Energy News Digest for September 16, 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)

- PacifiCorp completes buy of Chehalis, WA power plant
- Man critically hurt in freak accident with power lines
- Energy bills heating up in Congress
- ALABAMA – Groups ask U.S. to block work at Tennessee Valley Authority nuke plant
- OREGON – The Elk Creek Dam has been notched and water has started to find its way
- Salmon program looks to transfer to nonprofit
- News Release – Farmers to learn energy and water saving techniques
- Pickens Plan blows a breath of fresh air into the debate
- Interest sparked in Walla Walla trash-to-energy concept
- PSE Funds State’s First College-Level Class in Renewable Energy Engineering
- USDA Invests US $4M in Woody Biomass
- Energy Pulse Commentary – Can Chain Retailers Help Save the Utility Grid
- Going green could bring in the green, Washington State House told
- States Aim to Cut Gases by Making Polluters Pay
- Weather History Offers Insight into Global Warming
- Hewlett Packard set to cut 24,600 people
- AFL Telecommunications Acquires the Light Brigade
- Concerns grow over fate of WaMu – Shares of Seattle thrift plummet again
- AIG tumbles, worsening financial carnage
- Cell phone worker falls to death from communications tower
- Seattle's 20-cent plastic-bag fee on hold until citywide vote
- Ramtha's JZ Knight wins civil lawsuit
- State Patrol plane follows laser beam to suspect

These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest

WORD OF THE DAY

Arcanum • \ar-KAY-num\ • noun – 1: mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate -- usually used in plural 2: elixir

The fanboys laughed with derision at the newest member of the Tolkien fan club. “How did you even get past the screening process without having read ‘The Silmarillion’,” giggled the bearded, imposing president of the mysterious club. “I’ll even bet that your favorite character is Gollum,” he bellowed as his fellow club members howled with laughter at the red-faced plebe’s limited knowledge of the arcanum of JRR Tolkien.

WEATHER

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

(NOTE: Some readers have noted that the NWS forecast has not been updated regularly. Apparently there is a refresh issue with the weather web site. If you visit and the forecast isn’t updated, press F5 or refresh the web page. That should take care of the issue)

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

PacifiCorp completes buy of Chehalis, WA power plant (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/09/15/daily8.html?ana=from_rss

Man critically hurt in freak accident with power lines (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/379190_power16.html?source=rss

Energy bills heating up in Congress – Laws setting offshore drilling parameters and the extension of tax credits for renewable energy are expected to be introduced on Capitol Hill this week (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/15/news/economy/energy_bills/index.htm?section=money_latest

ALABAMA – Groups ask U.S. to block work at Tennessee Valley Authority nuke plant (The Tennessean, Nashville, TN)
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/NEWS01/809140374/1001/RSS01

FISH & WILDLIFE

OREGON – A creek runs through it – The Elk Creek Dam has been notched and water has started to find its way. Now all that's needed is for the fish to return (The Mail Tribune, Medford, OR)
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/NEWS/809140323/-1/rss01

Salmon program looks to transfer to nonprofit (Eureka Times, Standard)
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_10455185?source=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

News Release – Farmers to learn energy and water saving techniques (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/226505/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Pickens Plan blows a breath of fresh air into the debate (Financial Times of London)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4cac82d6-8387-11dd-907e-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

Interest sparked in trash-to-energy concept – The Port of Walla Walla is eyeing a potential alternative to sending garbage to the landfill, an idea that could generate power and money (The Union Bulletin, Walla Walla, WA)
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/09/15/local_news/080915local02waste%20to%20energy.txt

News Release – PSE Funds State’s First College-Level Class in Renewable Energy Engineering – Gift to WSU Will Launch Course in Wind, Solar and More (Puget Sound Energy)
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080916005341&newsLang=en&cid=1246942884&ei=qMXPSIz1NoWMhQPV9bXPBg&usg=AFQjCNG_qbb2-t6m9JKFG8ybXw4UI36M_Q

USDA Invests US $4M in Woody Biomass (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53584&src=rss

CONSERVATION

Energy Pulse Commentary – Can Chain Retailers Help Save the Utility Grid -- and the Environment -- and Get Paid for Doing It?
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1831

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Going green could bring in the green, Washington State House told (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/317365.html

States Aim to Cut Gases by Making Polluters Pay (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/us/16carbon.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1221577305-pSz5m4U7g6YQnNOCpD8Ogw

Weather History Offers Insight into Global Warming (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/science/earth/16moho.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Hewlett Packard set to cut 24,600 people (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/09/15/daily6.html?ana=from_rss

AFL Telecommunications Acquires the Light Brigade, a leading fiber optic training company and supplier of media and products, located in Tukwila, Washington (News Release – via Yahoo! Business)
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080916/20080916005963.html?.v=1

GENERAL NEWS

Concerns grow over fate of WaMu – Shares of Seattle thrift plummet again (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/379247_wamu16.html

AIG tumbles, worsening financial carnage (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSHKG1567720080916?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

Cell phone worker falls to death from communications tower (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.konp.com/local/4006

Seattle's 20-cent plastic-bag fee on hold until citywide vote, likely next August (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008182101_bagfee16m.html

Ramtha's JZ Knight wins civil lawsuit (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/586115.html

State Patrol plane follows laser beam to suspect (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/586293.html

DIVERSIONS

Biting, picture frame to the face, swinging a sword – Woman faces charge after dishwashing dispute
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080916/ap_on_fe_st/odd_dishwashing_dispute;_ylt=Atr44j4l8TQ_yR2Mhz2dsRftiBIF

Woman mistakes skunk for a cat, gets sprayed
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_not_a_cat;_ylt=AqqOd6NdKP74Mun0.wjVuMntiBIF

Israeli city uses DNA to fight dog poop
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080916/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_israel_dogs;_ylt=AuTuhVv9uEIKcx5km0y6gvPtiBIF

Woman Hides Winning Lottery Ticket In Safe – Maryland Woman Will Take Home About $10 Million After Taxes
http://www.kirotv.com/money/17483771/detail.html