Energy News Digest for July 20, 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

Portland General Electric & Environmentalists to Settle Lawsuit over Coal Plant Emissions (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/07/portland_general_electric_and.html

Pacific Northwest Grid Adds Electricity Market Flexibility (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/07/northwest-grid-adds-electricity-market.html

Bonneville Power Administration Responds, State of Oregon Weighs in on Wind Complaint – Oregon supports wind generators (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/07/bpa-responds-puc-weighs-in-on-wind.html

Clark Public Utilities Helps Local Cities Switch to More Efficient LED Lights (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jul/20/utility-helps-local-cities-switch-led-lights/

Nissan Using Old Leaf Batteries in New Solar Charging Stations (CNET News)

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20080491-48/nissan-using-old-leaf-batteries-in-new-solar-charging-stations/

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Portland General Electric & Environmentalists to Settle Lawsuit over Coal Plant Emissions
• Pacific Northwest Grid Adds Electricity Market Flexibility
• News Release - Shorter-Term Scheduling Boosts Flexibility of Western Energy Markets
• Q&A: Pacific Northwest Utilities Make Wind & Coal Power Announcements
• City of Port Angeles to Continue Legal Fight over Bonneville Power Administration Rates
• Two Men Burned by Power Line While Installing Gutter in NW Portland
• Colorado - Boulder Advances Ballot Measure on City Power Utility
• Who Has Final Say over the Fate of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant?
• A Gamble for Vermont Yankee
• Texas - Copper Thieves Leave 3,000 in the Dark
• South Carolina - Small Fish vs. Power Plants
• Mason County Postpones Adopting Rate for Belfair’s New Sewer System
• Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s Sewer System Response to Dam Tear-Down
• Company Closing Oil Wells at Site of Montana Spill
• Bonneville Power Administration Responds, State of Oregon Weighs in on Wind Complaint
• Federal Project to Expand Wind Energy Launched
• Editorial - A New Study Takes the Wind Out of Wind Energy
• Constellation Marks Launch of Maryland Wind Farm
• Arizona - Mohave Electric Gets OK for Renewable Credits on Proposed Waste to Power Facility
• California - San Juan Water District Solar Power Project Complete
• Australia - Local Jobs Lost in Solar Struggle
• Clark Public Utilities Helps Local Cities Switch to More Efficient LED Lights
• Rise of Energy-Saving LEDs in Lighting Market Seen as Unstoppable
• Carbon Scrubbing Condensers Made on the Cheap
• Romney: Carbon Is Not a Harmful Pollutant
• Nissan Using Old Leaf Batteries in New Solar Charging Stations
• Nissan Raises Price of Leaf, Expands Ordering
• At GE Plant in Connecticut, Volts Plug in to the Sun
• Toyota Utilizing Hybrids to Help with Power Crunch
• California Governor Plans Clean Energy Conference
• Stanford Residents First to Get Google Ultra High-Speed Internet
• US Federal Government to Close 800 Computer Data Centers
• Amazon Pitches California Tax Break as Boon to Job Creation
• Shades of Nikita Khrushchev - NYC Mayor to Silicon Valley: We Will Defeat You
• US Arrests 14 for Roles in PayPal Cyber Attack
• Yahoo Stock Droops on Dropping Sales
• Is Google Saying Your Computer Is Infected with a Virus? Believe It
• Millions of Facebook Users “Unlike” Being Too Connected
• Enthusiastic Response for “Buy Washington” Bonds
• Moody’s Eyes Possible Credit Downgrade on Five States
• City in Rhode Island Asks Retirees to Sacrifice
• Near Shelton - Logging Truck Hits 14-Year-Old on US 101
• Mason County Marijuana Moratorium
• Shelton Lumber Mill Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Settled
• Natural Disaster Declared: Idaho, Oregon, Washington
• What Summer? Seattle Missing Out on Massive US Heat Wave
• Carbon Monoxide Detectors Can Save Lives
• Postmaster Says Days Are Numbered for Saturday Mail Delivery

WORD OF THE DAY

Shaggy-dog • \shag-ee-DAWG\ • Adjective - Of, relating to, or being a long-drawn-out circumstantial story concerning an inconsequential happening that impresses the teller as humorous or interesting but the hearer as boring and pointless; also: of, relating to, or being a similar humorous story whose humor lies in the pointlessness or irrelevance of the punch line

“…And that’s how a joke is constructed,” concluded, the bespectacled professor to his improvisation class at the local drama school. The shaggy dog story reminded one of the fresh-faced students of something he read from E.B. White about comedy, ““Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but the frog dies in the process.”

