Energy News Digest for June 28, 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

Bonneville Pledges Discount Power Rate for Fledgling Jefferson PUD System (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100627/news/306279990/bonneville-pledges-discount-power-rate-for-fledgling-jefferson-pud

2010 Sockeye Return Breaks Records as It Bursts Well Beyond Preseason Forecast (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/390469.aspx

Grayland Wind Farm - “Win-Wind” Flipping Switch (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/06/25/local_news/doc4c24f065a43c7390685819.txt

Biomass Developers Fight EPA Emissions Ruling “…It’s like they’re trying to kill the biomass industry in its infancy, said Congressman DeFazio…” (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2010/06/biomass_developers_fight_epa_emissions_ruling.html

Idaho Power Wants Energy Efficiency Expense Declared ‘Prudent’ - Trying to recover nearly $51 million investment in energy efficiency programs financed during 2008 & 2009 (iStock Analyst)

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4253064

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Bonneville Pledges Discount Power Rate for Fledgling Jefferson PUD System

·         Bonneville Power Administration Approves Jefferson PUD Request for Tier 1 Power

·         Bonneville Power Administration Ramps up Seismic Strengthening of Transmission Grid

·         Montana - NorthWestern Energy Has 5% Rate Hike, Others in Works

·         Montana - NorthWestern Energy Rates Have Been on Decline, Still Among Region’s Highest

·         Washington Senators Urge Fix to Slow Hanford Program

·         Op/Ed - Nuclear Power Gaining New Life

·         Is a New Reactor Rust-Prone?

·         Mason PUD 1 Commissioner Jack Janda elected Vice Chair of Energy Northwest Executive Board

·         Bond-Rating Agencies Look Well on Tacoma Power

·         Fitch Upgrades Eugene Water & Electric Board’s Bond Rating as ‘AA-’ from ‘A+’

·         North Dakota Consumers to Pay Higher Bills for Defunct Power Plant

·         Powering New Jersey - PJM Control Center in Pennsylvania Governs Electric Transmission in 13 States

·         New Hampshire - Woman Using Oxygen Dies after Utility Shuts Off Power

·         2010 Sockeye Return Breaks Records as It Bursts Well Beyond Preseason Forecast

·         Columbia River above Priest Rapids opening soon for sockeye fishing

·         Columbia Salmon Fishery Fit for a King - One of the Largest Returns since 2002

·         Editorial - Walla Walla Project Well Worth Price to Restore Salmon

·         Report to Governors Details BPA Fish/Wildlife Spending; $12 Billion since 1978

·         On the Columbia, Tribal Fishermen Risk Their Lives

·         Seafood Watchdog Warns to ‘Avoid’ Oregon Coast Salmon

·         Northern Spotted Owl Marks 20 Years on Endangered Species List

·         Clallam PUD: Find More Grants, Loans for Carlsborg Sewer Project

·         Spokane River Cleanup Plan Too Slow, Group Says

·         Bonneville Power Administration Explains Rationale behind Lake Pend Oreille Level Request

·         Big Headache: King County’s $1.8 Billion Brightwater Sewer Project in Court

·         Ban to Begin on Phosphate-Laden Dishwasher Soap

·         Grayland Wind Farm - “Win-Wind” Flipping Switch

·         Utilities Regulator Eyes National Grid Contract for Cape Wind Output

·         Biomass Developers Fight EPA Emissions Ruling

·         Montana - Firm Considers Biomass-to-Fuel Plant

·         Turning Waste Wood into Gas-Fueled Energy

·         Massachusetts - Wood Power Plant Hearings Slated

·         Michigan - Utility Looks to Public for Guidance on Local Electricity Generation

·         Maryland - Trash-Burning Power Plant in Fairfield Fires Debate

·         Pellets Potential Still Underused

·         Ask Pablo: Waste Incineration, Good or Bad?

·         Editorial - Confessions of a Green-Power Welfare Queen

·         Idaho Power Wants Energy Efficiency Expense Declared ‘Prudent’

·         Oregon - Hermiston Homes Set to Test Energy Use Monitor Technology

·         Utilities Try to Get Smarter About Selling Smart Grid

·         Lame-Duck Session Emerges as Possibility for Climate Bill Conference

·         Biofuel Venture Hasn’t Paid Off for Snohomish County

·         Green-Built Multifamily Housing Opens in Northeast Olympia

·         Some Say Fie on Fowl in the City

·         Government Plans to Double Available Wireless Spectrum

·         Broadband Availability to Expand

·         Gartner Research Says Cloud Services Should Bring in $68 Billion This Year

·         No Link Between Cell Towers, Kids’ Cancer Risk

·         US Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia Dead at 92

·         Public Opinion Poll Shows Murray & Rossi Even

·         Cantwell Vs Locke: A Fight over NOAA Fleet

·         From Silly to Serious, Initiative Efforts Abound

·         Mason County Father Held after 5-Year-Old Girl’s Throat is Slashed

·         Oops! DOT Reveals $900,000 Mistake on New Tacoma Ramp

·         Supreme Court Rules That Gun Rights Apply to Local Laws

·         Western Governors Consider Alternative Energy, Climate Change

·         Fireworks Stands Open Monday in Washington

WORD OF THE DAY

Sepulcher • \SEP-ul-ker\ • noun - *1: a place of burial: tomb 2: a receptacle for religious relics especially in an altar

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher must be a crowded place; what with all the Christian pilgrims and the polyglot of sects that have a role in overseeing the shrines and churches within. A diplomatic dance takes place every day amongst the Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Roman Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Syriac Orthodox Churches.

