Salazar delivers to Bush list of energy recommendations
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., has delivered to President Bush a list of 10 recommendations for energy independence with a strong focus on renewable energy.
The recommendations stem from last month’s Colorado Renewable Energy Summit in Denver, which brought together hundreds of energy experts, government leaders and politicians.
The list includes a goal of producing 25 percent of the nation’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2025 – dubbed “25 x 25”; restoring and increasing funding for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden; extending federal tax credits for power and fuels made from renewable sources; increasing the manufacture of “flex-fuel” vehicles that run on gasoline or ethanol; increasing funding for clean-coal power generation; and promoting “responsible” development of nuclear power.
“This report and the recommendations that accompany it represent the type of bipartisan collaboration necessary to break America’s addiction to foreign oil,” Salazar said.
BROOMFIELD
1,200 Sun workers to move across U.S. 36
More than half of the employees at Sun Microsystems’ Storage Tek division in Louisville will be moving across U.S. 36 to Sun’s Broomfield campus.
According to an e-mail sent to employees Thursday afternoon, about 1,200 people in marketing and other administrative jobs will move in June.
Sun officials at the company’s headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., confirmed the move will take three to four months. Storage Tek’s tape facilities will remain at its Louisville headquarters, along with the 800 to 900 employees who support the facility.
DENVER
Western Gas to buy some Wyo. properties
Western Gas Resources Inc., a Denver-based independent natural-gas explorer, said Thursday it agreed to buy certain coal-bed methane properties in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin from an undisclosed seller for about $136.7 million.
The acquisition, in the Big George fairway of the Powder River Basin, includes related gathering assets and will be funded with the company’s revolving-credit facility. It’s expected to close by March 15.
DENVER
Mountain casinos’ revenue climbs 6.3%
Colorado’s mountain casinos posted a 6.3 percent increase in revenue in January compared with a year ago, according to figures released Thursday.
The state’s 46 mountain casinos reported adjusted gross proceeds of $63.9 million in January, up from $60.1 million last year. Adjusted gross proceeds are total wagers minus payouts.
Black Hawk’s 21 casinos had revenue of $45.8 million, up from $42.5 million. Cripple Creek’s 19 casinos had $12.2 million, up from $11.6 million. Central City’s six casinos had revenue of $5.9 million, down from $6 million.
NEW YORK
Northwest, its unions given pacts deadline
The bankruptcy judge overseeing Northwest Airlines Corp.’s financial reorganization efforts on Thursday gave the carrier and its unions until the end of next week to come up with a mutually acceptable alternative to their current collective-bargaining agreements.
Judge Allan Gropper had until Thursday to decide on the carrier’s request to throw out its union contracts.
LOS ANGELES
Anschutz registers newspaper website
A company controlled by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz last week registered the website LosAngelesExaminer.com – a year and a half after trademarking “Los Angeles Examiner” as a possible name for a newspaper.
But a spokesman for Anschutz said the action doesn’t signal an imminent move.
“Anyone expecting a Los Angeles Examiner any time soon, they’re going to be disappointed,” Jim Monaghan said.
Monaghan said Anschutz companies have reserved some 200 Web names associated with cities, warehousing newspaper and website names in case Anschutz decides to expand his budding journalism business. Anschutz bought the San Francisco Examiner in 2004, launched the Washington (D.C.) Examiner last year and plans to start distributing the Baltimore Examiner next month.
SAN JOSE, Calif.
Suit targets sales of flawed defibrillators
Medtronic Inc. continued selling flawed cardiac defibrillators for two years after learning that some of them may suddenly quit working, according to company documents filed in a California lawsuit.
After Medtronic last year recalled the devices, 19,000 people had to have surgery for replacements, said Medtronic spokesman Rob Clark. At least one of them died from post-surgical complications, according to the man’s widow.
HOUSTON
Halliburton plans to raise dividend
Halliburton Co., the world’s largest oil-services company, said it will raise its dividend for the first time in more than two decades as the company puts behind it concerns of asbestos litigation.
Halliburton’s board of directors approved a 20 percent increase in its quarterly dividend, payable March 23 to shareholders of record at the close of business March 2.
REDMOND, Wash.
Microsoft to offer 2 Office versions
Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest software maker, will sell two new business versions of its Office software with features that make it easier for workers to collaborate online.
Office Professional Plus 2007 includes instant-messaging software that employs video and voice. Office Enterprise 2007 will let workers quickly set up Internet sites to collaborate on projects.
SEATTLE
Amazon to introduce portable music player
Amazon.com is preparing to take on Apple Computer in digital music by introducing its own portable music player that would be linked to an online music service, according to several music-industry executives involved with negotiations with Amazon.
Unlike Apple, which sells songs for 99 cents each, Amazon will offer a service that charges a monthly or annual fee to customers, who will have the right to fill up their music players with as many songs as they like, the executives said.
FORT WORTH, Texas
RadioShack CEO says he lied on resume
RadioShack Corp. chief executive David Edmondson said he lied about the academic degrees on his resume, and the third-largest U.S. electronics chain is investigating the matter.
