Energy News Digest for October 28, 2008 - The Gollum Fish Story Edition

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)

- Shelton Releases 2009 Preliminary Budget – May turn off half the city’s street lights
- Westinghouse big winner in nuclear power push (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
- Research hints dam improvements helping salmon
- Salmon study sparks row over dams
- Salmon study: Dammed or not
- Salmon study under fire for minimizing effect of dams
- Salmon smolt survival similar in Columbia and Fraser rivers
- Fraser full of risks for salmon, study finds
- Texas district wins round in Okla. water lawsuit
- Cyprus – Thirst for solution to water shortages
- State's alternative energy projects gain momentum
- Tilting at Windmills: Is Small-Scale Turbine Power Viable
- Whirlwind of investment – Betting on wind energy
- Calif. Rule Casts Shade on Solar Panels
- Google’s Green Agenda Could Pay Off
- FPL Cuts 400 MW of Wind Energy Plans
- 3TIER Named one of "100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies"
- Jay Inslee Calls Clean Energy "Our Generation's Legacy”
- 19 Ways to Slash Your Utility Bill
- Clallam climate group traces greenhouse gases
- Oregon governor reveals climate change agenda
- FCC to rule on white space channels
- Dolly Parton, Other Artists Hates White Space Broadband
- US cablecos spice wireless broadband fight
- Belfair House Fire Victims Died From Smoke Inhalation
- Wrong-way driver hits pickup on I-5 in Olympia, leaves one dead
- Boeing, Machinists reach settlement
- Records request for December 2007 storm insurance claims disputed

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Orb • \ORB\ • noun – 1: Any of the concentric spheres in old astronomy surrounding the earth and carrying the celestial bodies in their revolutions 2: archaic: something circular: circle, orbit 3: a spherical body; especially: a spherical celestial object 4: eye
5: a sphere surmounted by a cross symbolizing kingly power and justice

Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” caused orb sales (or any other spherical object) to skyrocket in the tiny burgh of Anytown USA. Unfortunately, without the futuristic technology foretold in the movie, no one got high…they just all got annoyed.

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

City Releases 2009 Preliminary Budget – Proposes turning off half the city’s street lights to save money (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5406/reftab/1632/title/CITY_RELEASES_2009_PRELIMINARY_BUDGET/Default.aspx

Westinghouse big winner in nuclear power push (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/10/27/story1.html?ana=from_rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

A “Gollum Moment” – “We loves the report….We hates the report”

Research hints dam improvements helping salmon (The Oregonian, Portland, WA)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/research_hints_dam_improvement.html

Salmon study sparks row over dams – Results dismissing link to fish mortality are called into question (Nature News)
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081027/full/4551160a.html?s=news_rss

Salmon study: Dammed or not – A river with zero dams or a river with eight may not be much different for the survival of young salmon (Science News)
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/38128/title/Salmon_study_Dammed_or_not

Salmon study under fire for minimizing effect of dams – A new study says river dams make no difference to salmon survival (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008319616_salmon28m.html

Salmon smolt survival similar in Columbia and Fraser rivers (EurekAlert)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-10/osu-sss102708.php

Fraser full of risks for salmon, study finds (CanWest News Service)
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=3d661bfa-fb46-4841-9cdd-cc32682920f2

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Texas district wins round in Okla. water lawsuit – Lawsuit was over Oklahoma's ban on out of state water sales (Associated Press)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6081580.html

Cyprus – Thirst for solution to water shortages (Financial Times)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4ae2c9dc-a480-11dd-8104-000077b07658.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

State's alternative energy projects gain momentum “…hydroelectric power has been Washington state's green power of choice for decades…” (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/33429934.html

Tilting at Windmills: Is Small-Scale Turbine Power Viable--Or Just an Illusion? A new plastic turbine can capture energy from the wind gusting over your roof (Scientific American)
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=small-scale-wind-power

Whirlwind of investment – Zoltek, Emerson, Wind Capital betting on wind energy
(St. Louis Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/10/27/story2.html?ana=from_rss

Calif. Rule Casts Shade on Solar Panels (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96175833

Google’s Green Agenda Could Pay Off (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/technology/internet/28google.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/story?id=53954&src=rss

FPL Cuts 400 MW of Wind Energy Plans (Renewable Energy World Online)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53951&src=rss

3TIER Named one of "100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies" in Washington (Renewable Energy World Online)

News Release – U.S. Representative Jay Inslee Calls Clean Energy "Our Generation's Legacy” (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/us-representative-jay-inslee-calls/story.aspx?guid=%7B2F99E3CC-841C-4EF7-A247-B6CC512B23D6%7D&dist=hppr

CONSERVATION

19 Ways to Slash Your Utility Bill (Popular Mechanics)
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/how_to/4288639.html?page=1

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Clallam climate group traces greenhouse gases (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081028/news/310289992

Oregon governor reveals climate change agenda (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/10/27/daily4.html?ana=from_rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC to rule on white space channels (Associated Press)
http://www.fox44.net/Global/story.asp?S=9251567&nav=menu660_1

Dolly Parton, Other Artists Hates White Space Broadband (Broadband Reports)
http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/Dolly-Parton-Hates-White-Space-Broadband-98712

US cablecos spice wireless broadband fight – The quadruple play (The Register)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/27/cox_and_wireless/

GENERAL NEWS

Belfair House Fire Victims Died From Smoke Inhalation (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5408/reftab/1632/title/HOUSE_FIRE_VICTIMS_DIED_FROM_SMOKE_INHALATION/Default.aspx

Wrong-way driver hits pickup on I-5 in Olympia, leaves one dead (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/638296.html

Boeing, Machinists reach settlement; pact calls for 15 percent pay raise over 4 years (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2008319765_machinists28.html?syndication=rss

Records request for December 2007 storm insurance claims disputed (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/10/27/local_news/02news.txt

DIVERSIONS

The Ultimate In Cold Feet – Reluctant groom sets hotel on fire
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE49Q3X220081027?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Man drives drunk to protest drunken driving charge
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE49Q62620081027?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Poodle Delays 8 Flights At Boston Airport – Dog Evades Airport Personnel For 17 Hours
http://www.kirotv.com/travelgetaways/17814900/detail.html?treets=sea&taf=sea

Colo. Couple Get Marijuana With Order Of Tacos
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17813418/detail.html