Thursday, September 30, 2010

Energy News Digest for September 30, 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

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices: https://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

US Senator Murray Discusses Power Line Plan with Bonneville Power Administration Chief (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Comment Period for Proposed Port Townsend Paper Biomass Generator Extended (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Protected Eagle Halts Eastern Oregon Wind Farms (Oregonian, Portland)

Oregon - Emerald People’s Utility District May Sell Hydro Plans - The rural utility district has a potential buyer for the proposals that were once called a “nightmare” (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

Chelan County PUD to Build $8 Million Hatchery (Lake Chelan Mirror, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

  • US Senator Murray Discusses Power Line Plan with Bonneville Power Administration Chief
  • Oregon - Emerald People’s Utility District May Sell Hydro Plans
  • Idaho - Rupert Signs for Changes in Electrical Power Agreement
  • National Hydropower Association Celebrates Hoover Dam 75th Anniversary
  • FERC Shifts into High Gear for Hydropower Developers
  • Editorial - Congressional Delays in Approving Tennessee Valley Authority Board Members Unconscionable
  • Energy Department Says Natural Gas Supplies Rise
  • Northern Ohio’s Energy Future Could be Expensive & Bumpy
  • Ontario Liberals Accused of Hiding Electricity Report
  • Nuclear Power to Remain in Germany’s Energy Equation
  • Chelan County PUD to Build $8 Million Hatchery
  • NOAA to Present Salmon Hatchery Funding Information
  • Elwha River Flows through Man-Made Channel for Dam-Removal Preparation
  • Get Out & Fish: Fall Chinook among Surging Salmon Populations
  • Enviros Fight Oregon Gold Miners’ Vacuum Dredging
  • Irrigation Districts Investing in Water Conservation
  • Washington Agency Looks to Cool Water Behind Dams
  • Comment Period for Proposed Port Townsend Paper Biomass Generator Extended
  • Protected Eagle Halts Eastern Oregon Wind Farms
  • Portland General Electric Withdraws Rock Creek Wind Farm Petition
  • Hydropower Making Waves in the Renewable Energy World
  • 2010 Solar Energy by State Rank – Oregon Gets an “A”, Washington a “C”
  • Iberdrola Renewables - Running a Wind Farm Nation from Oregon
  • Thinking Small, & Still Smaller, on Wind Power
  • Ohio Eliminates Tax on Renewable Energy Projects
  • National Renewable Energy Standard Will Mean Higher Electricity Bills
  • Maine - High School Biomass Boiler Project Fired Up
  • The 21st Century Gold Rush: Pursuit of Renewable Energy
  • Denmark Looks to Offshore Wind to be Fossil-Free By 2050
  • United Kingdom - Ram Raiders Damage Wind Farm
  • Revised power plan adopted for Pacific Northwest - As Energy Demands Grow, Efficiency is Top Priority
  • Are American Homes More Energy Efficient? Not Exactly
  • Greener than Thou - Portland vs. Seattle
  • Smokey the Bear & Renewable Energy
  • Oregon Gets Electric Car Stimulus Dollars for Charging Stations
  • Oh, This Is Ironic on So Many Levels - Smoking Shelters Spark Hospital Row
  • House Democrats Shelve Net Neutrality Proposal
  • Firm: Yep, Enterprise Cloud Computing is Growing
  • Monday Is Deadline for Voter Registration
  • Cap-And-Trade Vote Earns Reichert Endorsement from Environmental Group
  • Richland’s Quick Facebook Responses to Citizens
  • Shelton-Area Hunters Say They Mistook Man They Shot for Bear
  • Powerful La Nina Means Cold, Wet Winter Likely
  • Prepare Yourself for Snow This Winter
  • Providence to Close Chemical Dependency Centers in Longview, Belfair
  • Historic Old Tumwater Brewhouse, Property Sold

WORD OF THE DAY

Raconteur • \raw-conn-TERR\ • noun - A person who excels in telling anecdotes

Barney was considered the neighborhood’s informal historian. While he felt he was the community’s most spellbinding booster, his neighbors were a bit less complimentary of his self-promotion as a raconteur of the first order. “More of the neighborhood’s favorite soporific experience,” yawned one resident during that year’s homeowners’ association meeting.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

US Senator Murray Discusses Power Line Plan with Bonneville Power Administration Chief (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Oregon - Emerald People’s Utility District May Sell Hydro Plans - The rural utility district has a potential buyer for the proposals that were once called a “nightmare” (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

