The Energy News Digest: Energy News Digest for February 24, 2011

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Energy News Digest for February 24, 2011

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

Congressman Doc Hastings Says He’ll Nix All Snake Dam-Breaching Bills

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/24/1557532/rep-doc-hastings-says-snake-dam.html

Wind Power on BPA System Sets New Record - Renewable Resource Blows Past 3,000 Megawatts (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/1023559/

Judge Recommends Electricity Rate Hike to Pay for Klamath Dam Removal (Associated Press)

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/02/judge_recommends_rate_hike_to_pay_for_klamath_dam_removal.html

Strong Fall Chinook Run Forecast for Columbia River (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/feb/24/strong-fall-chinook-run-forecast-columbia-river/

Editorial - New Rules for New Technology: The proposal from the FCC to stop subsidizing rural phone lines & start subsidizing rural broadband connections is long overdue (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/opinion/24thu3.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

· Congressman Doc Hastings Says He’ll Nix All Snake Dam-Breaching Bills

· Wind Power on BPA System Sets New Record - Renewable Resource Blows Past 3,000 Megawatts

· Judge Recommends Electricity Rate Hike to Pay for Klamath Dam Removal

· Avista Reports Salary, Bonus Figures - CEO Made $3.25 Million Including Bigger Bonus

· Cowlitz PUD Votes to Limit Pay Increases for 2011

· Who Will Replace Hydropower’s Aging Work Force?

· Battle over Nuclear Power Subsidies Heats Up

· Gas Prices Jump in South Puget Sound

· Strong Fall Chinook Run Forecast for Columbia River

· Oregon Tribes Pursue First Bison Hunt in Century

· Editorial - EPA Overhauls Boiler Rules, Seeks Additional Comment

· Washington State Senate Moves Closer to Creating Puget Sound Conservation Group

· Olympic Peninsula - Nature Conservancy Buys Clearwater River Frontage

· Oregon’s Solar Industry Stumbles

· Hoo, Boy! Solar Energy Faces Tests on Greenness

· Avista Wants Bids for 35 Megawatts of Renewable Energy

· University of Montana Shows Off Mobile Biomass Gasifier, Generator

· Forests into Fuel: Promise & Limits of Biomass in the Northeast

· Green Machine: Solar Street Lamp Feeds Energy to the Grid

· Wind Energy Eminent Domain Bill Moves in Wyoming Senate

· ‘Climategate’ Report Clears Scientists

· To Invite Plug-In Cars, Cities Work on Permitting

· Calling Rube Goldberg - Upgrading the Electric Grid with Flywheels & Air

· A Start-Up Aims at Power Conversion to Save Electricity

· Editorial - New Rules for New Technology: The proposal from the FCC to stop subsidizing rural phone lines & start subsidizing rural broadband connections is long overdue

· FCC Notes Huge Interest in New Broadband Map

· Oregon Democratic Congressman David Wu Pressured to Resign

· Broke Park System Gives Workers Free Housing

· Slick Morning Commute & Winter Weather Advisory

· Mason County Population Up

· Washington State’s Growth Centered in Pierce County, Elsewhere Along I-5 Corrido

· Minorities Push Washington State’s Growth

· US Census Bureau Interactive Map

· Concerns for Boeing Grow as a Tanker Decision Nears

· Particulates No! Land Owners’ Dust Can Lead to Hefty Fine

WORD OF THE DAY

Nix • \NICKS\ • VERB - Veto, reject

And now, one of Variety Magazine’s most famous (infamous) headlines: “STICKS NIX HICK PIX”

The headline appeared on July 17, 1935, over an article about the reaction of rural audiences to movies about rural life. The headline was a use of “slanguage.” In parsing the headline, it means that people in rural areas (“the sticks”) reject (“nix”) motion pictures (“pix”) about rural life (“hicks”). The conventional wisdom of the movie industry was that themes of upper-class life would not be popular in the countryside; according to the article, this assumption was incorrect. (Wikipedia)

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

Congressman Doc Hastings Says He’ll Nix All Snake Dam-Breaching Bills (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/24/1557532/rep-doc-hastings-says-snake-dam.html

