Energy News Digest for March 4, 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)

- Dry Weather Means Low Water in S. Oregon
- Chelan County PUD Makes More Operational Cuts
- Northern Wasco PUD launches power partnership
- Seattle City Light Warns Of Scam
- Businesses Press Maryland Lawmakers to Reject Regulation of Energy Utilities
- California - Supervisor Seeks Hearing On S.F. Power Plant
- Natural Gas Burns Investors' Fingers
- Lighting up the Darkness in Rural Africa
- At 5.5 Million, Pacific Northwest Pink Salmon Return Could Exceed ’07 Record
- Salmon Count Up, But Fishing May Be Tough
- Negotiating Salmon Fishing Could Be Extra Tough This Year
- Fishermen Brace for New Ban on Ocean Salmon
- Ohio Power Plant Called A Fish 'Killing Machine'
- Herd of Elk Killed By Poachers in Grays Harbor County
- Environmentalists Oppose Stormwater Permits for Washington State Highways
- Breathing Problems Reported Near Tennessee Ash Spill
- T. Boone Pickens Progresses In Wind Energy, Natural Gas Campaigns
- Seattle 10th In US For Energy-Efficient Buildings
- L.A. Tops Rankings In Energy Efficiency
- Obama Tasks Interior Dept. with Conservation, Energy Security
- US Urged To Lead In Cutting Greenhouse Emissions
- Obama Picks Net Neutrality Backer As FCC Chief
- A Novel Idea: Actually Visiting America's Broadband Gaps
- Yahoo CEO Will Negotiate In Private With Microsoft
- John Chambers: Broadband Speeds Our Economy
- DUI Patrol Makes 10 Arrests in Mason County
- Seattle Times Editorial - WSU Tendrils Reach Every Corner of the State
- Law Passes Allowing Benton County Elected Officials to have Multiple Offices
- California Water Employee Arrested In Cat-Abuse Attempt

WORD OF THE DAY

Oligopsony • \ah-luh-GAHP-suh-nee\ • noun - A market situation in which each of a few buyers exerts a disproportionate influence on the market

The National Charcoal Briquettes Cartel had finally found its calling: establishing the first carbon-trading oligopsony under the new cap and trade program for controlling greenhouse gases. Unfortunately for them, barbequing was deemed outdoor burning by many air pollution agencies, which effectively collapsed the cartel in future years.

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

Dry Weather Means Low Water in S. Oregon (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1881948~Dry_weather_means_low_water_in_S__Oregon.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Chelan County PUD Makes More Operational Cuts (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)
http://www.kpq.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=788

Northern Wasco PUD launches power partnership (The Dalles Chronicle, OR)
http://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/2009/03/news03-03-09-01.shtml

Seattle City Light Warns Of Scam (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/03/02/daily23.html?ana=from_rss

Businesses Press Maryland Lawmakers to Reject Regulation of Energy Utilities (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/03/02/daily27.html

California - Supervisor Seeks Hearing on S.F. Power Plant “…kills fish larvae and sits atop land that may be leaching toxic chemicals into bay mud…” (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/04/BA27168KSE.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Natural Gas Burns Investors' Fingers (MSN)
http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=759388

Lighting up the Darkness in Rural Africa (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/lighting-up-the-darkness/

FISH & WILDLIFE

At 5.5 Million, Pacific Northwest Pink Salmon Return Could Exceed ’07 Record (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/644869.html

Salmon Count Up, But Fishing May Be Tough (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/40696707.html

Negotiating the Who, When of Salmon Fishing Could Be Extra Tough This Year (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/mar/03/negotiating-the-who-when-of-salmon-fishing-could/?partner=RSS

Fishermen Brace for New Ban on Ocean Salmon (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/03/BAEN168F0I.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Ohio Power Plant Called A Fish 'Killing Machine' (Detroit News)
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090303/METRO/903030374/1448/LIFESTYLE14

Herd of Elk Killed By Poachers in Grays Harbor County (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_030309WAB-elk-poachers-KS.222422b6.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmentalists Oppose Stormwater Permits for Washington State Highways (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1882867~Enviros_opposes_stormwater_permit_for_highways.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Breathing Problems Reported Near Tennessee Ash Spill (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008793785_apcoalashspill.html?syndication=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

T. Boone Pickens Progresses In Wind Energy, Natural Gas Campaigns (Dallas Morning News, TX)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/jlanders/stories/DN-landers_04bus.ART.State.Edition1.4a7e51a.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Seattle 10th In US For Energy-Efficient Buildings (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9941736

L.A. Tops Rankings In Energy Efficiency - The Environmental Protection Agency says the city has the nation's most Energy Star buildings (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-green4-2009mar04,0,6700613.story

Obama Tasks Interior Dept. with Conservation, Energy Security (The Hot Spring)
http://www.casavaria.com/hotspring/2009/03/355/obama-tasks-interior-dept-with-conservation-energy-security-science-based-policy/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

US Urged To Lead In Cutting Greenhouse Emissions (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008808083_apclimatetreaty.html?syndication=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Obama Picks Net Neutrality Backer as FCC Chief (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10187067-38.html?tag=nl.e703

A Novel Idea: Actually Visiting America's Broadband Gaps - Free Press visits Americans without broadband (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/A-Novel-Idea-Actually-Visiting-Americas-Broadband-Gaps-101204

Yahoo CEO Will Negotiate In Private with Microsoft (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11828455

John Chambers: Broadband Speeds Our Economy (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/03/03/john-chambers-broadband-speeds-our-economy/

GENERAL NEWS

DUI Patrol Makes 10 Arrests in Mason County (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/775555.html

Seattle Times Editorial - WSU Tendrils Reach Every Corner of the State: Massive cuts to programs tied to the school's land-grant roots are a false economy
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008808126_editb04exten.html

Law Passes Allowing Benton County Elected Officials to have Multiple Offices (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9941907

California Water Employee Arrested In Cat-Abuse Attempt (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/04/BACJ1695GG.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

DIVERSIONS

Phew! Asteroid's Passing Was a Cosmic Near-Miss
http://www.examiner.com/a-1883774~Phew__Asteroid_s_passing_was_a_cosmic_near_miss.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

For Free Throws, 50 Years of Practice Is No Help
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/sports/basketball/04freethrow.html

Florida Woman Calls 911 Three Times over Mcnuggets
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090304/ap_on_fe_st/odd_mcnuggets911;_ylt=Amho_VhNuBTLRR9IttfmARftiBIF

Wal-Mart Customer in Massachusetts Finds Teeth in Wallet
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090304/ap_on_fe_st/odd_teeth_in_wallet;_ylt=AgrpFMPv3KM_eDrmSs31j6LtiBIF

SONG OF THE DAY

The Outlaws-Hurry Sundown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Wp69BcP1U&feature=related