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

Portland General Electric & Environmentalists to Settle Lawsuit over Coal Plant Emissions (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/07/portland_general_electric_and.html

Pacific Northwest Grid Adds Electricity Market Flexibility (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/07/northwest-grid-adds-electricity-market.html

News Release - Shorter-Term Scheduling Boosts Flexibility of Western Energy Markets (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/1138955/

Q&A: Pacific Northwest Utilities Make Wind & Coal Power Announcements (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/q-utilities-make-wind-and-coal-power-announcements/

City of Port Angeles to Continue Legal Fight over Bonneville Power Administration Rates (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.konp.com/local/7064

Two Men Burned by Power Line While Installing Gutter in NW Portland (NW Cable News Network)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/125888243.html

Colorado - Boulder Advances Ballot Measure on City Power Utility (Denver Business Journal, CO)
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2011/07/20/boulder-advances-ballot-measure-on.html

Who Has Final Say over the Fate of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant? (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0719/Who-has-final-say-over-the-fate-of-Vermont-Yankee-nuclear-power-plant

A Gamble for Vermont Yankee (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/a-gamble-for-vermont-yankee/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Texas - Copper Thieves Leave 3,000 in the Dark (Eastex Advocate, Houston, TX)

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/eastex/news/article_cbdaa0de-c14a-5a7d-9a90-4dec384869cc.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

South Carolina - Small Fish vs. Power Plants (Wachovia)

http://wachovia.mworld.com/m/m.w?lp=GetStory&id=535137441

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Mason County Postpones Adopting Rate for Belfair’s New Sewer System (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/jul/19/mason-county-postpones-adopting-rate-for-new/

Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s Sewer System Response to Dam Tear-Down (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110720/NEWS/307209990/lower-elwha-klallam-tribes-sewer-system-response-to-dam-tear-down

Company Closing Oil Wells at Site of Montana Spill (Associated Press)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/jul/19/company-closing-oil-wells-site-montana-spill/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration Responds, State of Oregon Weighs in on Wind Complaint – Oregon supports wind generators (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/07/bpa-responds-puc-weighs-in-on-wind.html

Federal Project to Expand Wind Energy Launched (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/07/project-to-expand-wind-energy-launched/1

Editorial - A New Study Takes the Wind Out of Wind Energy: Reality has overtaken green hope (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/2011/07/19/wind-energy-carbon.html

Constellation Marks Launch of Maryland Wind Farm - 28 turbines rise atop Garrett County’s Backbone Mountain (Baltimore Sun, MD)

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-07-19/features/bs-md-wind-turbine-opening-20110719_1_wind-turbines-wind-project-wind-farm

Arizona - Mohave Electric Gets OK for Renewable Credits on Proposed Waste to Power Facility (Phoenix Business Journal, AZ)

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2011/07/19/mohave-electric-gets-ok-for-renewable.html

California - San Juan Water District Solar Power Project Complete (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2011/07/20/san-juan-water-district-solar-sunpower.html

Australia - Local Jobs Lost in Solar Struggle (Blue Mountain Gazette, AUS)

http://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/news/local/news/general/local-jobs-lost-in-solar-struggle/2232149.aspx

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Clark Public Utilities Helps Local Cities Switch to More Efficient LED Lights (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jul/20/utility-helps-local-cities-switch-led-lights/

