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 Decision on Smelter Contracts Expected This Month
- New Mason County PUD No. 3 Commissioner to be sworn In Tuesday
- Clallam PUD-Puget Sound Energy Agreement Keeps Lights On In Port Townsend
- Oregonian Op/Ed - Our Energy Future: What is noble enough?
- Why “Cheap” Energy Is Really Costly In the Long Run
- Squirrel Causes Afternoon Outage in Boise
- There May Be Better Days Ahead For Salmon Runs
- Army Corps of Engineers Will Kill More Cormorants in Salmon Study
- California - Coho Salmon Are Bred For Diversity, Strength
- California Fishermen's Struggles Worsen
- Alaska Fisheries Had Their Challenges
- Group Uses Lawsuits To Help Clean Up Puget Sound
- Washington Post Editorial - Failure on the Chesapeake Bay
- Our Ocean Backyard: Ocean Energy from Warm Water and Wind?
- Ecology Department Uses Online Campaign to Help Water Quality
- Congressional Research Service - Water Infrastructure Needs and Investment
- Researchers Focus On Bringing Missing Bees Back
- Tacoma Pulp Plant to Generate Power, Too
- Oregon Is Exceptionally Generous with Green-Energy Subsidies
- Solar-Power Industry Remains Hot In California
- Missourians Wanting To Power Their Own Homes Are Finding It Difficult
- Winters Farm Makes Green Fuel By Burning Walnut Shells
- In Blue Economy, Green Jobs Are In Play
- Flat-screen TVs to face energy-efficiency rules in California
- What to Do with All That Carbon
- Carbon Offsets in the Air in San Francisco
- Why Obama's Green Jobs Plan Might Work
- Congressional Research Service - Global Climate Change: Three Policy Perspectives
- East Jefferson, Forks-Area Cable TV Provider Files For Bankruptcy Protection
- Superfast Wimax Comes To Portland
- Teen's Startup Promises Fast Internet Speeds
- Microsoft's Browser Sees Notable Decline in Usage
- Comcast Mum on New Bandwidth Tracker
- Bring in the COWS - Inauguration Spotlights Cell Phone Opportunities
- New Age UK town says Wi-Fi is making them sick
- Olympia Mayor Asks That Council Limit E-Mail Discussions during Meetings
- Rep. Bill Grant Succumbs to Cancer
- Despite Law, Drivers Still Talking And Talking And Talking
- Oregon Looks At Taxing Mileage Instead Of Gasoline
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Elysian • \ih-LIZH-un\ • adjective - Blissful, delightful
In the midst of the contentious meeting over jackstraw game quotas, Ambrose took an unexpected mental trip to his “happy place.” The Elysian retreat was made only slightly less enjoyable by the fact that the incessant chatter of his staff kept intruding in the form of large, swooping crows. “At least they haven’t been gorging themselves on blackberries,” Ambrose thought, dreamily. “That would create quite a mess on my white linen suit…”
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
Monday Update: BPA Decision on Smelter Contracts Expected This Month (Will they, or won’t they…let’s start a pool! The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/01/05/area_news/doc4961bcb835a3a443426880.txt
New Mason County PUD No. 3 Commissioner to be Sworn In Tuesday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6000/reftab/1632/Default.aspx
Clallam PUD-Puget Sound Energy Agreement Keeps Lights On In Port Townsend (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090105/news/301059996
Oregonian Op/Ed - Our Energy Future: What is noble enough?
