Energy News Digest for April 18, 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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Mason County PUD No. 1 Says NO to BPA (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/4695-pud-1-says-no-to-bpa

Future of Proposed Cle Elum Area Solar-Power Plant Looks Dim (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014793500_solarproject17m.html

Port Angeles - Appeal of Nippon’s Biomass Permit Dismissed (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110417/news/304179984/appeal-of-nippon-8217-s-biomass-permit-dismissed

New Climate Change Case Headed to Supreme Court (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/New-climate-change-case-headed-to-Supreme-Court-1340687.php

Officials: No Nuclear Risk to North Pacific Fish (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/120060084.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Mason County PUD No. 1 Says NO to BPA

·         Controversy over Longview Coal Terminal

·         Pacific Northwest Nuclear Power Plant Prepared for Quake?

·         Entergy Files Lawsuit to Keep Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Open Past 2012

·         SmartMeters Hit Obstacles in Downtown San Francisco

·         Canada – BC Hydro Tries to Outsmart Power Thieves

·         Feds Give Positive Eco Review to US-Canada Pipeline

·         New Warning of Poisonous Chemicals in Natural Gas ‘Hydrofracking’

·         Op/Ed - Texas a Model for Electricity Competition

·         US FERC Went Beyond Its Authority with Demand Response Rule, Groups Say

·         La Nina May Bring Big Salmon Season

·         Sandy River Hatchery Jumps to Center of Pacific Northwest’s Salmon Debate

·         Breakdown of West Coast Ocean Sport Salmon Fisheries

·         Public Utility Districts Tracking Sturgeon Habits

·         Montana - Flathead Hatchery Aims to Revive Westslope Cutthroat Trout

·         Biologists Ponder Options for Pend Oreille River Pike Boom

·         1,300 Pacific Northwest Wolves to Come Off Endangered List

·         Trail Project Could Help Heal the Skokomish River

·         Environmental Concerns Sparked by Oak Harbor Sewer Plant Siting

·         Could Shift from Whatcom PUD - Ferndale Council to Consider Bid for Well-Water Project

·         Hydraulic Oil Spill Friday near Othello Contained – Grant PUD Makes Fast Response

·         Future of Proposed Cle Elum Area Solar-Power Plant Looks Dim

·         Oregon - Solopower Hopeful over Wilsonville Deal

·         Mojave Desert: Balance the Needs of Solar Power & Tortoises

·         Couple Builds Solar-Powered Home with Help from Google

·         Rooftop Solar Power to the People?

·         Port Angeles - Appeal of Nippon’s Biomass Permit Dismissed

·         Idaho - Wind Energy Developer Won’t Drop Projects

·         California Company Inks Deal with Montana Wind Farm

·         Anonymous Hacker Claims He Broke Into Wind Turbine Systems

·         Home Energy Upgrades Are Latest Shade of Green

·         New Climate Change Case Headed to Supreme Court

·         The Day Global Warming Comes to the Supreme Court

·         Editorial - Supreme Court Should Reject Climate Change Nuisance Suit

·         Online Calculator Allows Households to Track Carbon Footprint

·         Stupid California Tricks

·         Plastic Bag Ban Struggles to Gain Votes in Salem

·         Automakers Promote Hydrogen Cars; Obama Administration Remains Skeptical

·         Video: The Finnish-Built, Wood Burning El Camino

·         Facebook Unveils Prineville Data Center

·         Facebook Turns to a Little Solar for Its Data Center

·         Google Shuttering Google Videos

·         Net Neutrality: End of the Web as We Know It?

·         Washington’s Governor’s Race Is Going to Be a Donnybrook

·         Incumbent US Senator Cantwell Raises $1.3 Million for Re-Election Bid

·         Presidential Candidates Embrace Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

·         Cantwell Blames Speculators for Sharp Hike in Gas Prices

·         Parking Pay Stations ‘Hated’ in Downtown Olympia

·         Rodent Pellets to be Banned in Washington

·         Space Needle: ‘The Doodle That Changed Seattle Forever’

WORD OF THE DAY

Biophilia • \bye-oh-FILL-ee-uh\ • Noun - A hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature

“Lo, I am one with the lion’s pride,” exulted the wool-clad environmental enthusiast, stepping from his shiny, black Range Rover into the hot environment of the circling, big cats. His ill-conceived biophilia would soon make him into multiple parts INSIDE the pride. And the circle of life continued on the arid plains of Africa.

