Friday, May 8, 2009

Energy News Digest for May 8, 2009

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

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- Mason County PUD No. 3 P.U.D. 3 Holds Open House on John's Prairie Facility
- Oregon - Man Falls Onto Corvallis Electrical Transformer
- Coal-Fired Power Plants - The Writing on the Wall
- Coal Debate Highlights Duke Meeting
- Joe Kelliher Has A New Job! FPL Group Hires Him for New VP Position
- Commission to Look At Salmon on the Columbia
- Yakima River Opens Soon For Hatchery Spring Chinook
- Tribes, Feds Mark Anniversary of Basin Fish Accords
- Sea Lions Seem To Be Steering Clear Of Traps
- Gig Harbor Kayakers Paddling For The Plight Of Salmon
- Gov't Sticks With Bush-Era Polar Bear Rule
- Silverdale Man Catches Gigantic Halibut
- Tough Legislative Session for Environmentalists
- State Announces Willapa Bay Spartina Plan
- British Columbia - Independent Power Projects 'Ignoring Rules'
- Biodiesel Makers Lash Out at E.P.A. Rule
- Study: Electric Cars May Be More Efficient Than Ethanol
- What Is The Best Way to Turn Plants into Energy?
- Schwarzenegger Touts Solar Technology in San Jose
- REC’s Pre-Tax Profits More Than Doubled In 2008
- Weyerhaeuser VP Touts Woody Biomass during Longview Visit
- Saskatchewan, Montana Sign Carbon Capture Agreement
- U.S. Greens Worry for B.C.'S Carbon Tax
- Cutting Carbon May Be Costly - Obama to End Oil Tax Breaks
- Cap-and-Trade Won't Cause Mass Manufacturing Migration
- Google: Carbon Credit Shopping Ain’t Easy
- Wall Street Journal Editorial - Cap-And-Trade Back Flip
- EU Carbon Prices Seen On Track to Recover
- Cosmic Cooling? Have you noticed how much calmer the solar furnace seems these days?
- Qwest High-Speed Customers Get Free WiFi Access
- Google’s Strength May Be Part of Microsoft Defense Strategy
- Twitter Co-Founder Says Company Not For Sale
- H1N1 Virus Confirmed In Pierce County; State Total Hits 33
- Weyerhaeuser's Credit Rating Cut to Junk by Moody's
- Seattle Times Editorial - Save Sonntag's Audits
- Republican Censured over Bill Expanding Domestic Partnership Rights
- Seattle Streets Honcho under Fire Long Before Snow Fiasco
- Idaho’s Echohawk Vows to Be Effective Voice for Tribes
- Snohomish County Employee Says Trying To Save Money Cost Him Job
- Statue of Liberty's Crown to Re-Open July 4

WORD OF THE DAY

Obstreperous • \ob-STREPP-err-us\ • adjective – 1: marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness: clamorous 2: stubbornly resistant to control

Olaf was spending a peaceful day baking lefske; the cool breeze wafting over the fjord brought the pungent smell of his neighbor’s efforts at replicating the family lutefisk recipe. Efforts that over the last ten years had fallen woefully short. “Too little lye,” mused Olaf to himself. The obstreperous chattering of his impatiently waiting children for the day’s baked treats was the only distraction to the wonderful day.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast and 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. 3 P.U.D. 3 Holds Open House on John's Prairie Facility (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7192/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Oregon - Man Falls Onto Corvallis Electrical Transformer (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2004963~Man_falls_onto_electrical_transformer.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Coal-Fired Power Plants - The Writing on the Wall (The Economist Magazine)
http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13611471&fsrc=rss

Coal Debate Highlights Duke Meeting (Charlotte Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/05/04/daily54.html?ana=from_rss

Joe Kelliher Has A New Job! FPL Group Hires Former Regulator for New VP Position (Miami Herald, FL)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1037279.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Commission To Look At Salmon On The Columbia - Good runs seen for Coho, summer and fall Chinook (Salem Statesman Journal, OR)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090508/OUTDOORS/905080333/1034/SPORTS/Commission+to+look+at+salmon+on+the+Columbia

Yakima River Opens Soon For Hatchery Spring Chinook (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2009191621_yakima_river_opens_soon_for_ha.html

Tribes, Feds Mark Anniversary of Basin Fish Accords (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/571037.html

Sea Lions Seem To Be Steering Clear Of Traps - None captured in last three weeks; 11 taken since March (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090508/NEWS02/705089950/

Gig Harbor Kayakers Paddling For The Plight Of Salmon - Pair heads to Alaska to study salmon (Peninsula Gateway, Gig Harbor, WA)
http://www.gateline.com/104/story/4136.html

Gov't Sticks With Bush-Era Polar Bear Rule (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009196235_apuspolarbearclimate4thldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Silverdale Man Catches Gigantic Halibut (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_050709WAB-fish-story-KC.45a3a17.html?rss?npc

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Tough Legislative Session for Environmentalists (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44573002.html

State Announces Willapa Bay Spartina Plan (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/05/08//area_news/doc4a03834e27570127130879.txt

British Columbia - Independent Power Projects 'Ignoring Rules' - Environment ministry faces 'substantial pressure' from power producers, documents say (Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=216d745b-e1b1-49c3-b09d-2b5e07fd093e&k=1593

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Biodiesel Makers Lash Out at E.P.A. Rule (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/biodiesel-group-lashes-out-at-epa-rule/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Study: Electric Cars May Be More Efficient Than Ethanol (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12319686

What Is The Best Way to Turn Plants into Energy? A new study compares biofuels with bioelectricity (Scientific American)
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bioelectricity-versus-biofuel

Schwarzenegger Touts Solar Technology in San Jose (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12320401

REC’s Pre-Tax Profits More Than Doubled In 2008 (Renewable Energy Focus)
http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/1735/recs-pretax-profits-more-than-doubled-in-2008/

Weyerhaeuser VP Touts Woody Biomass during Longview Visit (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/05/07//area_news/doc4a034ffe38718639729726.txt

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Saskatchewan, Montana Sign Carbon Capture Agreement (CTV, Canada)
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090507/sask_montana_090507/20090507?hub=Canada

U.S. Greens Worry for B.C.'S Carbon Tax (Surrey Leader, BC)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/US_greens_worry_for_BCs_carbon_tax.html

Cutting Carbon May Be Costly - Obama to End Oil Tax Breaks (Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/08/cutting-carbon-will-aid-savings/

Cap-and-Trade Won't Cause Mass Manufacturing Migration (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/gwmEnergy/idUS280116372820090508

Google: Carbon Credit Shopping Ain’t Easy (Green Tech)
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/google-carbon-credit-shopping-aint-easy-4545/

