The Energy News Digest: 05/11/10

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Energy News Digest for May 11, 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

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Mea Culpa - Pacific Gas & Electric Apologizes for Smart Meter Problems “…50,000 meters have malfunctioned & caused inaccurate bills…” (San Francisco Business Times)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/05/10/daily17.html

Must Meet Emissions Standards - California Bill Would Block Out-of-State Power Deals (Associated Press)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2622768~Calif__bill_would_block_out_of_state_power_deals.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

PUD 3 Retains Neutrality on Proposed ADAGE Biomass Power Plant (Mason County PUD No. 3

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=725

Award to Fund Wafertech Energy Upgrade – Governor Gregoire awarded Clark Public Utilities more than $400,000 toward a $1.2 million energy efficiency upgrade (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/may/11/wafertech-award-upgrade/

New Candy Tax Not Sweetly Simple (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/23515729/detail.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

· No Surplus Snow Means No Surplus Power for BPA to Sell

· Mea Culpa - Pacific Gas & Electric Apologizes for Smart Meter Problems

· Must Meet Emissions Standards - California Bill Would Block Out-of-State Power Deals

· Oregon – Columbia River PUD Franchise Fee Payments Total Nearly $531,000

· Tennessee Valley Authority Asks Public What Future for Electricity Generation Should Look Like

· USDA Marks 75 Years of Commitment to Rural Electrification

· Columbia River Spring Chinook Run Size Updated

· Oregonian Editorial - A River Ready to Run Free

· Louisiana Officials Close Oyster Areas as Precaution to Spill

· Plan a First Step toward Cleaning up Columbia

· Raw Sewage Spills into Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Bay

· Wall to Fix Howard Hanson Dam Could Cost $450 Million

· EPA Blows Off the San Joaquin Valley

· PUD 3 Retains Neutrality on Proposed ADAGE Biomass Power Plant

· Massachusetts - Higher Rates Blowing In: Cape Wind contracts could generate $6B tab over 15 years

· Wisconsin - Cost of Going Green with Madison Gas & Electric Company is Going Up

· Green Energy Not Profitable…Yet

Canada

- Northern Wind Power Surges in BC Hydro’s Clean Power Call

· Alabama Power Inks Deal With Tuscaloosa Timber Firm to Create Renewable Energy

Finland

’s Largest Biomass Power Plant Operational

· Ohio - Company Will Use Sludge to Make Methane, Power

· Nevada’s Energy Chief Stuns Environmentalists with Renewable Energy Approach

· Morning Bell: What’s Worse than Energy Taxes? Renewable Electricity Standards

· When Clean Energy Grants Run Out, Will a ‘Green Bank’ Take Over?

· New Wind Turbine Design Goes Vertical

· Award to Fund Wafertech Energy Upgrade – Governor Gregoire awarded Clark Public Utilities more than $400,000

· Energy Interests Spend Millions for Their Seat at the Climate Table

· Scientists Unite Against Climate Skeptics

· Preparing for the Coming Wave of Electric Cars

· Report: Cambodian Sand for

Singapore

Devastating Ecology

· Is Terraforming Mars Impossible?

· Wi-Fi to Come in a Much Faster, Short-Range Flavor

· Yakima County Settles Complaint of Firing for Being Too Old

· Three Craigslist Killing Suspects Appear in Court

· Hemlock May Have Caused Tacoma Woman’s Death

· New Candy Tax Not Sweetly Simple

· Will Your Favorite Candy be Taxed? Not if It Contains Flour

WORD OF THE DAY

Navel-gazing • \NAY-vul-GAY-zing\ • noun - Useless or excessive self-contemplation

“I wonder if lint collects there,” mused the Bhudda-like hermit to himself as he began yet another day of navel-gazing in his life-long quest into the meaning of life, the universe & everything…including where missing socks in the laundry go…

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

No Surplus Snow Means No Surplus Power for BPA to Sell (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/7267-no-surplus-snow-means-no-surplus-power-bpa-sell/

Mea Culpa - Pacific Gas & Electric Apologizes for Smart Meter Problems “…50,000 meters have malfunctioned & caused inaccurate bills…” (San Francisco Business Times)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/05/10/daily17.html

Must Meet Emissions Standards - California Bill Would Block Out-of-State Power Deals (Associated Press)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2622768~Calif__bill_would_block_out_of_state_power_deals.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Oregon – Columbia River PUD Franchise Fee Payments Total Nearly $531,000 (Columbia River PUD)

http://www.crpud.net/about-us/press-archive/20100507

Tennessee Valley Authority Asks Public What Future for Electricity Generation Should Look Like (The Tennessean, Nashville)

