The Energy News Digest: Energy News Digest for September 13, 2010

Monday, September 13, 2010

Energy News Digest for September 13, 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.

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Water Surge - Hydropower, Once Shunned Because of Environmental Concerns, Is Making a Comeback (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703960004575427092861731122.html

State Opens Salmon Fishing in Snake River - Washington Chinook Season Opens Immediately (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/sep/10/state-opens-salmon-fishing-snake/

Bonneville Power Administration, Calpine Cut Deal to Use Cogen Plant to Back Up Wind Farms (Platts)

http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/HeadlineNews/ElectricPower/6434104/

Grass for Biomass - Ban on Field Burning Prompts Plan to Convert Straw to Energy (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/09/ban_on_field_burning_prompts_p.html

More Washington State Cuts Near - With low revenue ‘fairly certain,’ Gregoire expected to OK additional trims (Olympian, WA – now, excuse me while I take this trade trip to Asia…)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/09/12/1366632/more-state-cuts-near.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

· Water Surge - Hydropower, Once Shunned Because of Environmental Concerns, Is Making a Comeback

· Fossil Fuel Industries Seek to Use Pacific NW as Export Hub

· Op/Ed - Oil, Wind, Biomass: Federal Regulators Killing Energy Projects & Jobs

· Mason County PUD 1 Holding Hearings Tuesday Afternoon

· Pacific Gas & Electric Fears Damage from San Bruno Pipeline Explosion May Exceed $1B Policy

· Puget Sound Energy Seeks Slight Increase to Low-Income Program Charge

· Montana - Highwood Power Plant a Go After Special-Use Permit OK’d

· Wyoming - After Seeing Power Use Remain Lower, Black Hills Power Closes Osage Plant

· Old-Style Coal Plants Expanding Across the US

· New York Nuclear Plant Back in Service Four Days After Leak

· Natural Gas - Fracking Debate Heats Up in New York

· Michigan - Detroit Activists Blame DTE Energy, City for Fires

· Allegheny-FirstEnergy - $8.5 Billion Electric Utility Merger Approaches Big Hurdles

· Draconian Measures - China Guangxi Aluminum Smelters Start to Cut Output

· The US Power Sector is Changing - Even Without a Climate Bill

· Pew Illuminates Federal Energy Spending

· State Opens Salmon Fishing in Snake River

· Salmon Season Extended from Wells Dam to Brewster

· Fall Chinook Run Slightly Downgraded; Large Numbers of Unmarked Steelhead Showing Up

· Will Salmon Need Help Repopulating Unblocked Elwha River?

· Kootenai Tribe Aims to Restore Burbot

· BPA to Spend $125 Million for Oregon Wildlife Habitat

· Fish ‘Cell Phones’ Track Marine Life

· Missouri Salmon Is Endangered, Says US Fish & Wildlife Agency

· Scientists Find Drugs That May Fight Bat Disease

· Bonneville Power Administration, Calpine Cut Deal to Use Cogen Plant to Back Up Wind Farms

· Sacramento Municipal Utility District to Boost Capacity at Solano Wind Farm

· World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Set to Open Off Kent Coast

· Climbing Tower Debuts for Training Wind-Turbine Techs

· Wind Farms: An Ill Wind for Denmark’s Green Energy Revolution

· Grass for Biomass - Ban on Field Burning Prompts Plan to Convert Straw to Energy

· Arizona - Storm Debris to Fuel Biomass Generating Plant

Canada

- Experts Urge Nova Scotia to Reject Biomass Project

· Not Just a Lot of Hot Air - Geothermal Energy

· Texas Clean Energy Hampered by Location

· Franklin PUD - Bonneville Power Administration Contractor Bringing Free Energy-Saving Items

· Editorial - Rural Star Energy Program Is Public & Private Winner

· Rising Sea Levels - How Will Washington State Cope?

· Oregon’s Largest Glacier Has Declined over 20 Percent since Late 1980s

· Congress Is Back, But Can It Really Pass a Renewable Electricity Standard?

· Green Buildings May Make Workers Feel Better

· Production of Stimulus-Aided Car Batteries Revs Up

· FCC Expected to Free Up Unused TV ‘White Space’ for Wireless Service

· Fastest Net Service in US Coming to Chattanooga

· California - San Jose, County Question $50 Million Broadband Grant

· Editorial - Broadband Service Has Transformative Potential

· Charter Starts Charging ‘Broadcast TV Surcharge’

· More Washington State Cuts Near

· Choices Are Clear in Senate, House Races in Washington’s 35^th Legislative District

U.S.