Wall Street Journal Editorial - Cap-And-Trade Back Flip: Kevin Rudd realizes how much an emissions-trading scheme will cost Australia
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124171882652996961.html

EU Carbon Prices Seen On Track to Recover (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/behindTheScenes/idUKTRE5472DX20090508

Cosmic Cooling? Have you noticed how much calmer the solar furnace seems these days? (Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH)
http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/05/cosmic_cooling_have_you_notice.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Qwest High-Speed Customers Get Free WiFi Access at Barnes & Noble, McDonald’s, Starbucks (Denver Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/05/04/daily65.html?ana=from_rss

Google’s Strength May Be Part of Microsoft Defense Strategy (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/technology/companies/08soft.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Twitter Co-Founder Says Company Not For Sale (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE54605920090507?feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology

GENERAL NEWS

H1N1 Virus Confirmed In Pierce County; State Total Hits 33 (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/844126.html

Weyerhaeuser's Credit Rating Cut to Junk by Moody's (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009187114_webweyco07.html?syndication=rss

Seattle Times Editorial - Save Sonntag's Audits
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2009192757_editb08auditor.html

Republican Censured For Co-Sponsoring Bill To Expand Washington's Domestic Partnership Rights (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
http://www.kpq.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=995

Seattle Streets Honcho under Fire Long Before Snow Fiasco (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009194374_sdot08m0.html?syndication=rss

Idaho’s Echohawk Vows to Be Effective Voice for Tribes If Named Head of BIA (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2005088~EchoHawk_vows_to_be_effective_voice_for_tribes.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Investigators: Snohomish County Employee Says Trying To Save Money Cost Him Job (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_050709INV-snohomish-co-director-KS.2b589ef.html?rss

Statue of Liberty's Crown to Re-Open July 4 (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5472AD20090508?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

DIVERSIONS

Tarantula Invasion Overblown, but More, Bigger Spiders May Be in Store
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/may/Tarantula-Invasion-Overblown--but-More--Bigger-Spiders-May-Be-in-Store.html

Emma Overtakes Emily as Top Baby Name for Girls; Jacob for Boys
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/08/national/w063850D91.DTL&feed=rss.news

Battle of the Bust Is Over: British Retailer Eliminates Surcharge on Big Bras
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12325690

Stranger Lives In Pa. Family's Attic for a Week
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19385233/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_1_01000205062009&ts=H

SONG OF THE DAY

Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIdIqbv7SPo&feature=related

Lenny Kravitz - Ain't No Sunshine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ov5CNfkrtU&feature=related

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Energy News Digest for May 7, 2009

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


TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- Energy Northwest Pulls Plug on Coal/Petcoke Gasification Plant
- Idaho Power Reorganizes, 40 Jobs Affected
- Oregon Supplier to Provide Cable for BPA Line
- Washington Energy Summit: How to Get Stimulus Funds
- Texas - Utility Worker Dies in Trench Accident
- In These Halls of Power, Earplugs Are Required
- Gregoire Urging People to 'Call Before You Dig'
- Columbian Op/Ed - Legal Wrangling Doesn't Help Fish, Or Utility Ratepayers
- Indian Tribes Work To Restore Salmon Habitat
- State Won't Close Wind River, Drano Lake to Chinook Salmon Fishing
- Southern Oregon Fishers Hope To Revive Salmon Recovery Technique
- Lands Chief Settles Dispute with Taylor Shellfish
- The Pika - Tiny Mammal May Need Protection
- State Supreme Court to Take Up Port Angeles Fluoride Petitions
- April Rain and Snow Bolsters Idaho's Water Supply
- California - Sewer Rate Overcharges in Los Altos Could Happen Again Next Year
- California Wind Turbine Firm Announces 1st Sales
- Massachusetts Firm Gains Foothold In Small Wind Power
- Illinois - Should Renewable Energy Be Written Into Law?
- Some Americans Clamor to Try Wind Power At Home
- Anaconda Wave-Power Generator Snakes into Next Stage of Production
- Clark County Receives $354K for Energy Efficiency Efforts
- Racing to Build a Better Light Bulb
- Waxman under Fire on Climate Change
- U.S. House Farm Chief Opposes Climate Change Bill
- Cap and Trade Explained
- Putting a Price on Carbon: An Emissions Cap or a Tax?
- Seattle Times Op/Ed - A Morally Acceptable Solution to Climate Change
- Canada - Ecoflation: Coming to a Market near You
- Apple Rumored to Want to Buy Twitter
- All You Need to Know to Twitter
- The Net's Hunger for Power: Google Responds
- Qwest Launches Rebranding Effort: Wants to Be Seen As Broadband Company
- State Looks to Update Broadband Map of Massachusetts
- Former North Mason School Superintendent Dies
- Not This Month - OT for Wash. Lawmakers Still Up In the Air
- Special Session: Green Energy Yes, Key Arena No
- New Law Requires Wash. to Buy Recycled Paper
- Obama Budget Includes Money for Wash. Doppler
- No Fine for Airline That Dumped Fuel over Puget Sound
- Debating the Wisdom of ‘Swine Flu Parties’
- Senate Approves Ron Sims for HUD Job
- U.S. Postal Service Loses $1.9 Billion (San Francisco Business Times)

WORD OF THE DAY

Oneiric • \oh-NYE-rik \ • adjective – Of or relating to dreams: dreamy

Walter Mitty sat perfectly still at his desk, the light from the open transom slanting across his delicate features and projecting a perfect silhouette on the opposite wall. His oneiric expression hid the adventuresome images that made up his afternoon daydreams. Of course, with Virginia Mayo as his damsel in distress, you could pretty much say that he visited his dreamlike state whenever he could.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast and 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 Northwest Pulls Plug on Coal/Petcoke Gasification Plant (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/05/07//area_news/doc4a02285f6f344415975451.txt

Idaho Power Reorganizes, 40 Jobs Affected (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/842913.html

Oregon Supplier to Provide Cable for BPA Line (Associated Press)
http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=10317440

Washington Energy Summit: How to Get Stimulus Funds (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://blog.seattlepi.com/energy/archives/168105.asp?source=rss

Texas - Utility Worker Dies in Trench Accident (Dallas Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/05/04/daily34.html?ana=from_rss

In These Halls of Power, Earplugs Are Required (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/nyregion/07rooms.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Gregoire Urging People to 'Call Before You Dig' (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10314763

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbian Op/Ed - Washington View: Legal Wrangling Doesn't Help Fish, Or Utility Ratepayers
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090505/BIZ01/705059937

Indian Tribes Work To Restore Salmon Habitat - Federal government being forced to deal with dams that are eradicating fish (Mother Nature Network)
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/indian-tribes-work-to-restore-salmon-habitat

