The Energy News Digest: 02/10/10

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Energy News Digest for February 10, 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)

• Jefferson PUD Could Decide PSE Purchase This Month

• Northwest Power Plan: No Coal, Only Wind, Gas, Efficiency

• Public Comments Help Shape Review of BPA High-Voltage Line

• Supporters Cheer Oregon House Vote to Ban Off-Shore Drilling for 10 Years

• Kudos to Andrew Munro - NHA Welcomes New Leadership & Board Members

• Investigators to Sift Connecticut Power Plant Rubble for Evidence of Criminal Negligence

• Damage to Homes Near Connecticut Power Plant Is Assessed

• Santa Clara Power Plant Closed After Cal-OSHA Inspection

• Utah to Consider Second Radioactive Waste Dump

• Ohio - American Electric Power Says Tree-Trimming Helping to Ward Off Electric Outages

• Florida - Claims of Misconduct at Florida Power & Light Prompt Investigation

• San Diego County Man to Pay $18,000 for Stealing Electricity to Grow Pot

• Conservation Group Bails from Klamath Agreement

• New Fish Hatchery Signifies Major Step toward Elwha Restoration

• Montana - Group Concerned about Flathead Lake Fishing Plan

• Feds Reduce California Water Pumping to Protect Fish

• Pacific Northwest’s Brown Pelicans Struggling to Survive

• Washington State Biologists to Kill Bighorn Sheep

• The Making of an Endangered Species

• State’s Snowpack below Average Midway through Winter

• Thurston PUD Will Redo Water Systems

• Marysville Adjusts Utility Rates to Encourage Water Conservation

• Henderson Inlet’s Water OK’d for Shellfish

• Puget Sound Report Makes No Waves

• Montana - British Columbia Declares Canadian North Fork Off Limits to Mining, Energy Development

• Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit Program Will Bring Future Liabilities

• Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer Talks About His Plans for Wind Power

• Northwest Farmers Eye Clean Energy Options

• Oregon Could Be Home for Alternative-Fuels Industry

• New Study: Cape Wind Will Reduce Regional Electricity Prices by $4.6 Billion

• Activists’ Appeal to Put Wind Rules in Spotlight

• Areva Says Solar Thermal Market May Increase 30-Fold by 2020

• Making Solar Power Portable

• California - Residents Lash out against Pacific Gas & Electric Plan for ‘Smart Meters’

• Politics, Science Collide over Recent Snow Storms

• Seattle’s Climate Ideas Can Hurt Whole State

• Should Curbing Emissions Really Be About Green Jobs?

• City of San Francisco Joins the Club of Green Financiers

• Audi’s ‘Green Police’ Super Bowl Ad Controversial

• Google Is Deploying Fiber to the Home

• Google to Offer Super-Fast Net Service

• Google to Launch Turbo-Speed Internet Trials

• Google’s Fiber Network Could Foil ISPs & Fuel Innovation

• Chelan PUD Eyes Fiber Cuts to Offset Forecasted Losses

• $7.2 Billion for Broadband is Largely Unallocated

• Qwest Still Shopping Itself Around

• Google Buzz: How It Works - Google Buzz rolls out to GMail Tuesday afternoon

• Mason County’s Unofficial Election Results: School Levies Passing

• Search on for Serial Mason County Robber

• Report: Tear Down Five Buildings at Mason County Fairgrounds

• Washington State Legislature - Senate Wants “Do Over” on I-960 Bill

• Norm Dicks Becomes One of Nation’s Most Powerful Lawmakers

• ‘Deadliest Catch’ Captain Phil Dead at 53

• Why You Can’t See Live Streaming of Olympics — at least not legally

• Record-Warm Weather Forcing Tulip Bulbs to Grow Early

WORD OF THE DAY

Eleemosynary • \ell-ih-MAWS-uhn-nair-ee\ • adjective – Of, relating to, or supported by charity

“Ye shall be sentenced to violating the ‘Poor Laws’ and placed in a workhouse until rehabilitated,” pronounced the pinch-faced, bewigged judge to the trembling boy. The “Great London Waif Crisis” of the Victorian age was in full sway, and without a wide range of eleemosynary institutions, the workhouse, poor farm or prison were about the only options available to the poor little tyke. (Yeesh, this is pretty dark for an example sentence. I’ll blame it all on Charles Dickens.)

