Energy News Digest for February 13, 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)

- Bonneville Wants Power Rate Hike - Grays Harbor PUD to Be Affected
- BPA Looking For 2010 Rate Increase – Tri-City Utilities Watchful
- Puget Sound Energy Buys Whatcom County Power Plant
- Washington State Agency, Riverkeeper Sue to Halt LNG Project
- Nevada - Environmentalists Hail Utility's Decision To Halt Coal-Fired Power Plant
- Nuclear power vs. clean coal's dirty mess
- TVA: Cleaning Tennessee Spill Could Cost $825 Million
- Pro-Nuclear Loan Program Dropped From Stimulus
- Washington, DC - A Winter of Discontent over Utility Bills
- Tribes Influence Columbia River Management Plan
- Salmon return to Wallowa Fish Hatchery
- Fish May Ride Out Winter Floods
- Scientists Use Human Medicine to Detect Brain Injuries in Salmon
- Canada - The state of the wild salmon? Not so great
- Bald Eagles Turn Heads at a Gathering of Fans
- 1,600 People Apply For One Tacoma Public Utilities Water Meter Reader Job
- Dam Problem Raises Flood Risk in Auburn, Kent
- ID Snowpack Dropping; Waters Supply Should Be OK
- Skokomish Valley Residents Still Frustrated
- Idaho Lawmakers Skeptical After Whiff of Poop Power Bill
- British Columbia - War over River Power Escalates
- Billions for Weatherization in Stimulus Questioned
- Google Power Meter Analyzes Home Energy Consumption
- Do Energy-Saving LED Lamps Save Energy?
- State Not Ready For 'Climate Refugees'
- Climate Change May Squeeze Hydropower, But Boost Winter Wheat
- $7.2 Billion Broadband Stimulus Almost Finalized
- Charter Communications to File for Bankruptcy
- Comcast Accused of Overcharging For Cable Box Rental
- $4 Billion Of Stimulus Package For State
- Gregoire: Combine Small School Districts
- Woman Dies after Being Struck By Cars on U.S. 101 North of Shelton
- Motorcycles for Children Pulled From Sale
- When the Hood Canal Bridge sank 30 years ago

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Keelhaul • \KEEL-hawl\ • verb - 1: to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture *2: to rebuke severely

The bold thief stood in the middle of the dry dock, laughing maniacally at the stevedores that surrounded him. “You can’t keelhaul me, not on dry land you idiots,” he gasped between bouts of pealing laughter. Unfortunately, his laughter turned to screams of pain, as the burly dockworkers took turns pulling him back and forth under the hull of a barnacle encrusted ship sat idly nearby in it’s heavy cradle.

Did you know? Merriam-Webster Dictionary - In the mid-1600s, British monarchs were intent on using their powerful navy to expand their empire. Insubordination was not tolerated, and mutinous sailors were disciplined severely to discourage others from similar rebellion. "Keelhauling" was one of the worst penalties that could befall a renegade mariner. Although they definitely practiced the gruesome punishment, the British did not invent it -- the Dutch did. "Keelhaul" is a translation of the Dutch word "kielhalen," which means "to haul under the keel of a ship." Even after the practice was banned on European naval vessels in the mid-1800s, the word "keelhaul" remained in English as a term for a severe scolding.

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

Bonneville Wants Power Rate Hike - Grays Harbor PUD to Be Affected (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/02/12/local_news/12news.txt

BPA Looking For 2010 Rate Increase – Tri-City Utilities Watchful (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/915/story/476535.html

Puget Sound Energy Buys Whatcom County Power Plant (Lynden Tribune, WA)
http://www.lyndentribune.com/node/4053

Washington State Agency, Riverkeeper Sue to Halt LNG Project (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/02/13//area_news/doc49959fffcdbe6217719590.txt

Nevada - Environmentalists Hail Utility's Decision To Halt Coal-Fired Power Plant - Critic warns that higher rates will come (Las Vegas Review)
http://www.lvrj.com/business/39483597.html

Nuclear power vs. clean coal's dirty mess: A tale of two power plants (McClatchy Newspapers)
http://dev.scoop.com/remote/article/include/73578579/53616c7465645f5fa7b1cddb24a8a97c0c559d13003f001fb7b4f54f9c1b5fc2

