Energy News Digest for February 11, 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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices: http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Class Action Lawsuit Against LEED & US Green Building Council Evolves “…claims…green building rating system makes false promises about the energy performance…” (Washington Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2011/02/class-action-lawsuit-against-leed-and.html

Obama Touts Plan to Get Wireless Internet to 98 Percent of US (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/10/AR2011021005765.html

Editorial - Participants in TransAlta Dispute Need to Clear the Air (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/02/10/1538279/participants-in-transalta-dispute.html

Mason County PUD 3 Releases Operations Center Costs (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=715:pud-3-releases-ops-center-project-costs&catid=1:latest-news

Thurston County Group to Set Biomass Base - It will help county review proposed projects; moratorium stays (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/02/10/1538397/group-to-set-biomass-base.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Editorial - Participants in TransAlta Dispute Need to Clear the Air

·         TransAlta to End Power Purchase Agreement with Large Canadian Coal Plant

·         Analysis: More US Utilities Switch from Coal to Natgas

·         Throughout the Rockies, Utility Companies Reluctantly Reconsider Coal Plants

·         Texas - Blackouts: Another Failure of Deregulation

·         Mason County PUD 3 Releases Operations Center Costs

·         Mukilteo City Staff Says Inspection of Utility Poles Unnecessary

·         British Columbia - Copper Thieves Shutting Off Lights Across the Okanagan

·         Wind, Hydro, Biomass May Cover 36% of European Energy Needs by 2020

·         Columbia River Chinook & Sturgeon Seasons Reduced

·         Columbia River Hatchery System Future Still in Limbo

·         Wood Debris from Sandy River Flood Will Return to Nature, Become Habitat for Salmon & Trout

·         Feds Give Preliminary OK to Kill Wolves

·         Oregon Lawmaker Tells Europeans to Butt Out of Pacific Northwest Wolf Issues

·         US Proposes Aquaculture Guidelines

·         Hooking Up Homes Next Phase of Belfair Sewer Project

·         Washington State DNR Chief: Timber-Harvest Rules Compliance Must Improve

·         Farmers’ Project Goal? To Clean Dairy Air

·         Thurston County Group to Set Biomass Base

·         Vancouver City Councilors Lukewarm on Proposed Downtown Biomass Plant

·         Canada - BC Hydro Rejects Williams Lake Area Biomass Plan

·         Oversupply Causes Drop in Wind Turbine Prices

·         Gulf Coast Wind Farms Spring Up, as Do Worries

·         Washington Invests in Making Wind Pay

·         La Niña Significantly Influences Wind Speeds in Q4 2010

·         Renewable Cost Parity: Is Wind Competitive with Gas?

·         New York City Is Looking at Sewage Treatment as a Source of Energy

·         Class Action Lawsuit Against LEED & US Green Building Council Evolves

·         Study: Tiny LED Holiday Bulbs Contain Lead, Arsenic

·         Facebook Should ‘Unfriend Coal,’ Says Greenpeace

·         Wayback Machine Says: Facebook Tells Greenpeace: ‘We’re Just as Green as You’

·         GOP Lawmakers Take Obama Admin’s Side in Supreme Court Greenhouse Gas Case

·         Bush’s EPA Chief Urged Regulating Carbon Emissions in 2008, Letter Shows

·         Seattle Pushing for More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

·         EPA’s Power Plant Rules Would Spur Job Creation – Report

·         The $8-Trillion Clean-Energy Bill

·         Obama Touts Plan to Get Wireless Internet to 98 Percent of US

·         White House Outlines Wireless Spending & Bandwidth Sales

·         Washington State Retains Microsoft Permit for Data Center Backup Generators

·         Amazon Closing Texas Distribution Center Amid Tax Dispute

·         Microsoft Readies Internet Explorer 9 for Release

·         Clearwire Retail Retreat May Raise Prospect of Sprint Investment

·         Being Prepared: Cantwell Sees $18 Million Campaign

·         Washington State Bill Would Up Regulation for Signature Gatherers

·         On the Skokomish River, Rain Can Mean Flooding

·         Mason County Taxable Retail Sales Up

·         Inmate Confesses to Killing Monroe Corrections Officer, Sources Say

·         Forest Service Eyes Rules to Increase Control

·         Oregon’s Knight Arena Passes Audit Muster – Now, if they could just do something about that floor!