Idaho - Rupert Signs for Changes in Electrical Power Agreement (Magic Valley Times-News, Twin Falls, ID)

National Hydropower Association Celebrates Hoover Dam 75th Anniversary - Event marks milestone for hydropower industry (Renewable Energy World)

FERC Shifts into High Gear for Hydropower Developers (Renewable Energy World)

Editorial - Congressional Delays in Approving Tennessee Valley Authority Board Members Unconscionable (The Oak Ridger, TN)

Energy Department Says Natural Gas Supplies Rise (Associated Press)

Northern Ohio’s Energy Future Could be Expensive & Bumpy - In the long run, the price of power & natural gas is only going to increase (Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH)

Ontario Liberals Accused of Hiding Electricity Report – Call to release a report on future electricity costs amid fears that soaring hydro bills are heading even higher (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

Nuclear Power to Remain in Germany’s Energy Equation (Christian Science Monitor)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Chelan County PUD to Build $8 Million Hatchery (Lake Chelan Mirror, WA)

NOAA to Present Salmon Hatchery Funding Information (The Astorian, OR)

Elwha River Flows through Man-Made Channel for Dam-Removal Preparation (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Get Out & Fish: Fall Chinook among Surging Salmon Populations (Bellingham Herald, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Enviros Fight Oregon Gold Miners’ Vacuum Dredging (Courthouse News Service)

Irrigation Districts Investing in Water Conservation (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

Washington Agency Looks to Cool Water Behind Dams (Northwest Public Radio)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Comment Period for Proposed Port Townsend Paper Biomass Generator Extended (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Protected Eagle Halts Eastern Oregon Wind Farms (Oregonian, Portland)

Portland General Electric Withdraws Rock Creek Wind Farm Petition (Portland Business Journal)

Hydropower Making Waves in the Renewable Energy World (Energy Digital)

2010 Solar Energy by State Rank – Oregon Gets an “A”, Washington a “C” (Renewable Energy World)

Iberdrola Renewables - Running a Wind Farm Nation from Oregon (Earth Techling)

Thinking Small, & Still Smaller, on Wind Power (NY Times)

Ohio Eliminates Tax on Renewable Energy Projects (Dayton Business Journal)

National Renewable Energy Standard Will Mean Higher Electricity Bills (Tucson Citizen, AZ)

Maine - High School Biomass Boiler Project Fired Up “…officials say the biomass project will result in a number of ‘green’ benefits, including a huge reduction in the use of fossil fuels…” (Lewiston Sun-Journal, ME)

The 21st Century Gold Rush: Pursuit of Renewable Energy - The Wild West is alive & well, & in New Jersey (Reuters)

Denmark Looks to Offshore Wind to be Fossil-Free By 2050 - While 80% of Denmark’s energy needs today are covered by oil, coal & gas (ReCharge)

United Kingdom - Ram Raiders Damage Wind Farm (This Is Devon, UK)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Revised Power Plan Adopted for Pacific Northwest - As Energy Demands Grow, Efficiency is Top Priority (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)

Are American Homes More Energy Efficient? Not Exactly (Washington Post)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Greener than Thou - Portland vs. Seattle (PubliCola)

Smokey the Bear & Renewable Energy (Renewable Energy World)

Oregon Gets Electric Car Stimulus Dollars for Charging Stations (Oregonian, Portland)

United Kingdom - Oh, This Is Ironic on So Many Levels - Smoking Shelters Spark Hospital Row (Manchester Evening News, UK)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

House Democrats Shelve Net Neutrality Proposal (Associated Press)

Firm: Yep, Enterprise Cloud Computing is Growing (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Monday Is Deadline for Voter Registration (Longview Daily News, WA)

Cap-And-Trade Vote Earns Reichert Endorsement from Environmental Group (Seattle Times)

Richland’s Quick Facebook Responses to Citizens (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA – Just wait until you get your first records request…)

GENERAL NEWS

Shelton-Area Hunters Say They Mistook Man They Shot for Bear (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Powerful La Nina Means Cold, Wet Winter Likely (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Prepare Yourself for Snow This Winter (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Providence to Close Chemical Dependency Centers in Longview, Belfair (Olympian, WA)

Historic Old Tumwater Brewhouse, Property Sold - No Plans: Businessman wants to clean up site first (Olympian, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Science Fuels Magic of Fall Foliage

