Energy News Digest for October 23, 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)

- PUDs, Puget Sound Energy and Debate Over PSE Merger Issue
- Whatcom County PUD race pits architect vs. fisherman
- Mason County PUD No. 3 makes low-income senior citizen discount more accessible for customers
- PSE's community donations climb with $5,000 gift to Port Townsend swimming pool
- Feds reject protest to nuclear waste storage plan
- Groups approve plan to open Oregon river for salmon
- Chum Salmon Returning To Kennedy Creek
- Nesting site built for Caspian terns
- Chinook salmon run 'better than expected' on Campbell, Quinsam Rivers
- Kevin Richert: “Scary Salmon Rhetoric”
- Endangered species: A 9-second rewrite
- Birds Fly More than 7,000 Miles Nonstop, Study Shows
- Long list of ideas to rescue the Sound
- Canadians in Friday Harbor to explain Vancouver Island sewage plan
- North Idaho counties dispute pollution plan for Lake Coeur d'Alene
- U.S. wind energy capacity up 1,400 megawatts
- Oregon – Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm Studies Possible Expansion
- Feds Open Public Lands To Geothermal Exploration
- Region's manufacturing centers can become focal points for green-collar jobs
- A clear choice and a murky one on two California energy initiatives
- Canada – Change blowing in the wind
- Spooked by high energy prices? Save money with these tips
- Puget Sound Energy Helps Customers Save Energy and Money
- Maine – Hancock sawmill earns award for leadership in reducing energy use
- Climate Campaigners Were on Terrorist List
- Comcast increases Internet speed
- Did You Know: 'Smashed To Bits' Modems May Not Work
- Hundreds of state jobs cut since July
- State gets $63 million for flood, other damage
- 35th District a contrast in style, substance
- Ballot snafu means reissue for 211 voters in Brinnon

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Stalactite • \stuh-LACK-tite\ • noun – A deposit of calcium carbonate (as calcite) resembling an icicle hanging from the roof or sides of a cave

Stalagmite • \stuh-LAG-mite\ • noun – A deposit of calcium carbonate like an inverted stalactite formed on the floor of a cave by the drip of calcareous water

A good way to remember the difference is that of course, the stalactite hangs down, but a stalagmite (because it has an M in it) comes from a mound on the ground.

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

PUDs, Puget Sound Energy and Debate Over PSE Merger Issue (The Bellingham Herald, WA)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/623975.html

Whatcom County PUD race pits architect vs. fisherman (The Bellingham Herald, WA)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/623770.html

Mason County PUD No. 3 makes low-income senior citizen discount more accessible for customers (Mason PUD 3 News Release)
http://www.masonpud3.org/News/display.asp?NewsID=475

PSE's community donations climb with $5,000 gift to Port Townsend swimming pool (Port Townsend Leader, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/Main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=22198

Feds reject protest to nuclear waste storage plan (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008301626_apnukeplantterrorism.html?syndication=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Groups approve plan to open Oregon river for salmon (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1652038~Groups_approve_plan_to_open_Ore__river_for_salmon.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Chum Salmon Returning To Kennedy Creek; Trail Opens November 1ST (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5361/reftab/1896/Default.aspx?title=CHUM_SALMON_RETURNING_TO_KENNEDY_CREEK;_TRAIL_OPENS_NOVEMBER_1ST_

Nesting site built for Caspian terns – Move is a bid to keep the birds away from young salmon in Columbia River (Associated Press)
http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1260508

Canada – Chinook salmon run 'better than expected' on Campbell, Quinsam Rivers (Victoria Times Colonist)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/business/story.html?id=f5caabda-fcbc-4950-9f55-578123ebffec&k=27837

Kevin Richert: Otter's 'F' grade from think tank isn't fair – Scroll down to the heading “Scary Salmon Rhetoric” (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/106/story/546416.html

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Editorial – Endangered species: A 9-second rewrite
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/384504_endangered.html?source=rss

Birds Fly More than 7,000 Miles Nonstop, Study Shows – In Its Annual Fall Migration, One Godwit Traveled From Alaska to New Zealand in Eight Days (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102685.html?nav=rss_nation

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Long list of ideas to rescue the Sound – Leaders of newly re-launched campaign gather in Olympia (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/384531_sound23.html?source=rss

Canadians in Friday Harbor to explain Vancouver Island sewage plan (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=d4f0413c-51ba-4f88-8100-bd4fbc186524

North Idaho counties dispute pollution plan for Lake Coeur d'Alene (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1650834~N__Idaho_counties_dispute_pollution_plan.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

U.S. wind energy capacity up 1,400 megawatts – said to be enough for ore than 400,000 homes (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/23/BU3I13MD07.DTL&feed=rss.business

Oregon – Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm Studies Possible Expansion (istockAnalyst)
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews+articleid_2731010.html

Feds Open Public Lands To Geothermal Exploration (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/3345-feds-open-public-lands-geothermal-exploration/

Seattle Times Op/Ed –Region's manufacturing centers can become focal points for green-collar jobs
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008298246_opin23kane.html?syndication=rss

Los Angeles Times Op/Ed – A clear choice and a murky one on two California energy initiatives
http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-me-cap23-2008oct23,0,5191147.column

Canada – Change blowing in the wind: Prime Minister Stephen Harper used the carbon tax as a cudgel to beat the political life out of Stéphane Dion in order to win reelection (Straight.com – and another quarter goes to Robert Zimmerman)
http://www.straight.com/article-167131/change-blowing-wind

CONSERVATION

Spooked by high energy prices? Save money with these tips. (Google)
http://www.google.com/hauntedhouse08/index.html

Puget Sound Energy Helps Customers Save Energy and Money – Homeowners Eligible for $2,200 in Energy-Efficiency Rebates (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/PSE-Helps-Customers-Save-Energy/story.aspx?guid=%7B8C6BB296-36CB-4965-8C65-7CF8E851FE2F%7D

Maine – Hancock sawmill earns award for leadership in reducing energy use (Bethel Citizen, ME)
http://www.bethelcitizen.com/story.php?storyid=5270

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Campaigners Were on Terrorist List (NY Times)
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/climate-campaigners-on-terrorist-list/?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Comcast increases Internet speed (Philadelphia Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2008/10/20/daily28.html?ana=from_rss

Did You Know: 'Smashed To Bits' Modems May Not Work – And other helpful tips from AT&T support (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Did-You-Know-Smashed-To-Bits-Modems-May-Not-Work-98606

GENERAL NEWS

Hundreds of state jobs cut since July – Personnel numbers show departments affected (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/631713.html

State gets $63 million for flood, other damage (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/632222.html

35th District a contrast in style, substance (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/10/22/local_news/07news.txt

Ballot snafu means reissue for 211 voters in Brinnon (Port Townsend Leader, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/Main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=22197

DIVERSIONS

Online divorcee jailed after killing virtual hubby
http://www.theolympian.com/nationworld/story/632097.html

Satellite TV mix-up costs Belfair woman 22 trees (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/32678739.html

In Search Of An 'Honest' Pint Of Beer
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95997199&ft=1&f=2

Firing of longtime Santa outrages Va. mall patrons, mall owners apologize
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008301591_webfiredsanta23.html?syndication=rss