Energy News Digest for February 22, 2010

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)

·         WPUDA Quoted - New Way to Promote Green Energy Would Show Up on Electric Bills

·         Cowlitz PUD Challenges Tax on Energy Rebate Fund

·         Columbia River Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal Plan Hits Oregon Permit Obstacle

·         Baker City Herald Editorial - Forgive Bonneville Power Administration? Forget It

·         Energy Trading BC Hydro Subsidiary Battles U.S. Poacher

·         Montana Cooperative Transfers $14 Million for Natural Gas Power Plant

·         Green Groups Call for Federal Probe of Vermont Yankee

·         South Carolina County Sues Feds Over Nuclear Waste Decision

·         Editorial - Nuclear Energy Can’t Expand Without a Nuclear-Waste Site

·         What Utilities Have Learned from Smart-Meter Tests - And why they aren’t putting those lessons to use

·         More Wisconsin Power Plants Violate Clean Air Act

·         Alcoa CEO Kleinfeld Earns $11.2 Million in 2009

·         News Whiz - Competitive Electricity Market Serves Consumers With Low Prices & Dependability

·         Obama Administration Will Review Its Northwest Salmon & Dams Plan

·         NOAA Will Review Columbia River Salmon Plan

·         Oregonian Editorial - Wrong Turn for Oregon-Bound Salmon

·         Much at Stake As Grouse Endangered Finding Nears

·         EPA Plans to Spend $2.2B to Protect Great Lakes

·         Group Fights Weyerhaeuser’s Use of ‘Green’ Certification

·         Murray Touts Benefits of Columbia River Channel-Deepening at Roundtable

·         Harvest Wind Project Now Contributing to Cowlitz PUD’s Power Bank

·         Wind Farm Complex in Works 10 Miles Outside Othello

·         In Wyoming, Debate Swirls on Taxing Wind Industry

·         Report Says US Wind Capacity Has More Than Tripled

·         Kansas Now No. 2 in Wind Potential

·         Oregonian Op/Ed - Steens Mountain Wind Turbines Are Wake-Up Call to Oregonians

·         Oregon’s Solar Future Could Hinge on Copying Germany

·         California - 11 Former Mayors Want Mill Valley out of Clean Energy Initiative

·         The Long Road to an Alternative-Energy Future

·         Biomass Boiler Basics

·         Four Kitsap Governments Team to Help Each Other Save Energy

·         Timing Is Key in Energy Program - Sisters-area residents’ water heater timers

·         Wide Variance in Products That Qualify for Federal Energy Star Program

·         Are Energy Star Products Always the Most Efficient?

·         Study Says Warming to Bring Stronger Hurricanes

·         An Economic History Lesson on Adapting to Climate Change

·         Op/Ed - Green Jobs Are Putting America to Work

·         Op/Ed - Green Energy Jobs? Not from Obama’s Big Government Meddling

·         Lake Tahoe Regulators Hope ‘Green’ Development Will Help Keep Lake Blue

·         Facebook’s Energy - Your Status Updates’ Carbon Footprint

·         Jefferson County’s Internet Broadband Hopes Buoyed

·         iFiber brings services to Royal City

·         FCC Expands Broadband Access at Schools

·         Report Says US Pinpoints Code Writer Behind Google Attack

·         Snohomish Gets on Facebook, But Finds It’s More Complicated for Government

·         Cheaper Belfair Bypass Alternatives Sought, With the Public’s Help

·         Forest Road Projects Mean Local Jobs for WA & in Olympic National Park

·         Starting Today, Loaded Guns Allowed in National Parks

·         Mason County Sheriff’s Office Moves to New Location

·         Early Spring Worries Mid-Columbia Farmers

·         Bremerton Debates Value, Risk of Backyard Chickens

·         The Green File: Shelton Man Knows How to Find Answers

·         California - Tracy Residents Now Have to Pay for 911 Calls

·         Pediatricians Call for a Choke-Proof Hot Dog

WORD OF THE DAY

Saxicolous • \sak-SIK-uh-lus\ • adjective - Inhabiting or growing among rocks

The boulders and caverns that made up Barty’s saxicolous home on the slopes of a remote western mountain were quickly becoming overrun by survivalists and conspiracy theorists. What he had envisioned as a hermit’s retreat had evolved over time to a nut’s dream of how the world would end…not with a whimper…but with a whine.

