Energy News Digest for December 29, 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)

- Montana - Columbia Falls Aluminum Plant Shuts Down Lays Off 200
- Grant County PUD Adopts 2009 Budget
- Olympian Editorial - Upgrade to Power Grid Wise Investment
- Idaho Statesman Op/Ed - Dam critics press transition team to replace BPA's administrator
- Washington Post Editorial – Virginia’s Electrical Gridlock
- Texas - Smaller Power Retailers Uneasy: companies fear being driven out of the market by new financial requirements
- Burning Coal at Home Is Making a Comeback (!)
- Alaska Energy Rebate Program Going Strong
- Olympian Editorial - Settlement for battle over Cushman dams expected soon
- Tennessee Valley Authority’s Coal Ash Flood Larger than Initial Estimate
- Portland General Electric confronts dirty dilemma at Boardman Generating Station
- End of Hanford Plutonium Shipments in Sight
- Bad Harvest, Low Demand Threaten Pacific Fishermen
- Pacific Fishing Group Seeks Part of Stimulus Aid
- Mason County Gets Salmon Grants
- Cowlitz Smelt Season Opens, but Smelt Don’t Cooperate
- White House Reconsiders Decision On Bull Trout
- Owls On Peninsula Under Pressure
- Governor Wants To Boost Spending On Puget Sound
- Washington Post Op/Ed - Broken Promises on the Chesapeake Bay
- Washington State finds 30 dangerous illegal dams
- From Columbia River To Aquifer To Umatilla Basin's Fields
- Seattle Times Editorial - Water-storage help for the Yakima River Basin
- Tri-City Herald Editorial - Time to Consider Updating Antiquated Irrigation Laws
- S.F. Chronicle Editorial - Is There A Right To Water?
- Well, Duh - Solar Meets Polar as Winter Curbs Clean Energy
- Hydrogen Proponent Touts Montana's Alternative Energy Bounty
- Idaho energy office disbands wind think-tank
- Wind Farms Could Bring Wyoming Ranchers Windfall
- Port Of Bremerton Still Trying To Make Sustainable Energy And Economic Development Project ‘Pencil' Out
- Getting Renewable Power to the People
- Biomass Push Can Help Georgia
- Bye, Bye Biomass - Firewood Sales Drop Dramatically As Spare the Air Law Takes Hold
- Greeley Tribune Op/Ed, Colorado - Environmentalists Not To Blame for Energy Woes
- Alaska - Borough Rejects Pitches for Waste-Fed Power
- Obscure New York Fee Pays for State’s Efficient-Energy Projects
- Lower Fuel and Home Prices Stall Green Building
- No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in ‘Passive Houses’
- Faster Climate Change Feared
- Uproar in Australia over Plan to Block Web Sites
- Australian Net Filtering Plan Delayed - Government misses their own deadline
- SW Idaho proposed site for high-tech corridor
- Hewlett Packard Pushes Forward in Data Warehousing Project
- Broadband Stimulus Plan Creates Lobbyist Feeding Frenzy
- Minneapolis Wi-Fi Network Stuck At 82% Complete
- What Carriers Aren’t Eager to Tell You about Texting
- More and More Baby Boomers Embrace Technology
- State Representative Steve Hailey Dies
- Like A Lead Balloon - Recyclers Cope With Falling Scrap Metal Prices
- Seattle Time Editorial - Northwestern Influence With Obama Comes From Congress

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Scapegrace • \SKAYP-grayss\ • noun - An incorrigible rascal

It seemed that whenever something went wrong at the factory, Freddy Brace could always be found at the bottom of it all. It wasn’t that he was the company scapegrace, purposely causing problems. It was more like he was a perpetual screw up, whose very presence on the factory floor acted as the Midas touch in reverse. His one bit of luck was the opportune photos he took at a long-ago Christmas party, which prominently featured the CEO in a “compromising” position.

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

Montana - Columbia Falls Aluminum Plant Shuts Down Lays Off 200 (Billings Gazette, MT)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/12/25/news/state/50-planlayoffs.txt

Grant County PUD Adopts 2009 Budget (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/12/25/news/doc495262cb59102159353538.txt

Olympian Editorial - Upgrade to Power Grid Wise Investment
http://www.theolympian.com/207/story/706807.html

Idaho Statesman Op/Ed - Dam critics press transition team to replace BPA's administrator
http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/616455.html

Washington Post Editorial – Virginia’s Electrical Gridlock: Steps to Avert the Looming Power Crisis
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122500662.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

Texas - Smaller Power Retailers Uneasy: companies fear being driven out of the market by new financial requirements under consideration by the Public Utility Commission (Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6183138.html

Burning Coal at Home Is Making a Comeback (Non-Point Coal Emissions, Just Like Natural Gas Conversion? NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/business/27coal.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Alaska Energy Rebate Program Going Strong - State provided dollars at the right moment (Anchorage News Miner, AK)
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/dec/27/energy-rebate-program-going-strong/?opinion

Olympian Editorial - Settlement for battle over dams expected soon: A bitter and protracted battle over two hydroelectric dams on the North Fork of the Skokomish River could be drawing to a close
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/708783.html

Tennessee Valley Authority’s Coal Ash Flood Larger Than Initial Estimate (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/27sludge.html?bl&ex=1230613200&en=dca39d677a5bac74&ei=5087%0A

Portland General Electric confronts dirty dilemma at Boardman Generating Station (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/pge_confronts_dirty_dilemma_at.html

End of Hanford Plutonium Shipments in Sight (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/428591.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Bad Harvest, Low Demand Threaten Pacific Fishermen (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1765495~Bad_harvest__low_demand_threaten_Pacific_fishermen.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Pacific Fishing Group Seeks Part of Stimulus Aid (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=119255