State Won't Close Wind River, Drano Lake to Chinook Salmon Fishing (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090505/SPORTS04/705059920

Southern Oregon Fishers Hope To Revive Salmon Recovery Technique (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4936-southern-oregon-fishers-hope-revive-salmon-recovery-technique/

Lands Chief Settles Dispute with Taylor Shellfish (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/may/06/lands-chief-settles-dispute-with-taylor/?partner=RSS

The Pika - Tiny Mammal May Need Protection (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/science/earth/07brfs-TINYMAMMALMA_BRF.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

State Supreme Court to Take Up Port Angeles Fluoride Petitions (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.konp.com/local/4711

April Rain and Snow Bolsters Idaho's Water Supply (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/843770.html

California - Sewer Rate Overcharges In Los Altos Could Happen Again Next Year (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12313745

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

California Wind Turbine Firm Announces 1st Sales (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/07/BUM117G3HF.DTL&feed=rss.business

Massachusetts Firm Gains Foothold In Small Wind Power - Aeronautica partners with Danish company (Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/05/07/firm_gains_foothold_in_wind_power/

Illinois - Should Renewable Energy Be Written Into Law? (WLS-TV, Chicago)
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6799760

Some Americans Clamor to Try Wind Power At Home (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/burningIssues/idUKTRE5457XA20090506

United Kingdom - Anaconda Wave-Power Generator Snakes into Next Stage of Production (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/06/anaconda-wave-power

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Clark County Receives $354K for Energy Efficiency Efforts (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090507/NEWS02/705079939

Racing to Build a Better Light Bulb (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/racing-to-build-a-better-light-bulb/?partner=rss&emc=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Waxman Under Fire On Climate Change - facing fire from all sides over his landmark measure to curb carbon emissions (Politico)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22207.html

U.S. House Farm Chief Opposes Climate Change Bill (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKN0621007620090507

Cap And Trade Explained - The cool basics of the hottest topic in climate change (Boston Phoenix)
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Life/82547-Cap-and-trade-explained/

Putting a Price on Carbon: An Emissions Cap or a Tax? (Yale Environment 360)
http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2148

Seattle Times Op/Ed - A Morally Acceptable Solution to Climate Change: Earth Ministry in Seattle argues that a cap-and-trade approach is a morally acceptable solution
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009185053_opinc07dye.html

Canada - Ecoflation: Coming to a Market near You (National Post)
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/francis/archive/2009/05/07/ecoflation-coming-to-a-market-near-you.aspx

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Apple Rumored to Want to Buy Twitter (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12310541

All You Need to Know to Twitter (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/technology/personaltech/07basics.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

The Net's Hunger for Power: Google Responds (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/may/07/google-energy

Qwest Launches Rebranding Effort: Wants to Be Seen As Broadband Company - at 896kbps upstream (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Qwest-Launches-Rebranding-Effort-102318

State looks to update broadband map of Massachusetts (The Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/05/state_looks_to.html

GENERAL NEWS

Former North Mason School Superintendent Dies (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7179/reftab/1632/t/FORMER-NORTH-MASON-SUPER-DIES/Default.aspx

Not This Month - OT for Wash. Lawmakers Still Up In The Air (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009185705_apwaspecialsession.html?syndication=rss

What Were They Thinking - Special Session: Green Energy Yes, Key Arena No - Senate Majority Leader discusses agenda likely to be decided Thursday (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/405957_session07.html?source=rss

New Law Requires Wash. to Buy Recycled Paper (Associated Press)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_050709POB-AP-paper-recycling-SW.18f3c1e.html?rss

Obama Budget Includes Money for Wash. Doppler (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009191035_apwadopplerradar.html?syndication=rss

No Fine for Airline That Dumped Fuel over Puget Sound (Associated Press)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_050609WAB-AP-airline-fine-KS.262387cd.html?rss

Debating the Wisdom of ‘Swine Flu Parties’ - Deliberately get swine flu? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/world/americas/07party.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Senate Approves Ron Sims for HUD Job (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44529382.html

U.S. Postal Service Loses $1.9 Billion (San Francisco Business Times)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/05/04/daily43.html?ana=from_rss

DIVERSIONS

Hawaiian Shirts, Big Business Even In Academia
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009176701_apusfeafashionhawaiianshirts.html?syndication=rss

Dos and Don'ts for Wearing Hawaiian Shirts
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009176706_apusfeafashionhawaiianshirtstips.html?syndication=rss

Sticky Situation: Men Charged With Honey Fraud
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44495587.html

Woman Sues Wal-Mart Over "Norman the Nutria"
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/07/national/a090147D75.DTL&feed=rss.business

SONG OF THE DAY

Celtic Thunder - Steal Away
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZzxqSjjt38

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Energy News Digest for May 6, 2009

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

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- First Open House on Mason County PUD No. 3 Johns Prairie Operations Center Today
- Truck Stolen From Under Him: California Cable Repairman in Crane Basket Hurt
- Gillnets: Oregon Lawmakers Are Leaving This Tangle for another Day
- BPA News Advisory - Friday, May 8: Northwest Tribes and Federal Agencies Commemorate Columbia River Basin Fish Accords
- Wash. Sea Otters Face Potential Disease Threats
- Canada - New Rules Eyed for Whale-Watching Tour Operators
- California Scientists Side with Drakes Bay Oyster Farmer
- Avista Corp. Deal Allows Spokane Falls to Flow All Summer
- Eastern Oregon Dam Site Group Will Update Commissioners
- After Emergency Landing: Washington May Fine Airline for Dumping Fuel
- Rules to Limit Emissions in the Making of Ethanol
- Lack of Money Biggest Block for Biofuels
- Compressed Air: A Down-To-Earth Approach to Storing Energy
- Reuters Op/Ed - Wind Energy is Too Inefficient to Catch On
- PUD 3 and Mason County EDC Promote Conservation Programs
- Chelan PUD Sets Conservation Goals
- Tiny Particles Make LED Light More Pleasing
- News Release - Utilities Aim to Save Billions with Energy Efficiency
- Obama Urges Dems to Compromise on Warming
- Prince Charles Ramps up Rain Forest Effort
- Latest Round of Microsoft Layoffs May Not Be Last
- Libraries Eye Stimulus Money for Their Web Access
- Gregoire Names New Head of Information Services
- North Carolina Broadband Bill Shelved For Now
- Hawaii Broadband Bill Fails in State Legislature
- Google and Others Urge Inventory of National Airwaves
- Qwest’s 1st Rule of Bandwidth Caps: Don’t Talk about the Caps
- A Fifth of US Homes Have Cell Phones, No Landlines
- Date Set For Charter Communications Reorganization Plan Hearing
- Swine Flu Confirmed In Washington State
- Belfair-Tahuya Bridge to Close Overnight
- Locke Names Courtney Gregoire Legislative Director
- Viaduct Replacement Foreshadowing? Unexpected Holes Result from Sound Transit Tunneling
- Federal Stimulus Spending Could Take Us Down the Wrong Road
- Federal Way Council Ousts City Manager
- Portland’s Quality Of Life 42nd-Best in the World

