Energy News Digest for February 20, 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)

- Chelan County PUD Gets License for Rocky Reach Dam
- BPA: Ready for a new (power) Act?
- Transmission Line among First Regional Stimulus Projects
- Oregonian Op/Ed - BPA's $246 million project - first in a series
- Cantwell is a New Leader on the Senate Energy Committee
- New Reactors Must Handle Plane Strike
- Maryland - Lawmakers, Consumer Advocates Urge Energy Re-Regulation
- Re-Regulating Maryland's Electricity Will Cost Maryland Customers More Money
- Texas - Experts, Companies Weigh In On Electricity Prices
- Chelan PUD Crew Braves Frigid Waters to Check on Salmon Spawning Results
- Ocean Fishing Shutdown Possible As Few Chinook Return To Sacramento
- Oregon - Steelhead Arrive At Wallowa Fish Hatchery
- Lead in Water Harmed Sons, D.C. Man Claims
- Energy Northwest Deal Aims To Power Up With Biomass
- Western Washington to Get Biomass Plant
- Biomass Burnout - Regional Ban on Wood Stove Burning In Effect
- Utah - Schools Could Reap Millions in Renewable-Energy Push
- Cost of Solar Installation Has Fallen In Decade
- Meltdown 101: Will The Sun Soon Power Our Homes?
- New Zealand - Conservation Minister Criticizes DOC over Wind Farm Deal
- Solar-Power Parking Meters to Be Tested In San Diego
- Oregon lawmakers want to help you be more energy efficient
- Taking Liberties with LEED
- Full State House To Consider Cap on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Olympian Editorial - State Should Be At Forefront of Green Economy
- Coalition Wants Forests Included In Federal Climate Change Policy
- NY Times Editorial Page - Who Should Regulate Greenhouse Gases?
- Skepticism Arises Over Rural Broadband Stimulus
- Quincy Trying To Reach Cable Representatives
- The Rise of the Mega Data Center
- $8 Billion Shortfall Forecast For Washington State Budget
- Boeing Lays off 1,100 Workers
- Ellensburg Paper Lays off Six, Outsources Printing
- Mason County Man Pleads Guilty To Robbery of Gig Harbor Bank
- Clark County Gives A Lot More Than It Receives On Transportation
- GOP Governors Flip-Flop on Accepting Stimulus Funds

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Grandiloquent – • \grand-ILL-oh-kwence\ • noun - A lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, manner, or quality especially in language

Standing astride the speaker’s platform, Abernathy’s florid, grandiloquent speech was designed to stir the latent, languid passions of the audience to take up the zither as an instrument of peace, love and understanding in the world. His impassioned plea was only slightly undermined by the fact that the audience was made up of ukulele players who had wandered into the hall by mistake, expecting a class on making felt picks. Another shortcoming was pointed out by Abernathy’s assistant, who whispered “XYZ” halfway through the thundering oration.

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

Chelan County PUD Gets License for Rocky Reach Dam (Associated Press)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_rocky_reach_dam.html

BPA: Ready for a new Act? Internecine squabbles over hydroelectric power in the Northwest might lead to a new Power Act, possibly opening up the Columbia River system so that other states benefit, such as California (Crosscut, Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/02/20/energy-utilities/18655/

Transmission Line among First Regional Stimulus Projects (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4316-transmission-line-among-first-regional-stimulus-projects-green-lighted/

Oregonian Op/Ed - BPA's $246 Million Project - First In a Series
http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2009/02/bpas_246_million_project_first.html

Cantwell is a New Leader on the Senate Energy Committee (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9875686

New Reactors Must Handle Plane Strike (Associated Press)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/18nuke.html

Maryland - Lawmakers, Consumer Advocates Urge Energy Re-Regulation: Soaring bills drive bid for re-regulation (Baltimore Sun, MD)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.reregulate20feb20,0,1182240.story

News Whiz - Re-Regulating Maryland's Electricity Will Cost Maryland Customers More Money - Not Lower their Energy Bills (Elecgric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&id=105670

Texas - Experts, Companies Weigh In On Electricity Prices (Dallas Morning News)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-elecprices_20bus.ART0.State.Edition1.3c60d87.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Chelan County PUD Fisheries Crew Braves Frigid Waters to Check on Salmon Spawning Results (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090219/NEWS04/702199925/1003/rss1003