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

WPUDA Quoted - New Way to Promote Green Energy Would Show Up on Electric Bills (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=6869

Cowlitz PUD Challenges Tax on Energy Rebate Fund (The Daily News, Longview, WA)

http://www.tdn.com/news/local/679b2704-1ebe-11df-94bf-001cc4c03286.html

Columbia River Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal Plan Hits Oregon Permit Obstacle (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/oregon_deq_stymies_lng_termina.html

Baker City Herald Editorial - Forgive Bonneville Power Administration? Forget It

http://www.bakercityherald.com/Editorials/Forgive-BPA-Forget-it

Energy Trading BC Hydro Subsidiary Battles U.S. Poacher - Powerex has lost 10 energy trading staffers to financial giant Morgan Stanley (Vancouver Sun, BC)

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Hydro+subsidiary+battles+poacher/2596268/story.html

Montana Cooperative Transfers $14 Million for Natural Gas Power Plant (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100220/NEWS01/2200307/SME-Electric-transfers-14-million-for-natural-gas-plant

Green Groups Call for Federal Probe of Vermont Yankee (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011132415_apvtvermontyankee.html?syndication=rss

South Carolina County Sues Feds Over Nuclear Waste Decision (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011140042_apscscnuclearwaste2ndldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Columbus Dispatch Editorial - Nuclear Energy Can’t Expand Without a Nuclear-Waste Site

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2010/02/21/edit.html?sid=101

What Utilities Have Learned from Smart-Meter Tests - And why they aren’t putting those lessons to use (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704878904575031020562238094.html?ru=yahoo&mod=yahoo_hs

More Wisconsin Power Plants Violate Clean Air Act (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011132790_apwiwisconsinpowerplants.html?syndication=rss

Alcoa CEO Kleinfeld Earns $11.2 Million in 2009 (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011132722_apapfnusalcoaexecutivecompensation.html?syndication=rss

News Whiz - Competitive Electricity Market Serves Consumers With Low Prices & Dependability (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=128014

FISH & WILDLIFE

Obama Administration Will Review Its Northwest Salmon & Dams Plan (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/02/obama_administration_will_revi.html

NOAA Will Review Columbia River Salmon Plan (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/02/noaa-columbia-river-salmon-plan.html

Oregonian Editorial - Wrong Turn for Oregon-Bound Salmon

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3882734

Much at Stake As Grouse Endangered Finding Nears (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011145262_apwysagegrouse1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

EPA Plans to Spend $2.2B to Protect Great Lakes (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2010-02-21-great-lakes-asian-carp_N.htm

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Group Fights Weyerhaeuser’s Use of ‘Green’ Certification (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011140187_forestcetification21m.html

Murray Touts Benefits of Columbia River Channel-Deepening at Roundtable (The Daily News, Longview, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_9e81db10-1dcd-11df-ab58-001cc4c002e0.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Harvest Wind Project Now Contributing to Cowlitz PUD’s Power Bank (The Daily News, Longview, WA)

http://www.tdn.com/news/local/d5f19ea2-1f83-11df-b181-001cc4c002e0.html

Wind Farm Complex in Works 10 Miles Outside Othello (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/02/10/896160/wind-farm-complex-in-works-10.html

In Wyoming, Debate Swirls on Taxing Wind Industry (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/science/earth/21wind.html

Report Says US Wind Capacity Has More Than Tripled (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/02/us-wind-capacity-has-more-than-tripled-report/1

Kansas Now No. 2 in Wind Potential (Kansas City Star, MO)

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/02/21/1764528/kansas-now-no-2-in-wind-potential.html

Oregonian Op/Ed - Steens Mountain Wind Turbines Are Wake-Up Call to Oregonians

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/02/steens_mountain_wind_turbines.html

Oregon’s Solar Future Could Hinge on Copying Germany (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/oregons_solar_future_could_hin.html

California - 11 Former Mayors Want Mill Valley out of Clean Energy Initiative (Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA)

http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14445882?nclick_check=1

The Long Road to an Alternative-Energy Future (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703382904575059312029996750.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond

