Energy News Digest for September 9, 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)

- Person who shot down Mason County power line sought
- Award (sic) Offered for Power Line Shooting near Hoodsport
- Shooter severs BPA power line near Shelton causing fire and major damage
- Grays Harbor County PUD could face power shortage in five years
- Puget Sound Energy Investing Heavily in Electric and Natural Gas Infrastructure
- No to open record on Puget Energy sale testimony
- Clallam PUD candidates tout experience and leadership
- After Transformer Fire – Nuclear reactor restarted at Diablo Canyon
- Yucca Mountain license application accepted for review
- UNITED KINGDOM – Call for windfall tax on 'profiteering' energy industry
- Cold water rejuvenates Oregon ocean, salmon
- Canada’s Fraser River sockeye returns lowest in 50 years
- Any River Will Do for One Spawning Fish – The sea lamprey can’t go home again
- Oregon counties seek groundwater storage
- Massive pipe for Brightwater Sewer plant towed down Snohomish River
- Staying in a Tree, Delaying the Final Cuts
- Solar-power manufacturers outpacing buyers
- Report: ‘Green’ investment could add jobs in Oregon
- Wind: The other untapped offshore energy source
- CANADA – Sewage gas powers up Prince George treatment plant
- Michigan Energy plan, renewable source requirement decisions near
- Missouri renewable energy initiative to appear on ballot
- Wisconsin School Debuts Geothermal Energy
- "Fishing for Energy" Comes to Rhode Island
- Okanogan PUD conservation department seeks more funding
- Old Farmer’s Almanac: Global Cooling May Be Under Wa
- DSL Is The New Dial-Up – At least according to one analysis firm
- FCC Kills Telco Reporting Requirements
- Coming Soon: 1 GB Fiber Broadband. Just Not in the U.S.
- Broadband coverage won't help Southern Berkshire Technology Committee area
- Computer Makers See Profits in Retooling Clients' Data Centers
- Switch flipped: N.C. town first to have digital-only TV
- Prisons Concerned About Digital TV Switchover
- Mason County settles records lawsuit for $175,000
- California Man Dies After Being Hospitalized Following A Crash Last Month
- Olympian to cut newsroom staff, workers' hours
- The News Tribune of Tacoma offers buyouts to 189 of 350 staffers
- Oregon Sheriffs Office Warns Of Potentially Hazardous Hot Spring

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Superfetation • \soop-er-fee-TAY-shun\ • noun – A progressive accumulation or accretion reaching an extreme or excessive degree

Joel’s wife sighed deeply as she watched him furtively leave the music store and stalk towards her waiting car. Despite his best efforts, she saw that he was hiding behind his back yet another addition to his ukulele collection. It all started innocently enough with a purchase at Yenney’s Music. But according to his wife, the obsessive superfetation with the diminutive instrument has reached almost “crack-cocaine” like proportions.

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

Person who shot down Mason County power line sought – BPA is asking the public to help identify someone who shot down a major power line, causing a fire near Hoodsport, Mason County (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008167146_webpowerlines08m.html?syndication=rss

Award (sic) Offered For Power Line Shooting Near Hoodsport (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/4981/reftab/1896/Default.aspx
News Release – Shooter severs BPA power line near Shelton causing fire and major damage (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/224302/

Grays Harbor County PUD could face power shortage in five years (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/09/08/local_news/02news.txt

News Release – Puget Sound Energy Investing Heavily in Electric and Natural Gas System Infrastructure to Meet Customer Needs – Improvements underway throughout Western Washington (Puget Sound Energy)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/IndustryNews.asp?m=1&id=96570

No to open record on Puget Energy – State staff says a petition to unveil confidential testimony related to the sale of Puget Energy should be denied (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008167470_bizbriefs09.html?syndication=rss

Clallam PUD candidates tout experience and leadership (The Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080909/NEWS/809090306

After Transformer Fire – Nuclear reactor restarted at Diablo Canyon (Associated Press, CA)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1577732~Nuclear_reactor_restarted_at_Diablo_Canyon.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Yucca Mountain license application accepted for review – Radioactive waste dump takes next step (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008165987_apyuccamountain.html?syndication=rss

UNITED KINGDOM – Call for windfall tax on 'profiteering' energy industry (Financial Times of London, UK)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d6c1c8a2-7e08-11dd-bdbd-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

FISH & WILDLIFE

Cold water rejuvenates Oregon ocean, salmon (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/cold_water_rejuvenates_oregon.html