WORD OF THE DAY

Unctuous • \UNK-chu-wus\ • Adjective - 1a: fatty, oily b: smooth & greasy in texture or appearance 2: insincerely smooth in speech & manner

Freddie’s encounter with the gold-toothed “miracle oil” salesman left him feeling like he needed a good, hot shower: literally. After extolling its virtues, in unctuous tones, the salesman start spraying the gathered potential customers with the oil additive…laughing maniacally the whole time.

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

Editorial - Participants in TransAlta Dispute Need to Clear the Air (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/02/10/1538279/participants-in-transalta-dispute.html

TransAlta to End Power Purchase Agreement with Large Canadian Coal Plant (Electric Light & Power)

http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display.articles.electric-light-power.generation.coal.2011.02.TransAlta_to_end_power_purchase_agreement_with_large_coal_plant.QP129867.dcmp=rss.page=1.html

Analysis: More US Utilities Switch from Coal to Natgas (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/10/us-coal-gas-switching-idUSTRE7192OL20110210

Throughout the Rockies, Utility Companies Reluctantly Reconsider Coal Plants (New West)

http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/reconsider_coal_throughout_rockies_tri_state_tristate_colorado_wyoming/C618/L618/

Texas - Blackouts: Another Failure of Deregulation…New plants aren’t built because profit margins are low (San Antonio Express-News, TX)

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/Blackouts-Another-failure-of-deregulation-1008186.php

Mason County PUD 3 Releases Operations Center Costs (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=715:pud-3-releases-ops-center-project-costs&catid=1:latest-news

Mukilteo City Staff Says Inspection of Utility Poles Unnecessary (Mukilteo Beacon, WA)

http://www.mukilteobeacon.com/city-government/article.exm/2011-02-09_city_staff_says_inspection_of_utility_poles_unnecessary

British Columbia - Copper Thieves Shutting Off Lights Across the Okanagan (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/Copper+thieves+shutting+lights+across+Okanagan/4259038/story.html

Wind, Hydro, Biomass May Cover 36% of European Energy Needs by 2020 (Bloomberg)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-10/wind-hydropower-biomass-may-account-for-36-of-eu-s-energy-needs-by-2020.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia River Chinook & Sturgeon Seasons Reduced (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/lifestyles/article_e749482a-358b-11e0-a2cf-001cc4c002e0.html

Columbia River Hatchery System Future Still in Limbo (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/feb/09/hatchery-system-future-still-limbo/

Wood Debris from Sandy River Flood Will Return to Nature, Become Habitat for Salmon & Trout (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2011/02/wood_debris_from_sandy_river_f.html

Feds Give Preliminary OK to Kill Wolves (Associated Press)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/feb/10/feds-give-preliminary-ok-kill-wolves/

Oregon Lawmaker Tells Europeans to Butt Out of Pacific Northwest Wolf Issues (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014190180_apusoregonwolfdustup.html

US Proposes Aquaculture Guidelines (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/science/earth/10fish.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Hooking Up Homes Next Phase of Belfair Sewer Project (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/feb/10/hooking-up-homes-next-phase-of-belfair-sewer/

Washington State DNR Chief: Timber-Harvest Rules Compliance Must Improve (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/02/09/1537599/dnr-chief-timber-harvest-rules.html

Farmers’ Project Goal? To Clean Dairy Air (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2011/02/10/project-goal-to-clean-dairy-air

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Thurston County Group to Set Biomass Base - It will help county review proposed projects; moratorium stays (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/02/10/1538397/group-to-set-biomass-base.html

Vancouver City Councilors Lukewarm on Proposed Downtown Biomass Plant (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/clark-county/index.ssf/2011/02/vancouver_city_councilors_lukewarm_on_proposed_downtown_biomass_plant.html

Canada - BC Hydro Rejects Williams Lake Area Biomass Plan (Williams Lake Tribune, BC)

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/williamslaketribune/news/115541819.html

