Thursday, September 16, 2010

Energy News Digest for September 16, 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

Group Sues to Stop Shelton Wood-Fired Power Plant - Shelton port also concerned about environment, director says (Olympian, WA)

EPA Clean Air Regulations Might Dim Green Luster of Biomass Plants in Oregon & Nationwide (Oregonian, Portland)

American Council on Renewable Energy Releases State-by-State Report on Green Energy (Renewable Energy World)

Fish Show Signs of Stress in Southern Hood Canal (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

  • Shelton’s Hillcrest Outage - Mylar Balloons & Power Lines Don’t Mix
  • Including Electricity - Port Angeles Staff Proposes Increases to Utility Fees
  • Girl, 23 Months, Dies After Running into Path of Utility Truck in Orchards
  • Avista Seeks Rise in Natural Gas Rates
  • After San Bruno Natural Gas Blast, Feds Seeks Tougher Pipeline Oversight
  • Utility Company Shareholders Would Pay for Disasters Under Proposed California Law
  • Pacific Gas & Electric Remains Powerful Despite Rough Year
  • North Carolina Judge Sends Dispute over Alcoa Hydropower Permit to Trial
  • Vermont - Court Says Board Must Allow Yankee Nuclear Plant Question on Ballot
  • Natural Gas Erodes Coal’s Share at Power Plants
  • Coal Challenge Looms in China & India
  • Lawsuit: Gas Drilling Fluid Ruined Pennsylvania Water Wells
  • Colorado - Xcel Sees 12.6% Drop in Electric Bills for Fall
  • Fish Show Signs of Stress in Southern Hood Canal
  • Washington State Says Fish Safe in Potholes Reservoir
  • Oregon - Kellogg Dam Demolition Moves Ahead
  • California - Waiting for the Floodgates to Open: First Fish Enter Feather River Hatchery
  • Open House on Skokomish Valley Flooding Saturday
  • Clallam PUD - Funding for Carlsborg’s Sewer Project One Step Closer
  • Group Sues to Stop Shelton Wood-Fired Power Plant
  • EPA Clean Air Regulations Might Dim Green Luster of Biomass Plants in Oregon & Nationwide
  • Portland General Electric Tests Biomass Process for Boardman
  • Editorial - Support Oregon-Grown Energy
  • Wood-Fired Power Plan Runs Out of Juice - Watertown biomass project too costly
  • Paterson Vineyard Installs ‘Gorgeous’ Vertical Wind Turbines
  • Hope for Stemming Wind Energy’s Toll on Bats
  • American Council on Renewable Energy Releases State-by-State Report on Green Energy
  • Weak Renewable Energy Law Gets Big Push from Steelworkers, Green Groups
  • Congress - Groups Unify Push for Renewable Power Mandate
  • Chevron Gets OK for World’s Biggest Solar Power Project
  • Geothermal Lease Set to Go in Colorado
  • Pace of EPA’s Clean Air Act Rulemakings Turns Heads, Draws Lawsuits
  • British Columbia Energy Group Calls for Carbon Tax Hike
  • Utah Greenhouse Gas Rules Advanced
  • Who Killed the Energy & Climate Bill?
  • Salvos Fly as Ethanol Ruling on Fuel Mix Nears
  • The Limits & Potential of Plant-Based Energy
  • Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 a huge step forward
  • 6.5 Million Homes Now Have Fiber Broadband - 20 Million homes now passed
  • Washington State Bracing for Another Drop in Tax Collections
  • Mason County Sheriff’s Deputies Make Candidate Endorsements
  • CNN/Time Poll: Murray Up by 9 over Rossi
  • Skeptical Public? All Initiatives Under 50 Percent in Poll
  • I-1098 Income Tax Signature Gatherer Charged With Forgery
  • California Files Lawsuits Against High Salaries for City of Bell Leaders
  • Washington State Jobless Rate Holds at 8.9% in August
  • Highway Projects Added, But Not Belfair Bypass
  • Former Olympia Resident Accused as Ecoterror Arsonist to Get New Trial
  • WTO’s Boeing Ruling Could Fuel Subsidy Debate, Make Settlement More Difficult
  • Investigators: Washington State Tax Dollars Flow on Floors of Casinos, Card Rooms
  • Cantwell Announces $13.5 Million in Grants Awarded to 15 WA Tribes to Curb Crime
  • Belfair’s Theler Community Center Turns 25
  • Gold Prices Hit Record Highs, Fuel Mom & Pop Prospectors in US West
WORD OF THE DAY

Infer • \inn-FERR\ • verb - 1: to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises 2: guess, surmise 3a: to involve as a normal outcome of thought b: to point out: indicate 4: suggest, hint

“By the look on your face,” slurred the inebriated husband to his stone-faced wife, “I can infer that my ‘working late’ excuse is not persuading you.”

