Energy News Digest for January 14, 2011

The Energy News Digest will be absent from the Intertubes Monday as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day. It will return January 18.

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.

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Rain, Melting Snow Raise Flood Concerns Throughout Washington State (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/01/14/1506183/rainmelting-snow-raise-flood-concerns.html

Montana - Foes Pack Hearing on Eminent Domain Bill: Would Grant Eminent Domain Power to Private Transmission Line Developers (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20110113/NEWS01/101130301/Foes-pack-hearing-on-eminent-domain-bill

Seattle Area Thieves Posing as City Workers Targeting Elderly Victims (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/113556569.html

Canada - ‘Dead fish swimming’ virus may be hurting Pacific salmon (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/health/Dead+fish+swimming+virus+hurting+Pacific+salmon/4104876/story.html

Renewable Energy Company Eyes Hanford Land (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2011/01/14/1326422/renewable-energy-company-interested.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Montana - Foes Pack Hearing on Eminent Domain Bill: Would Grant Eminent Domain Power to Private Transmission Line Developers

·         California – Pacific Gas & Electric Still Confident in Humboldt Bay Power Plant after Fire

·         Avista Storage Site Looted For Tools & Copper

·         Energy Solutions Trying to Breed a New Generation of Engineers

·         Seattle Area Thieves Posing as City Workers Targeting Elderly Victims

·         Wisconsin - $2 Billion Coal Plant: Oak Creek Power Plant Fully Operational

·         Asian Demand Prompts US Coal Miners Rush to Port

·         Agency Revokes Permit for Major West Virginia Coal Mining Project

·         Alaska Oil Pipeline to Shut Down Again Friday Night

·         Maryland Commission Proposes New Power-Outage Standards for Pepco, Other Companies

·         Canada - ‘Dead Fish Swimming’ Virus May be Hurting Pacific Salmon

·         Study Tracks Salmon Coping with Warming River

·         Clean Air Violations Will Cost Indiana Electric Utility $613 Million

·         Renewable Energy Company Eyes Hanford Land

·         Solopower Thin-Film Solar Plant Promises New Jobs for Wilsonville

·         New York - Cape Vincent Supervisor Accused of Leaking Confidential Material to Anti-Wind Group

·         Wildlife Concerns - Maryland Wind Projects Face Pressure from Environmental Groups

·         Minnesota - Two Men Injured in Wind Turbine Construction Accident

·         Los Angeles Meets 20 Percent Renewable Energy Goal

·         A Step Toward Car Fuel from Wood Waste

·         Couple Plead Guilty in Counterfeit Software Scheme

·         Google Chrome Ditches Popular Format for Web Video

·         Op/Ed - Won’t You be My Wireless Neighbor?

·         Washington State Lawmakers Consider Crackdown on Political Action Committees

·         Elway Poll Shows Gregoire Ratings Slipping

·         Gregoire’s Proposal for Regional Ferry Authority Dead

·         Should E-Mail & Letters Have Equal Legal Protection?

·         Rain, Melting Snow Raise Flood Concerns Throughout Washington State

·         Flood Advisory Issued for Skokomish River

·         Neighbors Say Neglect, Not Gunfire, Cause of Shelton-Area Horse Deaths

·         Idaho Department Sides with Examiner in OK of Mega Loads on State Highways

·         North Mason School on the List of Schools Eligible for Improvement Grants

·         Distracting Glare Detracts from First Game at Oregon’s New Arena

WORD OF THE DAY

Coulrophobia • \KOLE-ruh-fobe-eeyah\ • Noun - An extreme fear of clowns.

The psychiatrist had one piece of advice for his client, who was being treated for chronic coulrophobia by confronting his fears in a visit to a local circus: “If the circus performers attack,” he whispered as an aside, “always go right for the juggler.” (Thanks to Joe M. for the suggestion)

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

Montana - Foes Pack Hearing on Eminent Domain Bill: Would Grant Eminent Domain Power to Private Transmission Line Developers (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20110113/NEWS01/101130301/Foes-pack-hearing-on-eminent-domain-bill

California – Pacific Gas & Electric Still Confident in Humboldt Bay Power Plant after Fire: utility has had serious problems with two of 10 units in four months (Eureka Times-Standard, CA)

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_17095148?source=rss

Avista Storage Site Looted For Tools & Copper (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/jan/13/avista-storage-site-looted/

Energy Solutions Trying to Breed a New Generation of Engineers (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=13827021

Seattle Area Thieves Posing as City Workers Targeting Elderly Victims (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/113556569.html