Oversupply Causes Drop in Wind Turbine Prices (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/02/oversupply-causes-drop-in-wind-turbine-prices?cmpid=rss

Gulf Coast Wind Farms Spring Up, as Do Worries (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/us/11ttwind.html

Washington Invests in Making Wind Pay (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/washington-invests-in-making-wind-pay/

La Niña Significantly Influences Wind Speeds in Q4 2010 (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/3tier/news/article/2011/02/la-nia-significantly-influences-wind-speeds-in-q4-2010?cmpid=rss

Renewable Cost Parity: Is Wind Competitive with Gas? It Depends on how you define it (Climate Central)

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/renewable-cost-parity-is-wind-competitive-with-gas/

New York City Is Looking at Sewage Treatment as a Source of Energy (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/science/09sewage.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Class Action Lawsuit Against LEED & US Green Building Council Evolves “…claims…green building rating system makes false promises about the energy performance…” (Washington Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2011/02/class-action-lawsuit-against-leed-and.html

Study: Tiny LED Holiday Bulbs Contain Lead, Arsenic (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/02/led-lights-lead-arsenic-toxics-/1?csp=34tech

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Facebook Should ‘Unfriend Coal,’ Says Greenpeace (Washington Post)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2011/02/greenpeace_has_stepped_up_its.html

Wayback Machine Says: Facebook Tells Greenpeace: ‘We’re Just as Green as You’ (TGDaily)

http://www.tgdaily.com/business-and-law-features/51365-facebook-tells-greenpeace-were-just-as-green-as-you

GOP Lawmakers Take Obama Admin’s Side in Supreme Court Greenhouse Gas Case (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/02/08/08climatewire-gop-lawmakers-take-obama-admins-side-in-supr-19115.html

Bush’s EPA Chief Urged Regulating Carbon Emissions in 2008, Letter Shows (Bloomberg)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-08/bush-s-epa-chief-urged-regulating-carbon-emissions-in-2008-letter-shows.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Seattle Pushing for More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Push-for-more-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-in-Western-Washington-115920514.html

EPA’s Power Plant Rules Would Spur Job Creation – Report (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/02/09/09greenwire-epas-power-plant-rules-would-spur-job-creation-48692.html

The $8-Trillion Clean-Energy Bill (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/trillion+clean+energy+bill/4249228/story.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Obama Touts Plan to Get Wireless Internet to 98 Percent of US (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/10/AR2011021005765.html

White House Outlines Wireless Spending & Bandwidth Sales (NY Times)

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/white-house-outlines-wireless-spending-bandwidth-sales/

Washington State Retains Microsoft Permit for Data Center Backup Generators (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/article_4d82634a-352f-11e0-b9b3-001cc4c03286.html

Amazon Closing Texas Distribution Center Amid Tax Dispute (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014189510_texasamazon11.html

Microsoft Readies Internet Explorer 9 for Release (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/238940.asp

Clearwire Retail Retreat May Raise Prospect of Sprint Investment (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014189725_clearwire11.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Being Prepared: Cantwell Sees $18 Million Campaign (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/connelly/435275_JOEL11.html

Washington State Bill Would Up Regulation for Signature Gatherers (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=13999219

GENERAL NEWS

On the Skokomish River, Rain Can Mean Flooding (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theweatherbeat/2014195174_flood11.html

Mason County Taxable Retail Sales Up (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=726:taxable-retail-sales-up&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=106

Inmate Confesses to Killing Monroe Corrections Officer, Sources Say (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Inmate-confesses-to-killing-Monroe-corrections-officer-sources-say.html

Forest Service Eyes Rules to Increase Control (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/115837739.html

Oregon’s Knight Arena Passes Audit Muster – Now, if they could just do something about that floor! (Portland Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2011/02/10/knight-arena-passes-audit-muster.html

DIVERSIONS

Turn Off & Unplug at Typewriter ‘Type-In’

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110209/NEWS01/712049987/-1/rss02

Happy Birthday Julius Pierpont Patches - Iconic Kids’ Show Debuted 53 Years Ago

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/435168_patches10.html

Diet Pepsi ‘Skinny’ Can Stirs Up Big Controversy

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014195198_apusdietpepsiskinnycan.html

