The Energy News Digest: 04/02/10

Friday, April 2, 2010

Energy News Digest for April 2, 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)

· Heavy Winds Due on Olympic Peninsula; Utility Crews Gear Up

· Powerful Windstorm Expected to Hit This Morning

· Snowpack Well below Normal, Creating Electricity, Agricultural Problems

· Daily Interlake Editorial – Flathead Electric Co-Op Wise to Table Decision

· Groups Request Delay of New Pacific Gas & Electric Pricing

· City Feud Over Electricity Rates Could Increase LA Budget Deficit

· Grant PUD Bonds Rated AA Stable

· South Dakota - Black Hills Power Rolls Out New Plant, Higher Rates

· Navajo Nation Stands by Power Plant despite Snags

· It Is Spill versus Barges Again for Salmon Migration Debate

· Columbia Chinook - Springers Starting to Live Up to the Hype

· Fish Passage Project at Red Bluff Diversion Dam Ready to Begin

· Oregonian Op/Ed - A Bottling Facility at Cascade Locks?

· California - Many Places, But Not Sacramento, Can Expect Below-Average Water Deliveries

· Countries Blame

China

, Not Nature, for Water Shortage

· Wenatchee World Op/Ed - Saving Energy Makes Sense, Now

· Las Vegas Sun Editorial - Let the Buyer Beware: Report Finds Energy Star Certification May Not be All It’s Cracked up to Be

Canada

- End of Program to Make Homes More Energy Efficient Riles Home Owners

· Florida - Retailers Expect Boon from Appliance Rebate Program

· Climate Bill Now a Focus of US Senate

· European Union CO2 Emissions Down 11.2 Percent in 2009

· A Loophole in US Crackdown on Carbon Emissions from Cars

· Arctic Ice Makes Surprising, if Temporary, Comeback

· Is Cloud Computing Really Killing the Planet?

· Give the Cloud Some Credit, Greenpeace

· Genetically Engineered Pigs More Environmentally Friendly

· Tips for Contacting a Reporter for April is National Solar Quote Month

· Portland brewing for Google IP(A)

· Layoffs May be Coming for City of McCleary

· Ballots to Create Shelton Metropolitan Park District to be Mailed Next Week

· Three Dead, Four Injured in Anacortes Refinery Explosion

· WA Governor Receives Threatening Letter from Extremist Group

· 59 People Killed in Fires Last Year in Washington

· Bid Delay on Tankers Irks Boeing Officials

· Employers Add Most Jobs in 3 Years in March

· Metal Theft from Farms is ‘Getting Pretty Ugly’

· Some Counties Slacking Off on Returning Census Forms

· Check Out Your Town’s Response to the Census on the Internet

· Port of Woodland Names Nelson Holmberg as Executive Director

· Fisherman Nearly Swept Away by Surge of Water from Stormwater Pipe

WORD OF THE DAY

Puerile • \PYUR-ul\ • adjective - 1: juvenile 2: childish, silly

Of all the things tried by Fred, the company’s designated hypochondriac, to avoid catching a bug from his fellow employees, the most puerile was a continuously flowing “curtain of Purell” behind the door of his office. His ingenious plan lasted a full two hours, until his supervisor was slimed by the cascading goo as he entered the sickly employee’s lair.

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

Heavy Winds Due on Olympic Peninsula; Utility Crews Gear Up (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100402/news/304029990

Powerful Windstorm Expected to Hit This Morning - Weather forecasters predict winds of 60 mph along Whidbey Island & up to 3 feet of snow in the Cascades (Everett Herald, WA)

http://heraldnet.com/article/20100402/NEWS01/704029855

Snowpack Well below Normal, Creating Electricity, Agricultural Problems (Wait for it…KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Snow-Pack-definitly-down--promises-impacts-on-water-electricity-and-agriculture-89722707.html

Daily Interlake Editorial – Flathead Electric Co-Op Wise to Table Decision

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/opinion/editorials/article_5e127d62-3e04-11df-afe5-001cc4c03286.html

Groups Request Delay of New Pacific Gas & Electric Pricing (San Francisco Business Times)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/03/29/daily74.html

