The Energy News Digest: 03/03/10

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Energy News Digest for March 3, 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)

· Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Opinion for: Pacific Northwest Generating C V. BPA

· Tennessee - Noranda Aluminum to Lay off 89 Workers

· Pacific Power Seeks 20.1% Rate Hike

· Cowlitz PUD Restores Power to Thousands Affected by Afternoon Surge

· Daily News Editorial – (Bonneville) Conservation Funds Should be Preserved

· Paltry Snowpack Could Lead to Power Rate Increases

· Grays Harbor PUD Will Appeal $4.2 Million Spradlin Verdict

· Montana - The Little Power Plant That Could

· Federal Proposal Would Give States Control over LNG Ports

· A Riddle, a Rant, & the Virtues of Natural Gas

· Editorial - Solution in Nevada: Obama’s rejection of Yucca plan is unreasonable

· Connecticut Panel Pushes Ways to Cut Electricity Rates

· Con Edison’s Mobile Web Soars During Storm

· Salmon Outlook Little-Changed

· Oregon Oysters Recalled in Ten States

· California: Sea Lions Returning to the Docks in San Francisco

· NY Times Editorial - Fighting Chance for Sage Grouse

· Seattle Times Says Drought Worries Loom With Warmth

· Crews Logging Puget Sound Forest of Debris – Got a Permit?

· Environmental Group Sues Chicken Farm over Chesapeake Pollution

· Work on Northwest’s Largest Solar Array Underway

· New York - Cause of Collapse at Fenner Wind Farm Still Unknown

· Penguin Windows Settles in False-Claims Suit

· Obama Proposes Rebates for Energy-Saving Home Improvements

· Obama Pushes Rebates for Energy Improvements

· Heavy Demand Closes Minnesota Appliance Rebate Program

· If You Paid Your Utility Bills in Cash, You’d Use a Lot less Energy

· EPA Gives Bellingham $350,000 Grant for Climate Change Project

· US Senator Lindsey Graham: Cap-&-Trade Plan Dead

· Scientists Taking Steps to Defend Work on Climate

· British Columbia Government deserves a ‘Gold Medal in Green Rhetoric’

· War over the Arctic? Global Warming Skeptics Distract Us from Security Risks

· Hydroelectric Generator Can be Carried Like a Backpack

· NoaNet Grant to Extend Broadband in Clallam County; Jefferson Will Try in ‘Round Two’

· Franklin PUD - Recovery Act Grant to Improve Fiber-Optic Network

· Broadband Internet Ahead for Seven Timberland Libraries

· Oregon Approves Frontier Verizon Deal

· Verizon Outage Strikes Nationwide

· AT&T Plans Wireless Network Boost in 2010

· Iowa Senate Rejects Idea of Selling State Fiber-Optics System

· FCC Chairman Confident in Authority over Broadband, Despite Critics

· Apple Sues HTC over iPhone Patents

· Google Bandwagon - Alabama City Woos Google’s Broadband

· Google Bandwagon - Grand Rapids courts Google

· Wash. Sees First Monthly Job Gains since Nov. 2008

· Washington State Changes Execution Method

Chile

Earthquake May Have Shortened Days on Earth

· How the Chilean Quake Moved An Entire Planet

· Pacific Northwest at Risk of Megaquake

· Lewis County Man Gets 13 Years for Crossbow Rampage

· Governor Gregoire Announces Departure of OFM Director

WORD OF THE DAY

Precatory • \PRECK-uh-tor-ee\ • adjective - Expressing a wish

As much as one would hope to have precatory language in the statutes in the cases we have reviewed, regarding wide discretion in making large cash payments to third parties, none exists in the statutes governing the conduct in this case.

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

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Opinion for: Pacific Northwest Generating C V. BPA, 09-70228

Case Origin: Bonneville Power Admin

Date Filed: 03/02/2010 Link to launch page:

http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/opinions/view_subpage.php?pk_id=0000010323

Link to PDF File:

http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2010/03/01/09-70228.pdf

Tennessee - Noranda Aluminum to Lay off 89 Workers (Nashville Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2010/03/01/daily9.html

Pacific Power Seeks 20.1% Rate Hike (Portland Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/03/01/daily22.html

Cowlitz PUD Restores Power to Thousands Affected by Afternoon Surge (The Daily News, Longview, WA)

http://www.tdn.com/news/local/article_4cb840d2-2654-11df-a6b1-001cc4c03286.html

Daily News Editorial – (Bonneville) Conservation Funds Should be Preserved

http://www.tdn.com/news/opinion/article_f168439c-265f-11df-8d89-001cc4c002e0.html

