Energy News Digest for December 22, 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)

- Lewis County PUD Building Suffers Collapsed Roof in Morton
- What To Keep On Hand In Case Of An Outage
- Tips For Staying Warm And Safe Without Power
- Carbon monoxide: State Urges Safety As Storm Looms
- New Whidbey Island Group To Pursue Public Electric Power
- Federal Energy Policy Shift Likely To Be Seismic
- Oregon Governor Names New Energy Planning Council
- Seattle Public Utilities' Director To Leave Next Month
- Chelan County PUD John Janney For Executive Manager Of Finance And Risk
- Salem Utility Set To Cut Its Electric Rates By 5 Percent
- Romanian aluminum plant plans 1,200 layoffs
- Texas Can Take Lessons From Finland's Nuclear Power Plant Delays
- Duke Energy to Freeze Salaries
- Obama taps Oregon professor Jane Lubchenco to run NOAA
- Pacific Ocean Conditions Optimal For Fish Survival In 2008
- Salmon surviving dammed rivers
- Willamette Spring Chinook Fishery On Horizon
- Fish and Wildlife looks to slash $30.5 million in wake of deficit
- Omak Hatchery Would Close Under Gregoire Plan
- Big Money Jolt For Fish Recovery On Wenatchee, Entiat And Methow Rivers
- Washington State budget plan has money for South Sound projects
- Scientists Look For Clues To Orcas Decline
- Cowlitz Tribe Obtains $580,000 Salmon Grant
- Can you believe it? Northwest Snowpack Lags
- On Seattle Mayor’s Stimulus Wish List: Solar Panels Atop Qwest Field Hall
- Utilities seek stimulus money to improve energy efficiency
- Idaho energy czar aims to harness cow pie power
- California - Public Vote Needed On Marin Clean Energy Plan
- At Siemens, Bribery Was Just a Line Item
- Michigan Press Offers Online Read Of Its Santa Book About Global Warming
- California's Global Warming Gambit: The Golden State risks ruining its economy to save the planet
- Bid For U.S. Broadband Expansion Fuels Lobbying
- Undersea Cable Cutting BogeyMan Returns
- Mother Nature's snow machine gives it a rest
- Pierce County Gas Debit Thieves Still On the Loose
- Pierce County 911 Provider Strapped For Cash
- Times Tells 500 Workers To Take Week Off Unpaid

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Wisenheimer • \WYE-zun-hye-mer\ • noun - Smart aleck

“Y’know, if y’all remove those dams, the fishies will tell all their friends, and they’ll come a’flockin back to the river in droves,” droned the out of town wisenheimer.

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

Lewis County PUD Building Suffers Collapsed Roof in Morton (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews/?PUD-Building-Suffers-Collapsed-Roof-in-M=1&blockID=33802&feedID=410

What To Keep On Hand In Case Of An Outage - A little preparation and common sense are key to getting through a storm safely (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008544388_powertipbox21.html?syndication=rss

Tips For Staying Warm And Safe Without Power (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081219/NEWS01/812199980

Carbon monoxide: State Urges Safety As Storm Looms - Deadly toll from 2 years ago a grim warning (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/393024_safety20.html?source=rss

New Whidbey Island Group To Pursue Public Electric Power (Whidbey Examiner, Coupeville, WA)
http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=2023&TM=71409.63

Federal Energy Policy Shift Likely To Be Seismic (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/6174810.html

Oregon Governor Names New Energy Planning Council (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/kulongoski_names_new_energy_pl.html

Seattle Public Utilities' Director To Leave Next Month (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008542364_webutilities20m.html?syndication=rss

Chelan County PUD John Janney For Executive Manager Of Finance And Risk (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20081219/NEWS04/712209988/1001/rss1001

Salem Utility Set To Cut Its Electric Rates By 5 Percent - Salem Electric's residential users will benefit from BPA credit (Statesman Journal, Salem, OR)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20081219/NEWS/812190336/1001

Romanian aluminum plant plans 1,200 layoffs - blamed a 50 percent drop in world aluminum prices (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008542633_apeuromanialayoffs.html?syndication=rss

Texas Can Take Lessons From Finland's Nuclear Power Plant Delays (Dallas Morning News, TX)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-finnuclear_21bus.ART0.State.Edition1.4a5e710.html

