Energy News Digest for October 7, 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

Bonneville Power Administration to Extend Intalco Power Deal One Year (Bellingham Herald)

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/10/07/1656322/bpa-to-extend-intalco-power-deal.html

Hungary: Toxic Red Sludge from Alumina Plant Has Reached the Danube River (Associated Press)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101007/ap_on_he_me/eu_hungary_sludge_flood

Biomass Power Plant Delay Sought - “Crowd” of 27 gathers again at Olympic Region Clean Air Agency to oppose projects (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/10/07/1395305/biomass-delay-sought.html

Cle Elum - Proposed Solar Farm in Central WA Gets County Permit (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=7878

Environmental Protection Agency Says Oregon Coal-Power Plant in Violation

http://news.opb.org/article/15076-epa-says-oregon-coal-power-plant-violation/

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Bonneville Power Administration to Extend Intalco Power Deal One Year
• Regulatory Staff Takes Dim View Pacific Power Rate Hike
• Environmental Protection Agency Says Oregon Coal-Power Plant in Violation
• Natural Gas Stocks Grow More than Expected
• Natural Gas Pipeline Crisis Plans Kept from Public
• Natural Gas Power Plant Order Booked By Wartsila in New Mexico
• New York - Hydroelectricity Fight is Over Cash
• New York - Dam Operator Says Alarms Sounded Twice Before Deadly Water Rose in Oswego
• Mason PUD 3 Financial Reporting Wins Accolades
• Just How "Natural" is Your Natural Gas?
• Partnership Aims to Increase Fall Chinook in Coos Bay
• Why Do Fish Near Coal Plants Have Lower Levels of Mercury?
• Scientists and Soldiers Solve a Bee Mystery
• Hungary: Toxic Red Sludge from Alumina Plant Has Reached the Danube River
• Forest near Mount Rushmore Suffers Beetle Attack
• Biomass Power Plant Delay Sought
• Coalition Appeals Challenges Nippon Biomass Approvals
• Cle Elum - Proposed Solar Farm in Central WA Gets County Permit
• Solar Power Plants to Rise on US Land
• Massachusetts - Federal Interior Secretary Salazar Approves Cape Wind Lease
• Central Illinois May Gain 2,000 Wind Turbines in Five Years
• Oregon Tries To Drum Up Demand for Appliance Rebates
• LEED and the Future of Green Building
• Editorial - False Light? Efficiency Claims for New Bulbs Might be Illusion
• Montana – US Senator Baucus Opposes EPA Climate Regs
• Sun's Impact on Climate Change Overestimated?
• US Cities Increasingly Ban or Tax Plastic Shopping Bags
• Agency Seeks to Tighten Rules for ‘Green’ Labeling
• Could You Be Allergic to Barbecue? Or Could the Smoke “Kill With a Single Exposure?”
• Grant PUD Not Among Fiber Recipients in Federal Broadband Push
• Internet Keeps Growing! Traffic up 62% in 2010
• FCC Chief on Defensive over Stalled Broadband Plan
• Apple's Data Needs Mean $1.7 Million, for North Carolina Couple
• Microsoft to Android Phone Makers: “Pay Up or Get Sued”
• Washington State High Court: E-Mail Metadata is Public Record
• Washington Becomes Soda Pop Battleground
• High Court: Does Father's Pain Trump Free Speech?

WORD OF THE DAY

Kismet • \KIZZ-mitt\ • noun - Fate

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

Bonneville Power Administration to Extend Intalco Power Deal One Year (Bellingham Herald)

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/10/07/1656322/bpa-to-extend-intalco-power-deal.html

Regulatory Staff Takes Dim View Pacific Power Rate Hike - Pacific Power wants a 21 percent increase (Walla Walla Union Bulletin, WA)

http://union-bulletin.com/stories/2010/10/06/regulatory-staff-takes-dim-view-power-rate-hike

Environmental Protection Agency Says Oregon Coal-Power Plant in Violation (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/15076-epa-says-oregon-coal-power-plant-violation/

Natural Gas Stocks Grow More than Expected (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013097308_apapfnusnaturalgasstorage.html

Natural Gas Pipeline Crisis Plans Kept from Public (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/oct/06/natural-gas-pipeline-crisis-plans-kept-from/

Natural Gas Power Plant Order Booked By Wartsila in New Mexico (Power-Gen Worldwide)

http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/display/articledisplay/8418527530/articles/powergenworldwide/gas-generation/new-projects/2010/10/wartsila-RUS.html

New York - Hydroelectricity Fight is Over Cash (Albany Times-Union, NY)

http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Hydro-fight-is-over-cash-690812.php