Canada’s Fraser River sockeye returns lowest in 50 years – Summer run falls 60 per cent below the average, fisheries department says (Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=6c316aad-d6ee-4441-a185-989adc7ce077

Any River Will Do for One Spawning Fish – The sea lamprey can’t go home again, and researchers think they know why (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/science/09oblamp.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Oregon counties seek groundwater storage (Associated Press, OR)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1576634~Oregon_counties_seek_groundwater_storage.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Massive pipe for Brightwater Sewer plant towed down Snohomish River (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080909/NEWS01/709099862/-1/RSS02

Staying in a Tree, Delaying the Final Cuts (NY Times, check out the lone redwood…which someone topped)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/us/09tree.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Solar-power manufacturers outpacing buyers (The Associated Press, OR)
http://www.dailytidings.com/2008/0908/stories/0908_solar.php

Report: ‘Green’ investment could add jobs in Oregon (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/09/08/daily7.html?ana=from_rss

Wind: The other untapped offshore energy source (Associated Press)
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/09/08/ap5400562.html

CANADA – Sewage gas powers up Prince George treatment plant – Residents of Prince George will have one more reason to feel good every time they flush their toilets (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/09/08/bc-080908-prince-george-sewage-power.html

Michigan Energy plan, renewable source requirement decisions near (Associated Press, MI)
http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/09/energy_plan_renewable_source_r.html

Missouri renewable energy initiative to appear on ballot (St. Louis Business Journal, MO)
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/09/08/daily31.html?ana=from_rss

Wisconsin School Debuts Geothermal Energy – District Saves Big On Utility Costs (WISC-TV, Madison, WI)
http://www.channel3000.com/news/17424713/detail.html?rss=c3k&psp=news

"Fishing for Energy" Comes to Rhode Island – Innovative partnership to recycle fishing equipment into energy (Centre Daily Times, State College, PA)
http://www.centredaily.com/business/story/825732.html

CONSERVATION

Okanogan PUD conservation department seeks more funding (The Omak Chronicle, WA)
http://www.omakchronicle.com/nws/n080908a.shtml

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Old Farmer’s Almanac: Global Cooling May Be Under Way – Almanac Draws Results From Solar Activity, Weather Records (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/weather/17426207/detail.html

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

DSL Is The New Dial-Up – At least according to one analysis firm (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/DSL-Is-The-New-DialUp-97562

FCC Kills Telco Reporting Requirements – Nation's five largest telcos get huge gift from Kevin Martin (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCC-Kills-Telco-Reporting-Requirements-97566

Coming Soon: 1 GB Fiber Broadband. Just Not in the U.S. (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/09/08/coming-soon-1-gb-fiber-broadband-just-not-in-the-us/

MASSACHUSETTS – Broadband coverage won't help Southern Berkshire Technology Committee area (Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, MA)
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_10410915?source=most_emailed

Cutting Tech's Energy Bill – Computer Makers See Profits in Retooling Clients' Data Centers (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122090819257011743.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Switch flipped: N.C. town first to have digital-only TV (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008166252_webdigitaltv08.html?syndication=rss

Prisons Concerned About Digital TV Switchover – Prison officials are hustling to ensure that their inmates don’t lose access to broadcast television (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/September-08/Prisons-Concerned-About-Digital-TV-Switchover.html

GENERAL NEWS

Mason County settles records lawsuit for $175,000 “…related to unsubstantiated complaint against him over disturbing salmon habitat…” (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/578454.html

California Man Dies After Being Hospitalized Following A Crash Last Month (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/4983/reftab/1896/Default.aspx
Olympian to cut newsroom staff, workers' hours – Includes buyout offers to 38 of the newsroom's 45 full- and part-time print and online employees (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/business/story/578357.html

The News Tribune of Tacoma offers buyouts to 189 of 350 staffers (The Associated Press, WA)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/28038299.html

Oregon Sheriffs Office Warns Of Potentially Hazardous Hot Spring (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/2997-sheriffs-office-warns-potentially-hazardous-hot-spring/

DIVERSIONS

South Park – Russia in a bid to ban "extremist" U.S. cartoon
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL869731820080908?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Fish Flies Out Of Lake, Breaks Arkansas Teen's Jaw
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/17420483/detail.html

Man Steals Town of Bucoda's Only Ambulance, Crashes it
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17424584/detail.html

Oregon couple solves mystery deposit
http://www.examiner.com/a-1577257~Ore__couple_solves_mystery_deposit.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

KFC shoring up security for secret recipe
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008167896_apkfcsecret.html?syndication=rss