Energy News Digest for October 10, 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)

- Olympian Editorial – Prepare for severe weather
- Washington PUD Association: “Sell to public utilities, group before selling the company to foreign investors”
- Throwing the switch on PCBs – Bonneville Power, EPA celebrate
- Group Formally Calls Off TransAlta Purchase, For Now
- More natural gas prospecting on horizon in the Columbia Basin
- Con Ed Worker Killed in Brooklyn Manhole Explosion
- News Release – Fitch Rates Snohomish PUD No. 1
- Former EPA chief Whitman discusses nuclear energy
- Two Endorsements of Nuclear Power, but Sharp Differences on Details
- Memo recounts boat rescue on Grant County PUD reservoir
- Eaton Electrical wins $1.8M contract for power plants near Yakima
- Puget Sound Shellfish Growers Still Face Uncertainty over Tribal Settlement
- Seattle trawlers may face new limits on Pollock fishery
- Ferry County PUD's New Power Source Ends Company’s Diesel Fumes
- Indian Tribes See Profit in Harnessing the Wind for Power
- Solar tax incentives run into credit freeze
- Wood chipping away at coal as source for generating electricity
- Pint-Size Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy
- Green news harvest: Ill winds for carbon trading
- Minnesota Town Fights For Right To Fiber
- Belfair Residents Killed, Injured – Pipe Bomb Found in Truck That Caused Fatal Highway 3 Crash
- Signals Coming to Tahuya River Bridge

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Fifth column • \FIFTH-KAH-lum\ • noun – a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy that engage in espionage or sabotage within defense lines or national borders

The erratic personality of the new employee at the Hershey chocolate plant began to worry his supervisors. “If I didn’t know better,” the boss mused, “I’d think those late night phone calls and secret text messages were a part of a ‘fifth column’ tactic by the Mars company to steal our new formula for chocolate.”

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

Olympian Editorial – Prepare for severe weather (Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/613930.html

Washington PUD Association: “Sell to public utilities, group before selling the company to foreign investors” (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/504399.html

Throwing the switch on PCBs – Bonneville Power, EPA celebrate toxic compound’s removal from capacitors (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20081010/NEWS02/710109959

Group Formally Calls Off TransAlta Purchase, For Now (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews/?Group-Formally-Calls-Oss-TransAlta-Purch=1&blockID=15359&feedID=410

More natural gas prospecting on horizon in the Columbia Basin (Yakima Herald-Republic)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2008/10/09/more-natural-gas-prospecting-on-horizon

Con Ed Worker Killed in Brooklyn Manhole Explosion (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/nyregion/10manhole.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

News Release – Fitch Rates Snohomish PUD No. 1 (Washington) System Revs 'F1+'; Upgrades L-T to 'AA-' (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/fitch-rates-snohomish-pud-no/story.aspx?guid=%7BFB371E78-0423-4C1B-82C1-B8B9CD99CE50%7D&dist=hppr

Former EPA chief Whitman discusses nuclear energy – says public will have to be sold on nuclear power (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/daef491fea5952ce5a62b774df02d280.htm

Two Endorsements of Nuclear Power, but Sharp Differences on Details (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/us/politics/10nuclear.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Memo recounts boat rescue on Grant County PUD reservoir – Group receives awards (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/10/09/news/5news10.09.08.txt

Eaton Electrical wins $1.8M USBR contract for work at Chandler and Roza power plants near Yakima (Water Power Magazine)
http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?sectioncode=130&storyCode=2051152

FISH & WILDLIFE

Puget Sound Shellfish Growers Still Face Uncertainty over Tribal Settlement (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/oct/09/shellfish-growers-still-face-uncertainty/?partner=RSS

Seattle trawlers may face new limits on Pollock fishery – The biggest fishery for Seattle-based trawler fleets is likely to face cuts next year as the Pollock population declines (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008246672_pollock100.html?syndication=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Ferry County PUD's New Power Source Ends Columbia River Carbonates Quarry Diesel Fumes (Environmental Protection Online)
http://www.eponline.com/articles/68332/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Indian Tribes See Profit in Harnessing the Wind for Power (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/us/10wind.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Solar tax incentives run into credit freeze (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/10/BUM013EB9I.DTL&feed=rss.business

Wood chipping away at coal as source for generating electricity (The Associated Press)
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_10682450?source=rss

CONSERVATION

Pint-Size Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/nyregion/10green.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Green news harvest: Ill winds for carbon trading (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10063166-54.html?tag=nl.e703

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Minnesota Town Fights For Right To Fiber – TDS Telecom loses battle over bond funding (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Minnesota-Town-Fights-For-Right-To-Fiber-98320

GENERAL NEWS

Belfair Residents Killed, Injured – Pipe Bomb Found in Truck That Caused Fatal Highway 3 Crash (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/oct/09/one-dead-in-highway-3-crash-that-uncovered-pipe/?partner=RSS

Signals Coming to Tahuya River Bridge (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/oct/09/signals-coming-to-tahuya-river-bridge/?partner=RSS

DIVERSIONS

Online sweethearts turn out to be neighbors
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081008/od_afp/lifestylebritaininternetromanceoffbeat_081008155044;_ylt=Alrd0jgW0EZGpErSGbNRjISgOrgF

Man to hold 'I was stupid' sign outside Wis. Plant
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081010/ap_on_fe_st/odd_stupid_sign;_ylt=Aq.pahyTWN9wZ9ez.KpsHOHtiBIF

'Drugs underwear' theory fails to wash with Indian court
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081010/od_afp/indiacrimedrugscourtoffbeat_081010052751

Norwegian politician quits over hotline to fortune-tellers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081009/od_afp/norwaypoliticsoffbeat_081009185809;_ylt=AqwJz5lqjOmExOxfWeCnAH.gOrgF

Strong-arm robber in Mich. ends up $30 in the hole
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081010/ap_on_fe_st/odd_robber_strong_armed;_ylt=AsRc4Gg6knD1W91M91EYddztiBIF