Is the Southern Accent in Danger?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2014185449_accent.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Charlie Daniels Band - The South’s Gonna do it Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCKhujch9fo

Energy News Digest for February 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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices: http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

FCC To Use Phone Subsidy Fund To Pay For Broadband (Associated Press)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2011-02-08-rural-broadband_N.htm?csp=34tech

Home Heating Assistance Seen At Record High (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014165171_apushomeheatingassistance.html

Columbia Spring Chinook Salmon Season Set: Fewer Fish; More Room (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2011/02/columbia_spring_chinook_salmon_1.html

Idaho Sides With Utilities Over Wind-Farm Builders - Developers say the decision will dampen one of the state’s few economic bright spots (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/02/09/1519883/state-sides-with-utilities-over.html

Moses Lake - REC Silicon Fined $10,000 by Washington State Department of Ecology – “…nitrogen oxides…If humans inhale the particles, they can result in or worsen emphysema or bronchitis, or aggravate existing heart disease…” (Columbia Basin Bulletin, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/article_fdcb0fe8-33d8-11e0-98b8-001cc4c002e0.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Home Heating Assistance Seen At Record High

·         Oregon House Panel Takes Up - And Sets Aside For Now - Restructuring The Oregon Department Of Energy

·         1,600 Hanford Workers To Be Laid Off

·         Mason County PUD No. 3 Johns Prairie Ops Center Project Update

·         Texas Natural Gas Shortage To Generators Was A Business Decision, Industry Leader Says

·         ‘Massive’ Closures of US Coal Plants Loom

·         Search for Wind-Related Grid Problems Finds a Bigger Concern

·         Pacific Gas & Electric Hangs Onto San Francisco Electricity Monopoly

·         Columbia Spring Chinook Salmon Season Set: Fewer Fish; More Room

·         Logs Key To Elwha River Restoration, Fish And Wildlife Managers Say

·         Is Obama Swimming Upstream with Campaign Against Salmon Bureaucracy?

·         A Nez Perce Elder Spreads Love for Lamprey

·         BC Hydro Won’t Fence Off Roosevelt Elk ‘Death Trap’

·         California - Poor Economy Enables Public Land Trusts to Buy Land for Conservation

·         Two Million Gallons per Month - New Water Bottling Plant Coming To Everett

·         Congress Spends Big Bucks On Bottled Water

·         Idaho Sides With Utilities Over Wind-Farm Builders

·         Voluntary Guidelines To Avoid Bird-Wind Impacts

·         Mayor Sam Adams headed to Spain hoping to keep Iberdrola headquarters in Portland

·         Moses Lake - REC Silicon Fined $10,000 by Washington State Department of Ecology

·         REC Silicon Revenue Almost Doubled In The Fourth Quarter Of 2010

·         REC Expects Polysilicon, Solar Wafer Prices to Drop 5% in First Quarter

·         Winter, Snow, & Solar Panels: A Mixed Forecast

·         Utilities, Cool to Obama's Clean Energy Standard, Are Redefining

·         State Renewable Energy Standards Under Attack From GOP Legislators

·         Op/Ed - Washington State Energy Efficiency Victory Helps Homeowners Save Money and Cuts Pollution

·         Homeowners Tapping Super-Efficient Water Heaters To Save Money

·         Teaming Tenants and Landlords for Energy Savings

·         Global Warming Fix Heats Up Hearing With EPA Chief

·         GOP Threatens Big EPA Budget Cut Over Global Warming

·         Editorial - Protect EPA’s Authority: New Bills Would Halt Regulation Of Greenhouse Gases

·         Scientists Calculate Ghengis Khan's Carbon Footprint

·         Lawsuit By Low-Income Groups May Delay Climate Law

·         FCC To Use Phone Subsidy Fund To Pay For Broadband

·         Rent Might Help State Bill For Washington State’s Olympia Data Center

·         General Manager Takes Over Chelan County PUD Fiber Optic Build-Out

·         California - State Audit Blasts Inadequacies Of $2 Billion Court Computer System

·         Budget Frills? What Are Washington And Oregon Buying That Idaho Isn't?

