Energy News Digest for January 20, 2009

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)

- Bonners Ferry City Administrator Named Public Power Council Chairman
- BPA Completes Removal of PCB Capacitors
- More Energy for Wanapum Dam
- Montana - NorthWestern Energy Wants To Spur Transmission Access
- Study: Electricity Usage Is Down
- DOE Report Paints Bleak Picture of Our Electric Future
- NY Times Editorial - Energy Inefficient
- Is The Power Grid Ready For Electric Cars?
- Statement of Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher At His Last Open FERC Meeting
- Columbian Op/Ed - Shelton Shellfish Farm Deserves Protection, Respect
- Bounty of Oysters: Nonprofit Shellfish Farm Achieves Goal
- Northwest Tribes Advance DNA Testing On Salmon
- Weasel-Like Fishers Settle into Their New Home in Olympics near Hoodsport
- Montana Group Seeks Native Status for Walleye
- Dredging Under Way at Port of Olympia
- Biomass Bogeyman - Air agency expands burn ban
- Colvilles Explore Wind Energy
- New Developments in Hydropower Can Supercharge Obama's Green Jobs Plan
- Minnesota - Wind, Ethanol Cloud Our Difficult Energy Choices
- Turn Trash into Energy in Your Office Parking Lot
- Iconic Light Bulb Is On the Way Out
- Utilities, Retailer Campaign For Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
- Are Costly Energy Bills Draining Your Wallet? Win the Power Struggle
- 5 Things to Know About Watching TV and Saving Energy
- With an Ultrathin Film, a Big Step Forward for Flexible Electronics
- Can Oregon's Climate Change Plan Survive A Down Economy?
- San Francisco Chronicle Op/Ed - Cleaner-Than-Thou Squabbling Hurts Energy Policy
- More-Reflective Crops May Have Cooling Effect
- Qwest Drops Right Of Way Regulation Case against Oregon Cities
- Most of Powell Fiber Optics Completed
- El Paso Times Op/Ed - Imagine how broadband could impact us in El Paso
- Cisco Plans Big Push into Server Market
- IP Networks Will Feel Traffic Pain in 2009
- Cable Carriers Fined For Stalling FCC Price Investigation
- Advanced Data Centers Receives the Largest 'Savings by Design' Reward
- TV Over the Web: Still a Fuzzy Picture
- Yahoo Joining Internet with TV
- 9th Circuit Ruling Bolsters Class Action Suit Against AOL
- Port of Shelton Commission Places Manager on Administrative Leave
- City Of Tacoma Has To Increase Pension Contributions
- Washington Not Officially "Evergreen State"

These And Links to More Stories in Today’s Energy News Digest

WORD OF THE DAY

Barbican • \BAR-bih-kun\ • noun - An outer defensive work; especially: a tower at a gate or bridge

The approach to the Chief Executive Officer’s office was an impressive array of winding corridors, stern-faced receptionists, and glass walled conference rooms. It wasn’t until the accounting acolytes arrived at the final, burnished, dark wood doors that they realized that the path represented an imposing, complex barbican designed to deter even the stoutest of heart.

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

Bonners Ferry City Administrator Named Public Power Council Chairman (Boundary County Digest, Bonners Ferry, ID)
http://www.ruralnorthwest.com/artman/publish/article_9310.shtml

BPA Completes Removal of PCB Capacitors (Pacific Builder and Engineer)
http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6627340.html?industryid=48591

More Energy for Wanapum Dam - Generator Upgrade Begins in 2010 (Grant County PUD)
http://www.gcpud.org/aboutus/news/newsreleases/2009/010509%20generator%20upgrade.htm

Montana - NorthWestern Energy Wants To Spur Transmission Access (Great Falls Tribune, MT)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090117/BUSINESS/901170338

Study: Electricity Usage Is Down - Weather, Rates May Be Factors In 2% Drop in '08 (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/17/AR2009011702460.html?hpid=moreheadlines

DOE Report Paints Bleak Picture of Our Electric Future (ARS Technica)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20090119-doe-report-paints-bleak-picture-of-our-electric-future.html

NY Times Editorial - Energy Inefficient “…many of the solutions pitched to restructure the country’s energy system and confront global warming rely on a faith in high tech…”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/opinion/19mon1.html?_r=1

Is The Power Grid Ready For Electric Cars? (MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28699258/

Statement of Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher at His Last Open FERC Meeting (FERC, Links to PDF File)
http://www.ferc.gov/news/statements-speeches/kelliher/2009/01-15-09.pdf

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbian Op/Ed - Shelton Shellfish Farm Deserves Protection, Respect
http://columbian.com/article/20090120/BIZ01/701209996/-1/BIZ