New York - Dam Operator Says Alarms Sounded Twice Before Deadly Water Rose in Oswego (Post Standard, Syracuse, NY)

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/dam_operator_says_alarms_sound.html

Mason PUD 3 Financial Reporting Wins Accolades (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/3467-pud-3-financial-reporting-wins-accolades

Just How "Natural" is Your Natural Gas? (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=375185

FISH & WILDLIFE

Partnership Aims to Increase Fall Chinook in Coos Bay (Indian Country Today)

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/northwest/Partnership-aims-to-increase-fall-Chinook-in-Coos-Bay-104342314.html

Why Do Fish Near Coal Plants Have Lower Levels of Mercury? (Tree Hugger)

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/10/why-do-fish-near-coal-plants-have-lower-levels-of-mercury.php

Scientists and Soldiers Solve a Bee Mystery (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/science/07bees.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Hungary: Toxic Red Sludge from Alumina Plant Has Reached the Danube River (Associated Press)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101007/ap_on_he_me/eu_hungary_sludge_flood

Forest near Mount Rushmore Suffers Beetle Attack (Nat’l Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130053576

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Biomass Power Plant Delay Sought - “Crowd” of 27 gathers again at Olympic Region Clean Air Agency to oppose projects (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/10/07/1395305/biomass-delay-sought.html

Coalition Appeals Challenges Nippon Biomass Approvals (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20101007/NEWS/310079995/coalition-appeals-challenges-nippon-biomass-approvals

Cle Elum - Proposed Solar Farm in Central WA Gets County Permit (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=7878

Solar Power Plants to Rise on US Land (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/science/earth/06solar.html

Massachusetts - Federal Interior Secretary Salazar Approves Cape Wind Lease (Boston Herald, MA)

http://bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1286986&position=1

Central Illinois May Gain 2,000 Wind Turbines in Five Years (Trading Markets)

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/cill_central-illinois-may-gain-2-000-turbines-in-5-years-1213549.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Oregon Tries To Drum Up Demand for Appliance Rebates (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/10/oregon_program_will_offer_appl.html

LEED and the Future of Green Building (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS414358012820101007

Editorial - False Light? Efficiency Claims for New Bulbs Might be Illusion (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/oct/07/talking-it-over-false-light-efficiency-claims-for/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Montana – US Senator Baucus Opposes EPA Climate Regs (The Hill)

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/123055-baucus-opposes-epa-climate-regs

Sun's Impact on Climate Change Overestimated? "Not good news for skeptics" of human-caused warming, one expert says (National Geographic)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101006-sun-activity-climate-change-global-warming-environment-space-science/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

US Cities Increasingly Ban or Tax Plastic Shopping Bags (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/10/us-cities-ban-plastic-bags/1?loc=interstitialskip

Agency Seeks to Tighten Rules for ‘Green’ Labeling (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/business/energy-environment/07green.html

Could You Be Allergic to Barbecue? Or Could the Smoke “Kill With a Single Exposure?” (Dallas Observer, TX)

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/2010/10/could_you_be_allergic_to_barbe.php

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Grant PUD Not Among Fiber Recipients in Federal Broadband Push (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/article_e1702a70-d197-11df-92f3-001cc4c03286.html

Internet Keeps Growing! Traffic up 62% in 2010 (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2010/10/06/internet-keeps-growing-traffic-up-62-in-2010/

FCC Chief on Defensive over Stalled Broadband Plan (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130384185&ft=1&f=2

Apple's Data Needs Mean $1.7 Million, for North Carolina Couple (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_16263563

Microsoft to Android Phone Makers: “Pay Up or Get Sued” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/223715.asp

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State High Court: E-Mail Metadata is Public Record (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/10/07/1395817/wash-high-court-e-mail-metadata.html

Washington Becomes Soda Pop Battleground (Associated Press)

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/business/25375089-46/tax-soda-industry-taxes-washington.csp

High Court: Does Father's Pain Trump Free Speech? (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2013083832_apussupremecourtfuneralprotests.html

DIVERSIONS

Distillers Recreating George Washington's Recipe for Peach Brandy

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2013078436_apuswashingtonsbrandy.html

ACLU Sues North Carolina School in Pierced Nose Suspension

http://www.kirotv.com/news/25300002/detail.html

Who Wants a Santa-Free Christmas?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6954PP20101006

For Costco, Apocalypse Preparedness is Big Business

http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=374546

SONG OF THE DAY

Johann Strauss II - The Blue Danube Waltz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CTYymbbEL4