The Energy News Digest: 01/15/10

Friday, January 15, 2010

Energy News Digest for January 15, 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)

• TransAlta Under Fire - Despite Technological Efforts, Legal & Political Wrangling Makes Future Uncertain for Coal-Fired Facility

• Portland General Electric Plan Suggests Shorter Time Frame to Close Boardman Coal Plant

• Commission Adopts Idaho Power Rate Moratorium Agreement

• Downed Power Lines Stop Issaquah School Bus

• Mason PUD 3 to Conduct Tree Trimming

• British Columbia Firms Wasting Power to Get Cheaper Rates, Says Utility

• Turmoil in Power Sector - Falling Electricity Demand Trips Up Utilities’ Plans for Infrastructure Projects

• Entergy Corp. Sues Fed Agency in Katrina Flooding

• Virginia Regulators OK Appalachian Power Surcharge for Environmental Compliance & Reliability

• Forget Wind; Pickens Turns Focus to Gas

• Two Former Electric Providers Face Hefty Texas Fines

•

United Kingdom

- Efforts to Halt Salmon Decline

• Judge Voids Landmark California Water Agreement

• Oregon - EPA Says No to Portland’s Open Reservoirs

• Water Conservation – The Why & How for Homeowners

•

Energy Department Probing Hanford Waste Burial

• Seattle P-I Columnist - Vanquishing Victoria’s POOP Problem

• Biomass - Stevens County Company Has State Energy Tie

• Olympian Editorial - Everyone Wins With Biomass Initiatives

• Not in Anyone’s Backyard - Protect the environment or create renewable energy?

• Iberdrola Signs Biggest Wind Power Deal Yet

• Ill Wind Buffets General Electric Energy Unit

• Wind Turbines Don’t Operate in Cold

• Adobe Systems Goes for Wind Power

• Micron Cuts Deal With Australian Solar Energy Company

• E-Waste Recycler Lights up Path to Strong Profits

• Illinois Utilities Can’t Seem to Get Consumers to Track Electricity Use

• SMUD Rewards Sacramento State for Energy Efficiency

• How to Keep the Cold from Icing up Profit

• North Dakota vs. Minnesota: Dust-Up over Carbon

•

Official Says Talks on Emissions Show Promise

• Oregon - Local Expert Ready to Talk about Climate Change

•

Australia

- A Wholesale Climate Fraud? Not Here

• Latest in Environmental Standards: Green Roads

• FCC Looks at Ways to Assert Authority Over Web Access

• Microsoft’s Browser Flaw Exposed Google to Hackers

• Follow the Law,

China

Tells Internet Companies

• Google Gobbles Ever More of Search Share

• Verizon: Talk Is Cheap, Data Is Mandatory for Most

• Skype to FCC: Keep Internet Open & Neutral

• New York - Wyoming County May Create a Fiber-Optic System

• As Predicted, Comcast Usage Meter Expands

• No Injuries When Pioneer School Bus Slides into Ditch

• Heavy Rain Brings Flood Watch to Western Washington

• Haitian Earthquake - Good News for One Family, More Waiting for Another

• Mason County Deputies Capture Kidnapping Suspect

• Life Sentence for Seattle Jewish Office Shooting

• Taxable Retail Sales Down in Mason County

• Marijuana Bills: ‘It’s Not about Fighting for Your Right to Party’

• High-Speed Jet Keeps Eye on West Coast Storms

WORD OF THE DAY

Doldrums • \DOLE-drums\ • noun - 1: a spell of listlessness or despondency 2: often capitalized: a part of the ocean near the equator abounding in calms, squalls, and light shifting winds 3: a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or slump

The drops of rain splattered against Donny’s office window. The rhythm of the pelting deluge worked as a hypnotic drug, dragging the usually energetic accountant into a listless bout of the doldrums.

