Energy News Digest for March 30, 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)

- Severe Solar Flares Could Cause Catastrophic Power Outage
- Anderson Island Power Nearly Restored
- Grays Harbor County PUD Not Likely To See Layoffs, Furlough Days
- U.S. Carbon Cap to Raise Power Prices 15 to 30 Percent: Moody's
- Ratepayer Advocates Want Portland General Electric Rate Rule Suspended
- State Bill Would OK New King County Utility, Property Taxes
- Aberdeen Street Lights a Point of Contention with Grays Harbor PUD
- Chelan PUD Commissioner Bolz Recovering After Bypass Surgery
- U.S. Senate Energy Policy Markup Begins; Heavy Lifting Is Weeks Away
- Gauging the Prospects for Nuclear Power in the Obama Era
- California Restarts Daily Electricity Auction
- Steller Sea Lions Gobbling Up Sturgeon below Bonneville Dam
- Biologists Call For Changes to Columbia River Salmon Hatcheries
- Some Push for New Talks on Columbia River Treaty
- Fish Managers Seek Comments on 2009 Ocean Salmon Seasons
- NOAA’s Fisheries Service Proposes Listing Pacific Smelt as Threatened Species
- Thick Snowpack Promises Ample Water Supply
- Four East Oregon Possible Dam Sites Selected For Irrigation and Recreation
- Big Bill for Small Ponds: Ecology Notifies Property Owners of Unsafe Dams
- Boil Water Advisory for Lewis County Towns
- Loggers Try to Adapt to Greener Economy
- Olympian Editorial - Lawmakers Must Not Roll Back Initiative
- 'Not One Benefit for Me' - Hartman: Turbines are little more than hot air
- Longview Man Finally Gets Wind Turbine Permit
- Snohomish County Warming To Solar Power
- Solar Water Heater Company Fueled By Power Purchase Pacts
- Cost Works against Renewable Energy Sources in Time of Recession
- Despite Economy, Prospects for Green Energy Remain Strong
- Longview Gets $165,000 for Energy Efficiency Projects
- Energy Department Maps Efficiency Money
- Pacific Northwest Utilities Push Energy-Efficient Ductless Heat Pump
- Pilot Project Offers Efficient Electric Heating System Incentive
- Do New Bulbs Save Energy if They Don’t Work?
- For The White House, Not So Easy Being Greener
- Oregon Carbon Tax Proposal Heats Up
- Critics Blast Earth Hour, But Support Conservation
- Environmentalists Hail Earth Hour As A Big Success
- Among Climate Scientists, a Dispute over ‘Tipping Points’
- Climate Lobbying In D.C. Attracts Texans
- The UN Makes It Official: Global Warming Hysteria Is All About Redistributing Wealth
- Conficker Worm Threat to Grow On Wednesday
- Rural Broadband Vs. Red Tape
- Comcast Sues Maryland Wireless Internet Provider for Bandwidth Theft
- Iowa Governor Trolling For Microsoft Facility
- Charter Says Bankruptcy Won’t Affect Speed Upgrades
- Average Global Download Speed: 1.5Mbps
- Hood Canal Woman Saves Kayaker
- BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Is Belfair Ready to Get Twitterfied?
- Some Politicians Have Trouble Adapting To the Web
- Winter Hangs On, Studded Tires Still Must Come Off
- Your Survival Guide Around The Hood Canal Bridge
- Idaho Lawmakers Take Aim at Metal Thieves
- Weyerhaeuser CEO Gets 2008 Pay Valued At $4.7M
- Dirt-Weary Spokane Turns To Bootleg Detergent
- Faulty Pot-Growing Equipment May Have Caused Fire
- Jewels Forged In the Depression

WORD OF THE DAY

Symbiosis • \sim-bee-OH-sis\ • noun - 1: the living together in close association of two dissimilar organisms especially when mutually beneficial *2: a cooperative relationship

In the silent depths of the clear blue water, the torpedo-like, gray bulk of the shark sliced through the water, the remora fish in close proximity…awaiting the crumbs from the table in their symbiotic relationship with the remorseless hunter of the deep.

