The Energy News Digest: 05/23/11

Monday, May 23, 2011

Energy News Digest for May 23, 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

Editorial - At Times, It’s Wind We Can’t Afford “...Windmills exist not to profit by selling electricity but by reaping federal tax credits…” (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/may/21/at-times-its-wind-we-cant-afford/

Energy NW Extends Power Outage at Columbia Generating Station (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/21/1674131/energy-nw-extends-power-outage.html

Sea Lions Turn Salmon Run Into Buffet - Feeding Frenzy at Columbia River's Bonneville Dam Becomes Federal Case Weighing the Fate of Two Protected Species (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304066504576339311088801864.html

Washington State Legislative Report Questions Energy Efficiency Standards for Public Buildings (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110521/NEWS01/705219938/1122/news01

Movement to Stop Natural Gas Drilling Gains Ground (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/22/1674951/movement-to-stop-natural-gas-drilling.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

Energy NW Extends Power Outage at Columbia Generating Station
Oregon - Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative CCEC to Raise Rates
Rate Increase by Power Supplier Angers Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-Op
REC Silicon Considers Expansion
Regulators Find Design Flaws in New Westinghouse Nuclear Reactors
Editorial - Focus on Hanford: Federal Foot-Dragging Continues
Movement to Stop Natural Gas Drilling Gains Ground
Bonneville Power Administration - Building a Better Transmission Tower
United Kingdom - Running-Men Transmission Tower Designs 'Will Still Send Opponents Racing Away from Pylons'
Appeals Court Upholds Oyster Creek Nuke Plant License
Most German Nuclear Power Plants Off the Grid
ISO New England Announces Election of Board of Directors – Includes Vickie VanZandt, formerly of Bonneville Power Administration
Protest against Chilean Dam Plan Ends in Violence
Bonneville Power Administration Shares New Wind Generation Forecast Online
Editorial - At Times, It’s Wind We Can’t Afford
Editorial - BPA's Wind Power Cutoff Sends a Troubling Signal
Clark Public Utilities on Sidelines of Wind Power Battle
Forced Outages for Northwest Wind Farms – 13 Gigs Wasted & Still Counting
Sea Lions Turn Salmon Run Into Buffet
Humane Society Sues to Halt Sea Lion Killings
Grant PUD White River Spring Chinook Hatchery Program Aimed at Mimicking Wild Fish as Much as Possible
Western Ranchers Cheered By Lifting Of Wolf Protections
Experts Consider Hood Canal Sewer Upgrades
Small Mercury Spill at Oregon City Home Becomes a Federal Case
Stench from Waste Facility Overwhelms Small Southern California Town, Angers Community
Montana - Landowners Challenge Renewable Energy Projects
US Wind Sector Faces 'Disaster' Unless Congress Acts, Says General Electric
Canada - Metro's Burning Trash May Warm Vancouver Homes
Arizona Regulators Asked to Credit Trash Burning as Renewable Energy
Google-Backed $5 Billion Wind Plan Sees Estimated Rate of Return Lowered
Michigan - Solar Cell Installers Say End to Utilities' Incentives is a Killer
Biomass Energy Production in the Interior West
Study Points Out Inherent Flaws in Manomet Woody Biomass Study
Washington State Legislative Report Questions Energy Efficiency Standards for Public Buildings
Green Schools Getting Mixed Grades
Tacoma Power Lands Federal Award for Energy Efficiency
Future Looks Bright for LED Light Bulbs, But Not Immediately
New LED Bulbs Are Likely to Hit Shelves in 2012
Canada - Incandescent Light-Bulb Ban Will Stay In BC
Innovation in Sustainable Product: Indow Windows
San Francisco Judge Puts California’s Cap & Trade Plan on Hold
Oregon's Electric Car Charging Network Is Behind Schedule
Tornadoes, Otter Pops and Other Unlikely Energy Technologies
Drive to Drop Paper Coffee Cup Brews in Seattle
Many Hotels Take 'Bath' Out of Bathrooms
Internet 'Health Map' Tracks Data Flow on Web
Battle over Internet Sales Taxes Rekindles In Congress
Colorado - Qwest Beats Silverton in Round 1 over Fiber Optics
Getting the Word Out, 140 Characters at a Time
Washington State Workers' Comp Deal Could Save the State $1 Billion
Washington State Senate Passes Liquor Privatization Bill
Mason County Selected for National Health Program
Running Start Students Face Tuition Increase
Lake Oswego Raises Utility Fees - Including Electricity - To Help Raise Funds for Schools
Comcast Apologizes to Group for Exec's Tweet Retaliation

