The Energy News Digest: 06/07/10

Monday, June 7, 2010

Energy News Digest for June 7, 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

Naselle’s Radar Ridge Wind Farm Seeks Big Investor (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_1f29266c-7132-11df-9dae-001cc4c03286.html

Scientists Study Wind-Farm Risks to Birds - Scientists are taking a careful look at the impact wind farms are having on bird populations “…If the industry doubled in size, that study estimated the turbines would kill 516 raptors each year in the Columbia River plateau…study concluded such a toll would not appear to have significant impacts on any species…” (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012048835_windbirds07m.html

Editorial - Judge Should Accept Salmon Recovery Plan (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/opinion/article_aaf561b6-701e-11df-a9f7-001cc4c03286.html

Douglas PUD Files Final License Application for Wells Hydro Project with FERC (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/388556.aspx

Climatologist Predicts Summer Temps & Rain Near Average (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/7522-climatologist-predicts-summer-temps-and-rain-near-average/

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

· Douglas PUD Files Final License Application for Wells Hydro Project with FERC

· The Route BPA Rejected

· Energy Northwest pays $3M in taxes

· Tight Finances Means No PUD Grants This Year for Douglas County Agencies

· Avista Wants to Expand Net Metering Program

· Clark Public Utilities Commissioner Barnes Seeks another Term

· Chelan PUD’s Gutzwiler Is OK after Double-Bypass Surgery

· A Ballot Battle over Power Electrifies California Voters

· Choice of Electrical Power in San Francisco Likely to Raise Costs

· California – Pacific Gas & Electric: Loved from Afar, Protested at Home

· Hydraulic Fracturing - Shale Gas Well Blowout Raises Specter of New BP

· EPA Raises Questions about East Kentucky Coal Power Plant

· Deloitte Survey: Electricity Costs Are Up -- But Ability to Pay is Down

· Editorial - Judge Should Accept Salmon Recovery Plan

· Let’s Really Talk About Taking Down Those Snake River Dams

· Third Season of Sea Lion Trapping Ends; NOAA to Evaluate Effectiveness of Program

· Bonneville Power Administration Says Shifting Lake Level Won’t Harm Kokanee Spawning Beds

· Alaska - Salmon Study Spawns New Debate over Pebble Mine

· Seaworld Killer Whale Dies While Giving Birth

· During Sewer Work - Higher Levels of Contaminate Found in Belfair Soil

· River of Hope - A New Bill Could Bring $40 Million a Year to Monitor, Clean Up Pollution in the Columbia

· Region’s Water Levels High after Recent Storms

· The Human Equation in Water Disputes

· BP Buys ‘Oil’ Search Terms to Redirect Users to Official Company Website

· Naselle’s Radar Ridge Wind Farm Seeks Big Investor

· Scientists Study Wind-Farm Risks to Birds

· Study Says Raising Wind Turbine Cut-In Speeds Lowers Bat Fatalities

· Montana - NorthWestern’s Wind Power Campaign Ruffles Some Feathers

· Montana Picked over Minnesota, Ohio for Wind Plant, But Locals Have Doubts

· Douglas PUD Sells Last of Its Wind-Energy Credits from Nine Canyon Wind Farm

· Massachusetts - Utility Defends Cape Wind Contract

· Massachusetts - Not Even a Whisper against This Wind Farm

· Lake Erie Wind Proposals Filed

· Investment in Biomass “Set to be Next Global Trend”

· Florida Biomass Plant Gets ‘Okay’

· California - Biomass Energy Conversion Planned for Idled Coal Plant

· Massachusetts - Biomass Plants’ Fate Up for Vote

· Colorado - Learn About Biomass in Vail

· Op/Ed - We Can Harness Green Energy by Managing California Forests

· Solar Power Battles NIMBY, Even In Rural Colorado

· Oregon Wins $1 Million for Weatherization Workforce Training

· North Carolina Appliance-Rebate Funds Run Out

· Peninsula College Tries to Reduce Carbon Footprint

· Thursday Is High Noon for Sen. Murkowski’s Climate Resolution

· Grays Harbor Imperium Biodiesel Plant Fined for Violations

· Paper Industry Tests Genetically Altered Trees

· US Consumers Lag Others in Sustainable Choices

· Harnessing the Power of the Pothole

· Green Fairs Are Sprouting Up Nationwide

· CenturyLink Internet Outages Frustrate Businesses, Web Surfers in North Kitsap

· Chattanooga FTTH Ahead of Schedule

· Google to Turn over Improperly Collected Data

· Is the Internet Making Us Smarter or Dumber? Yes.

