Energy News Digest for November 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)

- More than 53% favor electricity in local hands in East Jefferson County
- BPA agreement guarantees low power costs for Cheney
- Bracing for rise in Spokane utility bills
- New York - Along 240 Miles of Power Lines, Preparing Every Tower for winter’s Wrath
- Indiana - Gas, power companies report more disconnections
- U.S. Electricity Project Forges Ahead Despite Afghan Terrain and Taliban
- United Kingdom - Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes
- Panel approves catch quota for W. Coast fishing
- Yakima - More water, happier fish
- Outdoors: 85-pound salmon is a real big fish story
- San Francisco Chronicle Op/Ed - Monster salmon could be harbinger of fish's recovery
- Snake River sediment buildup may be slowing
- Canada - Fund to save salmon shrinks with economy
- Coca-Cola may bottle Willamette River water
- Snohomish PUD customers may see water rates climb for 4 years
- Gorgeous! Columbia River waterfalls top a list of sights to savor
- Shasta Lake's low water level reveals a piece of California's past
- Chesapeake Bay Watch: Political courage, not lawsuits, will get the estuary clean
- Public Gets Its Turn to Comment on Controversial Kitsap Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Project
- Report: Sun, wind power strain power grid
- Agency Pushes for Less Wood Burning
- Idaho man plans to power home with wind
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer Editorial - Beyond oil: Wind at our backs
- Drivers get charged up about plugging in cars
- Energy island to supply green power when wind drops
- Daylight Savings Time Increases Energy Use in Indiana
- Boston Globe Op/Ed – A climate plan in peril?
- Gore sets Obama a JFK challenge on energy
- Will the Weak Economy Derail Our Going Green?
- Data center being built on Columbia River near Boardman, OR
- Internet Attacks Grow More Potent
- Broadband access drives decisions on where to live
- Couple Builds New Home Just For Broadband - Then reconsiders
- Is broadband a utility?
- FiOS Not Hurting Cablevision...Yet
- FCC will seek more comment on telecom reforms
- Google at 10: Searching Its Own Soul
- Flood watch Tuesday-Wednesday in W. Washington
- Here’s a link to the latest vote count from the Mason County Auditor’s office
- Dog shot after biting Shelton resident
- New Onramp from Highway 3 to Highway 101 Near Shelton to Open
- Asphalt shortage delays road repairs nationwide
- Yelm could be home to new radio station

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Sedentary • \SED-un-tair-ee\ • adjective – 1: not migratory: settled *2: doing or requiring much sitting 3: not physically active 4: permanently attached

Zonker Harris, poster-boy for the sedentary art of competitive tanning, gave it all up in 1981 after his historic “Jack Ford Medal for Best Tan at the 1980 Gerald R. Ford Pro-Am Summer Biathlon and the bronze medal at the Sonny Bono Indoor Tan Fest.” – Doonesbury@Slate

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

More than 53% favor electricity in local hands in East Jefferson County (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081109/news/311099993

BPA agreement guarantees low power costs for Cheney - Customers will enjoy the lowest power rates in the area: agreement secures low cost, tier one power for 20 years (Cheney Free Press, WA)
http://www.cheneyfreepress.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=3761&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2058&hn=cheneyfreepress&he=.com

Bracing for rise in Spokane utility bills - Convergence of rate-boosting forces to impact businesses here (Spokane Journal of Commerce)
http://www.spokanejournal.com/spokane_id=article&sub=3784

New York - Along 240 Miles of Power Lines, Preparing Every Tower for Winter’s Wrath (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/nyregion/10tree.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Indiana - Gas, power companies report more disconnections, many due to delinquent bills - Utility shut-offs may indicate more can't pay the bills (Indianapolis Star, IN)
http://www.indystar.com/article/20081108/BUSINESS/811080404/1003/BUSINESS

U.S. Electricity Project Forges Ahead Despite Afghan Terrain and Taliban (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/world/asia/09kajaki.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

United Kingdom - Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/09/miniature-nuclear-reactors-los-alamos

FISH & WILDLIFE

Panel approves catch quota for W. Coast fishing (Associated Press)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/34134379.html

More water, happier fish - The Benton Irrigation District is embarking on a $16 million project that will boost the amount of water left in the lower Yakima River during summer (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2008/11/09/more-water-happier-fish

Outdoors: 85-pound salmon is a real big fish story (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/08/SP1B13VRCL.DTL

San Francisco Chronicle Op/Ed - Monster salmon could be harbinger of fish's recovery
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/09/SP1B13VRCL.DTL&feed=rss.sports

Snake River sediment buildup may be slowing (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008370932_apidriversediment.html?syndication=rss