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

Jefferson PUD Could Decide PSE Purchase This Month - Public power proponents voice concern over closed-door sessions (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55&ArticleID=26253

Northwest Power Plan: No Coal, Only Wind, Gas, Efficiency (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011028889_apornorthwestpowerplan.html?syndication=rss

Public Comments Help Shape Review of BPA High-Voltage Line (Transmission & Distribution World)

http://tdworld.com/overhead_transmission/bpa-public-comment-report-0210/

Supporters Cheer Oregon House Vote to Ban Off-Shore Drilling for 10 Years (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/02/supporters_cheer_house_vote_to.html

Kudos to Andrew Munro - NHA Welcomes New Leadership & Board Members (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/02/nha-welcomes-new-leadership-and-board-members?cmpid=rss

Investigators to Sift Connecticut Power Plant Rubble for Evidence of Criminal Negligence (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/nyregion/09explode.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Damage to Homes Near Connecticut Power Plant Is Assessed (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011027626_apuspowerplantexplosiondamagedhomes.html

Santa Clara Power Plant Closed After Cal-OSHA Inspection (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_14350078

Utah to Consider Second Radioactive Waste Dump (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011023739_apusradioactivewaste.html?syndication=rss

Ohio - American Electric Power Says Tree-Trimming Helping to Ward Off Electric Outages (The Daily Record, Wooster, OH)

http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4766502

Florida - Claims of Misconduct at Florida Power & Light Prompt Investigation (Miami Herald, FL)

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/feb/09/claims-misconduct-fpl-prompt-investigation/

San Diego County Man to Pay $18,000 for Stealing Electricity to Grow Pot (LA Times, CA)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/02/san-diego-county-man-to-pay-18000-for-stealing-electricity-to-grow-pot.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Conservation Group Bails from Klamath Agreement (NW Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=6807

New Fish Hatchery Signifies Major Step toward Elwha Restoration (Indian Country Today)

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/northwest/83888372.html

Montana - Group Concerned about Flathead Lake Fishing Plan: Tribal proposal to gill-net lake trout raises questions (Daily Interlake, Kalispell, MT)

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_616f533c-1608-11df-a325-001cc4c03286.html

Feds Reduce California Water Pumping to Protect Fish (Associated Press)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2466954~Feds_reduce_Calif__water_pumping_to_protect_fish.html

Pacific Northwest’s Brown Pelicans Struggling to Survive (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/feb/09/northwests-brown-pelicans-struggling-to-survive/

Washington State Biologists to Kill Bighorn Sheep (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011023949_apwabighornsheep.html?syndication=rss

The Making of an Endangered Species (Finding Dulcinea)

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/2010/feb/The-Making-of-an-Endangered-Species.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

State’s Snowpack below Average Midway through Winter (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/02/09/state-s-snowpack-below-average-midway-through-winter

Thurston PUD Will Redo Water Systems - Tanglewilde, Thompson Place to benefit (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1132128.html

Marysville Adjusts Utility Rates to Encourage Water Conservation - Water & sewer rates will be changed to encourage conservation & even out some inequalities (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100210/NEWS01/702109841/-1/rss02

Henderson Inlet’s Water OK’d for Shellfish - State health officials lift weather restrictions that barred harvesting after heavy rains (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1132129.html

Puget Sound Report Makes No Waves (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/19323/

Montana - British Columbia Declares Canadian North Fork Off Limits to Mining, Energy Development (The Missoulian, MT)

http://www.missoulian.com/news/local/article_454ec652-15d5-11df-ab0b-001cc4c03286.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit Program Will Bring Future Liabilities (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/house_bill_3680_would_cut_back.html