WORD OF THE DAY

Acolyte • \ACK-uh-lite\ • Noun - 1: one who assists a member of the clergy in a liturgical service by performing minor duties 2: one who attends or assists: follower

The college intern’s enthusiasm over her new position at PepsiCo hit rock bottom on the second day. That’s when she learned that she’d been assigned to the “Gatorade” division, with the inauspicious title of “electrolyte acolyte.” Somewhere a clever HR staffer is still giggling.

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

Energy NW Extends Power Outage at Columbia Generating Station (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/21/1674131/energy-nw-extends-power-outage.html

Oregon - Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative CCEC to raise rates: Increased wholesale prices at Bonneville Power behind hike (Curry County Reporter, Gold beach, OR)

http://www.currycountyreporter.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=7317

Rate Increase by Power Supplier Angers Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-Op (Energy Central)

http://www.energycentral.com/utilitybusiness/businesscorporate/news/en/20088285/Rate-increase-by-power-supplier-angers-Yellowstone-Valley-Electric-Co-op?

REC Silicon Considers Expansion – Depends on request for a power sales contract from Grant County PUD (Columbia Basin herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/article_ec88182c-8309-11e0-8d42-001cc4c03286.html

Regulators Find Design Flaws in New Westinghouse Nuclear Reactors (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/business/energy-environment/21nuke.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Editorial - Focus on Hanford: Federal Foot-Dragging Continues, and what about the Yucca Mountain plan? (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/may/23/in-our-view-focus-on-hanford/

Movement to Stop Natural Gas Drilling Gains Ground (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/05/22/1674951/movement-to-stop-natural-gas-drilling.html

Bonneville Power Administration - Building a Better Transmission Tower (US Department of Energy)

http://blog.energy.gov/blog/2011/05/20/building-better-transmission-tower

United Kingdom - Running-Men Transmission Tower Designs 'Will Still Send Opponents Racing Away from Pylons' (Wales Online, UK)

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/need-to-read/2011/05/23/running-men-designs-will-still-send-opponents-racing-away-from-pylons-91466-28743458/

Appeals Court Upholds Oyster Creek Nuke Plant License (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/05/20/36733.htm

Most German Nuclear Power Plants Off the Grid “…maintenance work or shutdowns ordered by the government after Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster…” (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Most-German-nuclear-power-plants-off-the-grid-1389723.php

ISO New England Announces Election of Board of Directors – Includes Vickie VanZandt, formerly of Bonneville Power Administration (Energy Central)

http://www.energycentral.com/utilitybusiness/businesscorporate/news/en/20088119/ISO-New-England-Announces-Election-of-Board-of-Directors?

Protest against Chilean Dam Plan Ends in Violence (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Protest-against-Chile-dam-plan-ends-in-violence-1389427.php

ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS: A MIGHTY WIND – A MIGHTY RIVER

Bonneville Power Administration Shares New Wind Generation Forecast Online - Forecast Helps BPA Manage Wind (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/1094911/

Editorial - At Times, It’s Wind We Can’t Afford “...Windmills exist not to profit by selling electricity but by reaping federal tax credits…” (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/may/21/at-times-its-wind-we-cant-afford/

Editorial - BPA's Wind Power Cutoff Sends a Troubling Signal “…need a fresh look by our political leadership at federal and state incentives that got all the wind developments here in the first place…” (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/05/bpas_wind_power_cutoff_sends_a.html

Clark Public Utilities on Sidelines of Wind Power Battle (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/may/18/clark-public-utilities-pud-on-sidelines-of-wind-po/