Post Office Can Ban Petitioning on Sidewalks

· Port of Shelton Announces Lease with Simpson Lumber Company

· Nearly 10,000 Acres Burn in Huge Eastern Washington Wildfire

· Cowlitz County Man Killed in Apparent Bow-Hunting Accident

· Klickitat County Leads in Marijuana Fields to Eradicate

· Vancouver Loses Cowlitz Tribal Casino Lawsuit, Wins Concession

· Washington Students Get Top SAT Scores

WORD OF THE DAY

Draconian • \drack-CONE-ee-un\ • adjective - of, relating to, or characteristic of Draco or the severe code of laws held to have been framed by him 2: cruel; also: severe

“I know that you’re upset about the lunch thefts from the lunchroom ‘fridge,” whined the CEO’s assistant. “But I think that blood tests and retina scans to get into the icebox are a little draconian.”

Draco was the first legislator of ancient Athens, Greece, 7th century BC. He replaced the prevailing system of oral law and blood feud by a written code to be enforced only by a court. Because of its harshness, this code also gave rise to the term “draconian”.

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

Water Surge - Hydropower, Once Shunned Because of Environmental Concerns, Is Making a Comeback (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703960004575427092861731122.html

Fossil Fuel Industries Seek to Use Pacific NW as Export Hub (Energy Collective)

http://theenergycollective.com/wattheadguest/43184/fossil-fuel-industries-seek-use-pacific-nw-export-hub

Op/Ed - Oil, Wind, Biomass: Federal Regulators Killing Energy Projects & Jobs (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal)

http://kpbj.com/business_weekly/2010-09-13/federal_regulators_killing_energy_projects_and_jobs

Mason County PUD 1 Holding Hearings Tuesday Afternoon (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/3228-pud-1-holding-hearings-tuesday-afternoon

Pacific Gas & Electric Fears Damage from San Bruno Pipeline Explosion May Exceed $1B Policy (Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2010/09/06/daily73.html

Puget Sound Energy Seeks Slight Increase to Low-Income Program Charge (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=139808

Montana - Highwood Power Plant a Go After Special-Use Permit OK’d (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100911/NEWS01/9110302/Highwood-power-plant-a-go-after-special-use-permit-OKd

Wyoming - After Seeing Power Use Remain Lower, Black Hills Power Closes Osage Plant (Rapid City Journal, SD)

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_5b230cfe-bce7-11df-9b44-001cc4c03286.html

Old-Style Coal Plants Expanding Across the US (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012834766_newcoalplants12.html

New York Nuclear Plant Back in Service Four Days After Leak (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012885202_apusindianpoint.html

Natural Gas - Fracking Debate Heats Up in New York (CNN Money)

http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/10/news/economy/epa_fracking_hearing/

Michigan - Detroit Activists Blame DTE Energy, City for Fires (Detroit Free Press, MI)

http://www.freep.com/article/20100910/NEWS01/100910042/Detroit-activists-blame-DTE-city-for-fires

Allegheny-FirstEnergy - $8.5 Billion Electric Utility Merger Approaches Big Hurdles (Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, PA)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10256/1087131-28.stm

Draconian Measures - China Guangxi Aluminum Smelters Start to Cut Output, CRU Says (Bloomberg News)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/09/13/bloomberg1376-L8O87L07SXKX01-2JCF5K90B19N930AH98ULMRFE4.DTL

The US Power Sector is Changing - Even Without a Climate Bill (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS50377401020100913

Pew Illuminates Federal Energy Spending (PR Newswire)

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pew-illuminates-federal-energy-spending-102577269.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

State Opens Salmon Fishing in Snake River - Washington Chinook Season Opens Immediately (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/sep/10/state-opens-salmon-fishing-snake/

Salmon Season Extended from Wells Dam to Brewster (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/nwhookandbullet/article_17a1c4ac-bd32-11df-af9c-001cc4c03286.html

Fall Chinook Run Slightly Downgraded; Large Numbers of Unmarked Steelhead Showing Up (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/397752.aspx

Will Salmon Need Help Repopulating Unblocked Elwha River? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/13020-will-salmon-need-help-repopulating-unblocked-elwha-river/

Kootenai Tribe Aims to Restore Burbot (Indian Country Today)

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/northwest/Kootenai-Tribe-aims-at-restoring-burbot-102371344.html

BPA to Spend $125 Million for Oregon Wildlife Habitat (Associated Press)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/sep/12/bpa-to-spend-125-million-for-or-habitat/

