Energy News Digest for May 24, 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

NRC Hearing Scheduled in Richland on Energy Northwest Nuclear Plant - Concerned about too many unplanned shutdowns (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011941332_apwanuclearplantshutdowns.html?syndication=rss

Latest Forecast Predicts Spring Chinook Return at 340,000 Fish; Second Best on Record (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/387044.aspx

Birds Key Roadblock to Radar Ridge Wind Farm Plan (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/05/22/local_news/doc4bf77ffd78e9e977727682.txt

As Wind Power Booms, So Do the Challenges “…Wind-power developers…could pay companies that operate gas turbines to crank up capacity when wind dies off, & also pay to have those gas turbines backed off when the wind is blowing…” (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011931473_windpower23m.html

FCC to Revise Pole Attachment Rules (CED Magazine)

http://www.cedmagazine.com/News-FCC-revise-pole-attachment-rules-052110.aspx

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         NRC Hearing Scheduled in Richland on Energy Northwest Nuclear Plant

·         New Snohomish PUD Hydroelectric Dam to be First in County Since ‘80s

·         Great Falls Electric City Power Wins Ruling

·         New Mexico’s Largest Utility Plans to Seek Rate Increase - Has raised rates by 24 percent over the past three years

·         What’s So Smart About a Smart Meter?

·         Wisconsin - Alliant’s President Says No More Coal Plants ... For Now

·         Power Station Fuels Power Struggle in Broke Virginia Town

·         Texas Nuke Dump May Expand to Include Waste from 36 Other States

·         FPL Group Shareholders Vote to Change Name of Company to NextEra Energy

·         Puget Sound Energy May Remount Historic Blue Flame Sign by Boeing Field

·         Latest Forecast Predicts Spring Chinook Return at 340,000 Fish; Second Best on Record

·         Orcas Sighted in Columbia River near Longview

·         Hydro/Fish Managers Release Dworshak Water to Quicken Juvenile Migration through Lower Snake River

·         Parasite in Klamath River Killing Salmon

·         Summer Steelhead Returning Strong in Some Lower Columbia Tributaries

·         Elwha River’s 100-Pound Salmon: Did They Exist? Will They Return?

·         Tri City Herald Gallery: Juvenile Fish Barging

·         East Oregonian Editorial - Stelle & Hcas: Talking a Good Show for Salmon Recovery

·         Port of Olympia - Volunteers Trying To Band 3 Chicks Face Wrath of Adult Falcons

·         Great Lakes - Second Chemical Attack on Asian Carp Planned

·         Can’t Care Enough for Alaska’s Famed Kenai River

·         Oregon - Klamath Voters Reject Dam-Removal Supporters

·         Drugs Passing Through Septic Tanks & into Local Waters

·         State Fines Manke Lumber $20K for White River Pollution

·         Small Towns Struggle to Fix Aging Sewage Systems

·         Bound for Washington State - Ready to Ship in Hawaii: 20,000 Tons of Garbage

·         South Fork Skokomish Valley a Sunny Spring Delight

·         British Columbia - No Plan for Mr. Floatie to Resurface – Yet

·         Birds Key Roadblock to Radar Ridge Wind Farm Plan

·         As Wind Power Booms, So Do the Challenges

·         Vancouver Wind Turbine Novices Seek Toehold

·         Renewables Need Helping Hand from Gas

·         Seattle Times Op/Ed - Time for Washington State to Move Beyond Coal

·         Rate Questions Linger For Cape Wind

·         Duke Energy Invests in Wind-Power Projects – Three in Wyoming

·         Mason County: Advocacy Meetings Set to Discuss Wood Waste Burning

·         Northern Minnesota Cities Burn Wood for Power

·         Michigan – Traverse City Record Eagle Editorial: Time to Look at Biomass Options

·         Texas - Mesquite Is Good for Something; a Power Plant Fueled by Wood – Oh, and Barbeque

