coho Returns Is Going to Help the Hungry
• Op/Ed - Saving An American Icon: Removing four dams on the lower Snake Rive
• WSU Vancouver Gathering To Focus On Dams
• Beyond Repair: Most of Walla Walla’s Pipes Need to Be Replaced
• Flushed Away: City Hydro Project Could Be a Drain on Tumalo Creek
• Portland General Electric Wins National Solar Business Achievement Award
• Conservation vs. Expansion: Public Sounds Off On BPA Plans
• Experts Say Western Washington Could Become Destination for Water Refugees
• Proposal to Place Biomass, Biofuels under CO2 Emission Cap is based on Flawed Logic
• Most Business to Put ‘Going Green’ On the Back Burner
• Portland Adopts Climate Plan
• Sins of Emission - The Ethanol Boondoggle Is Also an Environmental Catastrophe
• The Facts on the Green Roof – Weeds Forced a Redo
• How Green Is That Product? Seattle Startup Lets You Know
• Gov. Gregoire Announces Broadband Priority List to Receive Federal Stimulus Funding
• Google Lifts the Curtains on Its New Music Service
• Forecasters Back Off Wild Weather Prediction
• Boeing Picks South Carolina for Second 787 Line
• US Sen. Murray Calls Boeing Move to South Carolina Shortsighted
• Washington State Economist Warns of Second Dip in Recession
• Lewis County Man Fatally Shoots Intruder
• Another Foot Is Found In Shoe on B.C. Beach
• New Federal Power Urged Over Municipal Bond Sales
• Less Daylight Means More Danger for Drivers & Pedestrians
• Paper Hangers - Newspapers Aren’t Doing As Badly As You Think

WORD OF THE DAY

Hobnob • \HAHB-nahb\ • verb - To associate familiarly

The raucous bar dropped into a stunned silence, in the distance a dog barked & the wind whistled through the open door, sweeping a pile of swirling fall leaves past the perfectly shod feet of the widget company’s CEO. What he intended as a pleasant night of hobnobbing with the “little people” began & ended with nervous glances, hushed whispers & muffled coughs.

From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary - “Hob” & “nob” first came together in print in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, when Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. “Hob, nob is his word,” said Sir Toby, using “hob nob” to mean something like “hit or miss.” Sir Toby’s term is probably an alteration of “habnab,” a phrase that meant “to have or not have, however it may turn out.” After Shakespeare’s day, “hob” & “nob” became established in the phrases “to drink hob or nob” & “to drink hobnob,” which were used to mean “to drink alternately to each other.” Since “drinking hobnob” was generally done among friends, “hobnob” came to refer to congenial social interaction.

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

Radar Ridge/Mustang Ridge to Benefit - $2.2 Billion Allotted for Clean Energy Bonds (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/22-billion-allotted-for-clean-energy-bonds/

Neighbors abuzz over power lines - Hundreds attend meetings on proposed route from Castle Rock to Oregon (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20091029/NEWS02/710299939/Neighbors+abuzz+over+power+lines

BPA Tree Removal Irks Homeowner (Albany Democrat Herald, OR)
http://www.democratherald.com/news/local/article_ee3321ac-c3e9-11de-a342-001cc4c002e0.html

Administration Works to Fast Track New Power Lines (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/6118-administration-works-fast-track-new-power-lines/

Federal Agencies Agree to Streamline Transmission Siting (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=370464&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Avista Reports Higher Third-Quarter Earnings - Electricity rate increase credited; another pending (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/oct/29/avista-reports-higher-third-quarter-earnings/

Montana - Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Offers Worker Retraining (Hungry Horse News, Kalispell, MT)
http://www.flatheadnewsgroup.com/articles/2009/10/29/hungryhorsenews/news/news_8743253279_01.txt

Downed Montana Power Line Zaps Wildlife - Deer, black bears, wolves electrocuted (Daily Interlake, Kalispell, MT)
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_bfa975e6-c445-11de-abfa-001cc4c002e0.html

Tacoma Power Pole-Top Rescue Team Named State Champs (Tacoma Public Utilities)
http://www.mytpu.org/newsroom/power-news/tacoma-power-pole-1.htm

Natural Gas Stocks Climb to Record High (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010161455_apusnaturalgasstorage.html?syndication=rss

Petcoke Gasification - Entergy Wants to Nix Louisiana Plant Conversion Plan (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010154901_apusentergylittlegypsylouisiana.html?syndication=rss