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Shelton’s Hillcrest Outage - Mylar Balloons & Power Lines Don’t Mix (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Including Electricity - Port Angeles Staff Proposes Increases to Utility Fees (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Girl, 23 Months, Dies After Running into Path of Utility Truck in Orchards - Company spokesman says it’s the first such fatality in at least 32 years (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Avista Seeks Rise in Natural Gas Rates (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

After San Bruno Natural Gas Blast, Feds Seeks Tougher Pipeline Oversight (Associated Press)

Utility Company Shareholders Would Pay for Disasters Under Proposed California Law (Associated Press)

Pacific Gas & Electric Remains Powerful Despite Rough Year (SF Chronicle)

North Carolina Judge Sends Dispute over Alcoa Hydropower Permit to Trial (Associated Press)

Vermont - Court Says Board Must Allow Yankee Nuclear Plant Question on Ballot (Brattleboro Reformer, VT)

Natural Gas Erodes Coal’s Share at Power Plants (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

Coal Challenge Looms in China & India (NY Times)

Lawsuit: Gas Drilling Fluid Ruined Pennsylvania Water Wells (Associated Press)

Colorado - Xcel Sees 12.6% Drop in Electric Bills for Fall (Denver Business Journal)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Fish Show Signs of Stress in Southern Hood Canal (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Washington State Says Fish Safe in Potholes Reservoir (Associated Press)

Oregon - Kellogg Dam Demolition Moves Ahead — Slowly: Dam removal gets more federal pledges, county & Metro support (Portland Tribune, OR)

California - Waiting for the Floodgates to Open: First Fish Enter Feather River Hatchery, Greater Numbers Expected (Oroville Mercury-Register, CA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Open House on Skokomish Valley Flooding Saturday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Clallam PUD - Funding for Carlsborg’s Sewer Project One Step Closer (Sequim Gazette, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Group Sues to Stop Shelton Wood-Fired Power Plant - Shelton port also concerned about environment, director says (Olympian, WA)

EPA Clean Air Regulations Might Dim Green Luster of Biomass Plants in Oregon & Nationwide (Oregonian, Portland)

Portland General Electric Tests Biomass Process for Boardman (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Editorial - Support Oregon-Grown Energy: The state should help power up the “bioenergy park” envisioned by grass-seed growers (Oregonian, Portland)

Wood-Fired Power Plan Runs Out of Juice - Watertown biomass project too costly for ratepayers (Waterbury Republican-American, CT)

Paterson Vineyard Installs ‘Gorgeous’ Vertical Wind Turbines (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Hope for Stemming Wind Energy’s Toll on Bats - Shutting down blades on warm nights may protect migrating species (National Geographic)

American Council on Renewable Energy Releases State-by-State Report on Green Energy (Renewable Energy World)

See the report here:

Weak Renewable Energy Law Gets Big Push from Steelworkers, Green Groups (Reuters)

Congress - Groups Unify Push for Renewable Power Mandate (The Hill)

Chevron Gets OK for World’s Biggest Solar Power Project (San Francisco Business Times)

Geothermal Lease Set to Go in Colorado - Hurdles cleared, the Bureau of Land Management will offer 799 acres in Chaffee County (Denver Post, CO)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Pace of EPA’s Clean Air Act Rulemakings Turns Heads, Draws Lawsuits (NY Times)

British Columbia Energy Group Calls for Carbon Tax Hike - Pembina Institute says 48 cent hike by 2020 needed to fight climate change (Vancouver Sun, BC)

Utah Greenhouse Gas Rules Advanced (Salt Lake Tribune, UT)

Who Killed the Energy & Climate Bill? (Newsweek Magazine)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Salvos Fly as Ethanol Ruling on Fuel Mix Nears (NY Times)

The Limits & Potential of Plant-Based Energy (Grist Online)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 a huge step forward

6.5 Million Homes Now Have Fiber Broadband - 20 Million homes now passed, 1.6 million in the last 6 months (Broadband Reports)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Bracing for Another Drop in Tax Collections (KING-TV, Seattle)

Mason County Sheriff’s Deputies Make Candidate Endorsements (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

CNN/Time Poll: Murray Up by 9 over Rossi (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Skeptical Public? All Initiatives Under 50 Percent in Poll (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

I-1098 Income Tax Signature Gatherer Charged With Forgery (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

California Files Lawsuits Against High Salaries for City of Bell Leaders (SF Chronicle)

GENERAL NEWS

Washington State Jobless Rate Holds at 8.9% in August – Mason goes from 10.1% in July to 10.3% in August (Associated Press)

Highway Projects Added, But Not Belfair Bypass (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Former Olympia Resident Accused as Ecoterror Arsonist to Get New Trial - Appeals court finds judicial errors (Olympian, WA)

WTO’s Boeing Ruling Could Fuel Subsidy Debate, Make Settlement More Difficult (Seattle Times)

Investigators: Washington State Tax Dollars Flow on Floors of Casinos, Card Rooms (KING-TV, Seattle)

Skokomish Tribe’s Lucky Dog Casino Is Open for Business Again (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Cantwell Announces $13.5 Million in Grants Awarded to 15 WA Tribes to Curb Crime – Includes Skokomish & Squaxin Tribes (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Belfair’s Theler Community Center Turns 25 (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Gold Prices Hit Record Highs, Fuel Mom & Pop Prospectors in US West (Christian Science Monitor)

DIVERSIONS

Man Claiming to Have a Bomb in Watsonville Bank Gets Talked into Filling Out Loan Paperwork, Then Arrested

Only Six Cans of Libby’s Pumpkin Left in US

A Golden Gate Fantasy on the Kansas Prairie

English woman develops French-sounding accent

SONG OF THE DAY

Earta Kitt - C’est Si Bon