WORD OF THE DAY

Kosher • \KOE-sherr\ • adjective - 1a: sanctioned by Jewish law; especially: ritually fit for use b: selling or serving food ritually fit according to Jewish law 2: being proper, acceptable, or satisfactory

There’s got to be a sentence that I could use today for kosher that would relate to the swine flu, but for the life of me I cannot come up with an appropriate example. Therefore I’m leaving it up to you, the FONDS (friends of the news digest) to come up with your own. It’s easy and fun!

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast and 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

First Open House on Mason County PUD No. 3 Johns Prairie Operations Center Today (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7164/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Truck Stolen From Under Him: California Cable Repairman in Crane Basket Hurt (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2000593~Cable_repairman_in_crane_basket_hurt_in_carjacking.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

FISH & WILDLIFE

Gillnets: Oregon Lawmakers Are Leaving This Tangle for another Day (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/05/gillnets_lawmakers_are_leaving.html

BPA News Advisory - Friday, May 8: Northwest Tribes and Federal Agencies Commemorate Columbia River Basin Fish Accords (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/271651/

Wash. Sea Otters Face Potential Disease Threats (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009179603_apwaseaotters2ndldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Canada - New Rules Eyed for Whale-Watching Tour Operators (Oak Bay News, BC)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/44383972.html

California Scientists Side with Drakes Bay Oyster Farmer “…second time in a year that the Park Service has been put under a spotlight for fudging data to show that the company harmed the environment…” (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/06/MNIQ17ERPE.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Avista Corp. Deal Allows Spokane Falls to Flow All Summer (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009180914_spokanefalls06.html?syndication=rss

Eastern Oregon Dam Site Group Will Update Commissioners (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Dam-site-group-will-update-commissioners

After Emergency Landing: Washington May Fine Airline for Dumping Fuel (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/841288.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Rules to Limit Emissions in the Making of Ethanol - rules would limit emissions of climate-changing gases from the manufacture of ethanol (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/business/energy-environment/06ethanol.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Lack of Money Biggest Block for Biofuels (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/06/BUTB17F9IA.DTL&feed=rss.business

Compressed Air: A Down-To-Earth Approach to Storing Energy (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4921-down-earth-approach-storing-energy/

Reuters Op/Ed - Wind Energy is Too Inefficient to Catch On
http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-wind-energy-is-too-inefficient-to-catch-on

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

PUD 3 and Mason County EDC Promote Conservation Programs (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=551

Chelan PUD Sets Conservation Goals (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090506/NEWS04/705069984

Tiny Particles Make LED Light More Pleasing (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/05/financial/f135749D87.DTL&feed=rss.business

News Release - Utilities Aim to Save Billions with Energy Efficiency (Washington Energy Services)
http://www.washingtonenergy.com/articles/article/205/utilities-aim-to-save-billions-with-energy-efficiency

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Obama Urges Dems to Compromise on Warming (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/05/MNGT17F9HP.DTL&type=politics

Prince Charles Ramps Up Rain Forest Effort (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/prince-charles-ramps-up-rain-forest-effort/?partner=rss&emc=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Latest Round of Microsoft Layoffs May Not Be Last (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2009180671_microsoft06.html?syndication=rss

Libraries Eye Stimulus Money for Their Web Access (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/05/financial/f090134D80.DTL&feed=rss.business

Gregoire Names New Head of Information Services (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/841720.html

North Carolina Broadband Bill Shelved For Now - State will study bill's impact in more detail (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/North-Carolina-Broadband-Bill-Shelved-102300

Hawaii Broadband Bill Fails in State Legislature (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/06/financial/f072537D95.DTL&feed=rss.business

Google and Others Urge Inventory of National Airwaves (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12300916

Qwest’s 1st Rule of Bandwidth Caps: Don’t Talk about the Caps (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/05/05/qwest-the-first-rule-of-bandwidth-caps-is-dont-talk-about-bandwidth-caps/

A Fifth of US Homes Have Cell Phones, No Landlines (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/06/national/w090056D59.DTL&feed=rss.news

Date Set For Charter Communications Reorganization Plan Hearing (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/05/financial/f135743D98.DTL&feed=rss.business

GENERAL NEWS

Swine Flu Confirmed In Washington State (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009180832_flu06m0.html?syndication=rss

Belfair-Tahuya Bridge to Close Overnight (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/may/05/belfair-tahuya-bridge-to-close-overnight/?partner=RSS

Locke Names Courtney Gregoire Legislative Director (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_commerce_gregoire.html


Viaduct Replacement Foreshadowing? Unexpected Holes Result from Sound Transit Tunneling (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009180823_hole06m0.html

Federal Stimulus Spending Could Take Us Down the Wrong Road (Crosscut Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/05/06/transportation/18989/

Federal Way Council Ousts City Manager (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009182803_webfedwaymanager06m.html?syndication=rss

Portland’s Quality Of Life 42nd-Best in the World – Seattle is 50th (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/05/04/daily26.html?ana=from_rss

Link to Quality of Life Summary is here (Mercer Quality of Living Survey)
http://www.mercer.com/referencecontent.htm?idContent=1173105#Top_50_cities:_Quality_of_living

DIVERSIONS

Afghanistan’s Only Pig Quarantined in Flu Fear
http://www.timescolonist.com/Health/Afghanistan+only+quarantined+fear/1565423/story.html

British Scientists Unveil Chocolate-Fueled Race Car They Hope Will Go 145 Mph
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12298720

Thieves Use a Crane to Steal Man's Vacation Home and Everything Inside
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12307156

German Court Bans Very Long Names
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/world/europe/06germany.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

SONG OF THE DAY

String of Pearls - Glenn Miller and his Orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2uoH6kcpMc

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Energy News Digest for May 5, 2009