Dim Bulb - Ohio utility responds to irate consumers’ issues (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/28/financial/f120823D00.DTL&feed=rss.business

FISH & WILDLIFE

Amid Record Salmon Runs, Role of Hatcheries Debated - Meeting on Cowlitz Facilities Set for Thursday at Centralia College (Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/articles/2009/10/28/news//doc4ae87d0bb6e15950446927.txt

Nature’s Bounty of Huge Coho Returns Is Going To Help the Hungry (Salem Statesman Journal, OR)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20091028/OUTDOORS/91028024/1034/SPORTS

Chico News & Review Op/Ed - Saving An American Icon: Removing four dams on the lower Snake River is essential to restoring salmon populations
http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=1309948

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

WSU Vancouver Gathering To Focus On Dams (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20091029/NEWS02/710299941/-1/NEWS

Beyond Repair: Most of Walla Walla’s Pipes Need to Be Replaced (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/67083632.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Flushed Away: City Hydro Project Could Be a Drain on Tumalo Creek (The Source, Bend, OR)
http://www.tsweekly.com/news/features/flushed-away-city-hydro-project-could-be-a-drain-on-tumalo-creek.html

Portland General Electric Wins National Solar Business Achievement Award (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS233949+28-Oct-2009+BW20091028

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Conservation vs. Expansion: Public Sounds Off On BPA Plans (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)
http://www.katu.com/news/local/67139602.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Experts Say Western Washington Could Become Destination for Water Refugees (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/oct/28/western-washington-could-become-destination-for/?partner=RSS

Proposal to Place Biomass, Biofuels under CO2 Emission Cap is based on Flawed Logic (Bioresearch Online)
http://www.bioresearchonline.com/article.mvc/Proposal-To-Place-Biomass-Biofuels-Under-CO2-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Most Business to Put ‘Going Green’ On the Back Burner (Washington Business Journal)
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/10/26/daily90.html?ana=from_rss

Portland Adopts Climate Plan (Portland Business Journal)
http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/10/26/daily45.html?ana=from_rss

Sins of Emission - The Ethanol Boondoggle Is Also an Environmental Catastrophe “…ethanol actually generates the same amount of greenhouse gas as fossil fuels, or more, per unit of energy…” (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703574604574500013927534676.html

The Facts on the Green Roof – Weeds Forced a Redo (Mukilteo Beacon, WA)
http://www.mukilteobeacon.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2632:the-facts-on-the-green-roof&catid=106:letters&Itemid=191

How Green Is That Product? Seattle Startup Lets You Know (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/business/411595_eco29.html?source=rss

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Gov. Gregoire announces broadband priority list to receive federal stimulus funding (Washington State Governor’s Office)
http://www.recovery.wa.gov/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1349&newsType=1

Google Lifts the Curtains on Its New Music Service (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/google-lifts-the-curtains-on-its-new-music-service/?partner=rss&emc=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Forecasters Back Off Wild Weather Prediction (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.konp.com/local/5218

Boeing Picks South Carolina for Second 787 Line (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010155195_apusboeing787plant2ndldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

US Sen. Murray Calls Boeing Move to South Carolina Shortsighted (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010155201_apwaboeingmurray2ndldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Washington State Economist Warns of Second Dip in Recession (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/oct/28/state-economist-warns-second-dip-recession/

Lewis County Man Fatally Shoots Intruder (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/21449260/detail.html

Another Foot Is Found In Shoe on B.C. Beach (Seattle Tmes)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010156326_webfoot29.html?syndication=rss

New Federal Power Urged Over Municipal Bond Sales (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/business/29sec.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Less daylight means more danger for drivers & pedestrians (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11400363

Paper Hangers - Newspapers Aren’t Doing As Badly As You Think (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2233849/?from=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Wal-Mart Starts Selling Caskets, Urns Online - The World’s Largest Retailer Wants To Keep Its Customers Even after They Die
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010154553_apuswalmartcaskets.html?syndication=rss

No Show in Wisconsin Court Could Cost PepsiCo $1.26B
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/28/financial/f140351D77.DTL&feed=rss.business

Study says Yosemite Bears Favorite Cars are Minivans
http://www.kirotv.com/news/21452374/detail.html

Animal Smuggler Goes Overboard
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE59Q2JO20091027?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

SONG OF THE DAY

The Drifters - Up on the Roof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khhqyPzLmGo

James Taylor - Up On The Roof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Qqnl3_QrU