·         Nevada - Prison’s $8 Million Biomass Plant Too Expensive to Operate

·         Pennsylvania - Turning Trash into Treasure

·         Oregon - Behind-the-Scenes Work on Brink of Landing Solar Plant

·         Idaho Company Plans 405-Acre Solar Farm in Jerome County

·         Despite Green Diet, Data Centers Still Gobble Power

·         Montana - In DC, Flathead Residents Press Senators on Climate Change Bill

·         Olympian Editorial - Puget Sound Energy Green-Energy Customers Can Get Retail Discounts

·         Will the Volt Recharge GM & US Auto Industry?

·         Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? New Proposals Like Neither

·         FCC to Revise Pole Attachment Rules

·         Washington State on List - FCC Clears Verizon Plan to Sell Phone Lines

·         Congressman Inslee at Center of Debate Over Who's Policing the Internet Providers

·         Why Broadband Regulation Needs Help from Congress

·         Sure, (Google) It’s Big. But Is That Bad?

·         Dino Rossi Speech Hints at US Senate Bid

·         High Court Rejects Microsoft Patent Appeal

·         Microsoft Spent $1.7 Million Lobbying in 1Q

·         Flying Pickax Hits Car on I-405 in Kirkland

·         Parking at New Olympia City Hall: prepare to be Creative

·         Bassett Still a Player in Cosmopolis Pulp Mill

·         Logging Moratorium Set for Huge Swath of Canadian Forests

WORD OF THE DAY

Denouement • \day-noo-MAH\ • noun - 1: The final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work 2: the outcome of a complex sequence of events

The courier’s trembling hands released their sweaty grip on the latest Biological Opinion from the federal government…the thick tome snatched away by the harried law clerk in Portland. The carrier was hoping his latest of numerous trips was the last act, or the denouement, in the Columbia River salmon management fracas.

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

NRC Hearing Scheduled in Richland on Energy Northwest Nuclear Plant - Concerned about too many unplanned shutdowns (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011941332_apwanuclearplantshutdowns.html?syndication=rss

New Snohomish PUD Hydroelectric Dam to be First in County Since ‘80s (Everett Herald, WA)

http://heraldnet.com/article/20100524/NEWS01/705249879/-1/news01

Great Falls Electric City Power Wins Ruling - Case centered on whether the city could offer additional power to existing customers under state law (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100522/NEWS01/5220310/Electric-City-Power-wins-ruling

New Mexico’s Largest Utility Plans to Seek Rate Increase - Has raised rates by 24 percent over the past three years (Associated Press)

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/NMs-largest-utility-plans-to-apf-1322839689.html?x=0&.v=1

What’s So Smart About a Smart Meter? (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15112878

Wisconsin - Alliant’s President Says No More Coal Plants ... For Now (Wisconsin State Journal)

http://host.madison.com/wsj/business/article_ce3b68d2-6461-11df-9c4d-001cc4c03286.html

Power Station Fuels Power Struggle in Broke Virginia Town (Virginian Pilot, Hampton Roads, VA)

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/05/power-station-fuels-power-struggle-broke-va-town?cid=mr

Texas Nuke Dump May Expand to Include Waste from 36 Other States (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011931869_texasnuke23.html?syndication=rss

FPL Group Shareholders Vote to Change Name of Company to NextEra Energy (MarketWatch)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fpl-group-shareholders-vote-to-change-name-of-company-to-nextera-energy-inc-board-declares-quarterly-dividend-2010-05-21?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Puget Sound Energy May Remount Historic Blue Flame Sign by Boeing Field (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/420444_flame24.html?source=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Latest Forecast Predicts Spring Chinook Return at 340,000 Fish; Second Best on Record (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/387044.aspx

Orcas Sighted in Columbia River near Longview (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/22/1196715/orcas-sighting-near-longview.html

Hydro/Fish Managers Release Dworshak Water to Quicken Juvenile Migration through Lower Snake River (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/387047.aspx

