Energy News Digest for October 30, 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)

- Supplier Poll: Texas voters favor electricity competition
- Massachusetts – Utility offers a 3-year lock on electricity rate
- Massachusetts Electricity offer slammed
- Benton PUD offering low-income discounts
- South Africa – 'No electricity, No vote’
- Union-Bulletin Editorial – New study finds fish do as well on dammed rivers
- Coho flooding to Cowlitz salmon hatchery at record pace
- 'We're getting down to the last fish in the barrel'
- Oregon – Commercial fishermen question salmon plan
- Taylor Shellfish May Face Fines from Washington State
- Dusky tree vole may be in need of federal protection
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer Editorial – Puget Sound: Troubled waters
- Camas, state tout ‘win-win’ water rights
- Pateros businesses lament Douglas County PUD’s plan to lower river
- West Montana tribal water compact negotiations rolling along
- Feds to check for contaminants in Columbia River
- Wastewater concerns slowing N. Idaho developers
- Renewable energy debuts on ballots
- Pickens delays world's biggest wind farm project
- California rejects Pacific Gas & Electric contract for wave energy
- Michigan – Stranded oil spurs an electric America with more renewables
- California City to Turn Waste into Energy
- Turning Waste Olive Stones Into Bioethanol
- Energy-efficient fridge actually costs less
- North Carolina – Energy Star goods have tax holiday
- Pointers to help you avoid ‘greenwashing’
- Comcast: The New Broadband King
- Cable Subscribers Increase Before Digital Transition
- State Releases Audit of City of Shelton

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Internecine • \inter-NESS-seen\ • \adjective – 1: marked by slaughter: deadly; especially: mutually destructive 2: of, relating to, or involving conflict within a group

The manufacturing employees and design staff continued their internecine battles over color choices for the new product line throughout the year. The designers demanded that the assembly line use dark brown and hot pink in new throw-pillow designs. The workers rebelled, when after one week, the color combination had sent hundreds of them home with headaches and nausea.

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

Poll: Texas voters favor electricity competition – Industry to use findings in battle against efforts to regulate prices “…poll commissioned by a power industry trade group…” (Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6084989.html

Massachusetts – Utility offers a 3-year lock on electricity rate: Dominion's deal would cut average bill by a few dollars (Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6084989.html

Massachusetts Electricity offer slammed (Boston Herald)
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1128762&srvc=rss

Benton PUD offering low-income discounts (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/367432.html

South Africa – 'No electricity, No vote’ (Independent Online)
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20081030152202533C743404

FISH & WILDLIFE

Union-Bulletin Editorial – New study finds fish do as well on dammed rivers: Yet, environmental groups quickly dismissed the merits of the study. Any study that doesn't denigrate dams is automatically unscientific, horrible or both (Walla Walla, WA)
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/10/29/opinion/daily_editorial/081029%20editorial%20dams.txt

Coho flooding to Cowlitz salmon hatchery at record pace (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/704/story/641985.html

'We're getting down to the last fish in the barrel' (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/33560749.html

Oregon – Commercial fishermen question salmon plan (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2008/10/andy_parker_commercial_fisherm.html

Taylor Shellfish May Face Fines from Washington State (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5427/reftab/1632/title/TAYLOR_SHELLFISH_MAY_FACE_FINES_FROM_THE_STATE/Default.aspx

Dusky tree vole may be in need of federal protection (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008328905_treevole30.html?syndication=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Editorial – Puget Sound: Troubled waters
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/385542_pugeted.html?source=rss

Camas, state tout ‘win-win’ water rights (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20081030/NEWS02/710309968/-1/NEWS

Pateros businesses lament Douglas County PUD’s plan to lower river (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081030/NEWS04/710301306

West Montana tribal water compact negotiations rolling along (Char-Koosta, Pablo, MT)
http://www.charkoosta.com/2008/2008_10_30/CSKT_water_compacts_roll_along.html

Feds to check for contaminants in Columbia River (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/366999.html

Wastewater concerns slowing N. Idaho developers (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1658956~Wastewater_concerns_slowing_N__Idaho_developers.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Renewable energy debuts on ballots (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-29-ballot-proposals_N.htm?csp=34

Pickens delays world's biggest wind farm project – Texas oilman's wind farm project hit by financial crisis and drop in price of natural gas (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/30/windpower-energy

California rejects Pacific Gas & Electric contract for wave energy (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10830160?source=rss

Michigan – Stranded oil spurs an electric America with more renewables (Tri-Cities Business Review, MI)
http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/tricities/index.ssf/2008/10/stranded_oil_spurs_an_electric.html

California City to Turn Waste into Energy (Facility Blog)
http://todaysfacilitymanager.com/facilityblog/2008/10/california-city-to-turn-waste-into-energy.html

Turning Waste Olive Stones Into Bioethanol ([Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53974&src=rss

CONSERVATION

Energy-efficient fridge actually costs less (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1224712526166670.xml&coll=7

North Carolina – Energy Star goods have tax holiday (The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area)
http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2008/10/27/daily28.html?ana=from_rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Pointers to help you avoid ‘greenwashing’ (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081030/HOM/710301323/1025/rss1025

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Comcast: The New Broadband King – Poised to surpass AT&T as nation's largest provider (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-The-New-Broadband-King-98748

Cable Subscribers Increase Before Digital Transition (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96311177&ft=1&f=3

GENERAL NEWS

State Releases Audit of City of Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5425/reftab/1632/title/STATE_RELEASES_AUDIT_OF_CITY/Default.aspx

DIVERSIONS

Police kill wild turkeys in Philomath
http://www.examiner.com/a-1663998~Police_kill_wild_turkeys_in_Philomath.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

On this Day: ‘The War of the Worlds’ Broadcast Causes Panic
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/September-October-08/On-this-Day---The-War-of-the-Worlds--Broadcast-Causes-Panic.html

Leave Your Ear Wax Alone, Experts Say
http://www.kirotv.com/health/17846271/detail.html

Sticky-Fingered Campus Cop Charged In Pastry Theft
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/17848981/detail.html