Energy News Digest for November 3, 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)

• Clallam PUD’s Share Of Two Wind Energy Projects to be Paid With $55.6 Million
• How Taking out Dams Splits Environmental Groups
• Fitch Affirms Cowlitz County PUD Bonds at ‘A-’
• Seattle Utilities Provide Tips on How to Avoid Electrical Injuries
• Kootenai Electric to Turn Off Power for Maintenance Work
• Consumers Energy Ordered To Partially Refund Rate Increase Money
• Developers abandon plan for SD power plant
• Arizona - Tribe’s Environmental Fight: Coal Mines & Power Plant Give Navajos Income, Controversy
• West Virginia - Recession Slows Big Power Projects, Including Coal-To-Gas Plant
• Enron Exec Gets Home Confinement after Guilty Plea
• Idaho Sturgeon Hatchery Worker – Ready for His Close-Up
• Daily News Columnist - Should We Continue To Drink From The Cowlitz?
• Nisqually Refuge - A Restoration Celebration
• Odessa Water Level Solutions Addressed
• $50 Million Allotted For Chesapeake by US Senate
• Big Blue Helps Ireland Stay Green
• Columbian Op/Ed - State on Cutting Edge of Clean Energy Sector
• Chinese Involvement in Proposed Texas Wind Farm Stirs Passions
• Minnesota Power: Going Green Means a Rate Hike
• NY Times Editorial – Cape Wind: Reject Tribal Claims for Viewscape
• Sweden - Two Wind Turbines Self-Destruct in One Week
• Scottish Jobs at Turbine Firm in Danger in Fight with Europe Rules
• California - Altamont Landfill’s Gas Fuels Garbage Trucks
• Snohomish PUD Plans Energy-Saving Project
• SF Chronicle Op/Ed - TV Energy Regulations Will Harm Innovation
• Electric Utilities Are Invited to Shed Light on Energy Efficiency
• GOP Senators Absent At Start of Climate Debate
• Climate Bill Faces Hurdles in Senate
• Winners & Losers of Cap-and-Trade
• Something Funny Happened On the Way to a Carbon Price Floor
• Snow Cap Disappearing From Mount Kilimanjaro
• Where the Jobs Are: Clean Tech
• Data Center Demand Growing As Concerns for Industry Loom
• Inside Microsoft’s Huge New Chicago Data Center
• Three States Approve Frontier/Verizon Deal
• Dissension Festering in the Net Neutrality Ranks
• California - Vallejo Seeks To Expand Utility Tax to Cell Phones
• Feds: San Diego Man Sold Cable Modem Hacking Equipment
• Ballot Measures Top Ticket in Election
• City of Shelton’s 2010 Preliminary Budget: Over $50 Million, Four Positions Cut
• City Of Olympia Notifies 14 of Layoffs
• Shelton City Commission Holds Hearing on Sewer Rate Increase
• Weather Service Beefing Up Flood Forecasting
• Vancouver May Add Fort for Name Recognition
• Philadelphians Reap Rewards from New York’s Trash
• Critics Blast Kellogg’s Claim That Cereals Can Boost Immunity
• Tribune Co. Newspapers Won’t Use AP Next Week

WORD OF THE DAY

Herald • \HARE-uld\ • noun - 1a: an official at a tournament of arms with duties including the making of announcements and the marshaling of combatants b: an officer with the status of ambassador acting as official messenger between leaders especially in war c(1): officer of arms (2): an officer of arms ranking above a pursuivant and below a king of arms 2: an official crier or messenger 3a: one that precedes or foreshadows b: one that conveys news or proclaims: announcer c: one who actively promotes or advocate

The white smoke billowed from the county courthouse’s imposing brick chimney, swirling around the ramparts before descending on the breathless, coughing crowd. “I wish the commission would use a different method for heralding the completion of their budget process,” wheezed the local newspaper’s gadfly. “Maybe releasing a flock of crows would be more appropriate.”

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

Clallam PUD’s Share Of Two Wind Energy Projects to be Paid With $55.6 Million (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20091103/news/311039989

How Taking out Dams Splits Environmental Groups - The bedeviled Klamath River basin, where a seeming agreement is dividing the greens (Crosscut Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/11/03/science-environment/19322/

Fitch Affirms Cowlitz County PUD Bonds at ‘A-’ (BusinessWire)
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20091102006245&newsLang=en

Seattle Utilities Provide Tips on How to Avoid Electrical Injuries (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010189393_winds03m.html?syndication=rss

Kootenai Electric to Turn Off Power for Maintenance Work (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/nov/03/in-brief-kootenai-electric-to-turn-off-power/

Consumers Energy Ordered To Partially Refund Rate Increase Money (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010187578_apuspowerbillsconsumersenergymichigan.html?syndication=rss

Developers abandon plan for SD power plant (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/11/02/financial/f172112S08.DTL&feed=rss.business

Arizona - Tribe’s Environmental Fight: Coal Mines & Power Plant Give Navajos Income, Controversy (Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/11/02/20091102navajo1102.html

West Virginia - Recession Slows Big Power Projects: AEP President Says Company Still Committed To Building Coal-To-Gas Plant (Charleston Daily Mail, WV)
http://www.scoop.com/remote/article/include/122705559/53616c7465645f5f3c485219e65d2decd719c00221123a7b3eec12a968282613