·         Congressional Lawmakers Oppose Federal Bailout For States

·         Non-Profit Hospital Pay Under State Scrutiny

·         Bill Would Ban Coal-Tar Sealant In Washington State

·         Military 'Widows' Tax' Lingers

WORD OF THE DAY

Vicissitude • \vuh-SISS-uh-tood\ • Noun - 1: the quality or state of being changeable: mutability 2a: an unexpected change or fluctuation b: a difficulty or hardship usually beyond one's control

Adapting to the vicissitudes of aging, Garry Shandling’s signature line “How’s my hair?” may soon have to be changed to “Where’s my hair?”

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

Home Heating Assistance Seen At Record High (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014165171_apushomeheatingassistance.html

Oregon House Panel Takes Up - And Sets Aside For Now - Restructuring The Oregon Department Of Energy (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/02/oregon_house_panel_takes_up_--.html

1,600 Hanford Workers To Be Laid Off (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=13880889

Mason County PUD No. 3 Johns Prairie Ops Center Project Update – Expenditure info was available…not reported (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=532:johns-prairie-ops-center-project-update&catid=1:latest-news

Texas Natural Gas Shortage To Generators Was A Business Decision, Industry Leader Says - Some power companies allow cuts to service for cheaper gas, Railroad Commission is told (Austin Statesman American, TX)

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/natural-gas-shortage-to-generators-business-decision-industry-1241770.html

‘Massive’ Closures of US Coal Plants Loom (Bloomberg)

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-02-09/-massive-closures-of-u-s-coal-plants-loom-chu-says.html

Search for Wind-Related Grid Problems Finds a Bigger Concern (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/02/08/08climatewire-search-for-wind-related-grid-problems-finds-88348.html

Pacific Gas & Electric Hangs Onto San Francisco Electricity Monopoly (San Francisco Business Times)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/morning_call/2011/02/pge-hangs-onto-san-francisco-monopoly.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia Spring Chinook Salmon Season Set: Fewer Fish; More Room (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2011/02/columbia_spring_chinook_salmon_1.html

Logs Key To Elwha River Restoration, Fish And Wildlife Managers Say (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110209/news/302099975/logs-key-to-elwha-river-restoration-fish-and-wildlife-managers-say

Is Obama Swimming Upstream with Campaign Against Salmon Bureaucracy? (Fox News)

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/02/04/obama-swimming-upstream-campaign-salmon-bureaucracy/

A Nez Perce Elder Spreads Love for Lamprey (High Country News)

http://www.hcn.org/issues/43.2/a-nez-perce-elder-spreads-love-for-lamprey

BC Hydro Won’t Fence Off Roosevelt Elk ‘Death Trap’ (Globe & Mail, Canada)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/mark-hume/bc-hydro-wont-fence-off-roosevelt-elk-death-trap/article1896632/

California - Poor Economy Enables Public Land Trusts to Buy Land for Conservation (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/08/3385006/poor-economy-enables-public-land.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Two Million Gallons per Month - New Water Bottling Plant Coming To Everett (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110209/BIZ/702099770/-1/RSS03

Congress Spends Big Bucks On Bottled Water (Associated Press)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/26802441/detail.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Idaho Sides With Utilities Over Wind-Farm Builders - Developers say the decision will dampen one of the state’s few economic bright spots (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/02/09/1519883/state-sides-with-utilities-over.html

Voluntary Guidelines To Avoid Bird-Wind Impacts (Associated Press)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hqhde8pOYqIIYhptZWzB7143Co4A?docId=493988bfa2db43f4be1beec077201ab3

Mayor Sam Adams headed to Spain hoping to keep Iberdrola headquarters in Portland (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/02/mayor_sam_adams_headed_to_spai.html

Moses Lake - REC Silicon Fined $10,000 by Washington State Department of Ecology – “…nitrogen oxides…If humans inhale the particles, they can result in or worsen emphysema or bronchitis, or aggravate existing heart disease…” (Columbia Basin Bulletin, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/article_fdcb0fe8-33d8-11e0-98b8-001cc4c002e0.html

REC Silicon Revenue Almost Doubled In The Fourth Quarter Of 2010 (Renewable Energy Focus)

http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/15778/rec-revenue-almost-doubled-in-q4-2010/

