The Energy News Digest: Energy News Digest for March 1, 2011

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Energy News Digest for March 1, 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

Jefferson County PUD Logs $1-Million-Plus In Expenses To Transfer Power Authority (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110228/NEWS/302289990/jefferson-county-pud-logs-1-million-plus-in-expenses-to-transfer

Study: Lodgepole Pine Gone From Pacific Northwest By 2080 (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/117117288.html

Record Run Expected For “Wild” Fall Chinook to Snake (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2011/feb/28/record-run-expected-wild-fall-chinook-snake/

New Federal Air Pollution Regulations A Challenge For Nippon Paper Mill (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110227/NEWS/302279976

Congressional District Shuffle To Begin In Washington State (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/27/1561726/district-shuffle-to-begin-in-state.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

· Jefferson County PUD Logs $1-Million-Plus In Expenses To Transfer Power Authority

· Late Afternoon Fizz: Gutted TransAlta Bill Passes Senate Committee

· Wenatchee - Alcoa Aims To Fire Up Third Potline By Tuesday

· Fitch Rates Energy Northwest Electric Revenue Bonds 'AA'; Outlook Stable

· Kimberly Harris Becomes New Puget Sound Energy Chief Executive Officer

· Portland General Electric Earnings Up 32 Percent In 2010

· Ghouls Rush In – San Francisco Woman Gets A Year For Posing As Natural Gas Blast Victim

· Indiana Regulators Won't Probe Duke Energy

· Tennessee Valley Authority Dives Deep In Nuclear Ventures, But Critics Worried

· New Study from Texas Coalition for Affordable Power: $15.5 Billion in Excess Electric Costs under Texas Electric Deregulation

· $2 Billion Power Line Project From West Virginia To Maryland Suspended

· Regulation Lax as Gas Wells’ Tainted Water Hits Rivers

· Dangerous Crime: Tampering With Electric Meters

· Record Run Expected For “Wild” Fall Chinook to Snake

· Strong River Runs Expected For Pink Salmon

· Sea Lions Feast On Sturgeon at Bonneville Dam

· Bodi Named Bonneville Power’s Vice-President For Environment, Fish, Wildlife

· Wash. Legislature Poised To Get Tougher With Shellfish Operators

· Washington State House Passes Limit On Phosphorus In Fertilizers

· Does the Southwest Face a Mega-Drought?

· Low-Flow Toilets Cause A Stink In San Francisco

· New Federal Air Pollution Regulations A Challenge For Nippon Paper Mill

· University Of British Columbia Gets $11.2 Million To Advance Bioenergy Project

· Idaho Officials Pushing For Geothermal Energy

· Native American Groups Sue To Stop Solar Projects

· A Solar Power Struggle in Town and

· Renewable Energy Costs in Michigan Lower than First Anticipated

· Wind Farms and Deadly Skies

· Netherlands - Lack Of Wind Hits Wind Energy Production

· Op/Ed – Wind Isn't Cheap; Just Look At Denmark

· Op/Ed - As The Power Bill Rises, Invest In Electricity Saving Measures

· Oregon - Groups Seek Support Of Efficiency Legislation

· Penguin Windows Plans Chapter 11 Reorganization

· Energy Conservation, The Power of Knowledge

· Study: Lodgepole Pine Gone From Pacific Northwest By 2080

· “Climategate” E-Mails Rear Their Ugly Heads – Again

· Google Backs Weather Insurance Startup For Farmers

· A Monkey-Wrenching Environmentalist Goes on Trial in Utah

· Around the States: California Legislation, Offshore Wind Incentives, Montana Republicans

· Spread Wireless Technology for a Shared Future

· Google Mistakenly Resets An Estimated 150,000 Gmail Accounts

· Qwest: Settlement Reached In Suit Over CenturyLink

· Congressional District Shuffle To Begin In Washington

· Oregon Congressman Wu Says He Was Hospitalized In 2008 For Reaction To Mental-Health

· Shelton Port Commissioner Miles Arrested for DUI

· Boeing Already Looking For Tanker

· Limits On Library E-Books Stir Controversy

· Say Goodbye To Mercury Thermometers

WORD OF THE DAY

Cuspidor \KUSS-puh-dor\ noun - A receptacle for spit : spittoon

“Look,” exclaimed the excited bullfighting enthusiast. “Here comes the matador, picador, and the corporate sponsor’s cuspidor?” Apparently the inclusion of a new sponsor at the event, the local chewing tobacco vendor, had not gone over well with the fans.