City Feud Over Electricity Rates Could Increase LA Budget Deficit - The utility may withhold $73 million from the general fund unless the City Council backs the larger rate hikes (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-dwp2-2010apr02,0,526235.story?track=rss

Grant PUD Bonds Rated AA Stable (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/apr/02/grant-pud-bonds-rated-aa-stable/

South Dakota - Black Hills Power Rolls Out New Plant, Higher Rates (Rapid City Journal, SD)

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_7b4c0526-3dfd-11df-b140-001cc4c002e0.html

Navajo Nation Stands by Power Plant despite Snags (Provo Daily Herald, UT)

http://heraldextra.com/news/state-and-regional/utah/article_c38ba987-d9c4-52b2-8a46-518d9f69317e.html

FISH, WATER & WILDLIFE

It Is Spill versus Barges Again for Salmon Migration Debate (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)

http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2010/03/31/rockybarker/it_spill_versus_barges_again_salmon_migration_debate#ixzz0jrNIUGtM

Columbia Chinook - Springers Starting to Live Up to the Hype (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://www.tdn.com/lifestyles/article_8171f484-3ded-11df-9839-001cc4c002e0.html

Fish Passage Project at Red Bluff Diversion Dam Ready to Begin (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/04/fish-passage-project-at-red-bluff-diversion-dam-ready-to-begin?cmpid=rss

Oregonian Op/Ed - A Bottling Facility at Cascade Locks? Let the Locals Decide

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/04/a_bottling_facility_at_cascade.html

California - Many Places, But Not Sacramento, Can Expect Below-Average Water Deliveries (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/04/02/2650540/despite-rainy-winter-water-deliveries.html

Countries Blame

China

, Not Nature, for Water Shortage (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/02/world/asia/02drought.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Wenatchee World Op/Ed - Saving Energy Makes Sense, Now

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/apr/01/saving-energy-makes-sense-now/

Las Vegas Sun Editorial - Let the Buyer Beware: Report Finds Energy Star Certification May Not be All It’s Cracked up to Be

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/apr/02/let-buyer-beware/

Canada

- End of Program to Make Homes More Energy Efficient Riles Home Owners (Globe & Mail, Canada)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/end-of-ecoenergy-riles-home-owners/article1520720/?cmpid=rss1

Florida - Retailers Expect Boon from Appliance Rebate Program (South Florida Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2010/03/29/daily41.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Bill Now a Focus of US Senate (Des Moines Register, IA)

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100402/BUSINESS/4020349/1029/

European Union CO2 Emissions Down 11.2 Percent in 2009 (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6301D120100401

A Loophole in US Crackdown on Carbon Emissions from Cars “…automakers can get a credit for each electric or other alternatively fueled vehicle they produce…” (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/new-economy/2010/0401/A-loophole-in-US-crackdown-on-carbon-emissions-from-cars

Arctic Ice Makes Surprising, if Temporary, Comeback (Globe & Mail, Canada)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/arctic-ice-makes-surprising-comeback-nearly-back-to-average-level-for-first-time-in-10-years/article1520931/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Is Cloud Computing Really Killing the Planet? A recent report by Greenpeace calls cloud computing out for its carbon footprint. Here’s why it’s wrong (Info World)

http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/cloud-computing-really-killing-the-planet-981

Give the Cloud Some Credit, Greenpeace (Digital Trends)

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/give-the-cloud-some-credit-greenpeace/?news=123

Genetically Engineered Pigs More Environmentally Friendly “… ‘Enviropigs’ produce up to 65 percent less phosphorous in their feces & urine, creating less of a burden on the environment (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/2010/april/Genetically-Engineered-Pigs-More-Environmentally-Friendly.html

Tips for Contacting a Reporter for April is National Solar Quote Month (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2010/04/tips-for-contacting-a-reporter-for-april-is-national-solar-quote-month?cmpid=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Portland brewing for Google IP(A) (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

http://www.kgw.com/home/Portland-brewing-for-Google-IPA-89740007.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Layoffs May be Coming for City of McCleary (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/04/01/local_news/doc4bb4ddf88d329495334537.txt

Ballots to Create Shelton Metropolitan Park District to be Mailed Next Week (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/1770-ballots-to-create-shelton-metropolitan-park-district-to-be-mailed-next-week

GENERAL NEWS