Energy News Digest for February 12, 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)

•  Feb 12 Update - Mason PUD 3 Completes Restoration in South Shelton Outage

•  Alert Lewis PUD Gives Tip - Pot Bust Nets Teacher

•  Clallam PUD Buys Acreage in Carlsborg – To Centralize Operations

•  Fitch Affirms Benton County PUD's Revenue Bonds 'A'; Outlook Stable

•  Avista Customers Will See Bills Drop About Five Dollars

•  PNNL Team Evaluates All Nuclear Power Plant Plans

•  Cold-weather states lose heating aid to South

•  California - SoCal Edison Pays $2.8m to Settle Wildfire Lawsuit

•  Natural Gas Stocks Decline More Than Expected

•  California - Public Airs Concerns over Diablo Canyon Nuke Plant’s License Renewal

•  Tennessee Valley Authority Rates to Rise in March

•  NASA Launches Satellite to Help Forecast Solar Storms

•  Metallic Balloons Hitting Power Lines Could Take the Spark out of Valentine’s Day

•  Columbia River Salmon Dispute Continues

•  OSU Study: Many Steelhead Die on Way to Ocean

•  Feds Say California’s Returning Chinook Salmon a Record Low

•  Sacramento Delta Water Wars Heating Up

•  Unwanted Trout - Wisconsin Company Culling Lake Pend Oreille Mackinaw

•  Our Warm, Dry Winter Means Lots of Local Economic Problems

•  Central Washington Water Rights Transfers Get Approval

•  Another Kennewick Irrigation District Manager Resigns

•  Saddle Mountain to Be Home for Othello-Area Wind Turbines

•  Wind Company Vestas to Lay Off 114

•  Montana - Missoula Business Touts Benefits of Modern Solar Panels

•  Oregon - Prosecutors Get Assist in Bend Solar-Scam Case

•  “Cow Power to Horsepower” Research in Bellingham

•  Conference Speakers Address Climate, Renewable Energy

•  Massachusetts - Cape Wind Opponents Slam Study on Electric Rates

•  United Kingdom - Cold Realities of the Wind Farms That Won't Work When it Snows

•  Reconsidering Solar Power - Is solar power practical for New England?

•  Questions about Biofuels’ Environmental Costs Could Alter Europe’s Policies

•  Oregon - Lighting Retrofit Saves Warm Springs Casino 389,000 kWh

•  Idaho City of Bonners Ferry Remodeling Council Chambers

•  Weekend Project: Insulate Hot-Water Pipes to Cut Down on Heat Loss

•  Arizona Quits Western Cap-and-Trade Program

•  Drive to Delay California Climate Law May Be Stuck in Neutral

•  Climate-Change Debate Is Heating Up in Deep Freeze

•  Errors in Climate Report Prompt a Push for Reform

•  'Climategate' Review Panelist Quits after His Impartiality Questioned

•  The Greenest Olympics Ever Are Still Pretty Dirty

•  Could Chicken Manure Help Curb Climate Change?

•  Let the City of Seattle Buy You a Rain Garden

•  Seattle Applying for Google Fiber Network

•  How Much Will Google’s Fiber Network Cost?

•  The Dalles, OR - First a Data Center, Now Free WiFi

•  Yahoo Fights for Search Market

•  Portland Still Trying to Remove MetroFi Antennas

•  AT&T Sued Over Wireless Data Plans

•  Frontier/Verizon Deal Keeps Moving Forward

•  Google Tweaks Buzz after Privacy Concerns

•  State Revenue Forecast Limits Washington Spending

•  Washington Home Sales Surge in Late 2009

•  Two Seattle-Area Men Accused of Bilking Medicare Out of Millions

•  Teens Accused of Slaughtering Deer in 'Thrill Kill' Spree

•  Another Stolen Plane May Be Work of Infamous Teen Burglar

•  Two Suspects Arrested for Vandalizing an Oregon Lighthouse

•  Some Seattleites Putting Seismometers in Their Basements

WORD OF THE DAY

Pandemonium • \pan-duh-MONE-ee-um\ • noun –1: the capital of Hell in Milton's Paradise Lost 2: the infernal regions: hell 3: not capitalized: a wild uproar: tumult

(From the Greek: pan + the Latin: daemonium or demon)

Early release from school resulted in a joyous pandemonium on the front lawn of the local high school. Streamers of two-ply toilet paper soared through the air. The only thought going through the mind of the school’s budget analyst was that two rolls of one-ply would be more cost-effective.