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

Severe Solar Flares Could Cause Catastrophic Power Outage in United States (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/march/Severe-Solar-Flares-Could-Cause-Catastrophic-Power-Outage-in-United-States.html

Anderson Island Power Nearly Restored (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/42094952.html

Grays Harbor County PUD Not Likely To See Layoffs, Furlough Days (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/03/28/local_news/03news.txt

U.S. Carbon Cap to Raise Power Prices 15 to 30 Percent: Moody's (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE52O02420090325

Ratepayer Advocates Want Portland General Electric Rate Rule Suspended (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1931561~Ratepayer_advocates_want_PGE_rate_rule_suspended.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

State Bill Would OK New King County Utility, Property Taxes (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008942273_kingbudget29m.html?syndication=rss

Aberdeen Street Lights a Point of Contention with Grays Harbor PUD (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/03/29/local_news/04news.txt

Chelan County PUD Commissioner Bolz Recovering After Bypass Surgery (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090327/NEWS04/703289996/1004/rss1004

U.S. Senate Energy Policy Markup Begins, but Heavy Lifting Is Weeks Away (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/30/30greenwire-senate-committee-markup-begins-but-heavy-lifti-10337.html

Gauging the Prospects for Nuclear Power in the Obama Era (US News & World Report)
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/energy/2009/03/27/gauging-the-prospects-for-nuclear-power-in-the-obama-era.html

California Restarts Daily Electricity Auction (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123837040945167681.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Steller Sea Lions Gobbling Up Sturgeon below Bonneville Dam (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/03/sturgeon_and_sea_lions.html

Biologists Call For Changes to Columbia River Salmon Hatcheries (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008938569_hatcheryreform28m.html

Some Push for New Talks on Columbia River Treaty (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_columbia_treaty.html

Fish Managers Seek Comments on 2009 Ocean Salmon Seasons (The Umpqua Post, OR)
http://www.theumpquapost.com/articles/2009/03/29/local_news/doc49d02d0acd538794603331.txt

NOAA’s Fisheries Service Proposes Listing Pacific Smelt as Threatened Species (Indian Country Today)
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/global/canada/41839602.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Thick Snowpack Promises Ample Water Supply (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/42080622.html

Four East Oregon Possible Dam-Building Sites Selected For Irrigation and Recreation (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Four-possible-dam-building-sites-selected

Big Bill for Small Ponds: Ecology Notifies Property Owners of Unsafe Dams (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090329/news/303299991

Map of Hazardous Dams (WA Dept. Of Ecology – Links to PDF File)
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/dams/Images/hhd_hhdsd_121908.pdf

Boil Water Advisory for Lewis County Towns (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19039667/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_7am&tmi=sea_7am_1_09000103302009&ts=H

Loggers Try to Adapt to Greener Economy (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/business/energy-environment/29forests.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Olympian Editorial - Lawmakers Must Not Roll Back Initiative (937)
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/802956.html

'Not One Benefit for Me' - Hartman: Turbines are little more than hot air (Wichita Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2009/03/30/story1.html?ana=from_rss

Longview Man Finally Gets Wind Turbine Permit (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/03/30//area_news/doc49d055673c75a815620683.txt

Snohomish County Warming To Solar Power - Small projects are going up around the county, funded in part by donations from PUD customers (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090330/NEWS01/903299966/-1/RSS02

Solar Water Heater Company Fueled By Power Purchase Pacts (Sacramento Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2009/03/30/story8.html?ana=from_rss

Cost Works against Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources in Time of Recession (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/business/energy-environment/29renew.html

Despite Economy, Prospects for Green Energy Remain Strong (Yale Environment 360)
http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2135

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Longview Gets $165,000 for Energy Efficiency Projects (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/03/27//area_news/doc49cc6cb3d14ad546861470.txt

