Energy News Digest for October 22, 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)

- Mason County PUD No. 3 Modifies Low Income Senior Discounts
- Brinnon-area customers of Mason County PUD No. 1 will vote on Jefferson County’s Proposition 1, even if not part of the PSE network
- Clark Public Utilities seeks Lehman substitute – Deal aimed at saving $8.6 million in interest
- Chelan County PUD set to acquire Cashmere electric system
- NW Natural seeks natural gas rate increase in Washington
- Exelon won't rule out hostile bid for NRG
- FERC issues its decision on PacifiCorp petition for transmission incentives
- Energy Pulse Commentary – 10 More Ways to Become a Third World Utility
- Columbia River commercial fishing seasons approved
- Judge says California salmon in jeopardy
- Redband trout's decline in Spokane River under study
- Oregon Coalition approves plan for fish habitat on EWEB dam project
- Idaho Mountain Express Op/Ed – Sockeye Salmon are giving us another shot
- Landmark Settlement Gives White Sturgeon a Glimmer of Hope
- Georgia – Group: Stop water leaks instead of adding reservoirs
- Canada – Big water users have free rein
- Biofuel boom threatens Borneo's orangutans
- Utah – Building of power turbines OK'd – BLM clears way for Milford wind corridor
- Is the Sun Setting on Solar Power in Spain?
- Report: Shift to renewable power generation demands new approaches to transmission
- BMW Group will showcase a lithium-ion battery-powered version of the MINI
- Oregon –Company's energy-efficiency products continue to be hot sellers, despite the economic slowdown
- North Carolina – Nash-Rocky Mount sees benefits of energy conservation
- Global warming still a hot topic for voters
- Report: Global Warming Taking Place At Faster Pace Than Thought
- Yahoo to cut 1,500 jobs; quarter sees 64% drop
- France pushes universal broadband plan
- A Sunni-Shiite battle of the website hackers
- Gunman linked to two shooting deaths also planned to kill ex-wife in Shelton

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Imprecate • \IM-pruh-kate\ • verb – To invoke evil upon; curse

“I don’t wanna be the person making the beer belch in church at this meeting,” drawled the frontier money market investor. “And I don’t want y’all to think that I’ll be imprecatin’ you with the following statement; but are ya stupid investing in mortgage backed securities right now?”

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

Mason County PUD No. 3 Modifies Low Income Senior Discounts (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5355/reftab/1896/Default.aspx?title=P.U.D._3_MODIFIES_LOW_INCOME_SENOIR_DISCOUNTS

Brinnon-area customers of Mason County PUD No. 1 will vote on Jefferson County’s Proposition 1, even if not part of the PSE network (Port Townsend Leader, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/Main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=22142

Clark Public Utilities seeks Lehman substitute – Deal aimed at saving $8.6 million in interest (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20081022/BIZ01/710229968/-1/BIZ

Chelan County PUD set to acquire Cashmere electric system (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081021/NEWS04/710219969

NW Natural seeks natural gas rate increase in Washington (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/10/20/daily26.html?ana=from_rss

Exelon won't rule out hostile bid for NRG (Fidelity)
http://eresearch.fidelity.com/eresearch/markets_sectors/analysis/story.jhtml?storyid=200810201337RTRSNEWSCOMBINED_TRE49J6N4_1&provider=RTRSNEWS&product=COMBINED&category=marketheadlines

FERC issues its decision on PacifiCorp petition for transmission incentives: Links to PDF File (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
http://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/comm-meet/2008/101608/E-31.pdf

Energy Pulse Commentary – 10 More Ways to Become a Third World Utility
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1859

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia River commercial fishing seasons approved (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/10/22//area_news/doc48fe5c772723c014698913.txt

Judge says California salmon in jeopardy (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1650176~Judge__California_salmon_in_jeopardy.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Redband trout's decline in Spokane River under study (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20081021/NEWS06/310219970/-1/news

On Oregon’s Upper Mackenzie River – Coalition approves plan for fish habitat on EWEB dam project (Register-Guard, Eugene)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/1283139-35/story.csp

Idaho Mountain Express Op/Ed – Sockeye Salmon are giving us another shot
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005123222

Landmark Settlement Gives White Sturgeon a Glimmer of Hope (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/landmark_settlement_gives_white_sturgeon_a_glimmer_of_hope/6163/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Georgia – Group: Stop water leaks instead of adding reservoirs – American Rivers lists measures to fix Atlanta’s water supply problem (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA)
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/10/22/atlanta_water_reservoir.html

Canada – Big water users have free rein: Ontario is allowing water-bottlers virtually free rein without considering the impact large-scale water withdrawals (Ottawa Citizen, Ontario)
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=3ba01cde-f79d-4982-9f11-20ec498d3606

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Biofuel boom threatens Borneo's orangutans (Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_10778775?source=rss

Utah – Building of power turbines OK'd – BLM clears way for Milford wind corridor (Salt Lake Tribune, UT)
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10771229?source=rss

Is the Sun Setting on Solar Power in Spain? – With waning subsidies and other attractive markets, can Spain maintain its lead in solar tech? (Scientific American)
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=is-the-sun-setting-on-solar-power-in-spain

Report: Shift to renewable power generation demands new approaches to transmission challenges (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=343230&C=ENVIR&dcmp=rss

MINI: Small, Cute, and Electric – BMW Group will showcase a lithium-ion battery-powered version of the MINI at next month's Los Angeles Auto Show (BusinessWeek)
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/oct2008/bw20081021_417175.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_lifestyle

CONSERVATION

Oregon – Riding the green wave: Company's energy-efficiency products continue to be hot sellers, despite the economic slowdown (Bend Bulletin, OR)
http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081021/BIZ0102/810210402/-1/rss

North Carolina – Nash-Rocky Mount sees benefits of energy conservation (Rocky Mount Telegram, NC)
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/nash-rocky-mount-sees-benefits-of-energy-conservation-196218.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Global warming still a hot topic for voters (USA Today)
http://blogs.usatoday.com/weather/2008/10/global-warming.html

WWF Report: Global Warming Taking Place At Faster Pace Than Thought (TopNews.org)
http://www.topnews.in/wwf-report-global-warming-taking-place-faster-pace-thought-278319

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Yahoo to cut 1,500 jobs; quarter sees 64% drop – Investors irked by missed Microsoft opportunity (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/384368_yahooearns22.html

France pushes universal broadband plan – Minister sets 2010 as target date (Variety Magazine)
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117994320.html?categoryId=19&cs=1

A Sunni-Shiite battle of the website hackers (Christian Science Monitor)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20081022/wl_csm/ohack

GENERAL NEWS

Gunman linked to two shooting deaths also planned to kill ex-wife in Shelton, sheriff says (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081022/news/310229994

DIVERSIONS

Take This Home and Shove It – Fed-up man trashes his house after getting booted by the bank
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Take_This_Home_and_Shove_it.html

Police: Suspect Steals Cash, Leaves Thumb – Doctor Says Thumb 'Fit Like Puzzle Piece'
http://www.kirotv.com/money/17777917/detail.html

Lost Wedding Ring Found After 40 Years – Ring Inscribed 'Cinderella' Found In Leaky Pipe
http://www.kirotv.com/family/17778675/detail.html