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100510/NEWS01/100510074/-1/nsitemapXML/TVA-asks-public-what-future-for-electricity-generation-should-look-like

USDA Marks 75 Years of Commitment to Rural Electrification - RUS Focuses Future on Renewable Energy & Broadband (US Department of Agriculture)

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os_gAC9-wMJ8QY0MDpxBDA09nXw9DFxcXQ-cAA_2CbEdFAEUOjoE!/?contentidonly=true&contentid=2010%2F05%2F0247.xml

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia River Spring Chinook Run Size Updated (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2011831810_columbia_river_spring_chinook_2.html?syndication=rss

Oregonian Editorial - A River Ready to Run Free: One by One, Obstacles to Salmon & Steelhead Are Cleared Away from Oregon’s Rogue River

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/05/a_river_ready_to_run_free.html

Louisiana Officials Close Oyster Areas as Precaution to Spill (

USA

Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2010-05-10-oil-spill-oysters_N.htm

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Plan a First Step toward Cleaning up Columbia - EPA proposal relies on cooperation from landowners, government (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/may/11/plan-a-first-step-toward-cleaning-up-columbia/

Raw Sewage Spills into Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Bay (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/bellevueblog/2011831669_rawsewagespillsintobellevuesmeydenbauerbay.html?syndication=rss

Wall to Fix Howard Hanson Dam Could Cost $450 Million (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011833128_howardhanson11m.html?syndication=rss

EPA Blows Off the San Joaquin Valley - Clean-Air Advocates Say the Feds Refuse to Enforce Smog Standards (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/05/11/27165.htm

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

PUD 3 Retains Neutrality on Proposed ADAGE Biomass Power Plant (Mason County PUD No. 3

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=725

Massachusetts - Higher Rates Blowing In: Cape Wind contracts could generate $6B tab over 15 years (Boston Herald, MA)

http://bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1253903&srvc=business&position=2

Wisconsin - Cost of Going Green with Madison Gas & Electric Company is Going Up (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI)

http://www.jsonline.com/business/93242989.html

Green Energy Not Profitable…Yet - Consumers have caught on to the trendiness of being green, but there’s still a long way to go before manufacturers & the energy industry catch up (Vancouver Sun, BC)

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=64c32258-84f7-42d4-a95a-21f2b22e351a&k=94323

Canada

- Northern Wind Power Surges in BC Hydro’s Clean Power Call - Half of the electricity supply additions come from wind energy (Vancouver Sun, BC)

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Northern+wind+power+surges+Hydro+Clean+Power+Call/3012595/story.html

Alabama Power Inks Deal With Tuscaloosa Timber Firm to Create Renewable Energy (Birmingham Business Journal)

http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2010/05/03/daily40.html

Finland

’s Largest Biomass Power Plant Operational (Istock Analyst)

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4101283

Ohio - Company Will Use Sludge to Make Methane, Power: City of Columbus in 10-year deal with energy producer (Columbus Dispatch, OH)
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/04/company-will-use-sludge-to-make-methane-power.html?type=rss&cat=21&sid=101

Nevada’s Energy Chief Stuns Environmentalists with Renewable Energy Approach (Las Vegas Sun, NV)

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/may/11/bellicose-approach-renewable-future/

Morning Bell: What’s Worse than Energy Taxes? Renewable Electricity Standards (Heritage Foundation)

http://blog.heritage.org/2010/05/11/morning-bell-whats-worse-than-energy-taxes-renewable-electricity-standards/

When Clean Energy Grants Run Out, Will a ‘Green Bank’ Take Over? (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/05/10/10climatewire-when-clean-energy-grants-run-out-will-a-gree-85696.html

New Wind Turbine Design Goes Vertical (Denver Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2010/05/10/story11.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Award to Fund Wafertech Energy Upgrade – Governor Gregoire awarded Clark Public Utilities more than $400,000 toward a $1.2 million energy efficiency upgrade (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/may/11/wafertech-award-upgrade/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Energy Interests Spend Millions for Their Seat at the Climate Table (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/05/10/10climatewire-energy-interests-spend-millions-for-their-se-61132.html

Scientists Unite Against Climate Skeptics (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/scientists-unite-against-climate-skeptics/?partner=rss&emc=rss

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Preparing for the Coming Wave of Electric Cars (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/podcast/2010/05/how-will-electric-cars-impact-the-grid?cmpid=rss

Report: Cambodian Sand for

Singapore

Devastating Ecology (Associated Press)