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

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- Wind Advisory in Effect - No Reported PUD 3 Outages from Overnight Storm
- Storm Brings Outages to Western Washington
- Grant PUD Sees Declining Revenues
- Chelan PUD Annual Report to Be Printed By Request
- Kansas Governor Approves Coal Compromise
- New York Hydro Project Nixed
- Portland General Electric Short of Wall Street Expectations
- Duke Energy’s Earnings Down 26%
- Constellation Energy Swings To Loss On $271M Charges
- Congressional Research Service - Electric Power Transmission
- Salmon Salvation - Will a New Political Order Be Enough to Finally Bring the Dams Down?
- California – Study Shows Most Key Fishing Spots in State Polluted
- Can Clean Energy Revive Manufacturing?
- Vestas Makes Colorado a Clean-Energy Hub
- News Digest Flashback: Oregon - Plans for New Vestas Headquarters on Hold: Company to lay off 1,900 workers
- Chicago Tribune Columnist - Don't Need a Law to Know Which Way the Wind Blows
- GE Energy to Help Forecast Wind
- Cashing In On Wind: Locals Discuss Money Saved by Installing New Turbines
- Idaho - Assessor lowers tax value on closed ethanol plant
- United Kingdom - Surge in Renewable Power Fuels Fears of Energy Crisis
- White House, House GOP Convene Meetings on Climate
- Atlanta Journal Constitution Op/Ed - Is Cap And Trade Necessary to Ease Climate Change?
- US Chamber Of Commerce under Fire on Warming Stance
- How Green Are Our Ports? Very, if you’re shipping from Asia to Midwest
- More Pink Slips Go Out At Microsoft
- California Seeks $1 Billion in Stimulus Funds
- Bumping into Qwest's Invisible Cap
- Hackers Break into Virginia Health Professions Database, Demand Ransom
- U.S. Should Cede Control of Internet, European Union Honcho Says
- Obama's Tax Plans Raises High-Tech Hackles
- Wind, rain expected to ease up by midday today
- Storm Delays Hood Canal Bridge Work, Shuttle Ferry
- Flood Advisory for Mason, Pierce, Kitsap Counties
- Weyerhaeuser’s Loss Deepens amid Housing Downturn
- Man charged with draining mother's savings, racking up her credit card
- Mexican Dominance on May 5 Irks Other Latinos

WORD OF THE DAY

Cinco de Mayo • \SINK-oh – deh - MY-oh \ • noun - Spanish, fifth of May: Mexican and Mexican-American celebration held on May 5 in commemoration of the Mexican victory over the French at Puebla in 1862. NOT Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 15.

Hank was having a wonderful time on his Mexican vacation. The swirling dancers, loosely harmonic Mariachi bands and surging crowds were all in a ecstatic mood for the Cinco De Mayo celebration. When told that the Mexican Independence Day parties were even more extravagant, he immediately put in a reservation for the week of September 15.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast and 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

Wind Advisory in Effect - No Reported PUD 3 Outages from Overnight Storm (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=548

Storm Brings Outages to Western Washington (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_050509WXB-washington-spring-storm-LJ.1fd65ff2.html?rss

Grant PUD Sees Declining Revenues - Rate Increases, Capital Project Deferrals Discussed (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/05/04/news/doc49ff286f43809729484856.txt

Chelan PUD Annual Report to Be Printed By Request (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090505/NEWS04/705059986/-1/WEATHER?Chelan-PUD-Annual-Report-to-be-printed-by-request

Kansas Governor Approves Coal Compromise (Wichita Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2009/05/04/daily13.html?ana=from_rss

New York Hydro Project Nixed - Delaware County Electric Cooperative cites insurmountable obstacles presented by New York City (The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY)
http://www.thedailystar.com/local/local_story_125041544.html

Portland General Electric Short of Wall Street Expectations despite Increased Profit (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/05/04/daily3.html?ana=from_rss

Duke Energy’s Earnings Down 26% (Charlotte Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/05/04/daily11.html?ana=from_rss

Constellation Energy Swings To Loss On $271M Charges (Wall Street Journal – Here’s your bonus…)
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090505-711697.html

Congressional Research Service - Electric Power Transmission: Background and Policy Issues
http://opencrs.com/document/R40511/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon Salvation - Will a New Political Order Be Enough to Finally Bring the Dams Down? (High Country News, CO)
http://www.hcn.org/issues/41.8/salmon-salvation

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

California – Study Shows Most Key Fishing Spots in State Polluted (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/05/MN5I17EG6E.DTL&feed=rss.news

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Can Clean Energy Revive Manufacturing? “…the availability of land zoned for industrial use was also important…” (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/can-clean-energy-revive-manufacturing/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Vestas Makes Colorado a Clean-Energy Hub (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/vestas-makes-colorado-a-clean-energy-hub/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Chicago Tribune Columnist - Don't Need a Law to Know Which Way the Wind Blows
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-tue-greising-wind-may05,0,1462917.column

News Digest Flashback: Oregon - Plans for New Vestas Headquarters on Hold: Company to lay off 1,900 workers in Denmark and England (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/04/27/daily15.html?ana=from_rss

GE Energy to Help Forecast Wind (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/05/04/daily28.html?ana=from_rss

Cashing In On Wind: Locals Discuss Money Saved by Installing New Turbines (Foster’s Daily Democrat, Dover, NH)
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090504/GJNEWS_01/705049913

Idaho - Assessor lowers tax value on closed ethanol plant (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/840241.html

United Kingdom - Surge in Renewable Power Fuels Fears of Energy Crisis (The Scotsman, UK)
http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Surge-in--renewable-power.5233307.jp

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

White House, House GOP Convene Meetings on Climate (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009174459_apusclimatetalks.html?syndication=rss

Atlanta Journal Constitution Op/Ed - Is Cap And Trade Necessary to Ease Climate Change?
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/05/05/proconed.html

US Chamber Of Commerce under Fire on Warming Stance (Politico)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22101.html

How Green Are Our Ports? Very, if you’re shipping from Asia to Midwest (Seattle Times)
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/soundeconomyblog/2009/05/04/how_green_are_our_ports_very_i.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

More Pink Slips Go Out At Microsoft (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44364487.html

California Seeks $1 Billion in Stimulus Funds to Bring Broadband Link to Every Household (Sacramento Bee)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1833842.html

Bumping into Qwest's Invisible Cap - The same kind of cap that resulted in a Comcast fine (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Bumping-Into-Qwests-Invisible-Cap-102275

Hackers Break into Virginia Health Professions Database, Demand Ransom (Washington Post)
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/05/hackers_break_into_virginia_he.html

U.S. Should Cede Control of Internet, European Union Honcho Says (Bloomberg News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12294802

Obama's Tax Plans Raises High-Tech Hackles (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1997435~Obama_s_tax_plans_raises_high_tech_hackles.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

GENERAL NEWS

Wind, rain expected to ease up by midday today; drier weather by the weekend (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/storm/2009175772_webstorm05m.html?syndication=rss