· Port of Shelton Commission Special Meeting Monday

· Washington Candidates Start With Filing Week

· Alaska-Bound Cruise Ship Sanitized After Norovirus Outbreak

· Mt. Rainier Avalanche Victim Presumed Dead

· Climatologist Predicts Summer Temps & Rain Near Average

· Boeing Plans Bid on Presidential Helicopter Fleet

· Editorial - The Tanker, Continued

· Memorial service Set for Former North Mason School Superintendent

· Pac-10 Conference Bosses Give Nod to Growth

· McMenamins Developers Go to Social Media for Ideas

WORD OF THE DAY

Ferret • \FAIR-ut\ • verb - 1: to hunt game with ferrets 2: to drive out of a hiding place *3: to find and bring to light by searching -- usually used with out

The mystery of the missing strawberries eluded Captain Queeg, the ball-bearing rattling master of the USS Caine. Unfortunately, his attempts to ferret out the details of the fruit theft left the crew wondering if the eccentric officer had truly lost his marbles.

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

Douglas PUD Files Final License Application for Wells Hydro Project with FERC (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/388556.aspx

The Route BPA Rejected (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_14c32f62-713a-11df-a575-001cc4c002e0.html

Energy Northwest pays $3M in taxes (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/06/03/1039036/energy-northwest-pays-3m-in-taxes.html

Tight Finances Means No PUD Grants This Year for Douglas County Agencies (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jun/05/no-pud-grants-this-year-for-douglas-county/

Avista Wants to Expand Net Metering Program (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jun/07/in-brief-avista-wants-to-expand-program/

Clark Public Utilities Commissioner Barnes Seeks another Term (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/jun/05/clark-public-utilities-commissioner-seeks-another-/

Chelan PUD’s Gutzwiler Is OK after Double-Bypass Surgery (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jun/04/chelan-puds-gutzwiler-is-ok-after-double-bypass/

A Ballot Battle over Power Electrifies California Voters (Sunpluggers)

http://sunpluggers.com/stories/ballot-battle-over-power-electrifies-california-voters-0574

Choice of Electrical Power in San Francisco Likely to Raise Costs (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/07/BA8J1DQ9G0.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

California – Pacific Gas & Electric: Loved from Afar, Protested at Home (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/05/MNPC1DPIJ5.DTL&type=politics

Hydraulic Fracturing - Shale Gas Well Blowout Raises Specter of New BP (Bloomberg News)

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-06/shale-gas-well-blowout-raises-specter-of-new-bp-energy-markets.html

EPA Raises Questions about East Kentucky Coal Power Plant (Lexington Herald Leader, KY)

http://www.kentucky.com/2010/06/05/1292772/epa-raises-questions-about-e-ky.html

Deloitte Survey: Electricity Costs Are Up -- But Ability to Pay is Down (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=135374

FISH & WILDLIFE

Editorial - Judge Should Accept Salmon Recovery Plan (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/opinion/article_aaf561b6-701e-11df-a9f7-001cc4c03286.html

Let’s Really Talk About Taking Down Those Snake River Dams (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2010/06/07/environment/19868/Let-s-really-talk-about-taking-down-those-Snake-River-dams/

Third Season of Sea Lion Trapping Ends; NOAA to Evaluate Effectiveness of Program (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/388569.aspx

Bonneville Power Administration Says Shifting Lake Level Won’t Harm Kokanee Spawning Beds (Bonner County Daily Bee, Sandpoint, ID)

http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com/articles/2010/06/04/news/doc4c07461691926873752876.txt

Alaska - Salmon Study Spawns New Debate over Pebble Mine (KTUU-TV, Anchorage, AK)

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=12599625

Seaworld Killer Whale Dies While Giving Birth (Associated Press)

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15243849?nclick_check=1

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

During Sewer Work - Higher Levels of Contaminate Found in Belfair Soil (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/2335-higher-levels-of-contaminate-found-in-belfair-soil

River of Hope - A New Bill Could Bring $40 Million a Year to Monitor, Clean Up Pollution in the Columbia (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/jun/04/an-effort-to-restore-the-columbia-river-of-hope-ne/

Region’s Water Levels High after Recent Storms (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jun/06/regions-water-levels-high-after-recent-storms/

The Human Equation in Water Disputes (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/the-human-equation/

BP Buys ‘Oil’ Search Terms to Redirect Users to Official Company Website (ABC News)

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Broadcast/bp-buys-search-engine-phrases-redirecting-users/story?id=10835618

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Naselle’s Radar Ridge Wind Farm Seeks Big Investor (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_1f29266c-7132-11df-9dae-001cc4c03286.html

