Energy News Digest for January 29, 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)

- Attorney Recommends Getting Advice on Condemnation for Jefferson County PUD
- Portland General Electric Considering Fate of Boardman Coal-Fired Plant
- Phone Scam Targets Local Residents, Including Cowlitz PUD Customers
- Pot Raid, Power Loss And CO Poisoning - Oh, My!
- For A Spiffier Electric Grid: $11 Billion
- Skepticism about Plan to Shutter New York City Power Plant
- Overweight Comcast Tech Breaks Utility Pole
- Washington to Delay Columbia Spring Chinook Season Setting
- New Reports Show Dam Removal Will Benefit Klamath River Salmon
- Fish Farming in Federal Waters
- Up to 20,000 Gallons of Waste Water Flows into Ludlow Bay
- Rivers, Sewage-Treatment Plants Carry Nitrogen to Puget Sound
- Idaho and Washington to Study Post Falls Dam
- Washington Senate Democrats Unveil Green Jobs Proposal
- Recession Threatens Wind Power, Industry Group Says
- Wind Power Hits Economic Storm
- Massachusetts - Will The Economy Take the Wind out Of the Governor’s Green Plans?
- Puget Sound Energy & Renewable Energy Systems Move Forward with Washington Wind Energy Development
- Alaska wind farms key to reduced energy costs
- Wave, Tidal, and In-Stream Energy Projects: Which Federal Agency Has the Lead?
- Seattle inventor hopes Google contest will help rooftop wind turbine fly
- North Carolina - Duke’s Opponents Step up Challenge to Save-A-Watt
- California Takes Aim at Big, Energy-Hungry TVs
- Oregon and Washington Move Forward With Cap-And-Trade
- Oregon Governor, Industry at Odds over Climate Report
- Majority Of American Voters: Global Warming Can't Be Blamed On Humans
- Here’s the Poll: 44% Say Global Warming Due To Planetary Trends, Not People
- New Study Calling Global Warming Irreversible Further Complicates Debate
- United Kingdom - Skepticism Grows Over the Viability of Green Projects
- Digital TV Beckons, but Many Miss the Call
- Internet Service Provider Lobbyists Shape Broadband Stimulus Plan
- Google Battles ISPs with Technology
- New Mexico - Qwest Shuts Down Part of Skywi Network Again
- So Far, Wireless Data Looks Recession-Proof
- Weyco Back in Talks with Prospective Buyer of Cosmopolis Pulp Mill
- Starbucks Closing 300 Stores; May Cut 6,700 Jobs
- Postmaster General: Mail Days May Need To Be Cut
- Recycling Bins Becoming Harder to Find in North Mason
- Idaho's Poor Get Donated Fish, But No Mercury Warning
- Number of Uninsured Drivers on the Rise

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Cynosure • \SYE-nuh-shur\ • noun - 1: the northern constellation Ursa Minor; also: North Star 2: one that serves to direct or guide *3: a center of attraction or attention

Abernathy returned from his weekend makeover, dressed as well as any Parisian male model could be. “You’re an absolute peacock,” crowed his impressed fellow employees. From that day forward, the newly-remodeled Abernathy strived to become the “Style Cynosure” of the local “Arby’s” fry-cooks.

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

Attorney Recommends Getting Advice on Condemnation for Jefferson County PUD (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090129/news/301299995

Portland General Electric Considering Fate of Boardman Coal-Fired Plant (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4147-pge-considering-fate-boardman-coal-fired-plant/

Phone Scam Targets Local Residents, Including Cowlitz PUD Customers (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/01/28/area_news/doc49810cb4f2398479857853.txt

Pot Raid, Power Loss And CO Poisoning - Oh, My! (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/38572307.html

For A Spiffier Electric Grid: $11 Billion - Most of that money would go to upgrading transmission lines. An expanded ‘smart meter’ program would get $1 billion (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/economyrebuild/2009/01/27/for-a-spiffier-electric-grid-11-billion/

Skepticism about Plan to Shutter New York City Power Plant (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/nyregion/29nypa.html?ref=nyregion

Overweight Comcast Tech Breaks Utility Pole - 67-year old widow almost winds up without power (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Overweight-Comcast-Tech-Breaks-Utility-Pole-100479

FISH & WILDLIFE

Washington to Delay Columbia Spring Chinook Season Setting (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090128/SPORTS04/901289988/-1/SPORTS

New Reports Show Dam Removal Will Benefit Klamath River Salmon (San Francisco Bay Area Independent)
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/01/28/18566553.php

Fish Farming in Federal Waters (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/science/earth/29brfs-FISHFARMINGI_BRF.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Up to 20,000 Gallons of Waste Water Flows into Ludlow Bay (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090129/news/301299997