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

Bonneville Pledges Discount Power Rate for Fledgling Jefferson PUD System (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100627/news/306279990/bonneville-pledges-discount-power-rate-for-fledgling-jefferson-pud

Bonneville Power Administration Approves Jefferson PUD Request for Tier 1 Power (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55&ArticleID=27179

Bonneville Power Administration Ramps up Seismic Strengthening of Transmission Grid (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=7462

Montana - NorthWestern Energy Has 5% Rate Hike, Others in Works (Billings Gazette, MT)

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_73c247bc-81ae-11df-be2f-001cc4c002e0.html

Montana - NorthWestern Energy Rates Have Been on Decline, Still Among Region’s Highest (The Missoulian, MT)

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_e315514c-8198-11df-9667-001cc4c002e0.html

Washington Senators Urge Fix to Slow Hanford Program (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012224231_apwahelpinghanfordworkers1stldwritethru.html

Op/Ed - Nuclear Power Gaining New Life (Covington Reporter, WA)

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/cmv/business/97262444.html

Is a New Reactor Rust-Prone? (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/is-a-new-reactor-rust-prone/

Mason PUD 1 Commissioner Jack Janda elected Vice Chair of Energy Northwest Executive Board (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/2523-pud-1-commissioner-jack-janda-elected-vice-chair-of-energy-northwest-executive-board-

Bond-Rating Agencies Look Well on Tacoma Power (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/business/2010/06/25/bond-rating-agencies-look-well-on-tacoma-power/

Fitch Upgrades Eugene Water & Electric Board’s Bond Rating as ‘AA-’ from ‘A+’ (Business Wire)

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100624006708&newsLang=en

North Dakota Consumers to Pay Higher Bills for Defunct Power Plant (Associated Press)

http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?setCity=min&s=rss&ArticleId=593681

Powering New Jersey - PJM Control Center in Pennsylvania Governs Electric Transmission in 13 States (Newark Star Ledger, NJ)

http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/06/pjm_control_center_in_pennsylv.html

New Hampshire - Woman Using Oxygen Dies after Utility Shuts Off Power (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/us/26brfs-WOMANUSINGOX_BRF.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

2010 Sockeye Return Breaks Records as It Bursts Well Beyond Preseason Forecast (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/390469.aspx

Columbia River above Priest Rapids opening soon for sockeye fishing - Run size will be twice the size originally thought (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2012211397_columbia_river_above_priest_ra.html

Columbia Salmon Fishery Fit for a King - One of the Largest Returns since 2002 (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/06/26/1070608/columbia-salmon-fishery-fit-for.html

Editorial - Walla Walla Project Well Worth Price to Restore Salmon (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR)

http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=14&SubSectionID=50&ArticleID=109976

Report to Governors Details BPA Fish/Wildlife Spending; $12 Billion since 1978 (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/390461.aspx

On the Columbia, Tribal Fishermen Risk Their Lives (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_tribal_fishermen.html

Seafood Watchdog Warns to ‘Avoid’ Oregon Coast Salmon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/7720-seafood-watchdog-warns-avoid-oregon-coast-salmon/

Northern Spotted Owl Marks 20 Years on Endangered Species List (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/06/northern_spotted_owl_marks_20.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Clallam PUD: Find More Grants, Loans for Carlsborg Sewer Project (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.konp.com/local/5901

Spokane River Cleanup Plan Too Slow, Group Says (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jun/26/river-cleanup-plan-too-slow-group-says/

Bonneville Power Administration Explains Rationale behind Lake Pend Oreille Level Request (Bonner County Daily Bee, Sandpoint, ID)

http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com/articles/2010/06/27/news/doc4c26c5361c6fb564692242.txt

Big Headache: King County’s $1.8 Billion Brightwater Sewer Project in Court, Over Budget (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/422423_brightwater28.html

Ban to Begin on Phosphate-Laden Dishwasher Soap (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012225753_apwadishwashersoap.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Grayland Wind Farm - “Win-Wind” Flipping Switch (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/06/25/local_news/doc4c24f065a43c7390685819.txt

Utilities Regulator Eyes National Grid Contract for Cape Wind Output (Boston Herald, MA)

http://bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1264462&srvc=business&position=3