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012048835_windbirds07m.html

Study Says Raising Wind Turbine Cut-In Speeds Lowers Bat Fatalities (Wind Power Monthly)

http://www.windpowermonthly.com/news/1008306/Raising-wind-turbine-cut-in-speeds-lowers-bat-fatalities-finds-study/

Montana - NorthWestern’s Wind Power Campaign Ruffles Some Feathers “…they are promoting the state as a wind farm - but how much wind have they purchased from wind producers in Montana?…” (The Missoulian, MT)

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_12881b60-711f-11df-9d24-001cc4c03286.html

Montana Picked over Minnesota, Ohio for Wind Plant, But Locals Have Doubts (Duluth News-Tribune, MN)

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/170510/

Douglas PUD Sells Last of Its Wind-Energy Credits from Nine Canyon Wind Farm (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jun/05/douglas-pud-sells-last-of-its-wind-energy-credits/

Massachusetts - Utility Defends Cape Wind Contract: National Grid says project is critical (Boston Globe, MA)

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/06/05/utility_defends_cape_wind_contract/

Massachusetts - Not Even a Whisper against This Wind Farm: Effort to put turbines in bogs generates no protest (Boston Globe, MA)

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/06/05/not_even_a_whisper_against_this_wind_farm/

Lake Erie Wind Proposals Filed (Business First Of Buffalo)

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2010/05/31/daily91.html

Investment in Biomass “Set to be Next Global Trend” - Overtakes wind as champion in renewable energy (New Energy Focus)

http://newenergyfocus.com/do/ecco/view_item?listid=1&listcatid=32&listitemid=4020&section=Bioenergy%20%26%20Waste

Florida Biomass Plant Gets ‘Okay’ (Alachua County Today, FL)

http://www.alachuacountytoday.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=734:biomass-plant-gets-okay&catid=102:local&Itemid=426

California - Biomass Energy Conversion Planned for Idled Coal Plant (Penn Energy)

http://www.pennenergy.com/index/power/renewable-generation/display/3442984354/articles/powergenworldwide/renewables/biomass/2010/06/biomass-conversion-california.html

Massachusetts - Biomass Plants’ Fate Up for Vote: A ballot initiative threatens two energy projects in the county (Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, MA)

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_15241580

Colorado - Learn About Biomass in Vail: Proposed facility would use beetle-killed wood to generate heat & electricity in Vail (Vail Daily, CO)

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20100604/NEWS/100609842/1078&ParentProfile=1062

Op/Ed - We Can Harness Green Energy by Managing California Forests (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/06/2799793/we-can-harness-green-energy-by.html

Solar Power Battles NIMBY, Even in Rural Colorado (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/Green-Economics/2010/0604/Solar-power-battles-NIMBY-even-in-rural-Colorado

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Oregon Wins $1 Million for Weatherization Workforce Training (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/06/oregon_wins_1_million_for_weat.html

North Carolina Appliance-Rebate Funds Run Out (Triangle Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2010/05/31/daily52.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Peninsula College Tries to Reduce Carbon Footprint (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_college_emissions.html?source=pimail

Thursday Is High Noon for Sen. Murkowski’s Climate Resolution (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/06/07/07climatewire-thursday-is-high-noon-for-sen-murkowskis-cli-11487.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Grays Harbor Imperium Biodiesel Plant Fined for Violations (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012041449_apwaimperiumviolations.html?syndication=rss

Paper Industry Tests Genetically Altered Trees (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012049466_apusfoodandfarmbioengineeredeucalyptus.html?syndication=rss

US Consumers Lag Others in Sustainable Choices (National Geographic)

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/06/greendex-points-to-better-cons.html

Harnessing the Power of the Pothole (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/business/06novel.html?src=busln

Green Fairs Are Sprouting Up Nationwide - Annual events focused more on eco-friendly technology than on deep-fried foods & hog races (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-green-fair-20100607-32,0,5653154.story?track=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

CenturyLink Internet Outages Frustrate Businesses, Web Surfers in North Kitsap (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jun/04/scattered-internet-outages-frustrate-businesses/?partner=RSS

Chattanooga FTTH Ahead of Schedule - Symmetrical 150 Mbps service available this month (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Chattanooga-FTTH-Ahead-Of-Schedule-108748

Google to Turn over Improperly Collected Data (Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2010/05/31/daily60.html

Is the Internet Making Us Smarter or Dumber? Yes. (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2010/06/06/does-the-internet-make-us-smarter-or-dumber-yes/

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Port of Shelton Commission Special Meeting Monday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)