Energy News Digest for September 16, 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)

• Montana - BPA Transmission Line Rebuild on Schedule
• City of Port Angeles Takes Wholesale Power Hike
• Including SnoPUD - Two Local Hydro Projects Get Funding From DOE
• Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Project Faces 'Fierce' Competition
• San Diego - Wildfire Prevention Plan to Pull Plug on Power
• West Virginia Still Weighing Tax on New High-Voltage Power Lines
• Minnesota - Xcel Takes Bid for Expanded Nuclear Plant to Judge
• Homeless Nuclear Waste
• EPA To Place Limits On Power Plant Water Pollution
• Oregonian Editorial - It's Time to Get Columbia Salmon Out Of the Courtroom
• Obama Administration Submits Salmon Plan
• The Obama Administration Reveals Its Salmon Plan
• Dam Breaching in Latest Version of Federal Salmon Plan
• Obama Administration Puts Forward Salmon Plan
• Obama Administration Gives Court New Adaptive Management Plan To Bolster 2008 Salmon BiOp
• Obama Follows Bush on Salmon Recovery
• Oh, Rocky - Salmon decision gets mixed, predictable reactions
• Obama Administration Affirms Science in Salmon Plan for Columbia-Snake Rivers
• News Release - Obama Administration Follows Flawed Bush Salmon Plan
• Obama Administration Sticks with the Bush Approach on Columbia River Salmon
• New Northwest Salmon Plan Modifies Bush Approach
• Preliminary Tests Yield Possible Cause of Death for Dozens of Birds
• Killer Whales Die without King Salmon
• Columbia River & Tributary Fish Checks
• Media Advisory - This Thursday, BPA Takes Kids Wading In Icicle Creek
• Comment Sought On Condit Dam Removal
• Washington State Releases Clean Spokane River Plan
• California - Schwarzenegger Orders More Renewable Energy - His Way
• Ferndale Company to Make Cutting-Edge Fuel from Wood
• Oregon - Ocean Dunes Development Gets Green Light
• Maryland Turning To Offshore Wind Energy
• Wind-Farm Lease Buyouts Coming To New York
• A Major Price Drop for Solar Panels
• Colorado Electric Coop Offers Unique Solar Leasing Program
• Canada - Tidal Power Project Approved For Bay of Fundy
• Whole Foods Completes Major Purchase of Renewable Energy Credits
• Faulty Wind Turbines Costly To Minnesota Family
• White House Is Prepared to Set First National Limits on Greenhouse Gases
• 2010? Reid's Comments Add Uncertainty to Climate Vote's Timing
• Obama Admin: Cap & Trade Could Cost Families $1,761 per Year
• Electric Cars May Be Closer To Charging Up Auto Market
• Climate Change Depresses Beer Drinkers
• Chattanooga: EPB fiber optics available to 17,000 homes
• Comcast Raises Cable Modem Rental Fee
• After Outcry, T-Mobile Drops Paper Billing Fee
• Washington State's Jobless Rate Resumes Its Climb: 9.2% for August
• Port Of Kalama Wine Bottle Plant Shutting Down
• Chewy Chicken Feet May Quash a Trade War

WORD OF THE DAY

Sternutation • \ster-nyuh-TAY-shun\ • noun - The act, fact, or noise of sneezing

Matt was caught between the devil & the deep blue sea. On one hand, the occasional sternutation from the other side of the wall rattled the pictures on his “vanity wall.” On the other hand, the sneezes from across the office reached a high frequency that changed the channel on his remote-controlled radio.

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

Montana - BPA Transmission Line Rebuild on Schedule (The Western News, Libby, MT)
http://www.thewesternnews.com/articles/2009/09/15/news/doc4aafc7ab476b2729162948.txt

City of Port Angeles Takes Wholesale Power Hike (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.konp.com/local/5099

Including SnoPUD - Two Local Hydro Projects Get Funding From DOE (Daily Journal of Commerce)
http://www.djc.com/news/en/12010078.html

Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Project Faces 'Fierce' Competition (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009878988_apusgaspipelineproject.html?syndication=rss

San Diego - Wildfire Prevention Plan to Pull Plug on Power (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/16/BAPO19K5QN.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

West Virginia Still Weighing Tax on New High-Voltage Power Lines (Fort Mills Times, SC)
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/760833.html

Minnesota - Xcel Takes Bid for Expanded Nuclear Plant to Judge (The Electricity Forum)
http://www.electricityforum.com/news/sep09/Xcellookstoexpandnuclearstorageatfacility.html

Homeless Nuclear Waste - Some 60,000 metric tons of radioactive waste is stored at nuclear power plants across the country, awaiting federal action that’s already a decade late (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/09/15/homeless-nuclear-waste/

EPA To Place Limits On Power Plant Water Pollution (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009871081_apuspowerplantpollution.html?syndication=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Oregonian Editorial - It's Time to Get Columbia Salmon Out Of the Courtroom “…the new administration took a long, hard look at the plan to restore Columbia salmon, & was impressed by what it saw…”
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/09/its_time_to_get_columbia_salmo.html

Obama Administration Submits Salmon Plan - The Obama administration says it will be more aggressive in protecting declining Pacific Northwest salmon runs & will study breaching some dams as a last resort in a long-awaited management plan (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009870855_apussalmondams.html?syndication=rss

Obama Speeds Effort to Save Salmon, Renews Dam-Removal Option (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/09/obama_administration_adds_an_i.html

