Energy News Digest for July 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

US Senate Introduces Pared-Down Energy Bill (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/07/reid-energy-bill-/1

Clark Public Utilities Electric Rate Hike May be Coming Down Line (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/jul/28/electric-rate-hike-may-be-coming-down-line-clark-p/

Columbia River Summer Steelhead Catches Nearing Record Size for July (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2012462970_columbia_river_summer_steelhea_1.html

US Wind Power Installations Drop in First Half of 2010 (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66Q58I20100727

Georgia - Feces-Burning Power Plant Riles Neighbors (WYFF, Greenville, SC)

http://www.wyff4.com/r/24417223/detail.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         US Senate Introduces Pared-Down Energy Bill

·         Senate Energy Bill Draws Widespread Criticism

·         Stripped Down Energy Bill Leaves out ‘Cap & Trade’

·         Energy Bill, Focusing on Conservation, Can’t Shake Calls for Renewable Energy Standard

·         Clark Public Utilities Electric Rate Hike May be Coming Down Line

·         Grant PUD Cuts $28 Million

·         Montana - Mission Valley Power Rates to Increase

·         Grant PUD Pursues $266,000 Tax Refund

·         Clatskanie PUD, One of the Lowest-Cost Electricity Providers in the World, Focuses on Smart Grids & Sustainable Solutions

·         Contractor for Mason PUD 3 Operations Center Recognized for Safety

·         Editorial - There’s Opportunity for the Chelan County PUD

·         New Mexico - Socorro Electric Cooperative Trustees Re-Think Lawsuit against Members

·         Indiana - US Accuses Electricity Co-op of Polluting

·         Smart Grid Technology Vulnerable to Attack, Experts Say

·         Bond Market Players Unruffled by BAB Exclusion

·         Canada - Toronto Hydro Utilities Warn of Price Shock

·         United Kingdom - Energy Revolution Could Put Bills Up by a Third

·         Columbia River Summer Steelhead Catches Nearing Record Size for July

·         Op/Ed - Tribes & Salmon: The Tradition Continues

·         With Some BPA Help - Western Pond Turtles Return to the Columbia River Gorge

·         Environmentalists, Loggers Push New Wilderness Deal in Northeast Washington

·         Entiat Seeks Funding for New Park

·         US Wind Power Installations Drop in First Half of 2010

·         A Rough Year for Wind

·         Hawaii - Kahuku Wind Farm Lands $117 Million Loan Guarantee

·         Op/Ed - Massachusetts: The Great Wind Power Bait & Switch

·         Market Value of Biomass Electricity to Reach $53 Billion by 2020

·         Time to Scale Back Renewable Energy Incentives for the Wealthy?

·         Congress Could Spur the Southeast’s Renewable Energy Use, Industry Says

·         New Hampshire Utility Seeks Approval of Wood Plant Power Deal

·         Georgia - Feces-Burning Power Plant Riles Neighbors

·         Analysis: Canada Clean Power Push Faces Labor Shortage

·         United Kingdom - Deal Is Close for Southampton Biomass Energy Plant

·         Solar Panels Vs. Historic Districts: a Conflict We Need to Resolve

·         Arizona Utilities Told to Help People Cut Energy Use

·         Western Climate Initiative Offers Cap & Trade

·         Don’t Forget Reliability in Climate Change: N. American Electric Reliability Corporation

·         Science Matters: Climate Change & Water Are Inextricably Linked

·         Chevy Volt Will Cost $41,000 before Tax Credits

·         Washington One of Nissan Electric Car First Markets

·         Akamai: US 16th in Broadband Speed - Average US Connection Speed is 4.7 Mbps

·         Corporate America, You’re Not Ready for Internal Clouds!

·         Healthiest State for Kids - New Hampshire, Study Says: Washington 11^th, Oregon 18^th

·         Baseball - Portland Beavers May Head to California

WORD OF THE DAY (Hump-Day Haiku)

Poetaster • \POE-uh-tass-ter\ • noun - An inferior poet

Orange has no rhyme

Poetaster tries ever

His words are like poop

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

US Senate Introduces Pared-Down Energy Bill (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/07/reid-energy-bill-/1

Senate Energy Bill Draws Widespread Criticism (CNBC)

http://www.cnbc.com/id/38455236

Stripped Down Energy Bill Leaves Out ‘Cap & Trade’ (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0727/Stripped-down-energy-bill-leaves-out-cap-and-trade

Energy Bill, Focusing on Conservation, Can’t Shake Calls for Renewable Energy Standard (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/07/28/28climatewire-energy-bill-focusing-on-conservation-cant-sh-62734.html

Clark Public Utilities Electric Rate Hike May be Coming Down Line (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/jul/28/electric-rate-hike-may-be-coming-down-line-clark-p/

Grant PUD Cuts $28 Million (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/article_68cb089e-99cd-11df-85c9-001cc4c002e0.html

Montana - Mission Valley Power Rates to Increase (KAJ-TV, Kalispell, MT)

http://www.kaj18.com/news/mission-valley-power-rates-to-increase/

Grant PUD Pursues $266,000 Tax Refund (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/article_0a233ef2-99cc-11df-8153-001cc4c002e0.html

Clatskanie PUD, One of the Lowest-Cost Electricity Providers in the World, Focuses on Smart Grids & Sustainable Solutions (Energy Digital)

http://www.energydigital.com/press-releases/clatskanie-pud-one-lowest-cost-electricity-providers-world-focuses-smart-grids-and-su

Contractor for Mason PUD 3 Operations Center Recognized for Safety (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=751

Editorial - There’s Opportunity for the Chelan County PUD (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jul/27/theres-opportunity-for-the-pud/

