Energy News Digest for January 26, 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)

•  Four Men Sentenced for Shooting down High-Voltage Power Line near Lebanon

•  Grant County PUD Hydropower Auction Yields $64 Million

•  Damages from Gig Harbor Copper Wire Thefts Near $50K

•  Mason PUD 3 Customers Donate Over $66,000 to Help Neighbors with Electricity Bill

•  Pacific Gas & Electric Smart Meters Likely to Boost Shut-Offs

•  Exxon-Xto Deal Forces Congress to Reconsider Natural Gas

•  State of Kansas; Utility; Federal Agencies Settle Lawsuit

•  Baker City Herald Editorial – Bull Trout Habitat: A Little Bit Fishy

•  Idaho Company Snags Stimulus Cash for Fishery Work

•  Bureau of Land Management Hopes to Find Room for Spotted Owl, Logging

•  Man Loses Hunting Licenses for Killing Elk in Olympic National Park

•  City of Shelton Releases Draft Water Agreement for John's Prairie

•  Waves Growing on the Oregon Coast

•  EPA Focus on Freeway Pollution Could Mean More Air Monitors for Portland

•  Daily News Letter to the Editor - Wind Project Is Safe for Birds

•  Wind Power Grows 39% for the Year

•  Intel Plans Massive Solar Installations

•  Vermont - Fight Brews Over Renewable Energy Program

•  Advancing the Flywheel for Energy Storage & Grid Regulation

•  Philippines - Coalition Donates Hydro Plant in Bid to Save World Heritage Site

•  Vancouver, WA to Choose Between Select Vendors for LED Streetlight Project

•  Methane Causes Vicious Cycle in Global Warming

•  Mozilla Leader Worries about Internet Limits

•  Chelan PUD Switches to LocalTel for Phone Service

•  Missing Shelton Woman Located in Wenatchee

•  Shelton Espresso Stand Robbed

•  Person of Interest in Centralia Credit Union Robbery Attempt in Custody

•  Cell Phone Call Causes Crash near Allyn

•  US DOT Bars Commercial Drivers from Texting at Wheel

WORD OF THE DAY

Funicular • \fyoo-NIK-yuh-ler\ • noun – A cable railway ascending a mountain; especially: one in which an ascending car counterbalances a descending car

“Whee! Let’s do that again,” squealed the Ottumwa grade school students. The subject of their glee was the 512 foot ride on Dubuque Iowa’s Fourth Street Elevator, the world-renowned funicular railway.

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

Four Men Sentenced for Shooting down High-Voltage Power Line near Lebanon (The Oregonian, Portland)

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

Grant County PUD Hydropower Auction Yields $64 Million (Hydro World)

http://www.hydroworld.com/index/display/article-display/_saveArticle/articles/hrhrw/News-2/2009/11/hydropower-auction.QP129867.adPoolId=.adLocationId=.dynamicAd=no.brandLogo=.html

Damages from Gig Harbor Copper Wire Thefts Near $50K (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22344395/detail.html

Mason PUD 3 Customers Donate Over $66,000 to Help Neighbors with Electricity Bills - “Project Share” Contributions set Record (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=670

Pacific Gas & Electric Smart Meters Likely to Boost Shut-Offs (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/25/BUUG1BNBVD.DTL

Exxon-Xto Deal Forces Congress to Reconsider Natural Gas (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/01/25/25climatewire-exxon-xto-deal-forces-congress-to-reconsider-94843.html

State of Kansas; Utility; Federal Agencies Settle Lawsuit (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010886124_apuswestarlawsuit.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Baker City Herald Editorial – Bull Trout Habitat: A Little Bit Fishy

http://www.bakercityherald.com/Editorials/A-little-bit-fishy

Idaho Company Snags Stimulus Cash for Fishery Work (Associated Press)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2440150~Idaho_company_snags_stimulus_cash_for_fishery_work.html

Bureau of Land Management Hopes to Find Room for Spotted Owl, Logging (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11878160

Man Loses Hunting Licenses for Killing Elk in Olympic National Park (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010889734_elkshot26m.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

City of Shelton Releases Draft Water Agreement for John's Prairie (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1187:city-releases-draft-water-agreement-for-johns-prairie&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Waves Growing on the Oregon Coast (Oregon Public Radio)

http://news.opb.org/article/6601-waves-growing-oregon-coast/

EPA Focus on Freeway Pollution Could Mean More Air Monitors for Portland (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/01/epa_focus_on_freeway_pollution.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Daily News Letter to the Editor - Wind Project Is Safe for Birds

http://www.tdn.com/news/opinion/article_39ba12ee-09e4-11df-aec4-001cc4c002e0.html

Wind Power Grows 39% for the Year (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/business/energy-environment/26wind.html

Intel Plans Massive Solar Installations (Portland Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/01/25/daily2.html

Vermont - Fight Brews Over Renewable Energy Program (Vermont Public Radio)

http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/87001/

Advancing the Flywheel for Energy Storage & Grid Regulation (NY Times)

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/advancing-the-flywheel-for-energy-storage-and-grid-regulation/

Philippines - Coalition Donates Hydro Plant in Bid to Save World Heritage Site (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/01/25/25greenwire-coalition-donates-hydro-plant-in-bid-to-save-wo-1452.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Vancouver, WA to Choose Between Select Vendors for LED Streetlight Project (New Streetlight)

http://www.newstreetlights.com/index_files/LED_streetlight_news_Vancouver_Washington_choosing_LED_streetlight_vendors_137.htm

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Methane Causes Vicious Cycle in Global Warming (Nat’l Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122638800&ft=1&f=3

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Mozilla Leader Worries about Internet Limits (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010885907_apeueudigitalfuture.html

Chelan PUD Switches to LocalTel for Phone Service (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jan/26/chelan-pud-switches-to-localtel-for-phone-service/

GENERAL NEWS

Missing Shelton Woman Located in Wenatchee (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1114997.html

Shelton Espresso Stand Robbed (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1194:shelton-espresso-stand-robbed&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Person of Interest in Centralia Credit Union Robbery Attempt in Custody (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Person-of-interest-in-Centralia-robbery-attempt-in-custody-82680492.html

Cell Phone Call Causes Crash near Allyn (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jan/25/collision-blocks-traffic-nearly-allyn/

US DOT Bars Commercial Drivers from Texting at Wheel (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010893443_apustruckdriverstexting.html

DIVERSIONS

Snohomish Bullfrog Forecasts Weather (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11876589

Growers to Battle for 'Cannabis Crown'

http://www.kirotv.com/health/22334788/detail.html

Fla. Man Finds $3,100 Hidden in Trashed Picture - Cash Was Stuffed Behind Space Shuttle Photo

http://www.kirotv.com/money/22333002/detail.html

Police: Man Coughs Up Ring He Tried to Steal

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22332268/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Elton John - Tiny Dancer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O80b002XT0