REC Expects Polysilicon, Solar Wafer Prices to Drop 5% in First Quarter (Bloomberg)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-09/rec-expects-polysilicon-solar-wafer-prices-to-drop-5-in-first-quarter.html

Winter, Snow, & Solar Panels: A Mixed Forecast (CNET News)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20030876-54.html

Utilities, Cool to Obama's Clean Energy Standard, Are Redefining It (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/02/09/09climatewire-utilities-cool-to-obamas-clean-energy-standa-95295.html

State Renewable Energy Standards Under Attack From GOP Legislators - Montana, Colorado, Minnesota And Missouri (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/09/idUS110584278220110209

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Op/Ed - Washington State Energy Efficiency Victory Helps Homeowners Save Money and Cuts Pollution at the Same Time (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/energy/archives/238759.asp

Homeowners Tapping Super-Efficient Water Heaters To Save Money (Minnesota Public Radio)

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/02/09/super-efficient-water-heaters-off-peak/

Teaming Tenants and Landlords for Energy Savings (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/teaming-tenants-and-landlords-for-energy-savings/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Global Warming Fix Heats Up Hearing With EPA Chief (Associated Press)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=133612054

GOP Threatens Big EPA Budget Cut Over Global Warming (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014171967_apusepaunderfire.html

Editorial - Protect EPA’s Authority: New Bills Would Halt Regulation Of Greenhouse Gases (Eugene Register Guard, OR)

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/opinion/25868154-47/greenhouse-epa-gases-climate-legislation.csp

Scientists Calculate Ghengis Khan's Carbon Footprint “…Khan helped remove enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to offset the amount of gasoline burned today for one year. His method: Killing lots of people…”  (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0208/Scientists-calculate-Ghengis-Khan-s-carbon-footprint

Lawsuit By Low-Income Groups May Delay Climate Law (California Watch)

http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/lawsuit-low-income-groups-may-delay-climate-law-8582

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Lawsuit Targets S.C. Johnson’s ‘Green’ Labeling - Firm's internal certification process is deceptive, lawsuit says (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI)

http://www.jsonline.com/business/115613414.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC To Use Phone Subsidy Fund To Pay For Broadband (Associated Press)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2011-02-08-rural-broadband_N.htm?csp=34tech

Rent Might Help State Bill For Washington State’s Olympia Data Center – Hmm, locating a high-energy use data center in an area prone to earthquakes and with private utility rates…hmmm (Olympian, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/02/09/1536689/rent-might-help-state-bill.html

General Manager Takes Over Chelan County PUD Fiber Optic Build-Out (Lake Chelan Mirror, WA)

http://www.lakechelanmirror.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=3493

California - State Audit Blasts Inadequacies Of $2 Billion Court Computer System (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/09/3387804/state-audit-blasts-inadequacies.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Budget Frills? What Are Washington And Oregon Buying That Idaho Isn't? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/59780-budget-frills-what-are-washington-and-oregon-buying-idaho-isnt/

Congressional Lawmakers Oppose Federal Bailout For States (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/02/09/state/n075448S03.DTL

GENERAL NEWS

Non-Profit Hospital Pay Under State Scrutiny (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=13994432

Bill Would Ban Coal-Tar Sealant In Washington State (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/115599329.html

Military 'Widows' Tax' Lingers - In order to fully collect on insurance their husbands bought for them when alive, they must marry another man (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/02/09/1536719/promises-promises-widows-tax-lingers.html

DIVERSIONS

You're Not Imagining Things: Your Cubicle Is Getting Smaller

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/archives/238571.asp

Deaf Dog Gets Sign Language Training

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110209/od_nm/us_dog_deaf_odd

False Alarm – Vatican Says Catholics Cannot Confess Via iPhone

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110209/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_vatican_iphone

Musical Stash Waiting To Be Found Finally Uncovered At Fort Lewis

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Music-found-hidden-at-Fort-Lewis-115607184.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Xavier Cugat Orchestra - Walter Winchell Rhumba

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUc8k8p3gAI

1956 The Walter Winchell Show TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzVVDu7ldB0