The Energy News Digest: 11/09/11

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Energy News Digest for November 9, 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

Public Power Challenges Moody’s Proposed New Metrics (Managing Power Magazine)

http://www.managingpowermag.com/finance/Public-Power-Challenges-Moodys-Proposed-New-Metrics_349.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=2315884&hq_l=10&hq_v=91a2a42321

Canada Officials Say No Salmon Virus Found in British Columbia (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/133506473.html

California - State’s Solar Energy Output Reaches Milestone (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/09/BU6D1LS4E6.DTL

House fire spurs Duke Energy to stop electric car charging across North Carolina (WBTV-TV, Charlotte, NC)

http://www.wbtv.com/story/15986760/duke-energy-puts-electric-charging-station-program-on-hold-after-house-fire

Amazon’s Oregon Cloud Region Open for Business “…generally lower energy costs in Oregon & the presence of renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric power…” (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cloud/amazons-oregon-cloud-region-open-for-business/

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

Public Power Challenges Moody’s Proposed New Metrics
Lower Columbia CAP Energy Assistance Program Cut In Half
Benton PUD Raises Power Rates Six Percent
Normally Accustomed To Too Little Power, US Utilities Battling Energy Production Spikes in Pacific Northwest
Seventeen Idaho National Lab Workers Exposed to Radiation
Voters Give Mixed Message on Bellingham Coal Port Plan
Opponents Force Imperial Oil to Send Megaloads to Canada’s Oil Sands on Interstates, Avoiding Scenic Highways
Florida Utility Customers Pay Now for Future Power
Earthquakes in Oklahoma? Is ‘Fracking’ to Blame, or Something Else?
US Energy Secretary Calls for Faster Power Grid Modernization
Canada Officials Say No Salmon Virus Found in British Columbia
Showing Coho the Upper Elwha River
Op/Ed - Saving Salmon: Northwest Businesses Deserve Seats at the Table
California - State’s Solar Energy Output Reaches Milestone
Vestas Abandons 2015 Sales Target, Plans Layoffs
West Virginia - Nearly 500 Birds Found Dead Near Wind Farm
New Solar Group Opposes SolarWorld’s China Trade Action
Canada - Pulp Mill Closures Hurting Sawmills, Woodlots
Redmond’s GridMobility to Contend for Top Slot in National Cleantech Competition
Energy-Efficiency Tax Credits Expire Soon
Changes in Criteria Put Company Out of BC Hydro Rebate Program
House Fire Spurs Duke Energy to Stop Electric Car Charging Across North Carolina
Restaurant Grease as Good as Gold to Biofuel Thieves
Amazon’s Oregon Cloud Region Open for Business
FCC Push to Expand Net Access Gains Help
Cheap Broadband, Pcs Aimed at Low-Income Families
White House Vows to Veto Bill That Overturns Net Neutrality Rules
Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL Team Up to Sell Internet Ads
America! Stop Whining & Get Online!
McKenna Kicks Off Campaign for Washington State Governor
US Senator Murray’s Staff Holds Retreat at Lobby Firm’s Office
Powerful Storm Batters Alaska’s Western Coast
Sunny Thursday, Windy Friday
Unofficial Mason County Election Results
Washington State Voters Kick State Out of Liquor Business
Eyman’s Washington State Tolling Initiative Too Close to Call
Washington State Voters Approve I-1163 to Expand Long-Term Caregiver Training
Initiative Passed to Fix Conflicting Washington State Voter Residency Rules

WORD OF THE DAY

Fey • \FAY\ • adjective – 1: marked by a foreboding of death or calamity 2a: marked by an otherworldly air or attitude b: crazy 3a: excessively refined: precious b: quaintly unconventional: campy

Oscar Wilde, your picture will now be posted next to the dictionary definition of “fey.” Do you have anything to declare?

A well-known Wilde anecdote states that at customs upon his entry to America, when asked if he had anything to declare, he replied: “Nothing but my genius.”