Parasite in Klamath River Killing Salmon (Klamath Falls Herald & News)

http://www.heraldandnews.com/top_story/article_ad6dda2c-5f25-11df-b58b-001cc4c03286.html

Summer Steelhead Returning Strong in Some Lower Columbia Tributaries (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2011932645_summer_steelhead_returning_str.html

Elwha River’s 100-Pound Salmon: Did They Exist? Will They Return? (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100523/news/305239991/elwha-rivers-100-pound-salmon-did-they-exist-will-they-return

Tri City Herald Gallery: Juvenile Fish Barging

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/05/21/1023610/gallery-juvenile-fish-barging.html

East Oregonian Editorial - Stelle & Hcas: Talking a Good Show for Salmon Recovery

http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=14&SubSectionID=50&ArticleID=108526

Port of Olympia - Volunteers trying to band 3 chicks face wrath of adult falcons (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/22/1196502/stay-away-from-my-baby.html

Great Lakes - Second Chemical Attack on Asian Carp Planned (Chicago Tribune, IL)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-0506-asian-carp-20100505,0,5631401.story

Can’t Care Enough for Alaska’s Famed Kenai River (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/may/21/cant-care-enough-for-alaskas-famed-kenai-river/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Oregon - Klamath Voters Reject Dam-Removal Supporters (Associated Press)

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/klamath_voters_reject_dam-remo.html

Drugs Passing Through Septic Tanks & into Local Waters (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/may/21/drugs-passing-through-septic-tanks-and-into/?partner=RSS

State Fines Manke Lumber $20K for White River Pollution (Puget Sound Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2010/05/17/daily43.html

Small Towns Struggle to Fix Aging Sewage Systems “…The municipalities that managed to keep rates low by neglecting maintenance now find they can't qualify for grants because their rates are too low. Meanwhile, they face fines of thousands of dollars when the plants break down…” (Associated Press)

http://gazettetimes.com/news/state-and-regional/article_e9ab0ea9-6b57-5923-8b9c-0e62f346d5af.html

Bound for Washington State - Ready to Ship in Hawaii: 20,000 Tons of Garbage (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/us/23garbage.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

South Fork Skokomish Valley a Sunny Spring Delight (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/05/23/local_news/doc4bf8c37cee799011343052.txt

British Columbia - No Plan for Mr. Floatie to Resurface – Yet (Saanich News, BC)

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/saanichnews/news/94505134.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Birds Key Roadblock to Radar Ridge Wind Farm Plan (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/05/22/local_news/doc4bf77ffd78e9e977727682.txt

As Wind Power Booms, So Do the Challenges “…Wind-power developers…could pay companies that operate gas turbines to crank up capacity when wind dies off, & also pay to have those gas turbines backed off when the wind is blowing…” (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011931473_windpower23m.html

Vancouver Wind Turbine Novices Seek Toehold: Christensen Shipyards offshoot fires up blade production line (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/may/23/wind-turbine-novices-seek-toehold/

Renewables Need Helping Hand from Gas “…in a way, additional solar & power generation can actually increase the need for backup gas plants…” (San Diego Union Tribune CA)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/23/renewables-need-helping-hand-from-gas/

Seattle Times Op/Ed - Time for Washington State to Move Beyond Coal

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2011924722_guest22nace.html?syndication=rss

Rate Questions Linger For Cape Wind (Boston Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2010/05/24/story10.html

Duke Energy Invests in Wind-Power Projects – Three in Wyoming (Charlotte Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2010/05/24/daily1.html

Mason County: Advocacy Meetings Set to Discuss Wood Waste Burning (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/05/23/1247683/mason-county-meetings-set-to-discuss.html

Northern Minnesota Cities Burn Wood for Power (Minnesota Public Radio)

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/05/21/woodburner/

Michigan – Traverse City Record Eagle Editorial: Time to Look at Biomass Options

http://record-eagle.com/opinion/x433572462/Editorial-Time-to-look-at-biomass-options