Biomass Developers Fight EPA Emissions Ruling “…It’s like they’re trying to kill the biomass industry in its infancy, said Congressman DeFazio…” (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2010/06/biomass_developers_fight_epa_emissions_ruling.html

Montana - Firm Considers Biomass-to-Fuel Plant (Daily Interlake, Kalispell, MT)

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_7b6b5c00-8191-11df-af15-001cc4c002e0.html

Turning Waste Wood into Gas-Fueled Energy (The Tyee, BC)

http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/06/25/WasteWoodIntoEnergy/

Massachusetts - Wood Power Plant Hearings Slated (Springfield Republican, MA)

http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-27/1277713061310960.xml&coll=1

Michigan - Utility Looks to Public for Guidance on Local Electricity Generation (Traverse City Record-Eagle, MI)

http://record-eagle.com/local/x1262198175/Utility-looks-to-public-for-guidance

Maryland - Trash-Burning Power Plant in Fairfield Fires Debate - Environmentalists concerned about air pollution, recycling (Baltimore Sun, MD)

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-06-27/news/bs-gr-refuse-burning-power-plant-20100627_1_curtis-bay-power-plant-state-of-the-art-pollution-controls

Pellets Potential Still Underused - Cheaper oil, warm winter & confusion thwart conversions (Kennebec Journal, Augusta ME)

http://www.kjonline.com/news/pellets-potential-still-underused_2010-06-26.html

Ask Pablo: Waste Incineration, Good or Bad? (TreeHugger)

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/06/ask-pablo-waste-incineration-good-or-bad.php

Editorial - Confessions of a Green-Power Welfare Queen (Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV)

http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/confessions-of-a-green-power-welfare-queen-97255534.html?ref=534

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Idaho Power Wants Energy Efficiency Expense Declared ‘Prudent’ - Trying to recover nearly $51 million investment in energy efficiency programs financed during 2008 & 2009 (iStock Analyst)

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4253064

Oregon - Hermiston Homes Set to Test Energy Use Monitor Technology (Bend Bulletin, OR)

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100628/NEWS0107/6280314/1009/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01

Utilities Try to Get Smarter About Selling Smart Grid (CNET News)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20008800-54.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Lame-Duck Session Emerges as Possibility for Climate Bill Conference (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/06/28/28climatewire-lame-duck-session-emerges-as-possibility-for-72268.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Biofuel Venture Hasn’t Paid Off for Snohomish County - Market for canola fails to materialize (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100628/NEWS01/706289917/-1/RSS02

Green-Built Multifamily Housing Opens in Northeast Olympia (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/06/25/1284385/green-built-multifamily-housing.html

Some Say Fie on Fowl in the City (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2012132074_pacificpchickens27.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Government Plans to Double Available Wireless Spectrum (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012225598_apusobamaspectrum.html

Broadband Availability to Expand (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/technology/28broadband.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Gartner Research Says Cloud Services Should Bring in $68 Billion This Year (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/212522.asp

No Link Between Cell Towers, Kids’ Cancer Risk (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-06-24-cellphone-cancer_N.htm?csp=34news

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

US Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia Dead at 92 (Associated Press)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/Sen-Robert-Byrd-of-West-Virginia-dead-at-92-97301154.html

Public Opinion Poll Shows Murray & Rossi Even (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/06/27/1243257/public-opinion-poll-shows-head.html

Cantwell Vs Locke: A Fight over NOAA Fleet (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/19593/Cantwell-vs-Locke:-A-fight-over-NOAA-fleet/

From Silly to Serious, Initiative Efforts Abound (Seattle Times – And don’t forget to ask the petition gatherer how much they’re getting for your signature. It’s easy, and fun!)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012182681_initiatives23m.html

GENERAL NEWS

Mason County Father Held after 5-Year-Old Girl’s Throat is Slashed (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/422425_slashed27.html

Oops! DOT Reveals $900,000 Mistake on New Tacoma Ramp (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/422401_dotramp25.html?source=rss

Supreme Court Rules That Gun Rights Apply to Local Laws (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/us/29scotus.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Western Governors Consider Alternative Energy, Climate Change (Associated Press)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2703791~Govs_consider_alternative_energy__climate_change.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines

Fireworks Stands Open Monday in Washington (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012227359_apwafireworkssale.html

DIVERSIONS

Bee Swarms Seen in Seattle, Tacoma

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Bees-Swarm-Seattle-Tacoma-97284689.html

Salmon Only Thing Smoked at Tacoma Hempfest

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/06/26/1242692/no-smoking-at-tacoma-hempfest.html

Wenatchee Squirrels: Unwelcomed, Welcomed Arrivals

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/06/26/1286198/wenatchee-squirrels-unwelcomed.html

Courting Danger: Storm Chasers Seek Thrill of Hunt

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012225369_apustornadopaparazzi.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUwEIt9ez7M