Energy News Digest for February 19, 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)

- The Secretaries, the Stimulus and the Smart Grid
- BPA outlines major transmission expansion for Pacific Northwest
- America’s Future Wind Web?
- Okanogan PUD Transmission Proposal
- Snohomish PUD Rate Hike: About $40.92 A Year Per Household
- Seattle City Light - 'Round up' your utility payment to help needy
- Chattanooga Free Press - Will TVA Change Its Ways?
- California - Smallest Fall Run of Chinook Salmon Reported
- Sportfishing-Led Group Suggests Restrictions on Columbia Gill-Netters
- Oregon Senate Oks Surcharge for Klamath Dam Removal
- Fish Get Assist At Little Goose Dam On Snake River
- Two new orca calves spotted in Puget Sound
- E-Book on History of Columbia Basin Salmon Recovery Litigation Available
- $603,000 Lewis River Project Washed Away
- California Taps Sea For Water Needs
- Energy Northwest to Develop Biomass Plants
- Grays Harbor PUD May Be Interested In Small Hydro Lake Sylvia Park
- Montana - Talk Of Bio-Gen Plant At Columbia Falls Aluminum Company
- California's Renewable Energy Goals Feasible
- Yakima Solar Street Light Goes Green
- 'Cap And Trade' Emissions Bill Passes Out Of House Committee
- Effort To Work Climate Change Into Growth Management Falls Short
- Greenhouse Gases Likely To Face EPA Regulation
- Poking Holes In Connected Nation
- Evergreen Travel Funds Missing
- Newspaper Publishers Seek Tax Cut

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Whipsaw • \WIP-saw\ • verb – 1: to saw with a whipsaw *2: to beset or victimize in two opposite ways at once, by a two-phase operation, or by the collusive action of two opponents

The country is being whipsawed by a lively discussion about climate change, carbon credits, cap and trade, cap and reduce, holding your breath, taking “Beano” with every meal, killing all cows and wearing hair shirts.

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

The Secretaries, the Stimulus and the Smart Grid (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/the-secretaries-the-stimulus-and-the-smart-grid/

BPA outlines major transmission expansion for Pacific Northwest (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/254785/

America’s Future Wind Web? Wind power could feed 20 percent of the US energy diet. But first, the country needs a new energy network (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/02/18/americas-future-wind-web/

Okanogan PUD Transmission Proposal: Property Owners Reject Need For Condemnation In PUD Lawsuit (Methow Valley News)
http://www.methowvalleynews.com/story.php?id=918

Snohomish PUD Rate Hike: About $40.92 A Year Per Household (The Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090218/NEWS01/702189797

Seattle City Light - 'Round up' your utility payment to help needy (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_021909WAB-utility-bill-help-SW.30096a00.html

Chattanooga Free Press - Will TVA Change Its Ways?
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2009/feb/18/will-tva-change-its-ways/?opiniontimes

FISH & WILDLIFE

California - Smallest Fall Run of Chinook Salmon Reported (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/18/MN9I160HP4.DTL

Sportfishing-Led Group Suggests Restrictions on Columbia Gill-Netters (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/02/legislature_may_move_columbia.html

Oregon Senate Oks Surcharge for Klamath Dam Removal (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/02/senate_oks_surcharge_for_klama.html

Fish Get Assist At Little Goose Dam On Snake River - Advanced American Construction of Portland set to install 150-ton spillway weir (Daily Journal of Commerce)
http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2009/02/17/Fish-get-assist-at-Little-Goose-Dam-on-Snake-River-Advanced-American-Construction-of-Portland-set-to

Two new orca calves spotted in Puget Sound (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=135565

News Release - E-Book on History of Columbia Basin Salmon Recovery Litigation Now Available (Columbia Basin Bulletin)
http://world-wire.com/news/0902190001.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

$603,000 Lewis River Project Washed Away - Officials had misgiving about how well it would work (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090219/NEWS02/702199954

California Taps Sea For Water Needs - Drought, demand renew debate over desalination (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/400469_deslination18.html

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Energy Northwest to Develop Biomass Plants - Leaders of Energy Northwest are coming up with plans to make energy from waste in forests (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/482630.html

Residents Gather To Discuss Proposed Lake Sylvia Park Closure – Grays Harbor PUD may be interested in small hydro (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/02/18/local_news/03news.txt

Montana - Talk Of Bio-Gen Plant At Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (Hungry Horse News, MT)
http://www.hungryhorsenews.com/articles/2009/02/19/news/doc499c3753149ee733418150.txt

California's Renewable Energy Goals Feasible (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/19/BUH2160HP3.DTL

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Yakima Solar Street Light Goes Green (KNDU-TV, Yakima)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9868397

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

'Cap And Trade' Emissions Bill Passes Out Of House Committee (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/400641_capandtrade19.html

Effort To Work Climate Change Into Growth Management Falls Short - Bills before Legislature include no consequences if state’s goals are ignored (The Columbian)
http://columbian.com/article/20090219/NEWS02/702199948/

Greenhouse Gases Likely To Face EPA Regulation (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008759077_gas19.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Poking Holes In Connected Nation - Broadband mapping group could actually harm rural broadband (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Poking-Holes-In-Connected-Nation-100958

GENERAL NEWS

Evergreen Travel Funds Missing - College says professor has not accounted for $50,000 collected from students in past 4 years (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/761799.html

Newspaper Publishers Seek Tax Cut (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/39811877.html

DIVERSIONS

Utility Worker Kills Attacking 2-Pound Chihuahua
http://www.examiner.com/a-1859951~Utility_worker_kills_attacking_2_pound_Chihuahua.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Police: Doughnut Shop Worker Slashes Man's Tires
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090219/ap_on_fe_st/odd_coffee_tires_slashed;_ylt=AvVLDooYffMI.g9BOJq6z3PtiBIF

Suspect Trips Over His Pants While Fleeing Police
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090219/ap_on_fe_st/odd_pants_trip;_ylt=AvO6EyuCgZIvKLHBzfp4i97tiBIF

Cleaner Waters Attract Sharks
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090213/od_nm/us_sharks_odd;_ylt=Arfjc0NB3DTEw.L2jAmq6TvtiBIF

SONG OF THE DAY

While my Guitar Gently Weeps - Jake Shimabukuro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puSkP3uym5k