Energy News Digest for December 19, 2008

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.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- BPA Says Power Grid ‘Performing Well’ During Storm
- Cold Weather Can Put a Cramp On The Power Grid
- Snow On Your Heat Pump Can Cause Damage
- Oregonian Op/Ed - Bonneville Borrowing: More Bang For Our Infrastructure Bucks
- Avista fights BPA ruling in federal appellate court
- Portland General Electric requests changes to Boardman plant cleanup plan
- EPA Eases Emissions Regulations for New Power Plants
- Fortuitous Doubling Of Low-Income Heating Assistance
- Oregon Congressman Asks Feds To Rescind Mt Hood Pipeline Approval
- FERC Takes Major Step toward Resolution of California-Western Power Crisis
- Sockeye run offers a new twist on the Columbia
- Feds say no to Black Rock Reservoir
- Puget Sound Mud Reveals History Of Toxins
- Water Issues Put Grant County Commission, Health District At Odds
- Tax Breaks For Wind Power Irk Some
- State Of California Grants Bonuses To Electric Utilities For Improving Energy Efficiency
- Texas - Extra charge likely soon as 'smart' meters get OK
- Power Meters Help Homeowners Track And Cut Their Energy Use
- Chip Companies Helping To Solve Energy Problems
- Clean-Tech Startup 3Tier raises $10 million
- New Ban Imposed On Regulating Global Warming Gases
- India suffers massive internet disruption after undersea cables break
- Telecommuters need more than just broadband access
- Qwest Drops Rates For Highest Internet Speed
- Qwest Denies Using FTTN Glitch to Kill Competitive Local Exchanges
- Fiber optics may connect to some Glenwood Springs homes before network expansion
- Gates Foundation Supports Broadband In Libraries
- Storm buries area; more snow may fall Saturday night
- The Weather? It's Just A Practice Run
- “Death Map” Shows Impact of Natural Disasters
- Automakers to get $17.4 billion in government aid
- Legislature Starts With A Lot Fewer Journalists
- Watergate "Deep Throat" Mark Felt dies at 95

These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest

WORD OF THE DAY

Simulacrum • \sim-yuh-LAK-rum\ • noun - 1: image, representation *2: an insubstantial form or semblance of something: trace

After days of spending his moral capital to defend his “tiddlywinks shaving scandal”, the champion’s standing was a simulacrum of its former self. Small children laughed and pointed as he walked by, the doctored chips rattling in his pockets.

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

BPA Says Power Grid ‘Performing Well’ During Storm (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/12/15/daily25.html?ana=from_rss

Cold Weather Can Put a Cramp On The Power Grid (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9551463

Snow On Your Heat Pump Can Cause Damage (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9551626

Oregonian Op/Ed - Bonneville Borrowing: More Bang For Our Infrastructure Bucks
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/12/more_bang_for_our_infrastructu.html

Avista fights BPA ruling in federal appellate court (Partial Story from Spokane Journal of Commerce)
http://www.spokanejournal.com/article.php?id=3892

Portland General Electric requests changes to Boardman plant cleanup plan (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/122966071561840.xml&coll=7

EPA Eases Emissions Regulations for New Power Plants (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121803687.html

Fortuitous Doubling Of Low-Income Heating Assistance (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/3835-fortuitous-doubling-low-income-heating-assistance/

Oregon Congressman Asks Feds To Rescind Mt Hood Pipeline Approval (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/3836-wyden-asks-feds-rescind-mt-hood-pipeline-approval/

FERC Takes Major Step toward Resolution of California-Western Power Crisis (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
http://www.ferc.gov/news/news-releases/2008/2008-4/12-18-08-E-1.asp

FISH & WILDLIFE

Sockeye run offers a new twist on the Columbia (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2008/12/sockeye_run_offers_a_new_twist.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Feds say no to Black Rock - The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has decided the federal government should not build a massive reservoir called Black Rock in the Yakima Valley (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008539679_apwablackrockreservoir.html?syndication=rss

Puget Sound Mud Reveals History Of Toxins (The Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/703297.html

Water Issues Put Grant County Commission, Health District At Odds (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20081218/NEWS04/712189913/1001/rss1001

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

Tax Breaks For Wind Power Irk Some - Wind business thrives without subsidies, argues former teacher (Portland Tribune, OR)
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122955487327869100

State Of California Grants Bonuses To Electric Utilities For Improving Energy Efficiency - state isn't sure the companies saved as much power as they claim (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/19/BUUG14QRVA.DTL

Texas - Extra charge likely soon as 'smart' meters get OK (Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/6172629.html

Power Meters Help Homeowners Track And Cut Their Energy Use (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/12/18/power-meters-help-homeowners-track-and-cut-their-energy-use/

Chip Companies Helping To Solve Energy Problems (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11239206?source=rss

Clean-Tech Startup 3Tier raises $10 million (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008537282_webcleantech19.html?syndication=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

New Ban Imposed On Regulating Global Warming Gases (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008536774_apbushglobalwarming.html?syndication=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

India suffers massive internet disruption after undersea cables break (Times of London)
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5372294.ece

Telecommuters need more than just broadband access (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/12/telecommuters_need_more_than_j.html

Qwest Drops Rates For Highest Internet Speed (Phoenix Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/12/15/daily53.html?ana=from_rss

Qwest Denies Using FTTN Glitch to Kill Competitive Local Exchanges (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Qwest-Denies-Using-FTTN-Glitch-To-Kill-CLECs-99752

Colorado - Fiber optics may connect to some Glenwood Springs homes before network expansion: Plan could go to another vote in November 2009 (Glenwood Springs Post-Independent, CO)http://www.postindependent.com/article/20081219/VALLEYNEWS/812189956/1074&title=Fiber%20optics%20may%20connect%20to%20some%20Glenwood%20Springs%20homes%20before%20network%20expansion

Gates Foundation Supports Broadband In Libraries (The Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/703519.html

GENERAL NEWS

Storm buries area; more snow may fall Saturday night (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/392821_storm19.html

The Weather? It's Just A Practice Run (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/392873_forecast19.html?source=rss

“Death Map” Shows Impact of Natural Disasters - A study shows that, of all natural hazards, Americans are most likely to die from extreme heat. But would more data tell a different story? (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/2008/December/Death-Map-Shows-Impact-of-Natural-Disasters-.html

Automakers to get $17.4 billion in government aid (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4BI34F20081219?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

Legislature Starts With A Lot Fewer Journalists - Fewer reporters will cover the Legislature in Olympia this year because of newspaper and TV staff cuts (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008537903_presscorps19m0.html?syndication=rss

Watergate "Deep Throat" Mark Felt dies at 95 (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4BI12Q20081219?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

DIVERSIONS

Colorado Doctor Finds Foot In Newborn's Brain - Infant Recovering After Surgery
http://www.kirotv.com/health/18300617/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_-1_01000212182008&ts=H

More? What the Dickens are you talking about?
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE4BH60N20081218?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

Snow Footprints Lead Richland Cops To Suspects
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/392860_snowprints19.html?source=rss