Rise of Energy-Saving LEDs in Lighting Market Seen as Unstoppable (Solve Climate)

http://solveclimatenews.com/news/20110720/LEDs-energy-efficiency-lighting-cleantech-market-light-bulb-republicans

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Carbon Scrubbing Condensers Made on the Cheap (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/07/carbon-scrubbing-condensers-made-on-the-cheap-/1?csp=34tech

Romney: Carbon Is Not a Harmful Pollutant (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/07/19/carbon-is-not-a-harmful-pollutant-romney/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Nissan Using Old Leaf Batteries in New Solar Charging Stations (CNET News)

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20080491-48/nissan-using-old-leaf-batteries-in-new-solar-charging-stations/

Nissan Raises Price of Leaf, Expands Ordering (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2015658145_apusnissanleafpricehike.html

At GE Plant in Connecticut, Volts Plug in to the Sun (NY Times)

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/at-g-e-plant-in-connecticut-volts-plug-in-to-the-sun/

Toyota Utilizing Hybrids to Help with Power Crunch (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Toyota-utilizing-hybrids-to-help-with-power-crunch-1471705.php

California Governor Plans Clean Energy Conference (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2011/07/19/california-governor-plans-clean-energy.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Stanford Residents First to Get Google Ultra High-Speed Internet (Palo Alto Patch, CA)

http://paloalto.patch.com/articles/stanford-residents-first-to-get-google-ultra-high-speed-internet

US Federal Government to Close 800 Computer Data Centers (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/technology/us-to-close-800-computer-data-centers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Amazon Pitches California Tax Break as Boon to Job Creation (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/19/BUMR1KC8N8.DTL

Shades of Nikita Khrushchev - NYC Mayor to Silicon Valley: We Will Defeat You (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_18507339

US Arrests 14 for Roles in PayPal Cyber Attack (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/20/us-usa-fbi-hacking-idUSTRE76I4E320110720

Yahoo Stock Droops on Dropping Sales (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2011/07/20/yahoo-droops-on-dropping-sales.html

Is Google Saying Your Computer Is Infected with a Virus? Believe It (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_18513754

Millions of Facebook Users “Unlike” Being Too Connected (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/story/15111156/millions-of-facebook-users-unlike-being-too-connected

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Enthusiastic Response for “Buy Washington” Bonds (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=9144

Moody’s Eyes Possible Credit Downgrade on Five States - Maryland, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee & Virginia (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2011-07-19-state-debt-ratings_n.htm?csp=34money

City in Rhode Island Asks Retirees to Sacrifice – “Give back a big chunk of your pension or risk losing it all” (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/us/20centralfalls.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Near Shelton - Logging Truck Hits 14-Year-Old on US 101 (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/10913-minor-injuries-for-teen

Mason County Marijuana Moratorium (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/10915-marijuana-moratorium

Shelton Lumber Mill Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Settled (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Shelton-lumber-mill-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-settled-125861913.html

Natural Disaster Declared: Idaho, Oregon, Washington (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=9146

What Summer? Seattle Missing Out on Massive US Heat Wave (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Massive-heat-wave-hits-US----minus-Seattle-125870373.html

Carbon Monoxide Detectors Can Save Lives (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/story/15110987/carbon-monoxide

Postmaster Says Days Are Numbered for Saturday Mail Delivery (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-07-19-postmaster--mail-delivery_n.htm?csp=34money

DIVERSIONS

The Loch Ness Monster of Alaska?

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/loch-ness-monster-alasaka-204906638.html

Argentine Leader Courts Voters with “TVs for All”

http://news.yahoo.com/argentine-leader-courts-voters-tvs-171940759.html

Thieves Steal 21 Tons of Mustard & Ketchup

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Thieves-steal-21-tons-of-mustard-and-ketchup-1470703.php

Bald Eagle Saved by Oregon Vet’s Mouth-to-Beak CPR

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Bald-eagle-saved-by-Oregon-vet-s-mouth-to-beak-CPR-1469124.php

SONG OF THE DAY

Mark Knopfler - Going Home: Local Hero Movie Theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g2-3hmU5Sw