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer Talks About His Plans for Wind Power (REVE)

http://www.evwind.es/noticias.php?id_not=3904

Northwest Farmers Eye Clean Energy Options (Oregon Public Radio)

http://news.opb.org/article/6689-northwest-farmers-eye-clean-energy-options/

Oregon Could Be Home for Alternative-Fuels Industry - Key Is Commitment to Education (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/anna_griffin/index.ssf/2010/02/oregon_could_be_home_for_alter.html

New Study: Cape Wind Will Reduce Regional Electricity Prices by $4.6 Billion (Market Wire)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-study-cape-wind-will-reduce-regional-electricity-prices-by-46-billion-2010-02-10?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Activists’ Appeal to Put Wind Rules in Spotlight (Portland Press-Herald, ME)

http://mainebusiness.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=314278&ac=PHbiz&hcode=pph

Areva Says Solar Thermal Market May Increase 30-Fold by 2020 (Business Week)

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-09/areva-says-solar-thermal-market-may-increase-30-fold-by-2020.html

Making Solar Power Portable (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/business/09solar.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

California - Residents Lash out against Pacific Gas & Electric Plan for ‘Smart Meters’ – “…claim that radiation from the meters’ electromagnetic fields could cause a range of negative health issues, including cancer…” (Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, CA – Thanks for the tip Kevin O’Meara)

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100203/ARTICLES/100209872/1033?p=all&tc=pgall

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Scientists Seek Better Way to Do Climate Report (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011033268_apsciclimatereportwoes.html

Politics, Science Collide over Recent Snow Storms - Scientists say weather different from climate change, but pols make hay out of snow (ABC News)

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GlobalWarming/snow-storms-politics-science-collide-climate-change/story?id=9789460

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Seattle’s Climate Ideas Can Hurt Whole State (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2010/02/10/science-environment/19574/

Should Curbing Emissions Really Be About Green Jobs? (Washington Post)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/02/should_curbing_emissions_reall.html

City of San Francisco Joins the Club of Green Financiers (NY Times)

http://bayarea.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/san-francisco-joins-the-club-of-green-financiers/

Audi’s ‘Green Police’ Super Bowl Ad Controversial - Audi’s Super Bowl ad has been controversial for its portrayal of environmental issues & echoes of Nazi-era police (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Bright-Green/2010/0209/Audi-s-Green-Police-Super-Bowl-ad-controversial

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Google Is Deploying Fiber to the Home - Between 50,000 & 500,000 to see 1 Gbps connections (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Google-Is-Deploying-Fiber-To-The-Home-106820

Google to Offer Super-Fast Net Service (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/technology/companies/11google.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Google to Launch Turbo-Speed Internet Trials (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/10/AR2010021001649.html?wprss=rss_business

Google’s Fiber Network Could Foil ISPs & Fuel Innovation (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2010/02/10/google-fiber/

Chelan PUD Eyes Fiber Cuts to Offset Forecasted Losses (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/feb/09/pud-eyes-fiber-cuts-to-offset-forecasted-losses/

$7.2 Billion for Broadband is Largely Unallocated (Nat’l Public Radio – Golly, some of this story sounds amazing familiar)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123409454&ft=1&f=3

Qwest Still Shopping Itself Around - Potential buyers still not interested at Qwest’s price (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Qwest-Still-Shopping-Itself-Around-106803

Google Buzz: How It Works - Google Buzz rolls out to GMail Tuesday afternoon, in a move that challenges Facebook & Twitter (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/0209/Google-Buzz-How-it-works

GENERAL NEWS

Mason County’s Unofficial Election Results: School Levies Passing (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1319:unofficial-election-results-school-levies-passing&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Search on for Serial Mason County Robber (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/83991077.html

Report: Tear Down Five Buildings at Mason County Fairgrounds (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1318:report-tear-down-five-buildings-at-fairgrounds&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Washington State Legislature - Senate Wants “Do Over” on I-960 Bill (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/896218.html

Port of Everett Meeting With Lawmakers: Was It Legal? (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100210/BIZ/702109941/-1/rss03