Duke Energy to Freeze Salaries (Chicago Tribune)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-nc-dukeenergysalarie,0,3393209.story

FISH & WILDLIFE

Obama taps Oregon professor Jane Lubchenco to run NOAA (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008543057_webobamafish.html?syndication=rss

Oregonian Editorial - Obama gets it right on choice of Oregon Resident to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/12/obama_gets_it_right_in_lubchen.html

Pacific Ocean Conditions Optimal For Fish Survival In 2008 (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/3848-pacific-ocean-conditions-optimal-fish-survival-2008/

Salmon surviving dammed rivers “…fish that go through dammed rivers actually have a higher survival rate than those that travel in rivers without dams…” (The Canadian Press)
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1355376

Willamette Spring Chinook Fishery On Horizon (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2008/12/the_early_christmas_present_co.html

Fish and Wildlife looks to slash $30.5 million in wake of deficit - Cuts could include 157 full-time jobs (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/705489.html

Omak Hatchery Would Close Under Gregoire Plan (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20081220/NEWS04/712209912/1001/rss1001

Big Money Jolt For Fish Recovery On Wenatchee, Entiat And Methow Rivers (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20081219/OUT/712199924/1003/rss1003

Washington State budget plan has money for South Sound projects "...$3.7 million to renovate the Skookumchuck hatchery…”
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/705414.html

Scientists Look For Clues To Orcas Decline (Associated Press)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122008WAB_orca_decline_KS.8059a171.html?npc

Cowlitz Tribe Obtains $580,000 Salmon Grant (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1229757011&archive=

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Can you believe it? Northwest Snowpack Lags (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4752

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

On Seattle Mayor’s Stimulus Wish List: Solar Panels Atop Qwest Field Hall (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008542047_qwestmoney20m.html

Utilities seek stimulus money to improve energy efficiency (McClatchy Business News)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20081219/sc_mcclatchy/3127321_1

Idaho energy czar aims to harness cow pie power (Associated Press)
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/081220/science/science_wst__dung_power_1

Marin Independent Editorial - Public Vote Needed On Marin Clean Energy Plan (Novato, CA)
http://www.marinij.com/opinion/ci_11282045

At Siemens, Bribery Was Just a Line Item (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/business/worldbusiness/21siemens.html?th&emc=th

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Michigan Press Offers Online Read Of Its Santa Book About Global Warming (Detroit Free Press)
http://www.freep.com/article/20081221/FEATURES01/812210317/1026/FEATURES01

Augusta Chronicle Editorial - California's Global Warming Gambit: The Golden State risks ruining its economy to save the planet (Augusta, GA)
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2008/12/22/edi_504936.shtml

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Bid For U.S. Broadband Expansion Fuels Lobbying (Information Week)
http://www.informationweek.com/news/telecom/business/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212501409&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All

Undersea Cable Cutting BogeyMan Returns - Three lines cut in the Mediterranean Sea (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Undersea-Cable-Cutting-BogeyMan-Returns-99765

GENERAL NEWS

Mother Nature's snow machine gives it a rest (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/36567674.html

Pierce County Gas Debit Thieves Still On the Loose (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/574788.html

Pierce County 911 Provider Strapped For Cash - Law Enforcement Support Agency can’t afford to pay Tacoma for services (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/573259.html

Times Tells 500 Workers To Take Week Off Unpaid (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/392960_times20.html?source=rss

DIVERSIONS

Grumpy Miracle Pig Voted China's Most Popular Animal
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081222/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_china_pig;_ylt=AvKK3stEDCVotPG.g3la4CXtiBIF

Man Eats Seven Pounds Of Latkes To Win Contest http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081222/ap_on_fe_st/odd_latke_eating_contest;_ylt=AqTKYkvdq7ScCNKi9Hz2nyrtiBIF

Politician Tries To Protect NYC's Pesky Parrots - Nests Have Caused Power Outages
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081222/ap_on_fe_st/odd_pesky_parrots;_ylt=ArJAg7TTwSDOua.SIYT5FuvtiBIF

Diamond In The Rough: Museum Finds Vacuumed Gem
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081221/ap_on_fe_st/odd_ring_recovered;_ylt=AhvBZ_HXFpdPmmTTNHps7kntiBIF