Energy News Digest for February 3, 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)

- Montana utility drops 250-megawatt coal plant in favor of natural gas, some wind
- Idaho bill: New electricity customers should pay more to recover cost of growth
- Oregon Legislature to Consider Rate Hike for Klamath Dam Removal
- Cowlitz PUD recall petition back on track - judge to decide measure’s fate
- Aging New Jersey nuke plant has fire as license vote nears
- Energy Provision for Nukes and Coal May Test Priorities
- Connecticut - NRG Energy Asserts 'Great Strides' Under Deregulation
- Class-Action Suit to Be Filed Over Salmon Farming Off Vancouver Island
- Benton County Commission Views Black Rock as Ideal for Columbia River Water Storage
- New Olympia-Area Wastewater Facility to Usher in East Bay Overhaul
- SolarWorld Moves Vancouver-Area Jobs to Oregon
- Wind Power Becomes Europe's Fastest Growing Energy Source
- Will the Children of Today Be Living in a World Powered by Renewable Energy by 2050?
- Energy audit points out ways you lose heat - and money
- Study Finds Firms Moving Slowly On Greening
- A Carbon Keeper: Crop Waste Sunk to the Ocean Deep
- Broadband Gets A Boost In Recovery Package
- Stimulus funds for Internet: wise or wasteful?
- Data Breaches Are More Costly Than Ever
- Comcast Denies Unfair VoIP Discrimination
- Regulatory Issues Stall In-Flight Internet Access
- Congressman Larsen Says Focused Stimulus Package Will Bring Money Quickly
- U.S. Sailor Electrocuted In Iraq
- Washington State Troopers with Bogus Degrees Won't Be Charged
- Lobbyists Could Spend Less per Legislator

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Engender • \in-JEN-der\ • verb - 1: beget, procreate *2: to cause to exist or to develop: produce 3: to assume form: originate

Horrified by his mad creation, Bartholomew slowly backed away, ready to run at a moment’s notice. Little did he realize that in combining “Sweathog DNA” from the “Welcome Back Kotter” television series that he would engender such a horrifying monster. He’d expected the Horschak gene would be regressive. Instead it was horrifically dominant…its booming, honking laughter shattering high-strength glass and reducing the reinforced concrete to rubble.

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

Montana utility drops 250-megawatt coal plant in favor of natural gas, some wind (Associated Press)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Mont-utility-drops-apf-14226451.html

Idaho bill: New electricity customers should pay more to recover cost of growth (Associated Press)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Idaho-bill-New-utility-apf-14229575.html

Oregon Legislature to Consider Rate Hike for Klamath Dam Removal (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1830147~Committee_to_consider_rate_boost.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Cowlitz PUD recall petition back on track - Superior Court judge will decide the fate of a recall petition (Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/02/03/area_news/doc4987e92bddec9731303864.txt

Aging New Jersey nuke plant has fire as license vote nears (Associated Press)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Aging-NJ-nuke-plant-has-fire-apf-14226259.html

Energy Provision for Nukes and Coal May Test Priorities (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020203162.html

Connecticut - NRG Energy Asserts 'Great Strides' Under Deregulation “…"Rates have increased 100 percent since restructuring started…rates could have been even higher than they are now if it weren't for deregulation….” (The Hartford Courant, CT)
http://www.courant.com/business/hc-nrg0202.artfeb02,0,5800409.story

FISH & WILDLIFE

Class-Action Suit to Be Filed Over Salmon Farming Off Vancouver Island (Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/story.html?id=1245415

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Benton County Commission Views Black Rock as Ideal for Columbia River Water Storage (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/466559.html

New Olympia-Area Wastewater Facility to Usher In East Bay Overhaul (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/746586.html

RENEWABLE ENERGY

SolarWorld Moves Vancouver-Area Jobs to Oregon (The Columbia, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090203/BIZ01/702039988/-1/BIZ

Wind Power Becomes Europe's Fastest Growing Energy Source (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/03/wind-power-eu

Will the Children of Today Be Living in a World Powered by Renewable Energy by 2050? (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=54649&src=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Energy audit points out ways you lose heat - and money (Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/02/03/energy_audit_points_out_ways_you_lose_heat___and_money/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Study Finds Firms Moving Slowly On Greening (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/02/BUGN15KG1R.DTL&feed=rss.business

A Carbon Keeper: Crop Waste Sunk to the Ocean Deep (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/science/earth/03obcrops.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Broadband Gets A Boost In Recovery Package (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11613035

Stimulus funds for Internet: wise or wasteful? (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008700743_stimulus03.html

Data Breaches Are More Costly Than Ever (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020203064.html?wprss=rss_technology

Comcast Denies Unfair VoIP Discrimination - Argues its ok that their own VoIP service gets priority treatment (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-Denies-Unfair-VoIP-Discrimination-100626

Regulatory Issues Stall In-Flight Internet Access (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/614846.html

GENERAL NEWS

Congressman Larsen Says Focused Stimulus Package Will Bring Money Quickly (Oblique reference to aluminum jobs - Bellingham Herald, WA)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/780202.html

U.S. Sailor Electrocuted In Iraq – Third service member electrocuted in a shower in Iraq (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008699163_apiraqcontractorselectrocutions.html?syndication=rss

Washington State Troopers with Bogus Degrees Won't Be Charged (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9775560

Lobbyists Could Spend Less per Legislator (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/747029.html

DIVERSIONS

Buddy Holly: 50 Years after the Music Died (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100161470&ft=1&f=3

Melee Between Player, Ref, Dad Ends Basketball Game
http://www.kirotv.com/sports/18625696/detail.html

Where Snow Has Fallen, Plow Thefts Have Risen
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/us/03plows.html

SONG OF THE DAY

American Pie – Don McLean (1971)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN1baXrq5PU