Wisconsin - $2 Billion Coal Plant: Oak Creek Power Plant Fully Operational (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI)

http://www.jsonline.com/business/113432084.html

Asian Demand Prompts US Coal Miners Rush to Port (Steel Guru)

http://www.steelguru.com/raw_material_news/Asian_demand_prompts_US_coal_miners_rush_to_port/186265.html

Agency Revokes Permit for Major West Virginia Coal Mining Project (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/science/earth/14coal.html

Alaska Oil Pipeline to Shut Down Again Friday Night (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013932900_apuspipelineshutdown.html

Maryland Commission Proposes New Power-Outage Standards for Pepco, Other Companies (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/13/AR2011011306986.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Canada - ‘Dead Fish Swimming’ Virus May be Hurting Pacific Salmon (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/health/Dead+fish+swimming+virus+hurting+Pacific+salmon/4104876/story.html

Study Tracks Salmon Coping with Warming River (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=13839311

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Clean Air Violations Will Cost Indiana Electric Utility $613 Million (Environment News Service)

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2011/2011-01-13-092.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Renewable Energy Company Eyes Hanford Land (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2011/01/14/1326422/renewable-energy-company-interested.html

Solopower Thin-Film Solar Plant Promises New Jobs for Wilsonville (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/01/solopower_plant_promises_new_j.html

New York - Cape Vincent Supervisor Accused of Leaking Confidential Material to Anti-Wind Group (Newsjunky)

http://newzjunky.com/news/0114cape_wind.htm

Wildlife Concerns - Maryland Wind Projects Face Pressure from Environmental Groups (North American Wind Power)

http://nawindpower.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.7184

Minnesota - Two Men Injured in Wind Turbine Construction Accident (Rochester Post- Bulletin, MN)

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1440978

Los Angeles Meets 20 Percent Renewable Energy Goal (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/01/13/financial/f100916S92.DTL

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

A Step Toward Car Fuel from Wood Waste (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/a-step-toward-car-fuel-from-wood-waste/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Couple Plead Guilty in Counterfeit Software Scheme (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013932421_apwacounterfeitsoftware.html

Google Chrome Ditches Popular Format for Web Video (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2011/01/google-makes-bold-move-to-control-video-on-the-web----and-on-mobile-devices/1?csp=34tech

Op/Ed - Won’t You be My Wireless Neighbor? (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/opinion/14rubinstein.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Lawmakers Consider Crackdown on Political Action Committees (KUOW Radio, Seattle)

http://kuow.org/northwestnews.php?storyID=132912024

Elway Poll Shows Gregoire Ratings Slipping (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politicsnorthwest/2013930639_elway_poll_shows_gregoire_rati.html

Gregoire’s Proposal for Regional Ferry Authority Dead (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/jan/13/gregoires-proposal-for-regional-ferry-authority/

Should E-Mail & Letters Have Equal Legal Protection? (NY Times)

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/should-e-mail-and-letters-have-equal-protection/

GENERAL NEWS

Rain, Melting Snow Raise Flood Concerns Throughout Washington State (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/01/14/1506183/rainmelting-snow-raise-flood-concerns.html

Flood Advisory Issued for Skokomish River (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/news/4335-flood-advisory-issued-for-skokomish-river

Neighbors Say Neglect, Not Gunfire, Cause of Shelton-Area Horse Deaths (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/26488733/detail.html

Idaho Department Sides with Examiner in OK of Mega Loads on State Highways (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013936259_apididahomegaloadspermits.html

North Mason School on the List of Schools Eligible for Improvement Grants (Associated Press)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/news/4332-north-mason-school-on-the-list-of-schools-eligible-for-improvement-grants-

Distracting Glare Detracts from First Game at Oregon’s New Arena (Yahoo! Sports)

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Distracting-glare-detracts-from-first-game-at-Or?urn=ncaab-307433

DIVERSIONS

Woman Recreates ‘Last Supper’ with Lint

http://www.kirotv.com/entertainment/26489412/detail.html

Loony Lawsuit - The Old Yogurt Container on a Skunk Routine

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/01/14/33320.htm

Year in Prison for Burglar Wounded by Arrow (Through His Buttocular Region)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=13842237

Don’t Answer Your Cell Phone During Employment Interview - It’s Also Not a Good Idea to Hug the Hiring Manager or Eat All Their Candy

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110114/BIZ/701149851/-1/RSS03

SONG OF THE DAY

Paul McCartney & Wings - “Arrow Through Me”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS8eKFdNWVE