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/01/our_energy_future_what_is_nobl.html
Why “Cheap” Energy Is Really Costly In the Long Run (ZDNet)
http://blogs.zdnet.com/green/?p=1619
Squirrel Causes Afternoon Outage in Boise (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/714871.html
FISH & WILDLIFE
There May Be Better Days Ahead For Salmon Runs - With forces aligning in favor of salmon returns, now would be a good time for commercial and sport anglers to compromise Idaho Statesman)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/110/story/621067.html
Army Corps of Engineers Will Kill More Cormorants In Salmon Study (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/715613.html
California - Coho Salmon Are Bred For Diversity, Strength (San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/02/MNKJ14QS3D.DTL&feed=rss.news
California Fishermen's Struggles Worsen (Associated Press)
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/business/1360967,4_3_JO04_FISH_S1.article
Alaska Fisheries Had Their Challenges (Anchorage Daily News, AK)
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/641996.html
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
Group Uses Lawsuits To Help Clean Up Puget Sound - Citizens take aggressive stand against pollution (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394707_soundsuits05.html?source=rss
Washington Post Editorial - Failure on the Chesapeake Bay: The cleanup effort will need political courage if it's ever to succeed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/02/AR2009010202087.html?nav=rss_opinions
Our Ocean Backyard: Ocean Energy from Warm Water and Wind? (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_11365370?nclick_check=1
Ecology Department Uses Online Campaign to Help Water Quality (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008590180_pollutionwebsite05m.html?syndication=rss
Congressional Research Service - Water Infrastructure Needs and Investment: Review and Analysis of Key Issues
http://opencrs.com/document/RL31116
Researchers Focus On Bringing Missing Bees Back - Scientists in the field and the lab are trying to solve a mystery critical to the future of American agriculture: Why are honeybee hives failing at a disturbingly high rate? (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008590495_apfarmscenebringingbeesback.html?syndication=rss
RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION
Tacoma Pulp Plant to Generate Power, Too - $90M biomass project to squeeze energy out of Simpson Tacoma wood waste (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/01/05/story5.html?ana=from_rss
Oregon Is Exceptionally Generous with Green-Energy Subsidies “…money is going to risky ventures with questionable environmental benefits and to prosperous companies that need no incentives but are cashing in anyway…” (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/oregon_is_exceptionally_genero.html
Solar-Power Industry Remains Hot In California (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11358068?nclick_check=1
Missourians Wanting To Power Their Own Homes Are Finding It Difficult (Kansas City Star, MO)
http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/962821.html
Winters Farm Makes Green Fuel By Burning Walnut Shells - Dixon Ridge Farms wants to produce all of its energy on-site by 2012 (Sacramento Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2009/01/05/story7.html?ana=from_rss
In Blue Economy, Green Jobs Are In Play (Dallas Morning News, TX)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/010409dnnatgreenjobs.2124064.html
Flat-screen TVs to face energy-efficiency rules in California (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-tv3-2009jan03,0,1059107.story
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
What to Do with All That Carbon - We need a global technology center to find ways of capturing and burying greenhouse gases (Newsweek)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/177445?from=rss
Carbon Offsets in the Air in San Francisco (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/offsets-in-the-air-in-san-francisco/
Why Obama's Green Jobs Plan Might Work (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fi-greenjobs4-2009jan04,0,6373295.story
Congressional Research Service - Global Climate Change: Three Policy Perspectives
http://opencrs.com/document/98-738
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
East Jefferson, Forks-Area Cable TV Provider Files For Bankruptcy Protection (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090104/NEWS/301049997
Superfast Wimax Comes To Portland (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/01/superfast_wimax_comes_to_portl.html
Teen's Startup Promises Fast Internet Speeds (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/584444.html
Microsoft's Browser Sees Notable Decline in Usage (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11359122
Comcast Mum on New Bandwidth Tracker (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-Mum-On-New-Bandwidth-Tracker-99980
Bring in the COWS - Inauguration Spotlights Cell Phone Opportunities (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401330.html?wprss=rss_business
Wi-Fi, Like, Totally Messes with My Chakras - New Age UK town says Wi-Fi is making them sick (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/WiFi-Like-Totally-Messes-With-My-Chakras-99990
GENERAL NEWS
Olympia Mayor Asks That Council Limit E-Mail Discussions - Review shows members writing about issues during meetings (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/716442.html
Rep. Bill Grant Succumbs to Cancer (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
http://union-bulletin.com/articles/2009/01/04/local_news/090104arepbillgrantdeath.txt
Drivers Still Talking And Talking And Talking - Is new state law restricting cell phone use behind the wheel having any effect? (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/584909.html
Oregon Looks At Taxing Mileage Instead Of Gasoline (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008583644_apmileagetax.html
DIVERSIONS
Swedish Town Using Cremation Heat to Warm Houses
http://gizmodo.com/5121450/swedish-town-using-cremation-heat-to-warm-houses
Portland Loo Freezes Up During Snowstorm (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_010409ORN_portland_restroom_freezes_SW.3ad6d646.html
Economic Trends: Boo the Bankers and Lose the Spouse
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090101/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_financial_times;_ylt=Al5rcouoDf61ldwqAgmHMd_tiBIF
Sarah Palin Most Desirable Celebrity Neighbor
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081230/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_neighbors;_ylt=AnVgFbA5nKukwBS_YeTqOtztiBIF