New Mexico - Socorro Electric Cooperative Trustees Re-Think Lawsuit against Members (El Defensor Chieftain, Socorro, NM)

http://www.dchieftain.com/dc/index.php/news/1816-trustees-re-think-lawsuit.html

Indiana - US Accuses Electricity Co-op of Polluting (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/07/28/29172.htm

Smart Grid Technology Vulnerable to Attack, Experts Say - Utility companies scramble to install technology without heeding security warnings (McClatchy News Service)

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/smart-grid-technology-vulnerable-to-attack-experts-say-826545.html

Bond Market Players Unruffled by BAB Exclusion (The Bond Buyer)

http://www.bondbuyer.com/issues/119_392/bab_exclusion-1015306-1.html

Canada - Toronto Hydro Utilities Warn of Price Shock (Toronto Star, Ontario)

http://www.thestar.com/article/841415--hydro-utilities-warn-of-price-shock

United Kingdom - Energy Revolution Could Put Bills Up by a Third (The Telegraph, UK)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/7913610/Energy-revolution-could-put-bills-up-by-a-third.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia River Summer Steelhead Catches Nearing Record Size for July (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2012462970_columbia_river_summer_steelhea_1.html

Op/Ed - Tribes & Salmon: The Tradition Continues (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/07/tribes_and_salmon_the_traditio.html

With Some BPA Help - Western Pond Turtles Return to the Columbia River Gorge (The Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/07/western_pond_turtles_return_to_1.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmentalists, Loggers Push New Wilderness Deal in Northeast Washington (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012464368_wilderness28m.html

Entiat Seeks Funding for New Park - Chelan PUD plans a $6.8 million renovation at Entiat Park, along with a $1.4 million trail (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jul/27/entiat-seeks-funding-for-new-park/

California - Marin Board Approves Own Desalination Measure (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/07/27/state/n095557D69.DTL

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

US Wind Power Installations Drop in First Half of 2010 (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66Q58I20100727

A Rough Year for Wind (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/07/a-rough-year-for-wind

Hawaii - Kahuku Wind Farm Lands $117 Million Loan Guarantee (Honolulu Star-Advertiser, HI)

http://www.staradvertiser.com/business/businessnews/20100728_Kahuku_wind_farm_lands_117M_loan_guarantee.html

Op/Ed - Massachusetts: The Great Wind Power Bait & Switch (Boston Glove, MA)

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/07/28/the_great_wind_power_bait_and_switch/

Market Value of Biomass Electricity to Reach $53 Billion by 2020 (Sustainable Business)

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/20740

Time to Scale Back Renewable Energy Incentives for the Wealthy? (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2010/07/time-to-scale-back-renewable-energy-incentives-for-the-wealthy

Congress Could Spur the Southeast’s Renewable Energy Use, Industry Says (Washington Independent)

http://washingtonindependent.com/92655/congress-could-spur-the-southeasts-renewable-energy-use-industry-says

New Hampshire Utility Seeks Approval of Wood Plant Power Deal (Associated Press)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38430057/ns/business-oil_and_energy

Georgia - Feces-Burning Power Plant Riles Neighbors (WYFF, Greenville, SC)

http://www.wyff4.com/r/24417223/detail.html

Analysis: Canada Clean Power Push Faces Labor Shortage (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66Q50420100727

United Kingdom - Deal Is Close for Southampton Biomass Energy Plant (The Daily Echo, Southampton, UK)

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8296483.Deal_is_close_for_Southampton_biomass_energy_plant/

Solar Panels Vs. Historic Districts: A Conflict We Need to Resolve (Scientific American)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=solar-panels-vs-historic-district-a-2010-07-28

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Arizona Utilities Told to Help People Cut Energy Use (Arizona Republic, Phoenix)

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/07/28/20100728biz-efficient0728.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Western Climate Initiative Offers Cap & Trade (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=12877713

Don’t Forget Reliability in Climate Change: N. American Electric Reliability Corporation (Financial Times of London, UK)

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Developmental-Issues/articleshow/6228935.cms

Science Matters: Climate Change & Water Are Inextricably Linked (Winnipeg Free Press, Manitoba)

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/greenpage/environment/science-matters-climate-change-and-water-are-inextricably-linked--99480509.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Chevy Volt Will Cost $41,000 before Tax Credits (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/07/chevy-volt-will-cost-41000-before-tax-rebate/1

Washington One of Nissan Electric Car First Markets (Puget Sound Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2010/07/26/daily16.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Akamai: US 16th in Broadband Speed - Average US Connection Speed is 4.7 Mbps (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Akamai-US-16th-In-Broadband-Speed-109597

Corporate America, You’re Not Ready for Internal Clouds! (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2010/07/27/corporate-america-youre-not-ready-for-internal-clouds/

GENERAL NEWS

Healthiest State for Kids - New Hampshire, Study Says: Washington 11^th, Oregon 18^th (Associated Press)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38417221/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/?GT1=43001

Baseball - Portland Beavers May Head to California (Portland Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/07/26/daily17.html

DIVERSIONS

Garage Sale Find Called Pricey Ansel Adams Lot - California man paid $45 for glass negatives which may fetch $200 million

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38432829/ns/today-entertainment/

Daughter Urges Oklahoma Voters to Not Vote for Father

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hLbW57WUMY9IH4CM6z3_A2maa3KgD9H719S80

Teen Cheerleader Tackles Theft Suspect - 16-Year-Old in Strapless Dress Slams Man to Ground

http://www.kirotv.com/news/24422145/detail.html

Pot Reviewer Gets Paid to Get High - Denver Man One of Country’s First Medical Marijuana Critics

http://www.kirotv.com/news/24422897/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Ringo Starr - Photograph

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGuPfCD9kdk