Dam Breaching in Latest Version of Federal Salmon Plan - White House: Study considers action ‘last resort’ if runs reach decline trigger (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/881239.html

Obama Administration Puts Forward Salmon Plan (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/5818-obama-administration-puts-forward-salmon-plan/

Obama Administration Gives Court New Adaptive Management Plan To Bolster 2008 Salmon BiOp (Columbia Basin Bulletin)
http://www.cbbulletin.com/355765.aspx

Obama Follows Bush on Salmon Recovery (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/us/politics/16salmon.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Oh, Rocky - Salmon decision gets mixed, predictable reactions (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/environment/story/900969.html

News Release - Obama Administration Affirms Science in Salmon Plan for Columbia-Snake Rivers (Northwest River Partners)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=594

News Release - Obama Administration Follows Flawed Bush Salmon Plan Despite Scientific, Economic & Legal Failings - Administration avoids sound science & legal guidance (Earth Justice, et. al.)
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2009/us-commerce-department-follows-flawed-bush-salmon-plan-despite-scientific-economic-and-legal-failings.html

Obama Administration Sticks with the Bush Approach on Columbia River Salmon (Crosscut Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/09/15/science-environment/19237/

New Northwest Salmon Plan Modifies Bush Approach - Monitoring could trigger dam removals in Washington State. Some conservationists aren't satisfied (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-salmon-dams16-2009sep16,0,3655234.story

Washington Coast - Preliminary Tests Yield Possible Cause of Death for Dozens of Birds: Hypothermia (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090916/news/309169991

Killer Whales Die without King Salmon (Discovery Channel)
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/09/16/killer-whale-salmon.html

Columbia River & Tributary Fish Checks (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2009872830_columbia_river_and_tributary_f_1.html

Media Advisory - This Thursday, BPA Takes Kids Wading In Icicle Creek (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/325856/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Comment Sought On Condit Dam Removal (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090916/NEWS02/909159984/

Washington State Releases Clean Spokane River Plan - Big cuts in phosphorus proposed (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/sep/16/state-releases-clean-river-plan/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

California - Schwarzenegger Orders More Renewable Energy - His Way (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-power16-2009sep16,0,3412344.story

Ferndale Company to Make Cutting-Edge Fuel from Wood (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/410148_sky15.html?source=rss

Oregon - Ocean Dunes development gets green light (Siuslaw News, Florence, OR)
http://www.thesiuslawnews.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=2622

Maryland Turning To Offshore Wind Energy - State considers huge turbines off Ocean City, launches impact study (Baltimore Sun, MD)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/bal-md.windmill16sep16,0,7774897.story

Wind-Farm Lease Buyouts Coming To New York (Press Republican, Plattsburg, NY)
http://www.pressrepublican.com/0100_news/local_story_257225219.html

A Major Price Drop for Solar Panels - Solar power has suddenly become more affordable. (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/09/14/a-major-price-drop-for-solar-panels/

Colorado Electric Coop Offers Unique Solar Leasing Program (Cooler Planet)
http://solar.coolerplanet.com/News/9150902-colorado-electric-coop-offers-unique-solar-leasing-program.aspx

Canada - Tidal Power Project Approved For Bay of Fundy: Most Extreme Tides in the World (Globe & Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/tidal-power-project-approved-for-bay-of-fundy/article1288762/

Whole Foods Completes Major Purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (Austin Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2009/09/14/daily20.html?ana=from_rss

Faulty Wind Turbines Costly To Minnesota Family (WCCO Radio, Minneapolis, MN)
http://wcco.com/local/faulty.wind.turbines.2.1186107.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

White House Is Prepared to Set First National Limits on Greenhouse Gases (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/15/AR2009091503146.html?wprss=rss_politics

2010? Reid's Comments Add Uncertainty to Climate Vote's Timing (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/09/16/16climatewire-2010-reids-comments-add-uncertainty-to-clima-48964.html

Obama Admin: Cap & Trade Could Cost Families $1,761 per Year (CBS News)
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/15/taking_liberties/entry5314040.shtml

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Electric Cars May Be Closer To Charging Up Auto Market (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009873449_electriccars16.html

Climate Change Depresses Beer Drinkers (New Scientist)
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327253.400-climate-change-depresses-beer-drinkers.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Chattanooga: EPB fiber optics available to 17,000 homes (Times Free Press, Chattanooga, TN)
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/sep/15/chattanooga-epb-fiber-optics-available-17000-homes/?breakingnews

Comcast Raises Cable Modem Rental Fee - Market by market, beginning this fall (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-Raises-Cable-Modem-Rental-Fee-104477

After Outcry, T-Mobile Drops Paper Billing Fee (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/15/financial/f142734D24.DTL&feed=rss.business

GENERAL NEWS

Washington State's Jobless Rate Resumes Its Climb: 9.2% for August (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009871427_webjobs15.html?syndication=rss

Port Of Kalama Wine Bottle Plant Shutting Down (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/971713.html

Chewy Chicken Feet May Quash a Trade War (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/business/global/16chickens.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Hybrid Man-Eating Pythons? Florida Is On Alert.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0915/p02s01-usgn.html

Fake Cop Arrested After Stopping Mayor
http://www.kirotv.com/politics/20924752/detail.html

Universal Reveals Details of New Harry Potter Park
http://www.kirotv.com/travelgetaways/20921703/detail.html

Town Left in the Dark for Two Months
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE58E5GB20090915?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Train Misses Drunken Teen Napping On Track
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE58D4LB20090914?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

SONG OF THE DAY

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs