Energy News Digest for February 6, 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)

- Anderson Island Residents: Goodbye, Blackout; Hello, Huge Utility Bills
- Texas - Consumers must spend some energy to avoid being ripped off
- Detroit News Editorial - America, Michigan Can't Afford To Ditch Coal
- Possible Link between Dam and China Quake
- Salmon Are Losers in Squabble between Washington, Oregon
- Washington State Fish and Wildlife Panel Plans Rule Changes
- Humans Not Involved In Sea Lion Deaths, Investigation Says
- DNR Rejects Taylor Shellfish Lease Agreement
- Representative Finn Working to Help Keep Fish Hatcheries Open
- California - Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Drought Response Could Pit Fish against Fish
- Final Plan For Cd'A Lake Pollution Due This Month
- Tri-Citians in Olympia to Promote Green Jobs
- Developer Wants To Build Wind Farm Near Ellensburg
- Wind-Turbine Business Propels Port Of Vancouver
- Los Angeles’ renewable energy efforts will boost rates, report says
- Energy Pulse Commentary - Renewable Portfolio Standards: Certainty Now
- With Your Second Home: Staying Warm, Staying Green
- Oregon - Kulongoski Pushes Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Limit
- 2 Federal Agencies Settle Global Warming Lawsuit
- Farmers Relax (a Little) After Cow Gas Tax Scare
- Louisiana - After Five Years of Fighting, Lafayette Residents Gets Their Fiber
- Weyerhaeuser's 4Q Loss Exceeds $1 Billion
- 5 Useful Tips for Winter Photography

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Confabulation • \kun-fab-yuh-LAY-shun\ • noun - 1: familiar talk or conversation *2: a filling in of gaps in memory by fabrication

Mr. Bronte’s story about his visit to the grocery store seemed like a typically mundane way to pass the time on a drowsy summer afternoon. His confabulation about wrestling a particularly large pork roast from another customer, all the while fighting off an attack of lobsters from the seafood section held the lemonade-drinking, rocking chair set spellbound for over an hour.

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

Anderson Island Residents: Goodbye, Blackout; Hello, Huge Utility Bills (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/39188867.html

Texas - Consumers must spend some energy to avoid being ripped off “…I got taken by a retail electric company…” (Dallas Morning News, TX)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-floyd_06met.ART.State.Edition1.4c3cf1a.html

Detroit News Editorial - America, Michigan Can't Afford To Ditch Coal
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090205/OPINION01/902050336/1008/OPINION01

Possible Link between Dam and China Quake (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/world/asia/06quake.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon Are Losers in Squabble between Washington, Oregon (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/750020.html

Washington State Fish and Wildlife Panel Plans Rule Changes (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/outdoors/story/617156.html

Humans Not Involved In Sea Lion Deaths, Investigation Says (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/02/humans_not_involved_in_sea_lio.html

DNR Rejects Taylor Shellfish Lease Agreement (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/749949.html

Representative Finn Working to Help Keep Fish Hatcheries Open (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA – There’s a pun in this story somewhere, I just KNOW it!)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6306/reftab/1632/t/FINN-WORKING-TO-HELP-KEEP-FISH-HATCHERIES-OPEN-/Default.aspx

California - Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Drought Response Could Pit Fish against Fish (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1603598.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Final Plan For Cd'A Lake Pollution Due This Month (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/750495.html

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Tri-Citians in Olympia to Promote Green Jobs (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/470164.html

Developer Wants To Build Wind Farm Near Ellensburg - EnXco plans to submit application for 5,200-acre project (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2009/02/05/developer-wants-to-build-wind-farm-near-ellensburg

Wind-Turbine Business Propels Port Of Vancouver (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090206/BIZ01/702069984/-1/BIZ

Los Angeles’ renewable energy efforts will boost rates, report says – The plan to increase such power sources has not been properly analyzed regarding costs to customers (Los Angeles Times, CA)
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-los-angeles-dwp-report6-2009feb06,0,4245904.story

Energy Pulse Commentary - Renewable Portfolio Standards: Certainty Now
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1936

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

With Your Second Home: Staying Warm, Staying Green - f you own two homes, what can you do to make that second home, which often sits empty, more energy-efficient? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/greathomesanddestinations/06your.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Oregon - Kulongoski Pushes Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Limit (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/kulongoski_pushes_mandatory_gr.html

2 Federal Agencies Settle Global Warming Lawsuit (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1837330~2_federal_agencies_settle_global_warming_lawsuit.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Farmers Relax (a Little) After Cow Tax Scare - rumors that the feds were considering a tax on methane in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/farmers-relax-a-little-after-cow-tax-scare/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Louisiana - After Five Years of Fighting, Lafayette Residents Gets Their Fiber (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/After-Five-Years-Of-Fighting-Lafayette-Gets-Their-Fiber-100724

GENERAL NEWS

Weyerhaeuser's 4Q Loss Exceeds $1 Billion (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008714439_apearnsweyerhaeuser1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

5 Useful Tips for Winter Photography (NY Times)
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/5-useful-tips-for-winter-photography/

DIVERSIONS

Lost West Seattle Goat Jailed, Reunited With Owner
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18642066/detail.html

New Jersey Township Can't Declare Inflatable Rat a Pest
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18649081/detail.html

Bill Gates Unleashes Mosquitoes at Tech Conference
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/39202992.html

Masked Intruders Roaming the White House Grounds
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020501306.html?nav=rss_email/components

SONG OF THE DAY

Smells like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPQR-OsH0RQ

Smells like Teen Spirit - The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLQ2eh5LfZY