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

Mason County PUD No. 1 Says NO to BPA (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/4695-pud-1-says-no-to-bpa

Controversy over Longview Coal Terminal (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Battle-over-Longview-coal-terminal-a-matter-of-trust-119958214.html

Pacific Northwest Nuclear Power Plant Prepared for Quake? (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/story/14243597/power-plant-prepared-for-quake

Entergy Files Lawsuit to Keep Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Open Past 2012 (Associated Press)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/entergy_corp_files_lawsuit_to_keep_vermont_yankee_nuclear_power_plant_open_past_2012/2011/04/18/AFn37syD_story.html

SmartMeters Hit Obstacles in Downtown San Francisco (SF Chronicle, CA)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/16/BU961J1QIL.DTL

Canada – BC Hydro Tries to Outsmart Power Thieves (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Hydro+tries+outsmart+power+thieves/4625908/story.html

Feds Give Positive Eco Review to US-Canada Pipeline (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/04/state-dept-us-canada-pipeline-/1?csp=34money

New Warning of Poisonous Chemicals in Natural Gas ‘Hydrofracking’ (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2011/0417/New-warning-of-poisonous-chemicals-in-natural-gas-hydrofracking

Op/Ed - Texas a Model for Electricity Competition (Houston Chronicle, TX)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7524989.html

US FERC Went Beyond Its Authority with Demand Response Rule, Groups Say (PLATTS)

http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/6002830

FISH & WILDLIFE

Officials: No Nuclear Risk to North Pacific Fish (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/120060084.html

La Nina May Bring Big Salmon Season (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=465056

Sandy River Hatchery Jumps to Center of Pacific Northwest’s Salmon Debate (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/04/sandy_river_hatchery_jumps_to.html

Breakdown of West Coast Ocean Sport Salmon Fisheries (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2014792737_breakdown_of_west_coast_ocean.html

Public Utility Districts Tracking Sturgeon Habits (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/lifestyles/article_c795fe6c-66f8-11e0-a567-001cc4c03286.html

Montana - Flathead Hatchery Aims to Revive Westslope Cutthroat Trout (The Missoulian, MT)

http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_35f647fc-697b-11e0-b18a-001cc4c03286.html

Biologists Ponder Options for Pend Oreille River Pike Boom (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/apr/17/northern-explosion/

1,300 Pacific Northwest Wolves to Come Off Endangered List (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/1300_wolves_to_come_off_endangered_list/2011/04/17/AFXR7LwD_story.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Trail Project Could Help Heal the Skokomish River (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/apr/16/trail-project-could-help-heal-skokomish/

Environmental Concerns Sparked by Oak Harbor Sewer Plant Siting (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/sound/article/Environmental-concerns-sparked-by-Oak-Harbor-1341293.php

Could Shift from Whatcom PUD - Ferndale Council to Consider Bid for Well-Water Project (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/04/16/1627951/ferndale-council-to-consider-bid.html

Hydraulic Oil Spill Friday near Othello Contained – Grant PUD Makes Fast Response (Associated Press)

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/04/17/1972498/hydraulic-oil-spill-friday-near.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Future of Proposed Cle Elum Area Solar-Power Plant Looks Dim (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014793500_solarproject17m.html

Oregon - Solopower Hopeful over Wilsonville Deal (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/04/solopower-hopeful-over-wilsonville-deal.html

Mojave Desert: Balance the Needs of Solar Power & Tortoises - California’s deserts are prized by clean energy providers. But fragile ecosystems must be protected. (Chicago Tribune, IL)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-ed-tortoise-20110416,0,3370043.story

