Energy news Digest for February 7, 2008

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)

* Another storm to bring gusty winds to region, heavy snow to passes
* Grant County PUD meets last Priest Rapids Dam license requirement
* By Nearly 15% - Pacific Power Attempts to Increase Rates
* Baltimore Gas and Electric officials to state regulators: 'A deal is a deal'
* California – Pacific Gas & Electric lays off 200
* Reborn Calpine in 'really good position,' CEO says
* Oregon Natural Gas Protesters Want Governor's Support
* Loomis says saving salmon requires power of people
* Fishing Columbia spring Chinook verdict due
* Seattle Times Guest Columnist – Killing sea lions will not save Columbia River salmon
* Mining companies want Idaho to allow groundwater pollution
* Congressman Dicks receives Ansel Adams award
* Grays Harbor County – Public invited to hear wind farm pla
* Maui wind farm files PUC complaint
* Massachusetts – Ambitious goals set for renewable energy
* The Great Lakes May Soon be Home to Offshore Wind
* South Carolina – Legislation proposes state energy overhaul
* Montana Electric cooperatives take action on climate
* Lawmakers push for 'green-collar' jobs as climate change looms
* In Many Communities, It’s Not Easy Going Green
* Cable Cut Fever Grips the Web
* Yahoo CEO Hoping to Thwart Microsoft
* Time Warner Plans to Split Off AOL’s Dial-Up Service
* Computer storage of footage hinders San Francisco’s crime cameras
* With UK Broadband Cheap and Fast, Now What?
* Chehalis River flow set record in storm
* Tribe suing over Squaxin Island cigarette sales deal
* Bill targets recycling of stolen car parts
* Airline Service Looks To Link Smaller NW Cities
* Son of Lacey council member charged with funeral home trust theft
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest

WORD OF THE DAY

Pariah • \PUH-RYE-uh\ • noun –1: one that is despised or rejected 2: a member of a low caste of southern India

Bobo the clown was crushed. He thought his grease-painted friends would love his new shoes, but instead, he was banished from the clown car for two weeks because they were “way too small” according to the clown prince. “A pariah over shoe size,” Bobo grumbled. “Next thing you know, they’ll be regulating clown nose colors!”

WEATHER

Another storm to bring gusty winds to region, heavy snow to passes (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/350243_snow07.html?source=rss

Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Grant County PUD meets last Priest Rapids Dam license requirement – PUD staff is waiting for a new long-term license for its Priest Rapids Project after meeting the final relicensing requirement. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/02/06/news/news03.txt

By Nearly 15% - Pacific Power Attempts to Increase Rates (KNDO/KNDU – Tri Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=7832122

Baltimore Gas and Electric officials to state regulators: 'A deal is a deal' – BGE told Maryland utility regulators Wednesday the company didn't overcharge ratepayers under a 1999 settlement that ushered in industry deregulation in the state. (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/02/04/daily19.html?ana=from_rss

California – Pacific Gas & Electric lays off 200 – The company has laid off about 200 office and management workers as part of an ongoing effort to update and streamline its operations. (Sacramento Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/02/04/daily29.html?ana=from_rss

Reborn Calpine in 'really good position,' CEO says – Reborn Calpine Leaner, Greener But Energy Experts Wonder If It Can Return To Profitability (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8193528?source=rss&nclick_check=1

California – Residents likely to voice displeasure with power line plan (Press-Enterprise, Riverdale)
http://www.pe.com/localnews/eastvale/stories/PE_News_Local_S_ivyglen06.429dbaf.html?npc

Oregon Natural Gas Protesters Want Governor's Support (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/natural-gas-protesters-want-governors-support/

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Loomis says saving salmon requires power of people – “…Pacific Northwest salmon runs may one day be harvested into extinction by commercial fishing in Alaska unless sport anglers and conservationists band together to fight it…” (Yakima Herald-Republic)
http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/293825401014761

Fishing Columbia spring Chinook verdict due – Sport anglers should know what's on the table for Columbia River spring Chinook catches by Friday. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2004168873_fish07.html

Seattle Times Guest Columnist – Killing sea lions will not save Columbia River salmon
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004168372_sealions07.html

Mining companies want Idaho to allow groundwater pollution (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/351502.html

Congressman Dicks receives Ansel Adams award – U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks is being honored for promoting national conservation programs. (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/351303.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Grays Harbor County – Public invited to hear wind farm plan – An offshore wind farm, using today’s technology, could supply more than 10 percent of the entire state’s generation capacity, says a man who dreams of building such a facility off Grays Harbor. (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/02/06/local_news/08news.txt

Maui wind farm files PUC complaint (Pacific Business News)
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/02/04/daily36.html?ana=from_rss

Massachusetts – Ambitious goals set for renewable energy (Cape Cod Times)
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/NEWS/802070312

The Great Lakes May Soon be Home to Offshore Wind (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=51365&src=rss

CONSERVATION

South Carolina – Legislation proposes state energy overhaul – While South Carolina has traditionally lagged behind its neighbors in modern energy standards, one of the state's leading conservationists called a group of energy proposals unveiled Wednesday "a great moment of awakening." (Charleston Post and Courier)
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/feb/07/legislation_proposes_state_energy_overha29895/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Montana Electric cooperatives take action on climate (the Missoulian)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/02/07/news/local/news05.txt

Lawmakers push for 'green-collar' jobs as climate change looms (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/15381611.html

In Many Communities, It’s Not Easy Going Green – Constraints on budgets, legal restrictions by states, and people’s unwillingness to change sometimes put brakes on ambitious plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/us/07green.html?_r=1&ex=1360126800&en=7971c9ad835bd2b1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Cable Cut Fever Grips the Web (Wire Magazine)
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/02/who-cut-the-cab.html

Yahoo CEO Hoping to Thwart Microsoft (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004169477_apmicrosoftyahoo07.html?syndication=rss

Time Warner Plans to Split Off AOL’s Dial-Up Service (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/business/07warner.html?ex=1360040400&en=869726999a98fdb2&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Computer storage of footage hinders San Francisco’s crime cameras (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1206370~Storage_of_footage_hinders_crime_cameras.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

With UK Broadband Cheap and Fast, Now What? (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/02/06/with-uk-broadband-cheap-and-fast-now-what/

GENERAL NEWS

Chehalis River flow set record in storm (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/02/06/local_news/05news.txt

Tribe suing over Squaxin Island cigarette sales deal – The Nisqually Indian Tribe has sued Gov. Chris Gregoire in federal court, claiming she struck an illegal deal that allows another tribe to sell cigarettes in what should be Nisqually territory. (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP02072008news274246.cfm

Bill targets recycling of stolen car parts – Car parts are the next big target for metal thieves, and state lawmakers are trying to throttle the trend. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/02/07//area_news/10095078.txt

Airline Service Looks To Link Smaller NW Cities – A consultant from Eugene is getting a warm reception for a plan to start airline service to eight smaller Northwest cities, including Roseburg, Olympia, Bremerton, and Port Angeles. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/airline-service-looks-link-smaller-nw-cities/

Son of Lacey council member charged with funeral home trust theft
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=7836352

DIVERSIONS

Drunken Australian threatened city with TV remote
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080207/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_australia_remote;_ylt=As5F1E29aDinbAYn9QRwK3ntiBIF

Keep tortoises in the fridge for winter
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080206/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_tortoise;_ylt=AitSXxwArQApaOS6ZKwUhivtiBIF

Chinese astrologers offer Year of the Rat stock tips
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080206/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_asia_fengshui;_ylt=AsHUpjNaJHEX.M4p1JlVhI3tiBIF