TVA: Cleaning Tennessee Spill Could Cost $825 Million (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008737209_apcoalashspill.html?syndication=rss

Pro-Nuclear Loan Program Dropped From Stimulus (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008737978_apstimulusnuclear.html?syndication=rss

Washington, DC - A Winter of Discontent over Utility Bills: Customers Are Upset That Rates Are Still High Despite Lower Fuel Costs (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/12/AR2009021203661.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Tribes Influence Columbia River Management Plan (Reznet)
http://www.reznetnews.org/article/tribes-influence-columbia-river-management-plan-29900

Salmon return to Wallowa Fish Hatchery (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR)
http://www.eastoregonian.info/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=48&ArticleID=88842&TM=71083.52

Fish May Ride Out Winter Floods - Cowlitz seemed to fare better than Chehalis and Puyallup rivers (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/757343.html

Scientists Use Human Medicine to Detect Brain Injuries in Salmon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4268-scientists-use-human-medicine-detect-brain-injuries-salmon/

Canada - The state of the wild salmon? Not so great (Tri-City News, Maple Ridge, BC)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/lifestyles/39528469.html

Bald Eagles Turn Heads at a Gathering of Fans (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/westchester/15eagleswe.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

1,600 People Apply For One Tacoma Public Utilities Water Meter Reader Job (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/39498372.html

Dam Problem Raises Flood Risk in Auburn, Kent (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1850204~Dam_problem_raises_flood_risk_in_Auburn__Kent.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

ID Snowpack Dropping; Waters Supply Should Be OK (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1849352~ID_snowpack_dropping__waters_supply_should_be_OK.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Skokomish Valley Residents Still Frustrated (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/feb/12/skokomish-valley-residents-still-frustrated/

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Idaho Lawmakers Skeptical After Whiff of Poop Power Bill (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/756950.html

British Columbia - War over River Power Escalates: Industry, foes clash over massive private Bute Inlet project (The Tyee, BC)
http://thetyee.ca/News/2009/02/13/RiverPower/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Billions for Weatherization in Stimulus Questioned (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008741042_apstimulusweatherizations.html?syndication=rss

Google Power Meter Analyzes Home Energy Consumption (PC World)
http://www.pcworld.com/article/159430/google_power_meter_analyzes_home_energy_consumption.html

Do Energy-Saving LED Lamps Save Energy? (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/do-energy-saving-led-lamps-save-energy/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

State Not Ready For 'Climate Refugees' - Scientists Warn Of Migration, Sickness (Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Lakes of FIRE! Flesh from BONE! Dogs and cats living together: mass hysteria! Yikes!)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/399958_climate13.html?source=rss

Ghostbusters (1984) "Cats and Dogs" speech in Mayors Office (PG-13 YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w91-GMc3j7I

Climate Change May Squeeze Hydropower, But Boost Winter Wheat (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4265-climate-change-may-squeeze-hydropower-boost-winter-wheat/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

$7.2 Billion Broadband Stimulus Almost Finalized - $350 million to mapping, network neutrality language preserved (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/72-Billion-Broadband-Stimulus-Almost-Finalized-100871

Charter Communications to File for Bankruptcy (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/technology/companies/13charter.html

Comcast Accused of Overcharging For Cable Box Rental (Daily Herald, Chicago, IL)
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=270923

GENERAL NEWS

$4 Billion Of Stimulus Package For State - Plan would help fund Medicaid, transportation projects and Hanford cleanup (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/757345.html

Gregoire: Combine Small School Districts (Associated Press)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090212/NEWS04/702129876/1001/rss1001

Woman Dies after Being Struck By Cars on U.S. 101 North of Shelton (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/757834.html

Motorcycles for Children Pulled From Sale (NY Times)
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/dirt-bikes/?partner=rss&emc=rss

When the Hood Canal Bridge sank 30 years ago (The Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090213/news/302139997

DIVERSIONS

ATM Thieves Drain $60,000 from Machine, Camera Helps Catch Them
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008740833_webatm13m.html?syndication=rss

Woman's Record-Length Fingernails Broken In Crash
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18708196/detail.html

Woman Accused of Selling Neighbors' 2 Terriers
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18708238/detail.html

Florida Dad Let Son, 8, Drive Van - Boy Hit 2 Trees, Nearly Hit 2 People
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/18695693/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BuzG4VoXMY&feature=related