Washington Potato Official Going on All-Spud Diet

Delhi Deploys ‘Super Monkey’ Security Guards for Commonwealth Games

TV Host Announces Wrong Winner for Australian “Top Model”

SONG OF THE DAY

Rose Royce - Car Wash

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Energy News Digest for September 29, 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

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices: https://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Clean Energy Groups Protest Centralia TransAlta Coal Power Plant - Sierra Club, others hope to close Centralia plant by 2015

Benton PUD Expects to Raise Rates in 2011 – BPA wholesale rates, renewable energy mandates, conservation goals cited (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Ancient Italian Town Has Wind at Its Back (NY Times)

Wind offers reprieve to struggling, dying fish in Hood Canal dead zone (Seattle Times)

California - Modesto Irrigation District Agrees to Reconsider Wood-Burning Power Plant: Board holds off voting to cease negotiations (Modesto Bee, CA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Clean Energy Groups Protest Centralia TransAlta Coal Power Plant
·         Benton PUD Expects to Raise Rates in 2011
·         Chelan PUD Board Approves Five-Year Steering Plan
·         Editorial - Politics & British Columbia’s Peace River Dam
·         Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Lifts Price Cap on Transmission Capacity
·         Low-Cost Electric Deals OK’d for Western New York Companies
·         Energy Department Commits $1 Billion to FutureGen
·         Too Many Nukes - Why Many Environmentalists Will Fight Germany’s Green Energy Plan
·         California - Is PUC a Utility Watchdog - Or Lapdog?
·         The Rise of the New Power Co-Op Movement
·         Coho Scarce in Puyallup River, Tribe Ends Season
·         Great Lakes – Scientists Say Mussels May Leave Carp Nothing to Eat
·         Union Threatens Labor Charge in US Fishery Case
·         Wind Offers Reprieve to Struggling, Dying Fish in Hood Canal Dead Zone
·         Sewer Plan: Boon or Bust for Brinnon?
·         Sewage Overflow in New York? Believe It
·         Water Use in Southwest Heads for a Day of Reckoning
·         Bark Beetles May Not be Wildfire Culprits
·         Ancient Italian Town Has Wind at Its Back
·         Minnesota - North Shore Attracts Wind Power, Migrating Birds
·         United Kingdom - Wind Farms: Yet Another Brewing Disaster
·         California - Modesto Irrigation District Agrees to Reconsider Wood-Burning Power Plant
·         Op/Ed - Wood Energy Produces Power, Questions
·         NREL Releases Biomass Mapping Application
·         US Energy Grid Gets Its First Taste of Tidal Power
·         Oregon Governor Says Wave Farms Will be Smart Long-Term Investment
·         Major Solar Projects Make Progress in California
·         Editorial - No, Nuclear Power Does Not Belong in the Renewable Energy Standard
·         Painting Roofs White Saves You Green
·         Salem Electric Customers to Receive Efficient Bulbs
·         New Refrigerator Standards Are First from Industry/Environmental Consensus Agreement
·         Short on Roof Space? Adobe Plants Fuel Cells
·         GM Tests Electric Cars That Feed Power Back to the Grid
·         Microsoft Bans Employees from Tweeting at Annual Meeting
·         State Senate - Marr Changing TV Ad That Lacked Disclosure
·         Hey, Citizens, Guess Who’s Really Taking the Initiative
·         Clallam County Phone Bills Going Up after County Passes Tax Increase
·         Social Media ‘Wild Wild West’ of Political Campaigns
·         Woman Pleads Innocent in Washington State Acid Hoax Case
·         Tumwater Judge Arrested in DUI, Hit & Run Case
·         WSP Arrests Man Suspected of Taunting Trooper after I-90 Crash
·         Census Shows More Washington Residents in Poverty
·         Longview - Utah Coal Company Eyes Private Port at Former Reynolds Metals Site
·         Indian Story Pole Decaying at Capitol in Olympia

WORDS OF THE DAY

Parlay • \PARR-lay\ • verb – 1: to bet in a parlay 2a: to exploit successfully b: to increase or otherwise transform into something of much greater value

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH:

Parley • \PARR-lee\ • verb – To speak with another: confer; specifically: to discuss terms with an enemy

Paulette was eager for parlay her parley with the energy traders to her advantage. “All I want is a corner office and one of those little cube refrigerators,” she sighed in hushed tones to her counterpart.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Clean Energy Groups Protest Centralia TransAlta Coal Power Plant - Sierra Club, others hope to close Centralia plant by 2015

