The Energy News Digest: 12/30/09

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Energy News Digest for December 30, 2009

The Energy News Digest will be taking Thursday, December 31 off as it prepares for a raucous celebration on New Year’s Eve. It will return, sans hangover, on January 4. Best regards and well wishes to all for the new year.

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)

• Update - All Electricity Restored in Highway 106 Outage West of Belfair

• Grays Harbor PUD Power rates may rise 8%

• Nearly Three Cents per Kwh - Kentucky Power Asks for Nearly 35 Pct Rate Hike

• Idaho Power Plan to Sell Facilities to Cooperative Gets Hearing

• Pacific Gas & Electric Customer Revolt May Threaten Rollout of Obama’s Smart Grid

• Motion seeks to withdraw Va. power line request

• Michigan Regulators OK Air Permit for Coal-Fired Power Plant

• France-Based Areva Plans California Nuclear Plant

•

Australia

Debates Plan to Build 10 Nuclear Reactors

• Record Coho Returns Boost Columbia River Restoration

• Washington State Closes Elk Archery Season after ‘Out of Hand’ Hunt

• $10 Million for Coastal Wetlands in Washington & Oregon

• Washington State Proposes Lifting Groundwater Rule

• Snowpack Thin Across Idaho So Far

• It’s Legal to Collect Your Own Rain

• The Lake Effect - What new research about how dams affect rainfall says about man-made climate change

• Supporters Tout Unified US Renewable Energy Standard

• Wal-Mart, Others Make Money on Oregon’s Energy Tax Credits

• Solar Power’s Popularity Spikes in Washington State

• California’s Renewable Pipeline Hits Nearly 70 GW

• Ice Risk for London’s Olympic Wind Turbine

• Nebraska Ethanol Plant Draws $30M at Bankruptcy Sale

• Glowing Walls Could Kill Off the Light Bulb

• North Dakota Lawsuit Likely Over Minnesota Carbon Dioxide Tax

• Eco-Officers Are Moving Into Executive Suites

• Would-be copper thief disrupts cable service for Issaquah customers

• Additional Guilty Plea by Hacker in Thefts

• Google’s 2009: A Glimpse of the Web’s Next Decade

• Shelton Man to Be Sentenced on Voyeurism Charges

• Travelers Should Brace for Mountain Snow

• Dogs Rescued from Illegal Taiwanese Meat Factory, Were Being Fattened Up to Be Eaten

• Climate Control Matters Heat Up in Offices; Agreements Ease Friction

WORD OF THE DAY

Epilogue • \EPP-uh-logg\ • noun – 1: a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work 2a: a speech often in verse addressed to the audience by an actor at the end of a play; also: the actor speaking such an epilogue b: the final scene of a play that comments on or summarizes the main action 3: the concluding section of a musical composition: coda

As an epilogue to 2009, I will be sending out the pantingly anticipated 2009 words of the day compendium the first week of January. Once it has arrived in your trembling little paws, enjoy its oddness.

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

Update - All Electricity Restored in Highway 106 Outage West of Belfair (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=654

Grays Harbor PUD Power rates may rise 8% (Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/12/30/local_news/doc4b3ba39e43d94764667775.txt

Nearly Three Cents per Kwh - Kentucky Power Asks for Nearly 35 Pct Rate Hike (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010626471_apusrateincreasekentucky.html?syndication=rss

Idaho Power Plan to Sell Facilities to Cooperative Gets Hearing (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010634040_apusutilitysaleidahopower.html?syndication=rss

Pacific Gas & Electric Customer Revolt May Threaten Rollout of Obama’s Smart Grid (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aR9dlqyk._NI

Motion seeks to withdraw Va. power line request (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010630643_apvamultistatepowerline.html

Michigan Regulators OK Air Permit for Coal-Fired Power Plant (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010623988_apmicoalfiredplants.html?syndication=rss

France-Based Areva Plans California Nuclear Plant (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010623930_apeufrancecaliforniaareva.html?syndication=rss

Australia

Debates Plan to Build 10 Nuclear Reactors (The National,

Australia

)

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091230/FOREIGN/712299930/1135

FISH & WILDLIFE

Record Coho Returns Boost Columbia River Restoration - Pioneering strategy restores upper Columbia species from near extinction (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/437255/

Washington State Closes Elk Archery Season after ‘Out of Hand’ Hunt (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/80298137.html

$10 Million for Coastal Wetlands in Washington & Oregon (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010627149_aporwetlandsgrants.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Washington State Proposes Lifting Groundwater Rule (Associated Press)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/845829.html

Snowpack Thin Across Idaho So Far (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/1085120.html

It’s Legal to Collect Your Own Rain (Whidbey News-Times, Oak Harbor, WA)

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/lifestyle/80292867.html

The Lake Effect - What new research about how dams affect rainfall says about man-made climate change (Newsweek Magazine)

http://www.newsweek.com/id/228574

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Supporters Tout Unified US Renewable Energy Standard (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010638047_apuswindenergysouthdakota.html

Wal-Mart, Others Make Money on Oregon’s Energy Tax Credits (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/12/walmart_others_make_money_on_o.html

Solar Power’s Popularity Spikes in Washington State (Cooler Planet)

http://solar.coolerplanet.com/News/19532994-solar-power%27s-popularity-spikes-in-washington-state.aspx

California’s Renewable Pipeline Hits Nearly 70 GW - Proposed projects must clear regulatory hurdles (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2920194020091230?type=marketsNews

Ice Risk for London’s Olympic Wind Turbine - Engineers are trying to minimize the risk of the proposed wind turbine showering lumps of ice onto members of the public (New Civil Engineer)

http://www.nce.co.uk/ice-risk-for-olympic-turbine/5200156.article

Nebraska Ethanol Plant Draws $30M at Bankruptcy Sale (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010638361_apusethanolauctionnebraska.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Glowing Walls Could Kill Off the Light Bulb (The Times of London, UK)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6970927.ece

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

North Dakota Lawsuit Likely Over Minnesota Carbon Dioxide Tax (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010627080_apndcarbonsuit.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Eco-Officers Are Moving Into Executive Suites (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-green-officers30-2009dec30,0,3283781.story?track=rss