Rivers, Sewage-Treatment Plants Carry Nitrogen to Puget Sound (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008682957_pugetsound29m.html

Idaho and Washington to Study Post Falls Dam (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1820407~Idaho__Wash__to_study_Post_Falls_Dam.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Washington Senate Democrats Unveil Green Jobs Proposal (Associated Press)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=128854

Recession Threatens Wind Power, Industry Group Says (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, WI)
http://www.jsonline.com/business/38493439.html

Wind Power Hits Economic Storm (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iKNv0oJcYG8kMRXlXJNj17LtHlIgD95VPGI86

Massachusetts - Will The Economy Take the Wind out Of the Governor’s Green Plans? (Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2009/01/29/will_the_economy_take_the_wind_out_of_patricks_plan/

Puget Sound Energy & Renewable Energy Systems Move Forward with Washington Wind Energy Development (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=54616&src=rss

Alaska wind farms key to reduced energy costs – well sure; compared to diesel generators (Anchorage News Miner, AK)
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/jan/27/alaska-wind-farms-key-reduced-energy-costs/

Congressional Research Service - Wave, Tidal, and In-Stream Energy Projects: Which Federal Agency Has the Lead?
http://opencrs.com/document/RS22721

Seattle inventor hopes Google contest will help rooftop wind turbine fly - A West Seattle man hopes his wind turbine will receive worldwide support from Google users (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008670567_googlewind26m.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

North Carolina - Duke’s Opponents Step up Challenge to Save-A-Watt: Environmental groups seek tougher requirements for energy-efficiency proposal (Charlotte Business Journal)
http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/01/26/story11.html?b=1232946000%5E1765726

California Takes Aim at Big, Energy-Hungry TVs (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUKN2852769920090128

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Oregon and Washington Move Forward With Cap-And-Trade (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4134-oregon-and-washington-move-forward-cap-and-trade/

Oregon Governor, Industry at Odds over Climate Report (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/01/governor_industry_at_odds_over.html

Majority Of American Voters: Global Warming Can't Be Blamed On Humans (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/x-1109-Dallas-Environmental-Policy-Examiner~y2009m1d19-Majority-of-American-voters-global-warming-cant-be-blamed-on-humans

Here’s the Poll: 44% Say Global Warming Due To Planetary Trends, Not People (Rasmussen Reports)
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/issues2/articles/44_say_global_warming_due_to_planetary_trends_not_people

New Study Calling Global Warming Irreversible Further Complicates Debate (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/2009/jan/New-Study-Calling-Global-Warming-Irreversible-Further-Complicates-Debate.html

United Kingdom - Skepticism Grows Over the Viability of Green Projects (The Times of London)
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/wef/article5607996.ece

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Digital TV Beckons, but Many Miss the Call (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/arts/television/29ears.html

Internet Service Provider Lobbyists Shape Broadband Stimulus Plan - Senate adds tax credits, eliminates network neutrality language (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ISP-Lobbyists-Shape-Broadband-Stimulus-Plan-100480

Google Battles ISPs with Technology (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/01/28/google-battles-isps-with-technology/

New Mexico - Qwest Shuts Down Part of Skywi Network Again (New Mexico Business Weekly)
http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/01/26/daily33.html?ana=from_rss

So Far, Wireless Data Looks Recession-Proof (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/01/28/so-far-wireless-data-looks-recession-proof/

GENERAL NEWS

Weyco Back in Talks with Prospective Buyer of Cosmopolis Pulp Mill (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/01/27/local_news/02news.txt

Starbucks Closing 300 Stores; May Cut 6,700 Jobs (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/money/18583835/detail.html

Postmaster General: Mail Days May Need To Be Cut (Associated Press)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090128/NEWS02/701299974/1001/rss1001

Recycling Bins Becoming Harder to Find in North Mason (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jan/28/recycling-bins-becoming-harder-to-find-in-north/?partner=RSS

Idaho's Poor Get Donated Fish, But No Mercury Warning (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1819192~Idaho_s_poor_get_donated_fish__but_not_warning.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Number of Uninsured Drivers on the Rise (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_012809WAB-uninsured-drivers-KC.1363ee55.html

DIVERSIONS

Miles Davis between Takes: The 'Kind Of Blue' Sessions - Given yesterday’s “Song of the Day”; How Prescient (NPR Audio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99805408

Zounds! Knave Snags Shakespeare Festival Costumes
http://www.examiner.com/a-1820328~Zounds__Knave_snags_Shakespeare_Festival_costumes.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Man Finds Worst Place To Make A Drug Deal
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/38546232.html

Bush War on Roquefort Raises a Stink in France
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012804071.html?nav=rss_email%2Fcomponents

SONG OF THE DAY

The Galaxy Song – Clint Black version of Monty Python production (1999)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT7bAuOz8ao&feature=related