Benton PUD Expects to Raise Rates in 2011 – BPA wholesale rates, renewable energy mandates, conservation goals cited (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Chelan PUD Board Approves Five-Year Steering Plan (Wenatchee World, WA)

Editorial - Politics & British Columbia’s Peace River Dam (North Island MidWeek, BC)

Open the Sluice Gates! Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Lifts Price Cap on Transmission Capacity (Courthouse News Service)

Low-Cost Electric Deals OK’d for Western New York Companies (Business First of Buffalo)

Energy Department Commits $1 Billion to FutureGen (Associated Press)

Too Many Nukes - Why Many Environmentalists Will Fight Germany’s Green Energy Plan (Christian Science Monitor)

California - Is PUC a Utility Watchdog - Or Lapdog? (SF Chronicle)

The Rise of the New Power Co-Op Movement (Huffington Post)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Coho Scarce in Puyallup River, Tribe Ends Season (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Great Lakes – Scientists Say Mussels May Leave Carp Nothing to Eat (Associated Press)

Union Threatens Labor Charge in US Fishery Case (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Wind Offers Reprieve to Struggling, Dying Fish in Hood Canal Dead Zone (Seattle Times)

Sewer Plan: Boon or Bust for Brinnon? “…The processed water would be dumped into Hood Canal, while the solid waste would be hauled to a waste facility in Shelton…” (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Sewage Overflow in New York? Believe It (NY Times)

Water Use in Southwest Heads for a Day of Reckoning (NY Times)

Bark Beetles May Not be Wildfire Culprits - New study finds infestations thin out fuel that feeds fires (Wenatchee World, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Ancient Italian Town Has Wind at Its Back (NY Times)

Minnesota - North Shore Attracts Wind Power, Migrating Birds (Minnesota Public Radio)

United Kingdom - Wind Farms: Yet Another Brewing Disaster (The Telegraph, UK)

California - Modesto Irrigation District Agrees to Reconsider Wood-Burning Power Plant: Board holds off voting to cease negotiations (Modesto Bee, CA)

Op/Ed - Wood Energy Produces Power, Questions (Traverse City Record-Eagle, MI)

NREL Releases Biomass Mapping Application - A mapping application shows where bio-energy facilities are located now & where more could be developed (Renewable Energy World)

US Energy Grid Gets Its First Taste of Tidal Power (Dvice)

Oregon Governor Says Wave Farms Will be Smart Long-Term Investment (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Major Solar Projects Make Progress in California (USA Today)

Editorial - No, Nuclear Power Does Not Belong in the Renewable Energy Standard – Renewable Energy Standard versus Clean Energy Standard (Grist)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Painting Roofs White Saves You Green (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Salem Electric Customers to Receive Efficient Bulbs - The fluorescent lamps may save money as well as lots of kilowatt hours (Salem Statesman-Journal, OR)

New Refrigerator Standards Are First from Industry/Environmental Consensus Agreement (Appliance Magazine)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Short on Roof Space? Adobe Plants Fuel Cells (NY Times)

GM Tests Electric Cars That Feed Power Back to the Grid (USA Today)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Microsoft Bans Employees from Tweeting at Annual Meeting (Seattle Times)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

State Senate - Marr Changing TV Ad That Lacked Disclosure (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

Hey, Citizens, Guess Who’s Really Taking the Initiative (Seattle Times)

Clallam County Phone Bills Going Up after County Passes Tax Increase (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

Social Media ‘Wild Wild West’ of Political Campaigns (KING-TV, Seattle)

GENERAL NEWS

Woman Pleads Innocent in Washington State Acid Hoax Case (Associated Press)

Tumwater Judge Arrested in DUI, Hit & Run Case (Olympian, WA)

WSP Arrests Man Suspected of Taunting Trooper after I-90 Crash (Associated Press)

Census Shows More Washington Residents in Poverty (Seattle Times)

Longview - Utah Coal Company Eyes Private Port at Former Reynolds Metals Site (Longview Daily News, WA)

Indian Story Pole Decaying at Capitol in Olympia (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

Beer-Soaked Brawl Ends Three-Year-Old’s Birthday Party

Ben & Jerry’s to Drop ‘All Natural’ Claim

Oops! Portland Driver Talking on Cell Phone Rear-Ends OSP Cruiser

Belgium Experiments with Mystical “Full Moon” Beer

SONG OF THE DAY

Bob Seger - Shame On the Moon