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

TransAlta Under Fire - Despite Technological Efforts, Legal & Political Wrangling Makes Future Uncertain for Coal-Fired Facility (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

http://www.chronline.com/articles/2010/01/15/news//doc4b4f5e1c56ebd535240605.txt

Portland General Electric Plan Suggests Shorter Time Frame to Close Boardman Coal Plant (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/01/pge_moves_to_close_boardman_co.html

Commission Adopts Idaho Power Rate Moratorium Agreement (Idaho Business Review)

http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2010/01/14/Commission-adopts-Idaho-Power-rate-moratorium-agreement

Downed Power Lines Stop Issaquah School Bus “…They (were kept) inside the bus, which is the safest place…” (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Downed-power-lines-stop-Issaquah-SD-school-bus-81718187.html

Mason PUD 3 to Conduct Tree Trimming on Turnow Dr, Ford Rd, & Spaulding Rd (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/Newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=664

British Columbia Firms Wasting Power to Get Cheaper Rates, Says Utility (Vancouver Sun, BC)

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/firms+wasting+power+cheaper+rates+says+utility/2443159/story.html

Turmoil in Power Sector - Falling Electricity Demand Trips Up Utilities’ Plans for Infrastructure Projects (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704675104575001322373417024.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5

Entergy Corp. Sues Fed Agency in Katrina Flooding (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010795024_apusentergykatrinadamages.html

Virginia Regulators OK Appalachian Power Surcharge for Environmental Compliance & Reliability (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010802119_apussccapcosurchargevirginia.html

Forget Wind; Pickens Turns Focus to Gas (NY Times)

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/forget-wind-pickens-turns-focus-to-gas/

Two Former Electric Providers Face Hefty Texas Fines (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010802296_apustexaspucpenalties.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

United Kingdom

- Efforts to Halt Salmon Decline (British Broadcasting Corporation,

)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8461380.stm

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Judge Voids Landmark California Water Agreement (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010800693_apuscaliforniawater.html

Oregon - EPA Says No to Portland’s Open Reservoirs (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/01/epa_says_no_to_portlands_open.html

Water Conservation – The Why & How for Homeowners (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Bright-Green/2010/0114/Water-conservation-the-why-and-how-for-homeowners

Energy Department Probing Hanford Waste Burial (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010802409_apwahanfordburialmystery.html

Seattle P-I Columnist - Vanquishing Victoria’s POOP Problem

http://www.seattlepi.com/connelly/414247_joel15.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Biomass - Stevens County Company Has State Energy Tie (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jan/15/stevens-county-company-has-state-energy-tie/

Olympian Editorial - Everyone Wins With Biomass Initiatives

http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/1102223.html

Not in Anyone’s Backyard - Protect the environment or create renewable energy? A new bill shows they’re far from the same thing (Newsweek)

http://www.newsweek.com/id/230681

Iberdrola Signs Biggest Wind Power Deal Yet (Portland Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/01/11/daily35.html

Ill Wind Buffets General Electric Energy Unit - Company loses patent ruling & a big turbine order is cut in half (The Times Union, Albany, NY)

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=888705&category=BUSINESS

Wind Turbines Don’t Operate in Cold - Though wind turbines utilize North Dakota’s plentiful gusts to generate energy, some agency officials say they are shut down in times of extreme temperature (Dickinson Press, ND)

http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/31387/

Adobe Systems Goes for Wind Power (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/15/BUO71BI9AT.DTL

Micron Cuts Deal With Australian Solar Energy Company (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)

http://www.idahostatesman.com/business/story/1042301.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

E-Waste Recycler Lights up Path to Strong Profits (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010797330_apakerecyclingbusiness.html

Illinois Utilities Can’t Seem to Get Consumers to Track Electricity Use (Chicago Tribune, IL)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-electric-use-jan13-,0,6684769.story

SMUD Rewards Sacramento State for Energy Efficiency (MSNBC Money)

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=ACBJ&date=20100115&id=10990689

How to Keep the Cold from Icing up Profit (Associated Press)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100115/BIZ/701159914/1005

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

North Dakota vs. Minnesota: Dust-Up over Carbon - North Dakota is none too pleased with Minnesota as a deadline nears for what North Dakota claims will be a tax on coal-fired electricity (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, MN)

http://www.startribune.com/business/81606907.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:UUUHDYaGEP7eyckcUr

Official Says Talks on Emissions Show Promise (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/science/earth/15climate.html

Oregon - Local Expert Ready to Talk about Climate Change (The World, Bandon, OR)

http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2010/01/13/news/local_expert_ready_to_talk_about_climate_change_30b.txt

Australia

- A Wholesale Climate Fraud? Not Here (The Australian)

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/a-wholesale-climate-fraud-not-here/story-e6frg6zo-1225819884224

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Latest in Environmental Standards: Green Roads (KPLU Radio, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/0/1/1599246/KPLU.Local.News/Latest.in.Environmental.Standards.Green.Roads

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS