Energy News Digest for February 10, 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)

- Hanford Nuclear Power Plant Goes Off Line
- Bogus Caller Threatens To Cut Off Tacoma Utilities
- Residential Electric Price Offers Falling in Texas; Consumers Support Competition
- State Fining Enumclaw Over Natural Gas Lines
- Columbia Salmon Plan Goes Before Judge for Third Try
- Coho, Chinook in 'Dramatic' Decline - But pink salmon survival rising in B.C.
- Fishery Managers to Discuss Spring Chinook Season At Longview Meeting
- BPA Media Advisory - Improved juvenile fish passage on its way to Little Goose Dam
- British Columbia Loses Salmon Farm Jurisdiction
- Meeting Set for Plan to Use Dolphins, Sea Lions to Protect Bangor
- Low Snowpack Indicates Water Shortages
- Snohomish County PUD Extends Its Green Power Goals
- Grays Harbor County PUD Wants To Study Harnessing The Power Of The Tides
- Hoquiam Endorses Grays Harbor Tidal Power Proposal
- Wind Power Jobs Are Abundant, But Training Is Scarce
- Port Of Quincy Working with Ammonia Company
- An Ambitious Vision for Upscaling Wind Transmission
- Up to $80 Billion to Transmit Wind Power From Midwest to Northeast
- NY Times Op/Ed - Plugging in the Postal Service
- Michigan - Utility Companies Race To Meet Energy Reduction Plan Deadline
- Tips to Cut Back on Energy Costs
- Legislator Wants Utah Out Of Climate Group
- Birds Seem To Be Heading Farther North Because Of Climate Change
- Belfast Environment Chief Bans Climate Change Ads
- Chelan PUD Will Delay Fiber Build-Out To Save Money
- Qwest Cut 1,700 Jobs
- We Still Need Better Broadband Data
- Winter Storm Warning In Effect for the Hood Canal Area
- Senate Passes $819 Billion Economic Stimulus Bill
- Timber Projections Worst on Record
- Northwest Soldier's Electrocution Death under Investigation
- Video of Near Misses Is Latest Attempt to Eliminate Rail Crossing Incidents

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Anecdote • \AN-ik-doht\ • noun - A usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident

The mad scientist drummed his fingers together with glee after injecting his unfortunate subject with the thick viscous fluid that was intended to induce invisibility. “So, while we wait for the compound to take effect, let me tell you an amusing anecdote about the antidote that I’ve whipped up for this experiment…..There is none!” guffawed the wizened scientist.

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

Hanford Nuclear Power Plant Goes Off Line (Associated Press)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/399358_nuclear10.html

Bogus Caller Threatens To Cut Off Tacoma Utilities (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/622127.html

News Whiz - Residential Electric Price Offers Falling in Texas; Consumers Support Competition (Electric Energy Online - This, after yesterday’s hatchet job on competition pitfalls in the Houston Chronicle…ugh!)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&id=104921

State Fining Enumclaw Over Natural Gas Lines (Associated Press)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/39378642.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia Salmon Plan Goes Before Judge for Third Try (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008727079_redden10m.html

Coho, Chinook in 'Dramatic' Decline - But pink salmon survival rising in B.C. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/399429_sound10.html

Fishery Managers to Discuss Spring Chinook Season At Longview Meeting (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/02/09/area_news/doc4990d67689155280223747.txt

BPA Media Advisory - Improved juvenile fish passage on its way to Little Goose Dam: Nearly 150 ton structure made in the Northwest, for the Northwest (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/253222/

British Columbia Loses Salmon Farm Jurisdiction - Provincial supreme court rules the province has been improperly regulating industry (The Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=960d484a-eabd-49c4-b988-aa20c962b071

Meeting Set for Plan to Use Dolphins, Sea Lions to Protect Bangor (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/feb/09/meeting-set-for-plan-to-use-dolphins-sea-lions/?partner=RSS

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Low Snowpack Indicates Water Shortages (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1843739~Low_snowpack_indicates_water_shortages.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Snohomish County PUD Extends Its Green Power Goals (Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090210/NEWS01/702109927

Grays Harbor County PUD Wants To Study Harnessing The Power Of The Tides (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/02/10/local_news/04news.txt

Hoquiam Endorses Grays Harbor Tidal Power Proposal (The Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/754302.html

Wind Power Jobs Are Abundant, But Training Is Scarce (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/02/wind_power_jobs_are_abundant_b.html

Port Of Quincy Working with Ammonia Company - Touted As a Renewable Energy Source (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/02/09/news/doc49906590a7d8e533084974.txt

An Ambitious Vision for Upscaling Wind Transmission (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/an-ambitious-vision-for-upscaling-wind-transmission/

Up to $80 Billion to Transmit Wind Power From Midwest to Northeast (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/up-to-80-billion-to-transmit-wind-power-from-midwest-to-northeast/

NY Times Op/Ed - Plugging in the Postal Service
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/opinion/10goldway.html?ref=opinion

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Michigan - Utility Companies Race To Meet Energy Reduction Plan Deadline (Holland Sentinel, MI)
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x494344774/Utility-companies-race-to-meet-energy-reduction-plan-deadline

Tips to Cut Back on Energy Costs (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9816155

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Legislator Wants Utah Out Of Climate Group (Salt Lake Tribune, UT)http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11671541

Birds Seem To Be Heading Farther North Because Of Climate Change (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/399450_birds10.html

Belfast Environment Chief Bans Climate Change Ads “…denounced their energy-saving message as "insidious propaganda…" (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gLGWEN2UDT8NdPesYuBZo299PjDQD96887900

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Chelan PUD Will Delay Fiber Build-Out To Save Money (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090209/NEWS04/902090282/1001

Qwest Cut 1,700 Jobs - As carrier struggles with continued landline losses (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Qwest-Cut-1700-Jobs-100777

We Still Need Better Broadband Data - Investment bills once again fail to map coverage gaps
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/We-Still-Need-Better-Broadband-Data-100775

GENERAL NEWS

Winter Storm Warning In Effect for the Hood Canal Area (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6343/reftab/1632/t/WINTER-STORM-WARNING-IN-EFFECT-FOR-THE-HOOD-CANAL-AREA/Default.aspx

Senate Passes $819 Billion Economic Stimulus Bill (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/10/AR2009021001397.html?wprss=rss_business

Timber Projections Worst on Record (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090210/news/302109993

Northwest Soldier's Electrocution Death under Investigation (Associated Press)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/39363497.html

Video of Near Misses Is Latest Attempt to Eliminate Rail Crossing Incidents (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/2009/feb/Video-of-Near-Misses-Tries-to-Contain-the-Number-of-Rail-Incidents-.html

DIVERSIONS

The Claim: Never Blow Your Nose When You Have a Cold
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/health/10real.html

Man Calls 911 after Clerk Refuses To Sell Beer
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090209/ap_on_fe_st/odd911_call_beer;_ylt=AvYLyb5eseCBmOpaVqg5ihDtiBIF

Man Accused of Hiding Pot in Babies' Diapers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090209/ap_on_fe_st/odd_diapers_marijuana;_ylt=AmYkh8wVIHrXfPXMlmN16grtiBIF

Police Find 22 Dogs in Station Wagon With Owner
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090210/ap_on_fe_st/odd_dogs_in_car;_ylt=AmnWoy9vOeTXM5N6HdVyMcPtiBIF

SONG OF THE DAY

Kokomo - The Beach Boys (Cocktail Soundtrack)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIWgaqKgqhg&feature=PlayList&p=1D60D828664B7606&playnext=1&index=66