The Energy News Digest: 02/09/11

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

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.

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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

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