Paltry Snowpack Could Lead to Power Rate Increases (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/86029677.html

Grays Harbor PUD Will Appeal $4.2 Million Spradlin Verdict (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/03/02/local_news/doc4b8d74415f515483827343.txt

Montana - The Little Power Plant That Could: Small facility south of Butte can help light 40,000 homes (Montana Standard)

http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2010/03/02/business/hjijjhhchhicea.txt

Federal Proposal Would Give States Control over LNG Ports (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=12071277

A Riddle, a Rant, & the Virtues of Natural Gas - The Natural Gas Act is the most pragmatic legislation before Congress in decades (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/The-Reformed-Broker/2010/0302/A-riddle-a-rant-and-the-virtues-of-natural-gas

Columbian Editorial - Solution in Nevada: Obama administration’s rejection of Yucca Mountain plan is unreasonable

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/mar/03/solution-in-nevada/

Connecticut Panel Pushes Ways to Cut Electricity Rates - The state deregulated electricity ten years ago…when prices rose steeply…were inundated with demands for change (Associated Press)

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/03/01/business-multiutilities-financial-impact-us-conn-electric-rates_7396765.html

Con Edison’s Mobile Web Soars During Storm (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=128699

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon Outlook Little-Changed - Biggest difference will be in ocean fisheries with coho down (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/03/03/1093621/salmon-outlook-little-changed.html

Oregon Oysters Recalled in Ten States (Associated Press)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/Oregon-seafood-company-recalls-oysters-in-10-states--86213392.html

California: Sea Lions Returning to the Docks in San Francisco (Associated Press)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/us/03brfs-SEALIONSRETU_BRF.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

NY Times Editorial - Fighting Chance for Sage Grouse

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/opinion/03wed4.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Seattle Times Says Drought Worries Loom With Warmth (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/TIMES-Drought-worries-loom-with-warmth-86201197.html

Crews Logging Puget Sound Forest of Debris – Got a Permit? (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Logging-Puget-Sound-86058312.html

Environmental Group Sues Chicken Farm over Chesapeake Pollution (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030202408.html?wprss=rss_business

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Work on Northwest’s Largest Solar Array Underway (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/6824-work-northwests-largest-solar-array-underway/

New York - Cause of Collapse at Fenner Wind Farm Still Unknown - Investigation Continues (Syracuse Post-Standard, NY)

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/cause_of_collapse_at_fenner_wi.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Penguin Windows Settles in False-Claims Suit (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100302/BIZ/100309975/-1/RSS03

Obama Proposes Rebates for Energy-Saving Home Improvements (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030200447.html?wprss=rss_business

Obama Pushes Rebates for Energy Improvements (Nat’l Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124248301&ft=1&f=2

Heavy Demand Closes Minnesota Appliance Rebate Program - Opted to issue larger but fewer rebates (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011234787_apmnappliancerebateminnesota.html?syndication=rss

The Enemy of Energy Efficiency - If you paid your utility bills in cash, you’d use a lot less energy (Slate Magazine)

http://www.slate.com/id/2246375/?from=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

EPA Gives Bellingham $350,000 Grant for Climate Change Project (Bellingham Herald, WA)

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/03/03/1319018/epa-gives-bellingham-350000-grant.html

US Senator Lindsey Graham: Cap-&-Trade Plan Dead (Reuters)

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/article334922.ece

Scientists Taking Steps to Defend Work on Climate (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/science/earth/03climate.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

British Columbia Government deserves a ‘Gold Medal in Green Rhetoric’ - Subsidies to oil & gas industry negates clean-energy initiatives, argue environmentalists (Globe & Mail)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-government-deserves-a-gold-medal-in-green-rhetoric/article1487512/?utm_source=AllTodaysNewsRSS

War over the Arctic? Global Warming Skeptics Distract Us from Security Risks (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Walter-Rodgers/2010/0302/War-over-the-Arctic-Global-warming-skeptics-distract-us-from-security-risks

Hydroelectric Generator Can be Carried Like a Backpack (PhysOrg)

http://www.physorg.com/news186761968.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

NoaNet Grant to Extend Broadband in Clallam County; Jefferson Will Try in ‘Round Two’ (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100303/news/303039987

Franklin PUD - Recovery Act Grant to Improve Fiber-Optic Network (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/03/02/922360/recovery-act-grant-to-improve.html

Broadband Internet Ahead for Seven Timberland Libraries (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews?Broadband-Internet-Ahead-for-Seven-Timbe=1&blockID=189482&feedID=410