Bounty of Oysters: Nonprofit Shellfish Farm Achieves Goal (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/living/story/732358.html

Northwest Tribes Advance DNA Testing On Salmon (KBAK, Bakersfield, CA)
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/technology/37822404.html

Weasel-Like Fishers Settle into Their New Home in Olympics near Hoodsport (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jan/17/fishers-settle-into-their-new-home/?partner=RSS

Montana group seeks native status for walleye (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1802256~Montana_group_seeks_native_status_for_walleye.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Dredging Under Way at Port of Olympia (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008649083_apwadredgingolympia.html?syndication=rss

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Biomass Bogeyman - Air agency expands burn ban: All wood-burning devices, outdoor burning prohibited (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/732155.html

Colvilles Explore Wind Energy (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/729040.html

New Developments in Hydropower Can Supercharge Obama's Green Jobs Plan “…a series of renewable energy technologies based on hydropower…will speed up the transition…” (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/story?id=54526&src=rss

Minnesota - Wind, Ethanol Cloud Our Difficult Energy Choices (Duluth News Tribune, MI)
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/109796/

Turn Trash into Energy in Your Office Parking Lot (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10140500-54.html?tag=nl.e703

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Iconic Light Bulb Is On the Way Out (Associated Press)
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/01/16/ap5933324.html

Utilities, Retailer Campaign For Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs (Anchorage Daily News, AK)
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/658593.html

Are Costly Energy Bills Draining Your Wallet? Win the Power Struggle (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover18-2009jan18,0,1127761.story

5 Things to Know About Watching TV and Saving Energy (Chicago Tribune)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/home/chi-five-energytv-0118jan18,0,5652430.story

With an Ultrathin Film, a Big Step Forward for Flexible Electronics (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/science/20obbend.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Can Oregon's Climate Change Plan Survive A Down Economy? “…prepare for Stella the Steelworker. Thanks to limits on the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, she'll pay higher utility bills at home. Her mill will pay more for electricity, too…” (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/01/can_oregons_climate_change_pla.html

San Francisco Chronicle Op/Ed - Cleaner-Than-Thou Squabbling Hurts Energy Policy
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/20/ED2N15D4SK.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

More-Reflective Crops May Have Cooling Effect (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/science/earth/20obcrops.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Qwest Drops Right Of Way Regulation Case against Oregon Cities (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1801430~Qwest_drops_regulation_case_against_Oregon_cities.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Most of Powell Fiber Optics Completed (Associated Press)
http://www.kxmc.com/News/321452.asp

El Paso Times Op/Ed - Imagine how broadband could impact us in El Paso
http://www.elpasotimes.com/business/ci_11480417

Cisco Plans Big Push into Server Market (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/technology/companies/20cisco.html

IP Networks Will Feel Traffic Pain in 2009 (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10145480-62.html?tag=nl.e703

Cable Carriers Fined For Stalling FCC Price Investigation - Kevin Martin's parting shot at the cable industry (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Cable-Carriers-Fined-For-Stalling-FCC-Price-Investigation-100324

Advanced Data Centers Receives the Largest 'Savings by Design' Reward from Sacramento Municipal Utility District (MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28694727/

TV Over the Web: Still a Fuzzy Picture (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/14/AR2009011403375.html?wprss=rss_technology

Yahoo Joining Internet with TV (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/18/BU7L15B50Q.DTL&feed=rss.business

9th Circuit Ruling Bolsters Class Action Suit Against AOL (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1557429.html

GENERAL NEWS

Port of Shelton Commission Places Manager on Administrative Leave (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6107/reftab/1632/t/PORT-COMMISSION-PLACES-MANAGER-ON-ADMINISTRATIVE-LEAVE/Default.aspx

City Of Tacoma Has To Increase Pension Contributions - City employee pension fund has lost about a third of its value in the stock market slump (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008649048_apwacitypensions.html?syndication=rss

Washington Not Officially "Evergreen State" (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=126019

DIVERSIONS

Indiana Man, 72, Shaves Shaggy Eyebrows for Charity
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_fe_st/odd_eyebrows_for_charity;_ylt=AjW.Wkbyhfn8W97uzaDo27XtiBIF

Two Burmese Survive Month at Sea in an Ice Box
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090119/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_australia_fishermen;_ylt=ArKSDI.IXjX2HMVaYzmPQE7tiBIF

Out of Control Texting Reported More and More throughout the Country
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9699888

Web Grief: Funeral Webcasts Gain in Popularity
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008648584_apfuneralwebcasts.html?syndication=rss