Energy News Digest for March 16, 2012

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

NOAA Reauthorizes Killing of California Sea Lions at Bonneville Dam (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/03/noaa_reauthorizes_killing_of_c.html

Chairman Hastings: Dept. of Energy Directive to BPA and other PMAs Could Increase Energy Rates for Millions of American Families (US House Natural Resources Committee)

http://naturalresources.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=285146

Editorial - Don’t Renew Sales Tax Break for Wind Energy (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/mar/16/editorial-dont-renew-sales-tax-break-for-wind/

Washington State Governor Refuses to Sign Bills, 'Mad' over Pace of Budget Talks (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/wash._governor_refuses_to_sign_bills_mad_over_pace_of_budget_talks/

Average, but not normal: forecasters weigh in on this Washington winter (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/Average-but-not-normal-forecasters-weigh-in-on-this-Washington-winter-142932815.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Chairman Hastings: Dept. of Energy Directive to BPA and other PMAs Could Increase Energy Rates for Millions of American Families
• Should we be Nervous? US Department of Energy Memo to Power Marketing Administrations
• Commissioner John R. Norris Statement - The New Enforcement Mechanism for Reliability Standards
• Update: Mason PUD 3 Completes Lake Limerick Area Power Line Repairs
• Clark Public Utilities Named Among Best for Customer Service
• Grant PUD to Settle with Wenatchee Law Firm
• California - Feds Settle with Pacific Gas & Electric over 2004 Forest Fires
• California - Pacific Gas & Electric Penalized for Hinkley's Expanding Toxic Plume
• Nevada Power Plant Can Fight Off Workers' Tribal Case
• Key Nuclear Plant Safety Order Likely to be Delayed, NRC Tells Senate
• New York’s Fund Raid - Short Circuiting Utility Bill Fees
• Good Samaritans Help to Restore Man's Electricity
• NOAA Reauthorizes Killing of California Sea Lions at Bonneville Dam
• NOAA Authorizes States to Remove Sea Lions that Threaten Protected Salmon
• Ocean Shores Says “Not So Fast” In Effort to Save Salmon
• Latest Fish Transportation Figures above the Cowlitz River
• Editorial - Don’t Renew Sales Tax Break for Wind Energy
• Snohomish County PUD Seeks Feds’ OK for Admiralty Inlet Tidal Project
• SolarWorld Awaits China Tariff Decision with Newly Identified Allies Helios & MX Solar
• Portland Makes Deal with Solar Firm to Install Community Panels
• Solar Powered Edmonton Home Generates Hefty Costs Along with Electricity
• Could Minnesota get by on 100 percent renewables? Compressed Air & Hydro
• Areva to Build 9.9 MW Biomass Plant in Thailand
• ‘Green Button’: How Long Before Adoptions Match the Hype?
• First Big Piece of Electric Highway Gets Juice
• Germans Happily (?) Pay More for Clean Energy. Why Don’t Americans?
• Chelan PUD to Take Its Fiber Talk to Communities
• San Jose Returns to Offering Public Wi-Fi - $94,000 to Install, $22k Per Year to Maintain
• Washington State Governor Refuses to Sign Bills, 'Mad' over Pace of Budget Talks
• Port Angeles Finance Director Fired over Cashing in Her Leave
• Average, But Not Normal: Forecasters Weigh in on this Washington Winter
• Tail Work on Boeing's 787-9 Going Elsewhere - Utah & Italy
• Washington State Health Officials Say Late Flu Season is Here

WORD OF THE DAY

Ossuary • \AWE-shuh-ware-ee\ • Noun - A depository for the bones of the dead

Flush the dead goldfish

Its ossuary unknown

Milorganite now

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

Chairman Hastings: Dept. of Energy Directive to BPA and other PMAs Could Increase Energy Rates for Millions of American Families (US House Natural Resources Committee)

http://naturalresources.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=285146

Should we be Nervous? US Department of Energy Memo to Power Marketing Administrations (US Department of Energy, PDF File)

http://naturalresources.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=285146

Commissioner John R. Norris Statement - The New Enforcement Mechanism for Reliability Standards (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)

http://www.ferc.gov/media/statements-speeches/norris/2012/03-15-12-norris-E-3.asp

Update: Mason PUD 3 Completes Lake Limerick Area Power Line Repairs (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=998

Clark Public Utilities Named Among Best for Customer Service (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/mar/15/clark-public-utilities-named-among-best-customer-s/

Grant PUD to Settle with Wenatchee Law Firm (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/mar/16/grant-pud-to-settle-with-wenatchee-law-firm/

California - Feds Settle with Pacific Gas & Electric over 2004 Forest Fires (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/03/15/state/n054215D80.DTL

California - Pacific Gas & Electric Penalized for Hinkley's Expanding Toxic Plume (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/15/BAES1NLA2A.DTL

Nevada Power Plant Can Fight Off Workers' Tribal Case (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/03/15/44734.htm