Ocean Fishing Shutdown Possible As Few Chinook Return To Sacramento (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/02/ocean_fishing_shutdown_possibl.html

Oregon - Steelhead Arrive At Wallowa Fish Hatchery (Wallowa County Chieftan, OR)
http://www.wallowacountychieftain.info/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=61&ArticleID=18172

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Lead in Water Harmed Sons, D.C. Man Claims (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021701193.html?nav=rss_email/components

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Energy Northwest Deal Aims To Power Up With Biomass (Associated Press)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/39881747.html

Western Washington To Get Biomass Plant - legislator hopes to see it built on Olympic Peninsula (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090220/news/302209994

Biomass Burnout - Regional Ban on Wood Stove Burning In Effect: Effort to reduce unhealthy smoke levels ends Saturday (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090220/NEWS02/702209979/

Utah - Schools Could Reap Millions In Renewable-Energy Push (Salt Lake Tribune, UT)http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11743559

Cost of Solar Installation Has Fallen In Decade (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/20/BU0T1619FG.DTL&feed=rss.business

Meltdown 101: Will The Sun Soon Power Our Homes? (Associated Press – written by Elmer Gantry…)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jTYsQQTKqbOMGfVp94k72Q6GccbQD96ET04G0

New Zealand - Conservation Minister Criticizes DOC over Wind Farm Deal (Stuff, NZ)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4854118a11.html

Solar-Power Parking Meters to Be Tested In San Diego (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1861916~Solar_power_parking_meters_to_be_tested_in_SD.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Oregon Lawmakers Want To Help You Be More Energy Efficient (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1235021109209010.xml&coll=7

Taking Liberties with LEED (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/taking-liberties-with-leed/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Full State House To Consider Cap On Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Bill would allow businesses to auction permits (Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Great, more energy derivative investments…)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/400845_capandtrade20.html?source=rss

Olympian Editorial - State Should Be At Forefront Of Green Economy (Sure, but can it afford to pay the price?)
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/762747.html

Coalition Wants Forests Included In Federal Climate Change Policy (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/02/coalition_wants_forests_includ.html

NY Times Editorial Page - Who Should Regulate Greenhouse Gases?
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/the-epa-puts-on-the-heat/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Skepticism Arises Over Rural Broadband Stimulus (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/19/AR2009021902473.html?wprss=rss_technology

Quincy Trying To Reach Cable Representatives - Hoping fiber will provide another option (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/02/19/news/doc499daaac54c7a089592979.txt

The Rise of the Mega Data Center (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/02/19/the-rise-of-the-mega-data-center/

GENERAL NEWS

$8 Billion Shortfall Forecast For Washington State Budget (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008765126_revenue20m.html

Boeing Lays off 1,100 Workers (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_022009WAB-boeing-layoffs-LJ.34668a43.html?npc

Ellensburg Paper Lays off Six, Outsources Printing (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1860907~Ellensburg_paper_lays_off_6__outsources_printing.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Mason County Man Pleads Guilty To Robbery Of Gig Harbor Bank (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/632643.html

Clark County Gives A Lot More Than It Receives On Transportation - It gains 79 cents in road projects for every tax dollar it contributes (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA – Includes link to the report…check out your county, it’s easy and fun!)
http://columbian.com/article/20090219/NEWS02/702199992/-1/news

GOP Governors Flip-Flop on Accepting Stimulus Funds (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/politics/2009/feb/GOP-Governors-Flip-Flop-On-Accepting-Stimulus-Funds.html

DIVERSIONS

Defendant’s E-Mails Lead to Higher Bail
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/630221.html

Girl Scout Cookies Revive Diabetic Woman
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18749843/detail.html

Tennessee Woman Charged In Five-Year Cancer 'Charade'
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11743367

Geronimo’s Heirs Sue Secret Yale Society over His Skull
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us/20geronimo.html

Man Forgets Thousands of Dollars in Toilet
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE51I54620090219?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

SONG OF THE DAY

Rhapsody in Blue – Andre Previn (Interpretation)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lkBfb7qKCI

Rhapsody in Blue – George Gershwin (Original – If you haven’t heard the original, this will be quite a shock…)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QxWxsK8_3s