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

Jefferson County PUD Logs $1-Million-Plus In Expenses To Transfer Power Authority (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110228/NEWS/302289990/jefferson-county-pud-logs-1-million-plus-in-expenses-to-transfer

Late Afternoon Fizz: Gutted TransAlta Bill Passes Senate Committee (Publicola)

http://publicola.com/2011/02/25/late-afternoon-fizz-gutted-transalta-bill-passes-senate-committee/

Wenatchee - Alcoa Aims To Fire Up Third Potline By Tuesday (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/feb/26/alcoa-aims-to-fire-third-potline-up-by-tuesday/

Fitch Rates Energy Northwest Electric Revenue Bonds 'AA'; Outlook Stable (Business Wire)

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110228006948/en/Fitch-Rates-Energy-Northwest-WA-Elec-Rev

Kimberly Harris Becomes New Puget Sound Energy Chief Executive Officer (Puget Sound Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2011/02/28/harris-becomes-new-pse-chief.html

Portland General Electric Earnings Up 32 Percent In 2010 (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2011/02/25/pge-earnings-up-32-percent-in-2010.html

Ghouls Rush In – San Francisco Woman Gets A Year For Posing As Natural Gas Blast Victim (SF Chronicle, CA)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/28/BA061I0E3D.DTL

Indiana Regulators Won't Probe Duke Energy (Triangle Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2011/02/28/indiana-regulators-wont-probe-duke.html

Tennessee Valley Authority Dives Deep In Nuclear Ventures, But Critics Worried (Tennessean, Nashville, TN)

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110227/NEWS11/102270376/TVA-dives-deep-nuclear-ventures-critics-worried

New Study from Texas Coalition for Affordable Power: $15.5 Billion in Excess Electric Costs under Texas Electric Deregulation (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=149887

$2 Billion Power Line Project From West Virginia To Maryland Suspended – Due to economic forecasts of weaker-than-expected demand (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014357076_apusmultistatepowerline.html

Regulation Lax as Gas Wells’ Tainted Water Hits Rivers (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/us/27gas.html

Dangerous Crime: Tampering With Electric Meters (Farm & Dairy)

http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/dangerous-crime-tampering-with-electric-meters/21907.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Record Run Expected For “Wild” Fall Chinook to Snake (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2011/feb/28/record-run-expected-wild-fall-chinook-snake/

Strong River Runs Expected For Pink Salmon (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/02/27/1559077/strong-river-runs-expected-for.html

Sea Lions Feast On Sturgeon at Bonneville Dam (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)

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

Bodi Named Bonneville Power’s Vice-President For Environment, Fish, Wildlife (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/405827.aspx

Wash. Legislature Poised To Get Tougher With Shellfish Operators (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=8436

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Washington State House Passes Limit On Phosphorus In Fertilizers (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=14159089

Does the Southwest Face a Mega-Drought? (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/25/a-future-mega-drought-in-the-southwest/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Low-Flow Toilets Cause A Stink In San Francisco – Not enough oomph to move the waste through ((SF Chronicle, CA)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/28/BAVP1HUSUD.DTL

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

New Federal Air Pollution Regulations A Challenge For Nippon Paper Mill (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110227/NEWS/302279976

University Of British Columbia Gets $11.2 Million To Advance Bioenergy Project (Vancouver Sun, BC)

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/gets+million+advance+bioenergy+project/4341356/story.html

Idaho Officials Pushing For Geothermal Energy (Associated Press)

http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2011/feb/26/idaho-officials-pushing-for-geothermal-energy-ar-1509298/

Native American Groups Sue To Stop Solar Projects (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/02/27/state/n115757S40.DTL

A Solar Power Struggle in Town and Country (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/02/a-solar-power-struggle-in-town-and-country?cmpid=rss

Renewable Energy Costs in Michigan Lower than First Anticipated as A 2015 Mandate Approaches (Muskegon Chronicle, MI – Yes, but take a look at the cost per megawatt hour in the table…YIKES!)

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/02/renewable_energy_costs_in_mich.html

Wind Farms and Deadly Skies - Turbines on Texas Coast Killing Thousands of Birds, Bats Each Year (San Antonio Express News, TX)

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/environment/article/Wind-farms-and-deadly-skies-1032765.php

Netherlands - Lack Of Wind Hits Wind Energy Production (Dutch News)

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2011/02/lack_of_wind_hits_wind_energy.php

Op/Ed – Wind Isn't Cheap; Just Look At Denmark (Virginia Pilot, Hampton Roads, VA)

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/02/wind-isnt-cheap-just-look-denmark

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Op/Ed - As The Power Bill Rises, Invest In Electricity Saving Measures (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/opinion/article_2bc1df16-41f9-11e0-a1fb-001cc4c03286.html

Oregon - Groups Seek Support Of Efficiency Legislation (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/02/groups-seeks-support-of-efficiency.html

Penguin Windows Plans Chapter 11 Reorganization (Seattle Times, WA)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014359734_penguin01.html

Energy Conservation, The Power of Knowledge - With new monitors, homeowners can keep track of their electricity use in real time. It can make all the difference (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703293204576105964069755504.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Study: Lodgepole Pine Gone From Pacific Northwest By 2080 (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/117117288.html

“Climategate” E-Mails Rear Their Ugly Heads – Again (Reuters)

http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2011/02/25/climategate-e-mails-rear-their-ugly-heads-again/

Google Backs Weather Insurance Startup For Farmers (MSNBC)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41838030/ns/weather/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

A Monkey-Wrenching Environmentalist Goes on Trial in Utah (Time Magazine)

http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/02/28/a-monkey-wrenching-environmentalist-goes-on-trial-in-utah/

Around the States: California Legislation, Offshore Wind Incentives, Montana Republicans (IB Times, UK)