Storm Delays Hood Canal Bridge Work, Shuttle Ferry (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009176128_apwaspringstormhoodcanal.html?syndication=rss

Flood Advisory for Mason, Pierce, Kitsap Counties (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/841128.html

Weyerhaeuser’s Loss Deepens amid Housing Downturn (Associated Press)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/05/05/business/AP-US-Earns-Weyerhaeuser.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Man charged with draining mother's savings, racking up her credit card (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009170892_webtheft04m.html?syndication=rss

Mexican Dominance on May 5 Irks Other Latinos - Cinco de Mayo to Be Celebrated This Week
http://www.kirotv.com/family/19370924/detail.html

DIVERSIONS

Woman Finds $120,000 at ATM - Rightful Owners Has 30 Days To Claim Cash
http://www.kirotv.com/money/19359009/detail.html

French Excel at Eating, Sleeping, Study Says - Norwegians Spend One-Quarter Of Day On Leisure
http://www.kirotv.com/health/19362828/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_12pm&tmi=sea_12pm_1_02000105042009&ts=H

Brawl Breaks Out During Karaoke at Oregon Restaurant
http://www.examiner.com/a-1996842~Brawl_breaks_out_during_karaoke_at_Ore__restaurant.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Are You Killing the Apostrophe?
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Features/Columns/?article=ApostropheCatastrophe&GT1=27004

SONG OF THE DAY

James Taylor – Mexico (Live & Acoustic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FVAUP_Yigw

Monday, May 4, 2009

Energy News Digest for May 4, 2009

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


TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- Spring storm on its way
- Intalco Says BPA's Offer Not Good Enough To Keep Ferndale Smelter Running
- FERC Issues Opinion on Oregon LNG Pipeline
- Nuclear Power Foes Not Stilled In N.E.
- Tribes Protest Nontribal Fishing Of Spring Chinook
- Obama Administration Reviewing Salmon Plan
- Chinook En Route to Idaho - But the Run Remains Late
- Climate Change - All We Do Now To Save Salmon Could Mean Nothing
- Fans of Wild Fish Work Together On Deschutes
- Cowlitz County - Abernathy Fish Center to Get Federal Money for Repairs
- Pikeminnow Bounty Hunt Starts In Oregon, Washington
- Too Many Horses: Northwest Tribes Consider Slaughter Facility for Wild Horses
- Less Snow in Northern Wash. Means Less Water
- Mason County to Celebrate Completion of Rustlewood Sewer Upgrades
- Pierce County Water Funds Runneth Over
- Yakima Left High, Dry On Water Funds
- Thirsty Las Vegas Is A Case Study Of The Next Global Crisis
- EPA Seeks Rules for Utilities' Runoff
- Going Green Can Cost Too Much Green
- San Jose Homeowner Spends More Than $100,000 to Go 'Off the Grid'
- Wind Power: A Very Green but Very Intermittent Source of Power
- Pocatello Charter School to Tap Wind Power
- Oregon Solar - Here Comes the Sun. Right?
- Grid Quirks Stifle Green Generation in Cities
- Ray of Light in Washington State’s New Energy Law
- Updated LEED Standards Include Region-Specific Elements
- New Grid May Be Needed, but So Is Smarter Use
- New Solar Water Heating Program Reduces Energy Costs
- Australia Delays Carbon Trading Because of Economy
- Oregon’s Watered Down Cap-And-Trade Bill Moves Ahead
- Industries Push for Free Pollution Credits
- Tucson Citizen Op/Ed - Regulating Greenhouse Gases
- Ted Kulongoski - Lifestyle and the Carbon Cap
- Seeking to Save the Planet, With a Thesaurus
- White as the New Green - Painting roofs white in the hot parts of the planet
- Web Providers Must Limit Internet's Carbon Footprint, Say Experts
- The Coming Broadband Smackdown
- Colorado - Silverton Fights Qwest to Bridge a Digital Divide
- North Carolina - Industry Group Part of Effort to Halt Cities' Fiber-Optic Plans
- Cable Companies Try To Cripple Municipal Broadband
- Cost of Providing Broadband Dropping
- Obama Nominates New FCC Commissioner
- WHO head indicates full flu pandemic to be declared
- Flu, Mostly Mild, Has Spread Across U.S.
- Expert Says 'Just another Flu Virus,' So Why the Fear?
- Weyerhaeuser Could Cut 145 More Jobs
- Stimulus Money ($1.1 Billion) for Pacific Northwest Forest Service
- Columbian Seeks Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
- Lobbyists Looking Like A Better Bet To Pinched Cities

WORD OF THE DAY

Gadzookery • \gad-ZOO-kuh-ree\ • noun - the use of words and phrases that are outdated or archaic

“Ods Bodkins,” exclaimed the Beau Brummel impersonator to the curious Las Vegas passersby. “Forsooth thou shalt have a pox on each of your houses for thy shunning me for my gadzookery, you swine,” he huffed as he packed his various and sundry items into his stolen “Safeway” shopping cart.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast and 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

Spring storm on its way (KIRO-Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=163708

Intalco Says BPA's Offer Not Good Enough To Keep Ferndale Smelter Running (Bellingham Herald)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/894230.html

FERC Issues Opinion on Oregon LNG Pipeline (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1995423~FERC_issues_opinion_on_LNG_pipeline.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Nuclear Power Foes Not Stilled In N.E. - Approval nationwide higher than in region (Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2009/05/04/nuclear_power_foes_not_stilled_in_ne/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Tribes Protest Nontribal Fishing Of Spring Chinook (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/839544.html

Obama Administration Reviewing Salmon Plan - reviewing a Bush administration plan for balancing the needs of people and salmon in the Columbia River Basin (Associated Press)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/01/AR2009050103659.html

Chinook En Route to Idaho - But the Run Remains Late (Spokesman Review, Spokane)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/03/chinook-en-route-to-idaho/

Climate Change - All We Do Now To Save Salmon Could Mean Nothing “…This means the hydroelectric dams that provide more than half of the electricity in the region - without emitting carbon dioxide - are more valuable than ever…” (Idaho Statesman, Boise)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/755882.html

Fans of Wild Fish Work Together On Deschutes (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2009/05/fans_of_wild_fish_work_togethe.html

Cowlitz County - Abernathy Fish Center to Get Federal Money for Repairs (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/05/03//area_news/doc49fd247282a51174605795.txt

Pikeminnow Bounty Hunt Starts In Oregon, Washington (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/05/pikeminnow_bounty_hunt_starts.html

Too Many Horses: Northwest Tribes Consider Slaughter Facility for Wild Horses (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009164786_horse03m.html?syndication=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Less Snow in Northern Wash. Means Less Water (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_regulated_water.html?source=pimail