Couple Builds Solar-Powered Home with Help from Google (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-04-15-google-solar-home.htm?csp=34tech

Rooftop Solar Power to the People? (Miller McCune)

http://www.miller-mccune.com/science-environment/rooftop-solar-power-to-the-people-29885/

Port Angeles - Appeal of Nippon’s Biomass Permit Dismissed (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110417/news/304179984/appeal-of-nippon-8217-s-biomass-permit-dismissed

Idaho - Wind Energy Developer Won’t Drop Projects: Company Had Fought For Tax Rebate (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/apr/18/company-wont-drop-projects/

California Company Inks Deal with Montana Wind Farm (Associated Press)

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17864162

Anonymous Hacker Claims He Broke Into Wind Turbine Systems (ComputerWorld)

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9215879/Anonymous_hacker_claims_he_broke_into_wind_turbine_systems

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Home Energy Upgrades Are Latest Shade of Green (San Diego Union Tribune, CA)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/16/home-energy-upgrades-are-new-shade-green-movement/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

New Climate Change Case Headed to Supreme Court (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/New-climate-change-case-headed-to-Supreme-Court-1340687.php

The Day Global Warming Comes to the Supreme Court (The Atlantic)

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/04/the-day-global-warming-comes-to-the-supreme-court/237347/

Editorial - Supreme Court Should Reject Climate Change Nuisance Suit (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2011/0418/Supreme-Court-should-reject-climate-change-nuisance-suit

Online Calculator Allows Households to Track Carbon Footprint (Science Daily)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110415163527.htm

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Stupid California Tricks (Hot Air)

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2011/04/17/stupid-california-tricks/

Plastic Bag Ban Struggles to Gain Votes in Salem (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/plastic-bag-ban-struggles-gain-votes-salem/

Automakers Promote Hydrogen Cars; Obama Administration Remains Skeptical (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/automakers_promote_hydrogen_cars_obama_administration_remains_skeptical/2011/04/13/AFnQ84iD_story.html

Video: The Finnish-Built, Wood Burning El Camino (Gas 2.0 – But will it kill you with a single exposure?)

http://gas2.org/2011/04/15/video-the-finnish-built-wood-burning-el-camino/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Facebook Unveils Prineville Data Center (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/04/facebook_unveils_prineville_da.html

Facebook Turns to a Little Solar for Its Data Center (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/facebook-turns-to-a-little-solar-for-its-data-center/

Google Shuttering Google Videos (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/faster-forward/post/google_shuttering_google_videos/2011/04/18/AFduK9yD_blog.html

Net Neutrality: End of the Web as We Know It? (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2011-04-15-net-neutrality-small-business.htm?csp=34money

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington’s Governor’s Race Is Going to Be a Donnybrook (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2011/04/18/elections/20819/Washington-s-governors-race-is-going-to-be-a-donnybrook/

Incumbent US Senator Cantwell Raises $1.3 Million for Re-Election Bid (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/04/15/1617952/cantwell-raises-12-million-for.html

Presidential Candidates Embrace Facebook, Twitter, YouTube (Associated Press)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_17872042

GENERAL NEWS

Cantwell Blames Speculators for Sharp Hike in Gas Prices (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014801880_gasprices18m.html

Parking Pay Stations ‘Hated’ in Downtown Olympia - Kiosks drawing many complaints while missing revenue targets (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/04/18/1620500/pay-stations-hated.html

Rodent Pellets to be Banned in Washington (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/119951604.html

Space Needle: ‘The Doodle That Changed Seattle Forever’ (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/120025789.html

DIVERSIONS

Now Arriving in Alabama: Your Lost Luggage

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_17848995

Aspiring Astronaut Spends Two Weeks of Mars on Earth

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110418/news01/704189904/-1/rss02

Would You Pay $6,400 for a Toilet?

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/04/18/would-you-pay-6400-for-a-toilet/

Wrong Statue of Liberty on US stamp

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110416/biz/704169937/-1/rss03

SONG OF THE DAY

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - Life on Mars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW0ACEOEq6w