Wind Power on BPA System Sets New Record - Renewable Resource Blows Past 3,000 Megawatts (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/1023559/

Judge Recommends Electricity Rate Hike to Pay for Klamath Dam Removal (Associated Press)

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/02/judge_recommends_rate_hike_to_pay_for_klamath_dam_removal.html

Avista Reports Salary, Bonus Figures - CEO Made $3.25 Million Including Bigger Bonus (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/feb/24/avista-reports-salary-bonus-figures/

Cowlitz PUD Votes to Limit Pay Increases for 2011 (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/69d1f088-3fc5-11e0-a9b0-001cc4c002e0.html

Who Will Replace Hydropower’s Aging Work Force? (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2011/02/who-will-replace-hydropowers-aging-work-force?cmpid=rss

Battle over Nuclear Power Subsidies Heats Up (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/02/environmental_news_battle_over.html

Gas Prices Jump in South Puget Sound (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/02/24/1554882/gas-prices-jump-in-south-sound.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Strong Fall Chinook Run Forecast for Columbia River (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/feb/24/strong-fall-chinook-run-forecast-columbia-river/

Oregon Tribes Pursue First Bison Hunt in Century (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014315289_apusbacktobison.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Editorial - EPA Overhauls Boiler Rules, Seeks Additional Comment (Michigan-Live)

http://www.mlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/02/post_50.html

Washington State Senate Moves Closer to Creating Puget Sound Conservation Group (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/23/1557323/senate-moves-closer-to-creating.html

Olympic Peninsula - Nature Conservancy Buys Clearwater River Frontage (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014314229_clearwater24m.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon’s Solar Industry Stumbles (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/02/oregons-solar-industry-stumbles.html

Hoo, Boy! Solar Energy Faces Tests on Greenness (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/business/energy-environment/24solar.html

Avista Wants Bids for 35 Megawatts of Renewable Energy (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/feb/23/avista-wants-bids-for-35-megawatts-of-renewable/

University of Montana Shows Off Mobile Biomass Gasifier, Generator at Paws Up (The Missoulian, MT)

http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_125cccf4-3fd6-11e0-b619-001cc4c03286.html

Forests into Fuel: Promise & Limits of Biomass in the Northeast (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/02/turning-forests-into-fuel-report-outlines-promise-and-limits-of-biomass-energy-in-the-northeast?cmpid=rss

Green Machine: Solar Street Lamp Feeds Energy to the Grid (New Scientist)

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/02/green-macine-solar-street-lamp.html

Wind Energy Eminent Domain Bill Moves in Wyoming Senate (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)

http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/article_c23fa6f4-0380-56bd-978d-44a85c250cd7.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

‘Climategate’ Report Clears Scientists (The Hill)

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/145913-report-on-climategate-clears-government-scientists-of-wrongdoing?utm_campaign=E2Wire

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

To Invite Plug-In Cars, Cities Work on Permitting (CNET News)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20035367-54.html

Upgrading the Electric Grid with Flywheels & Air - With the high price of batteries, scientists look for simpler ways to store energy (National Geographic)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/2/110223-electric-grid-flywheels-compressed-air/

A Start-Up Aims at Power Conversion to Save Electricity (NY Times)

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/a-start-up-aims-at-power-conversion-to-save-electricity/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Editorial - New Rules for New Technology: The proposal from the FCC to stop subsidizing rural phone lines & start subsidizing rural broadband connections is long overdue (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/opinion/24thu3.html

FCC Notes Huge Interest in New Broadband Map - Agency Says They’re Tripling Efforts to Improve Infrastructure (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCC-Notes-Huge-Interest-In-New-Broadband-Map-112875

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Oregon Democratic Congressman David Wu Pressured to Resign (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/feb/24/oregon-democratic-congressman-david-wu-pressured/

Broke Park System Gives Workers Free Housing (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Broke-park-system-gives-workers-free-housing--116675199.html

GENERAL NEWS

Slick Morning Commute & Winter Weather Advisory (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1433:slick-morning-commute-a-winter-weather-advisory&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=106

Mason County Population Up (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)