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

Feb 12 Update - Mason PUD 3 Completes Restoration in South Shelton Outage (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/Newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=681

Alert Lewis PUD Gives Tip - Pot Bust Nets Teacher (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/1134153.html

Clallam PUD buys acreage in Carlsborg – To centralize operations (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100212/news/302129984

Fitch Affirms Benton County PUD's Revenue Bonds 'A'; Outlook Stable (Earth Times)

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/fitch-affirms-benton-county-public,1162690.shtml

Avista Customers Will See Bills Drop About Five Dollars (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/11/avista-customers-will-see-bills-drop-about-5/

PNNL Team Evaluates All Nuclear Power Plant Plans (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11974186

Cold-Weather States Lose Heating Aid to South (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/11/financial/f135201S02.DTL&feed=rss.business

California - SoCal Edison Pays $2.8m to Settle Wildfire Lawsuit (Associated Press)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2470840~SoCal_Edison_pays__2_8m_to_settle_wildfire_lawsuit.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Natural Gas Stocks Decline More Than Expected (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/12/financial/f074459S85.DTL&feed=rss.business

California - Public Airs Concerns over Diablo Canyon Nuke Plant’s License Renewal (iStock Analyst)

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3853630

Tennessee Valley Authority Rates to Rise in March (Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN)

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2010/feb/10/tva-rates-rise-march/?breakingnews

NASA Launches Satellite to Help Forecast Solar Storms (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0211/NASA-launches-satellite-to-help-forecast-solar-storms

Metallic Balloons Hitting Power Lines Could Take the Spark out of Valentine’s Day Celebrations (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=127392

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia River Salmon Dispute Continues (NY Times)

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/columbia-river-salmon-dispute-continues/

OSU Study: Many Steelhead Die on Way to Ocean (Portland Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/02/08/daily36.html

Feds Say California’s Returning Chinook Salmon a Record Low (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/11/state/n172239S72.DTL&type=business

Sacramento Delta Water Wars Heating Up (Oregon Public Radio)

http://news.opb.org/article/6716-sacramento-delta-water-wars-heating/

Unwanted Trout - Wisconsin Company Culling Lake Pend Oreille Mackinaw (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/12/unwanted-trout/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Our Warm, Dry Winter Means Lots of Local Economic Problems (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2010/02/12/climate/19588/

Central Washington Water Rights Transfers Get Approval (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11973819

Another Kennewick Irrigation District Manager Resigns (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/news/84183867.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Saddle Mountain to Be Home for Othello-Area Wind Turbines (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2010/02/11/news/doc4b7498479ff72926305378.txt

Wind Company Vestas to Lay Off 114 (Portland Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/02/08/daily47.html

Montana - Missoula Business Touts Benefits of Modern Solar Panels (The Missoulian, MT)

http://www.missoulian.com/news/local/article_d2144a1a-16d1-11df-b5b6-001cc4c03286.html

Oregon - Prosecutors Get Assist in Bend Solar-Scam Case (KTVZ-TV, Bend, OR)

http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=11973974

“Cow Power to Horsepower” Research in Bellingham (NW Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=6819

Conference Speakers Address Climate, Renewable Energy (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR)

http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=103838&SectionID=13&SubSectionID=48

Massachusetts - Cape Wind Opponents Slam Study on Electric Rates (Boston Herald, MA)

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view/20100211cape_wind_opponents_slam_study_on_electric_rates/

United Kingdom - Cold Realities of the Wind Farms That Won't Work When it Snows (Yorkshire Post, UK)

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/Cold-realities-of-the-wind.6062117.jp

Reconsidering Solar Power - Is solar power practical for New England? (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Eco-renovation/2010/0211/Reconsidering-solar-power

Questions about Biofuels’ Environmental Costs Could Alter Europe’s Policies (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/business/energy-environment/12biofuel.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Oregon - Lighting Retrofit Saves Warm Springs Casino 389,000 kWh (Environmental Leader)

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/02/12/lighting-retrofit-saves-casino-389000-kwh/

