Energy News Digest for January 8, 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)

- Chair of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to Resign
- Jefferson PUD to Begin Talks With BPA about Electric Power Takeover
- Chelan PUD to Cut Ten Jobs At Dams
- Montana - Senators Seek Power for Columbia Falls Aluminum Company
- Critics Push For PGE To Modernize Boardman Plant
- Douglas PUD Commissioners Take New Posts
- Congressman Markey of Massachusetts to Chair Key House Energy Subcommittee
- Detroit News Editorial - Don't Bar Coal from State's Energy Future
- Bi-State Chinook Flap Set To Resume Friday
- TVA ratepayers may be stuck with ash cleanup bill
- Solar-Cell Maker Halts Construction Plans for New Plant in Hillsboro
- Idaho - Otter Backs Pickens in Drive to Cut Foreign Oil
- Can 'Green Jobs' Stimulate The Economy?
- California - New Power Plant at Half Moon Bay Landfill Turns Methane into Energy
- FPL Energy is Now NextEra Energy Resources
- America's Untapped Energy Resource: Boosting Efficiency
- Obama Wants To Cut Energy Use in Federal Buildings
- Study: Big Homes, One-Person Households Are Main Causes of Consumer Energy Waste
- Plenty Of Green Will Be Spent Being 'Green'
- Charter Sues Verizon - Claims telco is violating four patents with FiOS
- Congress Urged to Postpone Nation's Switch to Digital TV
- Shelton Man Rescued From Raging Stream
- Mason County: Flood Warnings Continue; Roads & Highways Closed
- Washout: Unprecedented flooding forces evacuations, closes highways
- I-5 still swamped; Lewis County cautious, hopeful
- Rainfall totals for Western Washington
- Reichert named to House Ways and Means committee

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Dank • \Dan-k\ • adjective - unpleasantly moist or wet

Insert your favorite flood stories in the “fill in the blanks” example sentence of the day. It’s fun!

Abernathy grumbled under his breath, his frustration over the flooded ________________ River growing with each plodding step through his dank, dark, water permeated garage. As the topper, he couldn’t leave his house in ________________ because of the mudslide over ________________ Road.

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

Chair of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to Resign (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/07/national/w105557S76.DTL&feed=rss.business

Jefferson PUD to Begin Talks With BPA about Electric Power Takeover (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090108/news/301089992

Chelan PUD to Cut Ten Jobs At Dams (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090107/NEWS04/701089932

Montana - Senators Seek Power for Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (The Missoulian, MT)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/01/08/news/mtregional/znews07.txt

Critics Push For PGE To Modernize Boardman Plant - The Environmental Quality Commission hears from people who want the coal-fired power plant to install pollution controls (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/123138873781740.xml&coll=7

Douglas PUD Commissioners Take New Posts (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090107/NEWS04/701089936

Congressman Markey of Massachusetts to Chair Key House Energy Subcommittee (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/markey-to-chair-key-house-energy-subcommittee/

Detroit News Editorial - Don't Bar Coal from State's Energy Future
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090108/OPINION01/901080345

FISH & WILDLIFE

Bi-State Chinook Flap Set To Resume Friday (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090108/SPORTS04/701089922

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

TVA ratepayers may be stuck with ash cleanup bill (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008583296_apfloodedneighborhood.html?syndication=rss

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Solar-Cell Maker Halts Construction Plans for New Plant in Hillsboro (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/solarcell_maker_halts_construc.html

Idaho - Otter Backs Pickens in Drive to Cut Foreign Oil (Idaho Statesman, Boise)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/business/story/625571.html

Can 'Green Jobs' Stimulate The Economy? (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99100825&ft=1&f=3

California - New Power Plant at Half Moon Bay Landfill Turns Methane Into Energy (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11401243

FPL Energy is Now NextEra Energy Resources (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=54451&src=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

America's Untapped Energy Resource: Boosting Efficiency (Time Magazine)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1869224,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

Obama Wants To Cut Energy Use in Federal Buildings (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ieBi6mm2SBfSIWEZtnrQtqL4JC0QD95IIE5G0

Study: Big Homes, One-Person Households Are Main Causes of Consumer Energy Waste (Autility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=349642&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Plenty Of Green Will Be Spent Being 'Green' (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/395107_virgin08.html?source=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Charter Sues Verizon - Claims telco is violating four patents with FiOS (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Charter-Sues-Verizon-100097

Congress Urged to Postpone Nation's Switch to Digital TV (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010703916.html?nav=rss_email%2Fcomponents

GENERAL NEWS

Shelton Man Rescued From Raging Stream (KOMO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/37278719.html

Mason County: Flood Warnings Continue; Roads & Highways Closed (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6032/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Washout: Unprecedented flooding forces evacuations, closes highways (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008602949_flood08m.html?syndication=rss

I-5 still swamped; Lewis County cautious, hopeful (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008604400_webchehalis08m.html?syndication=rss

Rainfall totals for Western Washington (Associated Press)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395242_rainfall09.html?source=rss

Reichert named to House Ways and Means committee (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008601032_apwareichertcongress.html?syndication=rss

DIVERSIONS

Man Demands Estranged Wife Pay Him for Kidney
http://www.kirotv.com/health/18431267/detail.html

Man and Girlfriend Use Disguise in Attempt to Rob Grandmother’s Bank Account
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE50755320090108?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Holier Than Thou? Brazilian Christ Statue Has Rival
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE50755320090108?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Greek Court Voids Property Deal between Barman And Alcoholic
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090102/od_afp/greecejusticeoffbeat_newsmlmmd;_ylt=AlvlKXYDuGNf9V26KSefiM2gOrgF