Energy News Digest for January 29, 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)

•  Power Plants, Other Infrastructure Face Hackers

•  Grant PUD Approves Route for New High-Voltage Line

•  Loan Guarantee Application Submitted for Juan de Fuca Cable

•  PacifiCorp Rate Increase Set for February

•  Oregon - Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative not happy with BPA response time

•  Pend Oreille PUD Joins Energy Northwest

•  US Energy Secretary Chu Announces Progress on BPA Recovery Act Project

•  Utility Customers in Mason County Set Record for Donations

•  Oregon - Opponents Take Liquefied Natural Gas Plan to Court

•  American Electric Power Company Sees Power Demand Picking Up in 2010

•  Is Nuclear Power the Future? Obama Calls for More Plants

•  Providence Journal Editorial - Those Little (Public) Utilities

•  Rural Utilities Borrowers to Keep Financial Aid

•  Currents & Ruralite Apply for BPA Worldwide Consumer Magazine Membership

•  Plan Floated for Lake Cle Elum Dam Fish Passage

•  Coho Salmon Get a Boost in Lake Washington

•  Oregon – Deschutes River to Open for Spring Chinook

•  California - Wine Grape Watering Clashes With Salmon Protection

•  Orca Population Bounces Back in the Northwest

•  Geoduck Harvesting Approved in Parts of King County

•  El Niño May Leave Basin Drained

•  Proposed Legislation Would Restrict Ecology in Banning Wells

•  Water - County, City, Port, PUD, Tribes to Meet Friday

•  Four Cities near Agreement for Cascade Water

•  Longview Approves Mint Farm Water Plant

•  Seattle - Operator Error Caused Sewage Spill at West Point Plant

•  Wood Smoke & Recession

•  Will Ocean Power Be This Decade's Version of Wind Power?

•  Cheap Hot Water? Just Add Sunshine

•  Massachusetts Sets Ambitious Energy Standards

•  Harsh Winter a Sign of Disruptive Climate Change, Report Says

•  Water Vapor Drop May Have Led to Warming Slowdown

•  Watchdog: UK University Hid Climate Data

•  SEC to Require Disclosure of Climate Change Risks

•  Oregon Wildfires Released Far Less Greenhouse Gas Than Previously Estimated

•  Top Five Greenest Nations on the Planet

•  Taking the Pulse of a Broadband Stimulus Winner

•  AT&T Wireless Is Simply Exploding

•  Should Fairpoint Really Be Giving Broadband Advice?

•  Gregoire E-Mail for Candidate Broke Law, Regulators Say

•  Groups Urge Washington State to Triple Tax on Polluters to Plug Budget Hole

•  Traffic Flowing Across Tahuya River Bridge

•  Washington Felons Can’t Register to Vote Yet, Judges Rule

•  Island County Sheriff's Deputy Saves a Life before Losing His Job

WORD OF THE DAY

Maxixe • \muh-SHEESH\ • noun - A ballroom dance of Brazilian origin that resembles the two-step

“Fast, slow, fast-fast, slow….OUCH!” screamed Alberto to his comely maxixe partner, who just happened to have size-ten feet.

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

Power Plants, Other Infrastructure Face Hackers (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010915639_apustechackingcriticalinfrastructure.html

Grant PUD Approves Route for New High-Voltage Line (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jan/28/grant-pud-approves-route-for-new-high-voltage-line/

Loan Guarantee Application Submitted for Juan de Fuca Cable (Renew Grid Magazine)

http://www.renewgridmag.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.4862

PacifiCorp Rate Increase Set for February (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/6618-pacificorp-rate-increase-set-february/

Oregon - Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative not happy with BPA response time (Curry County Reporter, Gold Beach, OR)

http://www.currycountyreporter.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=5595

Pend Oreille PUD Joins Energy Northwest (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11891407

US Energy Secretary Chu Announces Progress on BPA Recovery Act Project - New transmission line to help move renewable energy sources to market (US Department of Energy)

http://www.energy.gov/news/7784.htm

Utility Customers in Mason County Set Record for Donations (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/1047024.html

Oregon - Opponents Take Liquefied Natural Gas Plan to Court - Coalition fighting proposed natural gas terminal says feds didn’t do their homework or prove need (Forest Grove News-Times, OR)

http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=126475007967554800

American Electric Power Company Sees Power Demand Picking Up in 2010 (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010912087_apusearnsaep.html

Is Nuclear Power the Future? Obama Calls for More Plants (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/01/is-nuclear-power-the-future-obama-backs-gop-call-for-more-plants/1