Biomass Boiler Basics (Engineered Systems)

http://www.esmagazine.com/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000708075

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Four Kitsap Governments Team to Help Each Other Save Energy (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/feb/21/local-governments-team-up-for-energy-savings/?partner=RSS

Timing Is Key in Energy Program - Sisters-area residents’ water heater timers help determine whether power use can be reduced during peak periods (The Bend Bulletin, OR)

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100222/NEWS0107/2220363/-1/RSSNEWSMAP

Wide Variance in Products That Qualify for Federal Energy Star Program (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022103688.html

Are Energy Star Products Always theMost Efficient? (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/02/are-energy-star-products-really-the-most-efficient/1

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Study Says Warming to Bring Stronger Hurricanes (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011145385_apussciwarminghurricanes.html?syndication=rss

An Economic History Lesson on Adapting to Climate Change (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/Green-Economics/2010/0219/An-Economic-History-Lesson-on-Adapting-to-Climate-Change

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

US News & World Report Op/Ed - Green Jobs Are Putting America to Work

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2010/02/22/green-jobs-are-putting-america-to-work.html

US News & World Report Op/Ed - Green Energy Jobs? Not from Obama’s Big Government Meddling

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2010/02/22/green-energy-jobs-not-from-obamas-big-government-meddling.html

Lake Tahoe Regulators Hope ‘Green’ Development Will Help Keep Lake Blue (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/02/21/2550797/lake-tahoe-regulators-hope-green.html

Facebook’s Energy - Your Status Updates’ Carbon Footprint (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=57654

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Jefferson County’s Internet Broadband Hopes Buoyed (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100221/news/302219986

iFiber brings services to Royal City - Internet, high-definition TV, phone services available (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2010/02/19/business/doc4b7f10422bfbc596433952.txt

FCC Expands Broadband Access at Schools - Likely to help increase Americans’ access to high-speed Internet, a major goal of the upcoming National Broadband Plan (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61H6ZR20100219

Report Says US Pinpoints Code Writer Behind Google Attack (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61L0OG20100222

Snohomish Gets on Facebook, But Finds It’s More Complicated for Government (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100221/NEWS01/702219929/-1/RSS02

GENERAL NEWS

Cheaper Belfair Bypass Alternatives Sought, With the Public’s Help (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/feb/20/cheaper-belfair-bypass-alternatives-sought-publics/?partner=RSS

Forest Road Projects Mean Local Jobs for WA & in Olympic National Park (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/1419-forest-road-projects-mean-local-jobs-for-wa-and-in-olympic-national-park

Starting Today, Loaded Guns Allowed in National Parks (Northwest Cable News)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/Starting-Monday-you-can-pack-your-gun-in-National-Parks-84920407.html

Mason County Sheriff’s Office Moves to New Location (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1392

Early Spring Worries Mid-Columbia Farmers (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/02/22/1147313/early-spring-worries-mid-columbia.html

Bremerton Debates Value, Risk of Backyard Chickens (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011152944_apwabremertonchickendebate.html?syndication=rss

The Green File: Shelton Man Knows How to Find Answers (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/1405-the-green-file-shelton-man-knows-how-to-find-answers

California - Tracy Residents Now Have to Pay for 911 Calls (KOVR-TV, Sacramento, CA)

http://cbs13.com/local/tracy.911.calls.2.1502690.html

Pediatricians Call for a Choke-Proof Hot Dog (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-02-22-1Achoke22_ST_N.htm

DIVERSIONS

Keep Calm & Never Mind, Britain Says in Its X-Files

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/world/europe/19saucers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Fake Pinot Noir Scam Leads to 12 Convictions

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/19/BU0E1C3M81.DTL&feed=rss.business

The Internet Will Make You Smarter, Say Experts

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61I5CW20100219

First Nations Chief Denies Curse Has Been Put on Norwegian Olympic Athletes

http://www.timescolonist.com/life/First+Nations+chief+denies+curse+been+Norwegian+Olympic+athletes/2590569/story.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Credence Clearwater Revival - I Put a Spell on You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sd6MqI8q3A