Mason County to Celebrate Completion of Rustlewood Sewer Upgrades (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7144/reftab/1632/t/COUNTY-TO-CELEBRATE-COMPLETION-OF-RUSTLEWOOD-SEWER-UPGRADES/Default.aspx

Pierce County Water Funds Runneth Over (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/729203.html

Yakima Left High, Dry On Water Funds (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009168380_yakimawater04m.html?syndication=rss

Thirsty Las Vegas Is A Case Study Of The Next Global Crisis - Las Vegas may lose 40 percent of its water by 2012 (Bloomberg News)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009164039_lasvegaswater03.html

EPA Seeks Rules for Utilities' Runoff - Pollutants Scrubbed From Smokestacks Are Being Diverted Into Waterways (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/02/AR2009050200703.html?wprss=rss_business

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Going Green Can Cost Too Much Green (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2009-05-03-greencities_N.htm

San Jose Homeowner Spends More Than $100,000 to Go 'Off the Grid' (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12274789

Wind Power: A Very Green but Very Intermittent Source of Power (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4909-wind-power-very-green-very-intermittent-source-power/

Pocatello Charter School to Tap Wind Power (The Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/840136.html

Oregon Solar - Here Comes the Sun. Right? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/business/energy-environment/03solar.html?_r=1

Grid Quirks Stifle Green Generation in Cities (Boston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2009/05/04/story12.html?ana=from_rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Ray of Light in Washington State’s New Energy Law - Thousands of jobs foreseen to upgrade buildings to strict new state standards (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/05/04/story2.html?ana=from_rss

Updated LEED Standards Include Region-Specific Elements (Phoenix Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2009/05/04/story13.html?ana=from_rss

New Grid May Be Needed, but So Is Smarter Use (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103713402&ft=1&f=2

New Solar Water Heating Program Reduces Energy Costs and Environmental Impact (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/enerworks-inc-5364/news/article/2009/05/new-solar-water-heating-program-reduces-energy-costs-and-environmental-impact

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Australia Delays Carbon Trading Because of Economy (Bloomberg News)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aAeNx.qkD3sw&refer=asia

Oregon’s Watered Down Cap-And-Trade Bill Moves Ahead (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/05/04/story5.html?ana=from_rss

Industries Push for Free Pollution Credits (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124138869928981331.html

Tucson Citizen Op/Ed - Regulating Greenhouse Gases: Use revenue-neutral carbon tax (Arizona)
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/opinion/115728.php

Ted Kulongoski - Lifestyle and the Carbon Cap (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/lifestyle-and-the-carbon-cap/

Seeking to Save the Planet, With a Thesaurus - The problem with global warming, some environmentalists believe, is “global warming.” (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/us/politics/02enviro.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

White as the New Green - Painting roofs white in the hot parts of the planet could reflect huge amounts of solar radiation back into space and offset greenhouse gas problems (NY Times – just like “Daisy World” in the Chronicles of Gaia?)
http://ideas.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/white-as-the-new-green/?partner=rss&emc=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Web Providers Must Limit Internet's Carbon Footprint, Say Experts (The Guardian, United Kingdom – or, as Gawker puts it, “The Internet Is Sucking up All the World's Energy, Killing Baby Seals”)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/03/internet-carbon-footprint

The Coming Broadband Smackdown - Cable's attempts to charge users for how much they download threaten the Web video business (Forbes Magazine)
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/30/cable-broadband-internet-video-business-media-broadband.html?partner=yahootix

Colorado - Silverton Fights Qwest to Bridge a Digital Divide “…only county seat in Colorado that is not connected to the rest of the state by fiber optics…” (Denver Post, CO)
http://www.denverpost.com/dnc/ci_12277637

North Carolina - Industry Group Part of Effort to Halt Cities' Fiber-Optic Plans (Salisbury Post, NC)
http://www.salisburypost.com/Area/050109-fiber-americans-for-prosperity-on-cable-bill

Cable Companies Try To Cripple Municipal Broadband (MediaPost)
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=105190

Cost of Providing Broadband Dropping - It's the television market where margins are tight (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Cost-Of-Providing-Broadband-Dropping-102253

Obama Nominates New FCC Commissioner - Carriers pleased, though progressives worry about close AT&T ties (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Obama-Nominates-New-FCC-Commissioner-102223

GENERAL NEWS

WHO head indicates full flu pandemic to be declared (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5431DI20090504?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

Flu, Mostly Mild, Has Spread Across U.S. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/health/04flu.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Expert Says 'Just another Flu Virus,' So Why the Fear? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/405801_skeptics01.html?source=rss

Weyerhaeuser Could Cut 145 More Jobs (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/05/03/local_news/doc49fbdcac59cac757426884.txt

Stimulus Money ($1.1 Billion) Aimed for Forest Service in Northwest (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009168131_foreststimulus04m.html

Columbian Seeks Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_columbian_bankruptcy.html?source=pimail

Lobbyists Looking Like A Better Bet To Pinched Cities - Senate lobbying records show that dozens of cities and counties signed up with lobbying firms in the three months of this year (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009168136_locallobby04.html?syndication=rss

DIVERSIONS

Rethinking the Rules of Blackberry Etiquette
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_050409WAB-blackberry-etiquette-LJ.1adbd499.html?rss

Dr Pepper Artifact May Reveal Soft Drink's Origin - Poking through antiques stores while traveling through the Texas Panhandle, Bill Waters stumbled across a tattered old ledger book filled with formulas.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009169178_apusdrpepperauction.html?syndication=rss

Porta-Potties May Have Saved Pilot in Plane Crash
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19346755/detail.html

Woman Accused of Taking 500 Pounds of Gold from Job
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE5404WW20090501?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

SONG OF THE DAY

"Stand by Me" - Peace through Music (Ed Note: this is pretty cool. The producer traveled around the world getting different musical groups and buskers to sing this song. He then stitched them together into an enjoyable whole. Caesar Pope in Paris plays a ukulele. Keen!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6UqdvMRb3k

'Playing For Change' and Peace through Music (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103715874&ft=1&f=3