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

Public Power Challenges Moody’s Proposed New Metrics (Managing Power Magazine)

http://www.managingpowermag.com/finance/Public-Power-Challenges-Moodys-Proposed-New-Metrics_349.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=2315884&hq_l=10&hq_v=91a2a42321

Lower Columbia CAP Energy Assistance Program Cut In Half (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_838d6d4c-0a52-11e1-8489-001cc4c03286.html

Benton PUD Raises Power Rates Six Percent (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2011/11/09/1710585/benton-pud-raises-power-rates.html

Normally Accustomed To Too Little Power, US Utilities Battling Energy Production Spikes in Pacific Northwest (Knovel)

http://why.knovel.com/all-engineering-news/998-normally-accustomed-to-too-little-power-us-utilities-battling-energy-production-spikes-in-pacific-northwest.html

Seventeen Idaho National Lab Workers Exposed to Radiation (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/11/08/national/a153448S88.DTL

Voters Give Mixed Message on Bellingham Coal Port Plan (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2011/11/08/elections/21533/Voters-give-mixed-message-on-Bellingham-coal-port-plan/

Opponents Force Imperial Oil to Send Megaloads to Canada’s Oil Sands on Interstates, Avoiding Scenic Highways (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/11/opponents_force_imperial_oil_t.html

Florida Utility Customers Pay Now for Future Power (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/09/142166324/fla-utility-customers-pay-now-for-future-power?ft=1&f=3

Earthquakes in Oklahoma? Is ‘Fracking’ to Blame, or Something Else? (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2011/1108/Earthquakes-in-Oklahoma-Is-fracking-to-blame-or-something-else

US Energy Secretary Calls for Faster Power Grid Modernization (Platts)

http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/6654055

FISH & WILDLIFE

Canada Officials Say No Salmon Virus Found in British Columbia (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/133506473.html

Showing Coho the Upper Elwha River (Oregonian, Portland)

http://earthfix.opb.org/flora-and-fauna/article/showing-coho-the-upper-elwha-river/

Op/Ed - Saving Salmon: Northwest Businesses Deserve Seats at the Table (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/11/saving_salmon_northwest_busine.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

California - State’s Solar Energy Output Reaches Milestone (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/09/BU6D1LS4E6.DTL

Vestas Abandons 2015 Sales Target, Plans Layoffs (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/morning_call/2011/11/vestas-abandons-2015-sales-targets.html

West Virginia - Nearly 500 Birds Found Dead Near Wind Farm (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/nearly-500-birds-found-dead-at-wind-farm/

New Solar Group Opposes SolarWorld’s China Trade Action (Portland Business Journal, OR)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/morning_call/2011/11/new-solar-group-forms-to-oppose.html

Canada - Pulp Mill Closures Hurting Sawmills, Woodlots (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/11/08/ns-pulp-crisis-ripple.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Redmond’s GridMobility to Contend for Top Slot in National Cleantech Competition “…GridMobility is working closely with the Bonneville Power Administration & Mason County PUD#3, as well as North Coast Electric…” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/energy/2011/11/09/redmonds-gridmobility-to-learn-its-fate-in-the-2011-cleantech-open/

Energy-Efficiency Tax Credits Expire Soon (Huffington Post)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-alderman/energyefficiency-tax-cred_b_1076678.html

Changes in Criteria Put Company Out of BC Hydro Rebate Program (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Changes+criteria+company+Hydro+rebate+program/5678129/story.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

House Fire Spurs Duke Energy to Stop Electric Car Charging Across North Carolina (WBTV-TV, Charlotte, NC)

http://www.wbtv.com/story/15986760/duke-energy-puts-electric-charging-station-program-on-hold-after-house-fire

Restaurant Grease as Good as Gold to Biofuel Thieves (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/11/03/141986455/restaurant-grease-as-good-as-gold-to-biofuel-thieves

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Amazon’s Oregon Cloud Region Open for Business “…generally lower energy costs in Oregon & the presence of renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric power…” (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cloud/amazons-oregon-cloud-region-open-for-business/

FCC Push to Expand Net Access Gains Help (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/business/media/fcc-and-cable-companies-push-to-close-digital-divide.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Cheap Broadband, Pcs Aimed at Low-Income Families (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2011-11-09/fcc-connect-to-compete/51128236/1?csp=34money

White House Vows to Veto Bill That Overturns Net Neutrality Rules (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/white-house-vows-to-veto-bill-that-overturns-net-neutrality-rules/2011/11/08/gIQA3oRQ1M_blog.html?wprss=post-tech

Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL Team Up to Sell Internet Ads (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/Microsoft-Yahoo-AOL-team-up-to-sell-Internet-ads-2258674.php

America! Stop Whining & Get Online! (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/broadband/america-stop-whining-and-get-online/

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE