The Energy News Digest: 01/20/10

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Energy News Digest for January 20, 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)

• Energy NW Applies for Renewal of Columbia Generating Station License with NRC

• Alcoa Planning $20 Million Upgrade to Chelan PUD Grid

• Editorial - Change of Course for Portland General Electric

• Cabinet Gorge & Noxon Rapids - Avista Wants Two Dams Certified As Low-Impact

• Energy Affairs - Jackson Hole Requires an Increasing Amount of Power

• Contract Talks Continue at NY’s Indian Point Nuclear Plant

• Editorial - The Coal Ash Case

• Ship Engine Maker Wartsila Lays Off 1,400 Globally

• Hydropower & Innovation in Fish-Friendly Turbines

• Oregon Coast Spotters Count Hundreds of Migrating Whales

• Is Lawn Fertilizer Next for Phosphorus Ban?

• EPA Fines Hoquiam Fish Waste Processor $22K

• Colorado Pipeline Proposal Stirs Utah Water Fears

• From Snohomish PUD - Feds Receive Puget Sound Tidal Power Application

• US Says Wind Could Power 20 Percent of Eastern Grid

• Expanding Use of Wind Power Feasible, but May Be Costly

• Montana Land Board Approves Wind Project

• Fuel Cell Maker Ballard Power, Partners Buy Stake in Dantherm

•

Canada

- Ontario Edges British Columbia in Green-Energy Figh

• Does Geothermal Drilling Cause Earthquakes?

• New Mexico - Public Service Co. of New Mexico Asks Ariz. Firm to Build 5 Solar Plants

• More People Installing Renewable Energy Systems in Michigan, Regulators Say

• Energy Efficiency Can Mean Lower Taxes

• Energy Efficiency - ‘Crossing the Energy Divide’

• Intel, Too, Eyes Home Energy Management

• Smart Grid Investing - A Play on the Coming Energy Shortage

• 2000s Warmest Decade on Record, Government Reports

•

Cap-And-Trade Bill Looks Even Further Away

• Editorial - First Climategate, now Glaciergate

• Editorial - Avoiding a Trap on Climate Change

• $6 Million to Support Green Jobs in Washington

• Therapists Report Increase in Green Disputes

• Average US Broadband Speed: 3.9 Mbps

• Columnist - Public Comments Remind Us Why ‘Net Neutrality’ Matters

• Skype Traffic Soars, Leaving Old-School Phone Companies in the Dust

• 6.1 Richter Aftershock Rattles Nerves in Haitian Capital

• Shelton Rotary Sending Hospital Beds to

Haiti

• Social Networking - Linked-Up in Belfair

• New York Times to Charge for Web Access in 2011

WORD OF THE DAY

Adagio • \ah-DAWZH-ee-oh\ • noun – At a slow tempo —used chiefly as a direction in music

“Dude!” exclaimed the rooster-crowned rocker to his slovenly goth friend. “No way you can ‘rock out’ in adagio. When you get to ‘presto,’ well, now you’re rockin’”

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

Energy NW Applies for Renewal of Columbia Generating Station License with NRC (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/869019.html

Alcoa Planning $20 Million Upgrade to Chelan PUD Grid (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jan/19/alcoa-planning-20-million-upgrade-to-pud-grid/

Oregonian Editorial - Change of Course for Portland General Electric

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/01/change_of_course_for_pge.html

Cabinet Gorge & Noxon Rapids - Avista Wants Two Dams Certified As Low-Impact (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jan/20/avista-wants-two-dams-certified-as-low-impact/

Cabinet Gorge Dam (Wikipedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_Gorge_Dam

Noxon Rapids Dam (Wikipedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noxon_Rapids_Dam

Energy Affairs - Jackson Hole requires an increasing amount of power to light & heat large homes & hotels (Jackson Hole Weekly, WY)

http://planetjh.com/news/A_105763.aspx

Contract Talks Continue at NY’s Indian Point Nuclear Plant (NY Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010831590_apnyindianpointcontracttalks.html

NY Times Editorial - The Coal Ash Case

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/opinion/20wed4.html

Ship Engine Maker Wartsila Lays Off 1,400 Globally (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010832114_apeufinlandwartsilalayoffs.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Hydropower & Innovation in Fish-Friendly Turbines - New turbine designs protect fish & could end fish busing (GreenTech Media)

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/hydropower-and-innovation-in-fish-friendly-turbines/

Oregon Coast Spotters Count Hundreds of Migrating Whales (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/oregon_coast_spotters_count_hu.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Is Lawn Fertilizer Next for Phosphorus Ban? (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jan/19/lawn-fertilizer-next-phosphorus-ban/

EPA Fines Hoquiam Fish Waste Processor $22K (Puget Sound Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2010/01/18/daily16.html

Colorado Pipeline Proposal Stirs Water Fears - Entrepreneur would tap river flow before it reaches Utah (Salt Lake Tribune, UT)

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14224726

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

From Snohomish PUD - Feds Receive Puget Sound Tidal Power Application (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/414369_tidalpower19.html

US Says Wind Could Power 20 Percent of Eastern Grid (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60J37V20100120

Expanding Use of Wind Power Feasible, but May Be Costly (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/business/energy-environment/21wind.html

Montana Land Board Approves Wind Project (Associated Press)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2429401~Montana_land_board_approves_wind_project.html

Fuel Cell Maker Ballard Power, Partners Buy Stake in Dantherm (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010832331_apusballardpowerdantherm.html

Canada

- Ontario Edges British Columbia in Green-Energy Fight: Provinces locked in heated battle to provide best climate for investments in alternative power (Globe & Mail,

Canada

)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario-edges-bc-in-green-energy-fight/article1437173/

Does Geothermal Drilling Cause Earthquakes? (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/01/does-geothermal-drilling-cause-earthquakes?cmpid=rss

New Mexico - The Public Service Co. of New Mexico Asks Ariz. Firm to Build 5 Solar Plants (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010840638_apuspnmsolarplantsnewmexico.html

More People Installing Renewable Energy Systems in Michigan, Regulators Say (The Bay City Times, MI)

http://www.mlive.com/mudpuppy/index.ssf/2010/01/net_metering_doubles_michigan_psc.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Energy Efficiency Can Mean Lower Taxes (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010832540_apusspetaxesenergyefficiency.html