Providence Journal Editorial - Those Little (Public) Utilities “…The Pascoag rate cut suggests that we need more such small utilities, devoted to their localities, to offer a wider mix of pricing & other options…”

http://www.projo.com/opinion/editorials/content/ED_pascoag28_01-28-10_3BGUOFH_v60.3f8b9de.html

Rural Utilities Borrowers to Keep Financial Aid (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/01/28/24176.htm

Currents & Ruralite Apply for BPA Worldwide Consumer Magazine Membership (Pr Newswire)

http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=321682&Itemid=95

FISH & WILDLIFE

Plan Floated for Lake Cle Elum Dam Fish Passage (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/01/27/plan-floated-for-lake-cle-elum-dam-fish-passage

Coho Salmon Get a Boost in Lake Washington (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2010916324_coho_salmon_get_a_boost_in_lak.html

Oregon – Deschutes River to Open for Spring Chinook (Bend Bulletin, OR)

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100128/SPORTS05/1280391/1008/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01

California - Wine Grape Watering Clashes With Salmon Protection (Associated Press)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2447340~Wine_grape_watering_clashes_with_salmon_protection.html

Orca Population Bounces Back in the Northwest (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0128/Orca-population-bounces-back-in-the-Northwest

Geoduck Harvesting Approved in Parts of King County (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010922702_geoduck29m.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

El Niño May Leave Basin Drained - Warm days & less precipitation may mean trouble for snow-fed river flows (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/24403488-41/snow-willamette-average-ni%C3%B1o-normal.csp

Proposed Legislation Would Restrict Ecology in Banning Wells (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/01/27/01-28-10-well-hearing-dl

Water - County, City, Port, PUD, Tribes to Meet Friday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1206:county-city-port-pud-tribes-to-meet-friday-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Four Cities near Agreement for Cascade Water - Sumner yet to approve; Bonney Lake, Auburn, Buckley give OK (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/1047067.html

Longview Approves Mint Farm Water Plant (The Daily News, Longview, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_bcb26926-0c96-11df-8d72-001cc4c03286.html

Seattle - Operator Error Caused Sewage Spill at West Point Plant (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010910207_spill28m.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wood Smoke & Recession (KPLU Radio, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/0/1/1604959/KPLU.Local.News/Wood.Smoke.and.Recession

Will Ocean Power Be This Decade's Version of Wind Power? (Seeking Alpha)

http://seekingalpha.com/article/185228-will-ocean-power-be-this-decade-s-version-of-wind-power

Cheap Hot Water? Just Add Sunshine (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703906204575027012258855730.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Massachusetts Sets Ambitious Energy Standards (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/30/science/earth/30energy.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Harsh Winter a Sign of Disruptive Climate Change, Report Says (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/28/AR2010012800041.html

Water Vapor Drop May Have Led to Warming Slowdown (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010916753_apussciwaningwater.html

Watchdog: UK University Hid Climate Data (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010923648_apeubritainhackedemails.html

SEC to Require Disclosure of Climate Change Risks (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/27/AR2010012704502.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Oregon Wildfires Released Far Less Greenhouse Gas Than Previously Estimated, Researchers Say (The Oregonian, Portland)

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

Top Five Greenest Nations on the Planet (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0128/Top-five-greenest-nations-on-the-planet

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Taking the Pulse of a Broadband Stimulus Winner (Light Reading)

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=187245&site=cdn&f_src=lightreading_gnews

AT&T Wireless Is Simply Exploding - Carrier is very quickly catching up to Verizon Wireless (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-Wireless-Is-Simply-Exploding-106636

Should Fairpoint Really Be Giving Broadband Advice? - Company continues to fight public/private efforts to wire Maine (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Should-Fairpoint-Really-Be-Giving-Broadband-Advice-106645

GENERAL NEWS

Gregoire E-Mail for Candidate Broke Law, Regulators Say (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010910303_gregoire28.html

Groups Urge Washington State to Triple Tax on Polluters to Plug Budget Hole (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010910892_oiltax28m.html

Traffic Flowing Across Tahuya River Bridge (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jan/28/traffic-flowing-across-tahuya-river-bridge/

Washington Felons Can’t Register to Vote Yet, Judges Rule (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jan/28/federal-judges-pause-ruling-felony-inmate-voting/

Island County Sheriff's Deputy Saves a Life before Losing His Job (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/sound/414709_sound82727302.html

DIVERSIONS

Georgia Man Buys Car, Finds $200K in Counterfeit Cash

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22369148/detail.html

Police: Baby Left at Day Care for Week

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22364767/detail.html

Dog Drifts 75 Miles on Ice, Rescued in Baltic Sea

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22363917/detail.html

Lawsuit: Ohio Teacher Tied Boy's Hair In Ponytails

http://www.kirotv.com/education/22357800/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Cowsills – Hair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYGP3CIT4r4