Energy Department Maps Efficiency Money (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/energy-department-maps-efficiency-money/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Pacific Northwest Utilities Push Energy-Efficient Ductless Heat Pump (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1932734~Utilities_push_energy_efficient_ductless_heat_pump.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Pilot Project Offers Efficient Electric Heating System Incentive (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/updates/10593877-55/story.csp

Do New Bulbs Save Energy if They Don’t Work? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/business/energy-environment/28bulbs.html

For The White House, Not So Easy Being Greener (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2008943667_apgreeningthewhitehouse.html?syndication=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Oregon Carbon Tax Proposal Heats Up (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/03/23/daily50.html?ana=from_rss

Critics Blast Earth Hour, But Support Conservation (The Daily Journal, Tupelo, MI)
http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=287670&pub=1&div=News

Environmentalists Hail Earth Hour As A Big Success (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/27/national/a014140D20.DTL&feed=rss.news

Among Climate Scientists, a Dispute over ‘Tipping Points’ (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/weekinreview/29revkin.html

Climate Lobbying In D.C. Attracts Texans - Employment Surges in Area Where State’s Energy Industry Has a Huge Stake (Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/6349271.html

The UN Makes It Official: Global Warming Hysteria Is All About Redistributing Wealth (Fox News)
http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/27/sheppard_global_warming_un/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Conficker Worm Threat to Grow On Wednesday (Associated Press)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/691008.html

Rural Broadband Vs. Red Tape - Fed agencies square off on how to spend $7 billion to bring the Net to 'unserved' areas. Let the squabbling begin. (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/27/technology/rural_broadband.fortune.fortune/index.htm?source=yahoo_quote

Comcast Sues Maryland Wireless Internet Provider for Bandwidth Theft - Man uses 35 residential accounts to fuel wireless business (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-Sues-Maryland-WISP-for-Bandwidth-Theft-101616

Iowa Governor Trolling For Microsoft Facility (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/business/404392_msft28.html?source=rss

Charter Says Bankruptcy Won’t Affect Speed Upgrades (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/03/27/charter-says-bankruptcy-wont-affect-speed-upgrades/

Average Global Download Speed: 1.5Mbps - U.S. ranked 17th with average downstream speed of 3.9Mbps (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Average-Global-Download-Speed-15Mbps-101594

GENERAL NEWS

Hood Canal Woman Saves Kayaker (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6815/reftab/1632/t/HOOD-CANAL-WOMAN-SAVES-KAYAKER/Default.aspx

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Is Belfair Ready to Get Twitterfied? (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/mar/29/is-belfair-ready-for-twitter/?partner=RSS

Some Politicians Have Trouble Adapting To the Web (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=150413

Winter Hangs On, Studded Tires Still Must Come Off (Associated Press)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=150410

Your Survival Guide Around The Hood Canal Bridge (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090329/NEWS/303299993

Idaho Lawmakers Take Aim at Metal Thieves (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/800887.html

Weyerhaeuser CEO Gets 2008 Pay Valued At $4.7M (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/30/financial/f074003D70.DTL&feed=rss.business

Dirt-Weary Spokane Turns To Bootleg Detergent (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/41995552.html

Faulty Pot-Growing Equipment May Have Caused Fire (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1931740~Faulty_pot_growing_equipment_may_have_caused_fire.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Jewels Forged In the Depression (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2009/03/jewels_forged_in_the_depressio.html

DIVERSIONS

Sink Hole Swallows Girl During Ballgame
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19027865/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_1_01000103272009&ts=H

Top Road Rule Myths!
http://www.kirotv.com/traffic/19045223/detail.html

Cheese Beats Baboon Metaphysics in Odd Book Prize
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE52Q4EK20090327?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

'Dumbest Criminal' Nabbed In Cop Convention Holdup
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090328/ap_on_fe_st/odd_police_convention_robbery;_ylt=AjaswAis_Fp53WQ.gu9Ni3ztiBIF

SONG OF THE DAY

Vivaldi - Spring (From the Four Seasons – a little late for the start of spring, but maybe a hopeful offering)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSw7CcAXPWk