Key Nuclear Plant Safety Order Likely to be Delayed, NRC Tells Senate (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/key-nuclear-plant-safety-order-likely-to-be-delayed-nrc-tells-senate/2012/03/15/gIQAX5maES_blog.html?wprss=rss_congress

New York’s Fund Raid - Short Circuiting Utility Bill Fees: Assembly Budget Plan Seeks to Divert Money to State's General Fund (Albany Times- Union, NY)

http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Short-circuiting-utility-bill-fees-3410920.php

Good Samaritans Help to Restore Man's Electricity - New Brunswick man's power cut off in 1999 over billing dispute (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/03/15/nb-donations-power-brunswick-lemon.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

NOAA Reauthorizes Killing of California Sea Lions at Bonneville Dam (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/03/noaa_reauthorizes_killing_of_c.html

NOAA Authorizes States to Remove Sea Lions that Threaten Protected Salmon (NOAA)

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2012/20120315_sealion.html

Ocean Shores Says “Not So Fast” In Effort to Save Salmon (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Ocean-Shores-says-not-so-fast-to-effort-to-save-salmon-142874735.html

Latest Fish Transportation Figures above the Cowlitz River (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2017756818_latest_fish_transportation_fig_3.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Editorial - Don’t Renew Sales Tax Break for Wind Energy (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/mar/16/editorial-dont-renew-sales-tax-break-for-wind/

Snohomish County PUD Seeks Feds’ OK for Admiralty Inlet Tidal Project (Whidbey News-Times, Oak Harbor, WA)

http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/news/142526815.html

SolarWorld Awaits China Tariff Decision with Newly Identified Allies Helios & MX Solar (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/03/solarworld_awaits_china_tariff.html

Portland Makes Deal with Solar Firm to Install Community Panels (Daily Journal Of Commerce, Oregon)

http://djcoregon.com/news/2012/03/15/portland-makes-deal-with-solar-firm-to-install-community-panels/

Solar Powered Edmonton Home Generates Hefty Costs Along with Electricity (Edmonton Journal, Alberta)

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Solar+powered+home+generates+hefty+costs+along+with+electricity/6309289/story.html

Could Minnesota get by on 100 percent renewables? Compressed Air & Hydro (Midwest Energy News)

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2012/03/13/could-minnesota-get-by-on-100-percent-renewables/

Areva to Build 9.9 MW Biomass Plant in Thailand (Biomass Magazine)

http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/6204/areva-to-build-9-9-mw-biomass-plant-in-thailand/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

‘Green Button’: How Long Before Adoptions Match the Hype? (The Energy Collective)

http://theenergycollective.com/jimpierobon/79621/consumer-energy-data-green-button-how-long-adoptions-match-hype

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

First Big Piece of Electric Highway Gets Juice (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/story/17176262/first-big-piece-of-electric-highway-gets-juice

Germans Happily (?) Pay More for Clean Energy. Why Don’t Americans? (Grist Online)

http://grist.org/energy-policy/2011-04-20-germans-pay-extra-for-clean-energy-why-dont-americans/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Chelan PUD to Take Its Fiber Talk to Communities (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/mar/16/chelan-county/

San Jose Returns to Offering Public Wi-Fi - $94,000 to Install, $22k Per Year to Maintain (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/San-Jose-Returns-to-Offering-Public-WiFi-118841

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Governor Refuses to Sign Bills, 'Mad' over Pace of Budget Talks (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/wash._governor_refuses_to_sign_bills_mad_over_pace_of_budget_talks/

Port Angeles Finance Director Fired over Cashing in Her Leave (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120316/NEWS/303169992/port-angeles-finance-director-fired-over-cashing-in-her-leave

GENERAL NEWS

Average, But Not Normal: Forecasters Weigh in on this Washington Winter (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/Average-but-not-normal-forecasters-weigh-in-on-this-Washington-winter-142932815.html

Tail Work on Boeing's 787-9 Going Elsewhere - Utah & Italy (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/03/16/2069290/tail-work-on-boeings-787-9-going.html

Washington State Health Officials Say Late Flu Season is Here (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Wash-health-officials-say-late-flu-season-is-here-142815095.html

DIVERSIONS

Report of Olympic Peninsula Woman’s Death Greatly Exaggerated - Government yanks $16,953 from her bank account anyway

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120316/news/303169985/report-of-peninsula-woman-8217-s-death-greatly-exaggerated

Typewriters Are Making a Comeback among Collectors & Users

http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/story/2012-03-15/typewriters-comeback/53546156/1?csp=34money

Beauty Queen Shaves Head for Cancer Research Money

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2017760917_apusbaldbeautyqueen.html

Stuck Montana Man Kept Wits by Playing 'Angry Birds'

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017757166_apusmontanawildernesssurvivor.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Loggins & Messina - Angry Eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svDsj3GMb14