Canada - Fund to save salmon shrinks with economy - $165-million endowment loses more than $35-million, could endanger projects in Canada and the U.S. (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081108.BCFUND08/TPStory//?page=rss&id=GAM.20081108.BCFUND08

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Coca-Cola may bottle Willamette River water (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1682759~Coca_Cola_may_bottle_Willamette_River_water.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Snohomish PUD customers may see water rates climb for 4 years (Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081110/NEWS01/711109860/-1/RSS02

Gorgeous! Columbia River waterfalls top a list of sights to savor (Winston-Salem Journal, NC)
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/nov/09/gorgeous-columbia-river-waterfalls-top-a-list-of-s/living/

Shasta Lake's low water level reveals a piece of California's past (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/33924709.html

Washington Post Editorial - Chesapeake Bay Watch: Political courage, not lawsuits, will get the estuary clean
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/07/AR2008110703483.html?nav%3Drss_opinions&sub=AR

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Public Gets Its Turn to Comment on Controversial Kitsap Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Project (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/nov/09/public-gets-its-turn-to-comment-on-seed/?partner=RSS

Report: Sun, wind power strain power grid (Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2008/11/10/daily3.html?ana=from_rss

Agency Pushes for Less Wood Burning - Cozying up next to a crackling fireplace is a hallmark of the winter months for some (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1226150100&archive=

Idaho man plans to power home with wind (The Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/656354.html

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Editorial - Beyond oil: Wind at our backs
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/387089_energyed.html?source=rss

Drivers get charged up about plugging in cars - Many install extra battery in hybrid vehicles (Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/11/08/drivers_get_charged_up_about_plugging_in_cars/

Energy island to supply green power when wind drops (Times of London, UK)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5119585.ece

CONSERVATION

Daylight Savings Time Increases Energy Use in Indiana (Slashdot)
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/09/1810228&from=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Boston Globe Op/Ed – A climate plan in peril?
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2008/11/10/a_climate_plan_in_peril/

Gore sets Obama a JFK challenge on energy (Financial Times of London)
http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2008/11/gore-sets-obama-a-jfk-challenge-on-energy/

Will the Weak Economy Derail Our Going Green? (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/2008/November/Will-the-Weak-Economy-Derail-Our-Going-Green-.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Data center being built on Columbia River near Boardman, OR – The gigantic server farm is thought to be connected to Amazon.com (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1226028328133040.xml&coll=7

Internet Attacks Grow More Potent (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/technology/internet/10attacks.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Broadband access drives decisions on where to live (Associated Press)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081109/BIZ/711099934/-1/RSS03

Couple Builds New Home Just For Broadband - Then considers moving back to old home when DSL arrives (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Couple-Builds-New-Home-Just-For-Broadband-98959

Is broadband a utility? (ZD Net)
http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10009696o-2000331761b,00.htm

FiOS Not Hurting Cablevision...Yet - FiOS services about 1.4 million homes in Cablevision's footprint (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FiOS-Not-Hurting-CablevisionYet-98974

FCC will seek more comment on telecom reforms, including changes to inter carrier compensation and universal service fund (InfoWorld)
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/11/06/FCC_seeks_more_comment_on_telecom_reforms_1.html

Google at 10: Searching Its Own Soul (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/08/technology/companies/08interview.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1226206469-KgPy93cQ9SlmfZGCqvYLCw

GENERAL NEWS

Flood watch Tuesday-Wednesday in W. Washington (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008372867_webweather10m.html?syndication=rss

Here’s a link to the latest vote count from the Mason County Auditor’s office, as of Friday afternoon. The next count takes place on November 24
http://wei.secstate.wa.gov/mason/Elections/ElectionResults/Pages/ElectionResults.aspx

Dog shot after biting Shelton resident (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_110708WAB_dog_shot_KS.18e4efa48.html

New Onramp from Highway 3 to Highway 101 Near Shelton to Open Wednesday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5524/reftab/1632/title/NEW_ONRAMP_FROM_HIGHWAY_3_TO_HIGHWAY_101_TO_OPEN_WEDNESDAY/Default.aspx

Asphalt shortage delays road repairs nationwide (Associated Press)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_110908WAB_asphalt_shortage_SW.1978366a2.html

Yelm could be home to new radio station (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/656572.html

DIVERSIONS

Toy Hall of Fame Points to New Addition: The Stick
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/17931980/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_-1_01000111072008&ts=H

Fanboys run amok! An Otherworldly Opera That Speaks Klingon
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/nyregion/long-island/09trekli.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Massachusetts Retiree Wins Lottery -- Twice
http://www.kirotv.com/money/17890121/detail.html

Cash found in Ohio house's walls becomes nightmare
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081109/ap_on_re_us/house_hidden_money;_ylt=ApHcDB7FhDQYid.xHILVIUntiBIF