Friday, May 1, 2009

Energy News Digest for May 1, 2009

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

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- Minnesota House Says No To New Nuclear Power Plants
- Pipe Leak at New York Nuclear Plant Raises Concerns
- U.S. Senators Aim To Protect Electric Grid from Hackers
- Young Workers Find Opportunity in Power Industry
- Oregon - Bend’s Growth Could Be Hindered by Insufficient Infrastructure
- Cedar Trees Must Come Down, PSE Says
- Pacific Northwest Tribes May Head To Court Over Salmon
- Commerce Secretary Locke Announces $53M for Salmon Disaster
- Yakima River Fish Advisory Lifted
- Tribes Hail Stimulus Money for Fishing Sites
- Lumley New Leader of Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
- Oregon Legislature Wants Closer Look At Salmon Issues
- Columbia River Anglers to See Big License Fee Increase
- Leavenworth Hatchery Gets Stimulus Funds for Pipe and Screens
- Bungled Vancouver Sewer Connection Traced To 1974
- Seattle Times Editorial - Environmental Gains in a Tough Session
- California - Survey Finds Sierra Snow Is 66 Percent of Normal
- California - Low Snow, Reservoir Levels Force Rationing
- S. Idaho Water Fight Heard In District Court
- Columbia Basin Herald Op/Ed - Hydropower Is a Renewable Resource
- New Jersey - There's Untapped Power in That Water
- PNNL Named Energy Research Frontier Center
- Nevada - NV Energy Hits Renewable Target for First Time
- Chu Promises Speedier Funding for Renewable Energy Projects
- Test drive: All-electric Mini and Ford Fusion Hybrid
- NY Times Op/Ed - An Affordable Salvation
- United Kingdom – 2/3 of firms unaware of upcoming carbon regulation
- What the Smart Grid Can Learn From the Internet
- Broadband Caps Can Cost You
- Many Twitters Are Quick Quitters: Study
- Wash State Lists Ten Probable Swine Flu Cases
- Hood Canal Bridge Closed For Six Weeks
- Hood Canal Survival Guide!
- Judgment Could Cause Eastern Wash Town's Bankruptcy
- It's spring, And Region Is Aflutter with Hummingbirds

WORD OF THE DAY

In vino veritas • \in-ween-oh WEAR-ee-tahs\ • foreign term – In wine [there is the] truth. The phrase suggests that one tends to reveal their true feelings under the influence of alcohol.

“I think I’m drunk,” slurred Foster Brooks to his friends at the Dew Drop Inn. “In vino veritas,” boomed the impatient bartender, looking surreptitiously at the clock, which was dangerously close to closing time. “You said a mouthful,” Foster hiccupped in response, lifting his half-empty glass of rotgut.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast and 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

Minnesota House Says No To New Nuclear Power Plants (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, MN)
http://www.startribune.com/local/44082052.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Pipe Leak at New York Nuclear Plant Raises Concerns “…a one-and-a-half-inch hole caused by corrosion…” (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/nyregion/02nuke.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

U.S. Senators Aim To Protect Electric Grid From Hackers (CBS News)
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/30/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4981641.shtml

Young Workers Find Opportunity in Power Industry (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103629929

Oregon - Bend’s Future Growth Could Be Hindered by Insufficient Infrastructure (Bend Bulletin, OR)
http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090501/BIZ0102/905010375/1001/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01

Cedar Trees Must Come Down, PSE Says (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/837404.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Pacific Northwest Tribes May Head To Court Over Salmon (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2009/04/tribes_may_head_to_court_over.html

Commerce Secretary Locke announces $53M for salmon disaster (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44104667.html

Yakima River Fish Advisory Lifted (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10281065

Tribes Hail Stimulus Money for Fishing Sites (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4900-tribes-hail-stimulus-money-fishing-sites/

Lumley New Leader of Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1991696~Lumley_new_leader_of_fish_commission.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Oregon Legislature Wants Closer Look At Salmon Issues (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2009/04/legislature_wants_closer_look.html

Columbia River Anglers to See Big License Fee Increase (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090501/SPORTS04/705019916/-1/SPORTS

Leavenworth Hatchery Gets Stimulus Funds for Pipe and Screens (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090501/NEWS04/705019958/1025/rss1025

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Bungled Vancouver Sewer Connection Traced To 1974 - Raw sewage likely began to enter creek in 1997 from fisheries and environmental offices (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090501/NEWS02/705019936/

Seattle Times Editorial - Environmental Gains in a Tough Session
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2009153923_edita01lege.html

California - Survey Finds Sierra Snow Is 66 Percent of Normal (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1990901~Survey_finds_Sierra_snow_is_66_percent_of_normal.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

California - Low snow, reservoir levels force rationing (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/01/MNDM17CBMV.DTL&feed=rss.news

S. Idaho Water Fight Heard In District Court (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/836870.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Columbia Basin Herald Op/Ed - Hydropower Is a Renewable Resource
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/04/30/editorials/doc49fa1f60611f2607814658.txt

New Jersey - There's untapped power in that water: Agency considers how to harness hydroelectricity (The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1241150843301360.xml&coll=1

PNNL Named Energy Research Frontier Center (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/915/story/561819.html?mi_email=Tri-City%20Herald_PM+%26+Breaking+News

Nevada - NV Energy hits renewable target for first time (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/30/financial/f174106D54.DTL&feed=rss.business

Chu Promises Speedier Funding for Renewable Energy Projects (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/chu-pomises-speedier-funding-for-renewable-energy-projects/

Test drive: All-electric Mini and Ford Fusion Hybrid (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10231123-54.html?tag=nl.e703

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

NY Times Op/Ed - An Affordable Salvation “…the chances of meaningful action on climate change, probably through a cap-and-trade system on emissions, have risen sharply…”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/opinion/01krugman.html?ref=opinion

United Kingdom - Two thirds of firms unaware of upcoming carbon regulation (BusinessGreen)
http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2241518/two-three-businesses-unaware

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

What the Smart Grid Can Learn From the Internet (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/04/30/what-the-smart-grid-can-learn-from-the-internet/

Broadband Caps Can Cost You (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/01/AR2009050101065.html?wprss=rss_technology

Many Twitters are quick quitters: study (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE53S1A720090429?feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology

GENERAL NEWS

Wash State Lists Ten Probable Swine Flu Cases (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_swine_flu.html?source=pimail

Hood Canal Bridge Closed For Six Weeks (KIRO-Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=162926

Hood Canal Survival Guide! (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/traffic/19251941/detail.html

Judgment Could Cause Eastern Wash Town's Bankruptcy (Associated Press)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44077682.html

It's spring, And Region Is Aflutter with Hummingbirds (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009149195_hummingbirds30m.html?syndication=rss

DIVERSIONS

Very Delicately Written - Under Armour Recalls Athletic Cups
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009153020_apusapfnunderarmourrecall.html?syndication=rss

In Blind Taste-Test, Dog Food Fools Most
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12266692

Farmers Fear Pigs May Get "Swine" Flu from People
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5401DJ20090501?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

SONG OF THE DAY – SWINE FLU EDITION

Feelin’ Alright - Traffic/Dave Mason Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJcIjG9N1Qs&feature=related

Feelin’ Alright - Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Ron Wood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJcIjG9N1Qs&feature=related