Texas - Mesquite Is Good for Something; a Power Plant Fueled by Wood (Abilene Reporter-News, TX)

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2010/may/22/mesquite-is-good-if-plant-fueled-by-wood/

Nevada - Prison’s $8 Million Biomass Plant Too Expensive to Operate (Gardnerville Record-Courier, NV)

http://www.recordcourier.com/article/20100522/NEWS/100529944/1062&ParentProfile=1049

Pennsylvania - Turning Trash into Treasure (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA)

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20100524_Turning_trash_into_treasure.html#axzz0oraqDKw0

Oregon - Behind-the-Scenes Work on Brink of Landing Solar Plant (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/05/behind-the-scenes_work_on_brin.html

Idaho Company Plans 405-Acre Solar Farm in Jerome County (Associated Press)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/may/23/idaho-company-plans-405-acre-solar-farm/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Despite Green Diet, Data Centers Still Gobble Power (PC World)

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/196931/despite_green_diet_data_centers_still_gobble_power.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Montana - In DC, Flathead Residents Press Senators on Climate Change Bill (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/in_d.c._flathead_residents_press_senators_on_climate_change_bill/17798/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Olympian Editorial - Puget Sound Energy Green-Energy Customers Can Get Retail Discounts

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/05/24/1248471/pse-green-energy-customers-can.html

Will the Volt Recharge GM & US Auto Industry? (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011928965_apusvoltofhopeabridged.html?syndication=rss

Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? New Proposals Like Neither (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/us/21sfplastic.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC to Revise Pole Attachment Rules (CED Magazine)

http://www.cedmagazine.com/News-FCC-revise-pole-attachment-rules-052110.aspx

Washington State on List - FCC Clears Verizon Plan to Sell Phone Lines (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011921832_apustecfccverizonfrontier.html?syndication=rss

Congressman Inslee at Center of Debate Over Who's Policing the Internet Providers

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/may/23/inslee-at-center-of-debate-over-whos-policing/?partner=RSS

Why Broadband Regulation Needs Help from Congress (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/23/AR2010052303786.html?nav=rss_opinions

Sure, (Google) It’s Big. But Is That Bad? (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/technology/23goog.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Dino Rossi Speech Hints at US Senate Bid (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2011925896_rossi22m.html?syndication=rss

High Court Rejects Microsoft Patent Appeal (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/05/24/1248811/high-court-rejects-microsoft-patent.html

Microsoft Spent $1.7 Million Lobbying in 1Q (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011924424_apusmicrosoftlobbying.html?syndication=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Flying Pickax Hits Car on I-405 in Kirkland (NW Cable News)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/Flying-pickax-hits-car-on-I-405-in-Kirkland-94739704.html

Parking at New Olympia City Hall: prepare to be Creative - 250 Employees’ options will include alternative transportation, pay lots & on street (Olympian, WA – Check out the creative parking variances…)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/05/23/1247667/parking-at-city-hall-prepare-to.html

Bassett Still a Player in Cosmopolis Pulp Mill “…Grays Harbor PUD Commissioners have said they have no interest in the mill, but have wished Bassett the best of luck…” (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/05/22/local_news/doc4bf77fc93b68c689546486.txt

Logging Moratorium Set for Huge Swath of Canadian Forests (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/may/22/logging-moratorium-set-for-huge-swath-of-canadian/

DIVERSIONS

Chicken Costumes Banned at Nevada Polling Places (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/politics/23646463/detail.html

Thirteen-Year-Old American Climbs Everest, Calls His Mom

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/21/1196375/us-boy-13-becomes-youngest-to.html

Pac-Man Hits 30 without Losing Its Way

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/22/AR2010052200254.html?wprss=rss_business

SONG OF THE DAY

Apocalyptica - Hall of the Mountain King

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf2aIVKp1OY