Enron Exec Gets Home Confinement after Guilty Plea (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010187060_apusenronbroadband.html?syndication=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Idaho Sturgeon Hatchery Worker – Ready for His Close-Up (Rapid City Journal, SD)
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/state-and-regional/article_8d8c71e2-8063-53d5-8d9f-3de4a28b6db8.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Daily News Columnist - Should We Continue To Drink From The Cowlitz?
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/11/01/focus/doc4aebd38de1592704096451.txt

Nisqually Refuge - A Restoration Celebration: New trail to open at public ceremony marking tide’s return to estuary (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1023377.html

Odessa Water Level Solutions Addressed - Recharging Aquifer Topic of Conference (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/11/02/news/doc4aef5f2398bcc504144660.txt

$50 Million Allotted For Chesapeake by US Senate (Baltimore Sun, MD)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.trails02nov02,0,5378720.story

Big Blue Helps Ireland Stay Green - IBM has partnered with environmental authorities in the country to establish a real-time water management portal (Information Week)
http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221600079&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Columbian Op/Ed - State on Cutting Edge of Clean Energy Sector
http://columbian.com/article/20091103/BIZ01/711039999/-1/BIZ

Chinese Involvement in Proposed Texas Wind Farm Stirs Passions (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/business/energy-environment/02iht-green02.html?_r=2

Minnesota Power: Going Green Means a Rate Hike - About $13 a month (Duluth News Tribune, MN)
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/150865/

NY Times Editorial – Cape Wind: Reject Tribal Claims for Viewscape
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/opinion/02mon3.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Sweden - Two Wind Turbines Self-Destruct in One Week (Copenhagen Post, Denmark)
http://www.cphpost.dk/business/119-business/47384-two-wind-turbines-self-destruct-in-one-week.html

Scottish Jobs at Turbine Firm in Danger in Fight with Europe Rules (The Times of London, UK)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6898827.ece

California - Altamont Landfill’s Gas Fuels Garbage Trucks (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/02/BUM81AE52U.DTL&feed=rss.business

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Snohomish PUD Plans Energy-Saving Project (Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091103/NEWS01/711039916

SF Chronicle Op/Ed - TV Energy Regulations Will Harm Innovation
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/02/ED7H1AE46C.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

Electric Utilities Are Invited to Shed Light on Energy Efficiency (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS162527+02-Nov-2009+PRN20091102

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

GOP Senators Absent At Start of Climate Debate (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2010190162_apusclimatebill.html?syndication=rss

Climate Bill Faces Hurdles in Senate - Democrats Split: Deal on Nuclear Plants Offered to Court Republicans (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110102593.html?wprss=rss_politics

Winners & Losers of Cap-and-Trade (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/winners-and-losers-of-cap-and-trade/

Something Funny Happened On the Way to a Carbon Price Floor (Financial Times of London, UK)
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2009/11/02/something-funny-happened-on-the-way-to-a-carbon-price-floor/

Snow Cap Disappearing From Mount Kilimanjaro (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010187055_apusscisnowsofkilimanjaro.html?syndication=rss

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Where the Jobs Are: Clean Tech (Forbes Magazine)
http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/02/clean-tech-jobs-leadership-careers-employment.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Data Center Demand Growing As Concerns for Industry Loom (Austin Business Journal)
http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2009/11/02/story8.html?ana=from_rss

Inside Microsoft’s Huge New Chicago Data Center (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/technologybrierdudleysblog/2010186768_inside_microsofts_huge_new_chi.html?syndication=rss

Three States Approve Frontier/Verizon Deal - California, Nevada & South Carolina ok huge sale (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Three-States-Approve-Frontier-Verizon-Deal-105282

Dissension Festering in the Net Neutrality Ranks (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/11/02/dissension-festering-in-the-net-neutrality-ranks/

California - Vallejo Seeks To Expand Utility Tax to Cell Phones (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/02/MNTI1AD5O1.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Feds: San Diego Man Sold Cable Modem Hacking Equipment (Associated Press)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13696460

GENERAL NEWS

Ballot Measures Top Ticket in Election (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/politics/21501383/detail.html

City of Shelton’s 2010 Preliminary Budget: Over $50 Million, Four Positions Cut (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=532:city-of-shelton-releases-2010-preliminary-budget-over-50-million-four-positions-cut&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

City Of Olympia Notifies 14 of Layoffs - Budget trims may ax some programs, up to 27 positions (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1023367.html

Shelton City Commission Holds Hearing on Sewer Rate Increase (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=534:shelton-city-commission-holds-hearing-on-sewer-rate-increase&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Weather Service Beefing Up Flood Forecasting (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=234726

Vancouver May Add Fort for Name Recognition (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010186269_apwavancouvername.html?syndication=rss

Philadelphians Reap Rewards from New York’s Trash (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/nyregion/02garbage.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Critics Blast Kellogg’s Claim That Cereals Can Boost Immunity (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2009-11-02-cereal-immunity-claim_N.htm?se=yahoorefer

Tribune Co. Newspapers Won’t Use AP Next Week (Reported By…..Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010190183_apustribuneap.html?syndication=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Fists Fly after Post Editor Tells Writer, “It’s the Second Worst Story I Have Seen in Style in 43 Years”
http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/people/capitalcomment/14004.html

Australia - Vegemite Contest Draws Protests
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/business/global/03vegemite.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Colbert Goes for Gold, Sponsors US Speedskating - Of the many countries participating at the Vancouver Olympics, add Colbert Nation to the list.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2010188856_apustvcolbertolympics.html?syndication=rss

Police: Man Robs Taco Bell, Then Gets Job Application
http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=80049&catid=35

SONG OF THE DAY

Tito Puente - Ran Kan Kan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMY9zMITHkU&feature=related