Mason County Gets Salmon Grants (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/5937/reftab/1632/t/MASON-COUNTY-GETS-SALMON-GRANTS/Default.aspx

Cowlitz Smelt Season Opens, but Smelt Don’t Cooperate (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1230379327&archive=

White House Reconsiders Decision On Bull Trout - Administration is reconsidering its defense of endangered species decisions, following a report that showed political (The Missoulian)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/12/26/news/local/znews04.txt

Owls On Peninsula Under Pressure - The northern spotted owl is being driven off its territory by a larger, more aggressive cousin, say wildlife biologists (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081229/news/312299995

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Governor Wants To Boost Spending On Puget Sound - Despite the dour economy and state government's budget woes, Gov. Christine Gregoire wants to boost spending on Puget Sound, her signature environmental issue (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008560777_pugetsoundbudget26m.html?syndication=rss

Washington Post Op/Ed - Broken Promises on the Bay: Chesapeake Progress Reports Painted 'Too Rosy a Picture' As Pollution Reduction Deadlines Passed Unmet (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601712.html?nav=igoogle

Washington State finds 30 dangerous illegal dams (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=118838

From Columbia River To Aquifer To Umatilla Basin's Fields (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/12/_water_allowed_the_umatilla.html

Seattle Times Editorial - Water-storage help for the Yakima River Basin
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008561231_edit26rock.html?syndication=rss

Tri-City Herald Editorial - Time to Consider Updating Antiquated Irrigation Laws
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/962/story/427891.html

S.F. Chronicle Editorial - Is There A Right To Water?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/26/ED9O14Q5EC.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

Well, Duh - Solar Meets Polar as Winter Curbs Clean Energy “…wind turbine blades ice up, biodiesel congeals in tanks and solar panels produce less power because there is not as much sun…” (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/business/26winter.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Hydrogen Proponent Touts Montana's Alternative Energy Bounty (The Missoulian)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/12/26/news/mtregional/news09.txt

Idaho energy office disbands wind think-tank (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1761040~Idaho_energy_office_disbands_wind_think_tank.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Wind Farms Could Bring Wyoming Ranchers Windfall (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98741271&ft=1&f=2

Port Of Bremerton Still Trying To Make Sustainable Energy And Economic Development Project ‘Pencil' Out (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/dec/27/port-still-trying-to-make-seed-145pencil/?partner=RSS

Getting Renewable Power to the People (San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/27/MN5C14VFGS.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Biomass Push Can Help Georgia (Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA)
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/12/26/amesed.html

Bye, Bye Biomass - Firewood Sales Drop Dramatically As Spare the Air Law Takes Hold (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11310489?source=rss

Greeley Tribune Op/Ed, Colorado - Environmentalists Not To Blame For Energy Woes
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20081228/READERS/812279971/-1/rss04

Alaska - Borough Rejects Pitches for Waste-Fed Power (Anchorage News Miner, AK)
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/dec/26/borough-rejects-pitches-waste-fed-power/

Obscure New York Fee Pays for State’s Efficient-Energy Projects (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/nyregion/29sbc.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Lower Fuel and Home Prices Stall Green Building (San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/26/financial/f140713S65.DTL&feed=rss.business

No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in ‘Passive Houses’ (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Faster Climate Change Feared - New Report Points to Accelerated Melting, Longer Drought (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/24/AR2008122402174.html?wprss=rss_nation

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Uproar in Australia over Plan to Block Web Sites (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2008/12/26/technology/AP-TEC-Australia-Internet-Filter.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Australian Net Filtering Plan Delayed - Government misses their own deadline on project (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Australian-Net-Filtering-Plan-Delayed-99884

SW Idaho proposed site for high-tech corridor (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008567285_apidtechnologycorridor1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Hewlett Packard Pushes Forward in Data Warehousing Project (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/technology/29hewlett.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Broadband Stimulus Plan Creates Lobbyist Feeding Frenzy - As debate continues on how exactly the money should be spent (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Broadband-Stimulus-Plan-Creates-Lobbyist-Feeding-Frenzy-99863

Minneapolis Wi-Fi Network Stuck At 82% Complete - Run in with Minny Parks & Recreation board stalls project (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Minneapolis-WiFi-Network-Stuck-At-82-Complete-99864

What Carriers Aren’t Eager to Tell You about Texting (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/business/28digi.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

More and More Baby Boomers Embrace Technology (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/technology/2008/December/More-and-More-Baby-Boomers-Embrace-Technology.html

GENERAL NEWS

State Representative Steve Hailey Dies (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/428591.html

Like A Lead Balloon - Recyclers Cope With Falling Scrap Metal Prices (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/578855.html

Seattle Time Editorial - Northwestern Influence With Obama Comes From Congress
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008562580_edit27cabinet.html

DIVERSIONS

Calif. family finds $10,000 in box of crackers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081227/ap_on_fe_st/odd_cracker_box_money;_ylt=Ahbisdy1kF.nNgwkervnM8_tiBIF

Jumbo snow globes + sunlight = FIRE!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081223/od_nm/us_recall_odd;_ylt=Auqk6fLR0xEJ3kYied1.29btiBIF

Stephen Colbert's Eagle 'Son' Spotted In Oregon
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122808ANB_colbert_eagle_SW.16d203a2.html

Thieves size up holiday trash for high-end loot
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/36812199.html

Man spends days unnoticed in Pa. family's attic
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081228/ap_on_fe_st/odd_attic_intruder;_ylt=AvFLnPkvkEBUN8WjKc5i0rDtiBIF