Idaho City of Bonners Ferry Remodeling Council Chambers - Bonneville Power Administration will cover 70 percent of the electrical contract (Bonners Ferry Herald, ID)

http://www.bonnersferryherald.com/articles/2010/02/11/local/doc4b744d96b7537931171112.txt

Weekend Project: Insulate Hot-Water Pipes to Cut Down on Heat Loss (Consumer Reports)

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2010/02/insulate-hot-water-pipes-to-cut-down-on-heat-loss-comnsumer-reports-weekend-project.html?EXTKEY=I91ECON&CMP=OTC-ConsumeristLinks

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Arizona Quits Western Cap-and-Trade Program (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/science/earth/12climate.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Drive to Delay California Climate Law May Be Stuck in Neutral (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/02/11/11climatewire-drive-to-delay-calif-climate-law-may-be-stuck-5461.html

Climate-Change Debate Is Heating Up in Deep Freeze (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/science/earth/11climate.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Errors in Climate Report Prompt a Push for Reform (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-climate-report11-2010feb11,0,1816675.story?track=rss

'Climategate' Review Panelist Quits after His Impartiality Questioned (The Guardian, UK)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/12/climate-change-climategate-nature-global-warming

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

The Greenest Olympics Ever Are Still Pretty Dirty (Newsweek Magazine)

http://www.newsweek.com/id/233490?from=rss

Could Chicken Manure Help Curb Climate Change? (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2010-02-10-cheap-carbon_N.htm?csp=34

Let the City of Seattle Buy You a Rain Garden (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Let-The-City-Buy-You-A-Rain-Garden-84180422.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Seattle Applying for Google Fiber Network (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/xconomy/415329_xconomy63097.html

How Much Will Google’s Fiber Network Cost? (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2010/02/11/google-fiber-network-cost/

First a Data Center, Now Free WiFi - Google, the Cloud & the Significance of a Small Oregon Town (ReadWrite Cloud)

http://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2010/02/google-and-a-small-town-in-ore.php

Yahoo Fights for Search Market (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_14379603?nclick_check=1

Portland Still Trying to Remove MetroFi Antennas - Estimate jumps to $200,000 to remove 600 antennas (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Portland-Still-Trying-To-Remove-MetroFi-Antennas-106868

AT&T Sued Over Wireless Data Plans (NW Cable News - Photo of a Verizon “Droid” Oops!)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/ATT-SUED-OVER-WIRELESS-DATA-PLANS-84194262.html

Frontier/Verizon Deal Keeps Moving Forward (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FrontierVerizon-Deal-Keeps-Moving-Forward-106851

Google Tweaks Buzz after Privacy Concerns (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011055131_apustecgoogleprivacy.html?syndication=rss

GENERAL NEWS

State Revenue Forecast Limits Washington Spending (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011055003_apwarevenueforecast.html?syndication=rss

Washington Home Sales Surge in Late 2009 (Associated Press)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/11/washington-home-sales-surge-late-2009/

Two Seattle-Area Men Accused of Bilking Medicare Out of Millions (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/415317_Medicare11.html?source=rss

Teens Accused of Slaughtering Deer in 'Thrill Kill' Spree (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22479056/detail.html

Another Stolen Plane May Be Work of Infamous Teen Burglar (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Another-stolen-plane-may-be-work-of-infamous-teen-burglar-84157747.html

Two Suspects Arrested for Vandalizing an Oregon Lighthouse (Oregon Public Radio)

http://news.opb.org/article/6710-two-suspects-arrested-vandalizing-oregon-lighthouse/

Some Seattleites Putting Seismometers in Their Basements (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Some-Seattlites-putting-seismometers-in-their-basements-84134622.html

DIVERSIONS

Fred Morrison - Frisbee Inventor – Dies

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/12/BATM1C0CVH.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Bombs in Breast Implants? Report Says Al-Qaida May Be Using Implants to Make Bombs

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22533182/detail.html

Helicopters, Trucks Bring Snow to Olympics

http://www.kirotv.com/sports/22512915/detail.html

Globetrotters Play Game on Ice

http://www.kirotv.com/sports/22512509/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Billy Preston & Eric Clapton - Will It Go Round in Circles (“Will it fly high like a bird in the sky…”)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3rKwfKk9o4