Fish ‘Cell Phones’ Track Marine Life (Voice of America)

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/american-life/Fish-Cell-Phones-Track-Marine-Life-102627729.html

Missouri Salmon Is Endangered, Says US Fish & Wildlife Agency (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/09/10/30268.htm

Scientists Find Drugs That May Fight Bat Disease (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2012885540_apusmedbatdieoff.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration, Calpine Cut Deal to Use Cogen Plant to Back Up Wind Farms (Platts)

http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/HeadlineNews/ElectricPower/6434104/

Sacramento Municipal Utility District to Boost Capacity at Solano Wind Farm (Sacramento Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2010/09/13/story8.html

World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Set to Open Off Kent Coast (The Guardian, UK)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/sep/12/thanet-wind-farm-energy

Climbing Tower Debuts for Training Wind-Turbine Techs (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/sep/11/Climbing-tower-debuts-for-training-wind-turbine-te/

Wind Farms: An Ill Wind for Denmark’s Green Energy Revolution “…every time we were building onshore, the public reacts in a negative way & we had a lot of criticism from neighbours…” (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Windfarms+wind+Denmark+green+energy+revolution/3512685/story.html

Grass for Biomass - Ban on Field Burning Prompts Plan to Convert Straw to Energy (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/09/ban_on_field_burning_prompts_p.html

Arizona - Storm Debris to Fuel Biomass Generating Plant (Yuma Sun, AZ)

http://www.yumasun.com/news/green-63808-storm-plant.html

Canada

- Experts Urge Nova Scotia to Reject Biomass Project (New Brunswick Business Journal)

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/journal/article/1213679

Not Just a Lot of Hot Air - Geothermal energy, spurred by new technology & government funds, is enjoying a resurgence (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704133804575198362283533710.html

Texas Clean Energy Hampered by Location (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/business/energy-environment/13green.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Franklin PUD - Bonneville Power Administration Contractor Bringing Free Energy-Saving Items (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/09/10/1335581/bpa-contractor-bringing-free-energy.html

Editorial - Rural Star Energy Program Is Public & Private Winner (The Times & Democrat, Orangeburg, SC)

http://www.thetandd.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_b291e4b0-bd14-11df-b50b-001cc4c03286.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Rising Sea Levels - How Will Washington State Cope? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/426490_sealevels10.html

Oregon’s Largest Glacier Has Declined over 20 Percent since Late 1980s; Half Its Size since 1850s (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/397744.aspx

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Congress Is Back, But Can It Really Pass a Renewable Electricity Standard? (Grist)

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-09-13-congress-returns-but-will-revive-renewable-electricity-standard/

Green Buildings May Make Workers Feel Better (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2012865305_buildinghealth13.html

Production of Stimulus-Aided Car Batteries Revs Up (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012874855_apuselectriccars.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Expected to Free Up Unused TV ‘White Space’ for Wireless Service (Bloomberg News)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012881257_fcc13.html

Fastest Net Service in US Coming to Chattanooga “…30-megabits-per-second service for $58 a month, 50 megabits for $71 a month, & 100 megabits for $140 a month…” (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/technology/13broadband.html

California - San Jose, County Question $50 Million Broadband Grant (Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2010/09/06/daily56.html

Editorial - Broadband Service Has Transformative Potential (The Daily Advance, Elizabeth City, NC)

http://www.dailyadvance.com/opinion/our-views/broadband-service-has-transformative-potential-127819

Charter Starts Charging ‘Broadcast TV Surcharge’ - So they can raise rates, but leave the advertised price the same (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Charter-Starts-Charging-Broadcast-TV-Surcharge-110316

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

More Washington State Cuts Near - With low revenue ‘fairly certain,’ Gregoire expected to OK additional trims (Olympian, WA – now, excuse me while I take this trade trip to Asia…)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/09/12/1366632/more-state-cuts-near.html

Choices Are Clear in Senate, House Races in Washington’s 35^th Legislative District (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/09/12/1366683/choices-are-clear-in-senate-house.html

U.S.

Post Office Can Ban Petitioning on Sidewalks (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/09/13/30303.htm

GENERAL NEWS

Port of Shelton Announces Lease with Simpson Lumber Company (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/3221-port-of-shelton-announces-lease-with-simpson-lumber-company

Nearly 10,000 Acres Burn in Huge Eastern Washington Wildfire (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Nearly-10000-acres-burn-in-huge-Wash-wildfire-102734614.html

Cowlitz County Man Killed in Apparent Bow-Hunting Accident (Associated Press)