Forced Outages for Northwest Wind Farms – 13 Gigs Wasted & Still Counting (Forbes Magazine)

http://blogs.forbes.com/williampentland/2011/05/23/forced-outages-for-northwest-wind-farms-waste-13-gigawatts-and-counting/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Sea Lions Turn Salmon Run Into Buffet - Feeding Frenzy at Columbia River's Bonneville Dam Becomes Federal Case Weighing the Fate of Two Protected Species (Wall Street Journal)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304066504576339311088801864.html

Humane Society Sues to Halt Sea Lion Killings (Reuters)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/05/21/us-sealions-salmon-idUKTRE74K09N20110521

Grant PUD White River Spring Chinook Hatchery Program Aimed at Mimicking Wild Fish as Much as Possible (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/409179.aspx

Western Ranchers Cheered By Lifting Of Wolf Protections (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015124079_apusfoodandfarmtargetingwolves1stldwritethru.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Experts Consider Hood Canal Sewer Upgrades (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/may/22/experts-consider-hood-canal-sewer-upgrades/

Small Mercury Spill at Oregon City Home Becomes a Federal Case (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/05/two_tablespoons_of_mercury_spi.html

Stench from Waste Facility Overwhelms Small Southern California Town, Angers Community (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/stench-from-waste-facility-overwhelms-small-southern-california-town-angers-community/2011/05/23/AF1Rrb9G_story.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Montana - Landowners Challenge Renewable Energy Projects (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015120397_apmteminentdomain2ndldwritethru.html

US Wind Sector Faces 'Disaster' Unless Congress Acts, Says General Electric - The wind industry still needs help from policymakers to carry the growth and investment of the past decade on into the next (Recharge)

http://www.rechargenews.com/energy/wind/article257368.ece

Canada - Metro's Burning Trash May Warm Vancouver Homes (Surrey Leader, BC)

http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/surreyleader/news/122348249.html

Arizona Regulators Asked to Credit Trash Burning as Renewable Energy - Panel to vote if garbage energy meets standard (Arizona Republic, Phoenix)

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2011/05/22/20110522arizona-trash-burning-credit.html

Google-Backed $5 Billion Wind Plan Sees Estimated Rate of Return Lowered (Bloomberg News)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_18098628

Michigan - Solar Cell Installers Say End to Utilities' Incentives is a Killer (Saginaw News, MI)

http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/05/solar_cell_installers_say_end.html

Biomass Energy Production in the Interior West (High Country News, Paonia, CO)

http://www.hcn.org/hcn/greenjustice/blog/biomass-energy-production-in-the-interior-west

Study Points Out Inherent Flaws in Manomet Woody Biomass Study (Biomass Magazine)

http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/5528/study-points-out-inherent-flaws-in-manomet-woody-biomass-study/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Washington State Legislative Report Questions Energy Efficiency Standards for Public Buildings (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110521/NEWS01/705219938/1122/news01

Green Schools Getting Mixed Grades (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/may/19/green-schools-getting-mixed-grades/

Tacoma Power Lands Federal Award for Energy Efficiency (Tacoma Daily Index, WA)

http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1979023&more=0

Future Looks Bright for LED Light Bulbs, But Not Immediately (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2015090421_ptledlights21.html?syndication=rss

New LED Bulbs Are Likely to Hit Shelves in 2012 (Associated Press)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110522/biz/705229977/-1/rss03

Canada - Incandescent Light-Bulb Ban Will Stay In BC: Feds may delay restrictions due in part to concerns over compact fluorescent light bulbs (Vancouver Sun, BC)

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Light+bulb+will+stay/4813342/story.html

Innovation in Sustainable Product: Indow Windows (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/05/innovation-in-sustainable-product.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

San Francisco Judge Puts California’s Cap & Trade Plan on Hold (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/21/3642941/sf-judge-puts-states-cap-and-trade.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Oregon's Electric Car Charging Network Is Behind Schedule (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/05/oregons_electric_vehicle_goals.html

Tornadoes, Otter Pops and Other Unlikely Energy Technologies - Cold is our friend when it comes to saving power (Green-Tech Media)

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/tornadoes-pot-pies-and-other-unlikely-energy-technologies/

Drive to Drop Paper Coffee Cup Brews in Seattle (Seattle Times)