Energy News Digest for November 24, 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)

- Latest foe in customer’s anti-tax crusade is the Grays Harbor PUD
- Worker Electrocuted by Power lines Identified
- Yakama Tribe in a power position
- Energy Pulse Commentary - Whipping up Support for Transmission
- Chelan County PUD - Local engineers society names first woman president
- Salmon proposal upsets gillnetters
- Camas man’s methods to restore salmon unconventional, effective
- Salmon, owls might have ally in White House
- Canada - Green groups blast increases in salmon farms
- Salmon farming in Maine mounting a strong comeback
- Oregonian Op/Ed - Farmed fish: Almost organic, and always polluting
- Puget Sound cleanup criticized - Scientists say plan headed for failure
- Lack Of Funding Slows Research, Cleanup Of Sound
- Judge says Yelm must prove it has water
- Workers warn of problems at Brightwater Sewer Plant
- California experts fear 3rd straight dry winter likely
- Cowlitz County Panel mulls wind turbine rules
- Despite obstacles, Pickens is not giving up on wind energy
- Hawaii Reporter Op/Ed - Wind Power: The 'Green' Myth
- Wyoming group points out where to build wind
- Cow power - Digester makes dairy man a believer
- Palm Desert loan program giving contractors seeds to grow business
- Sacramento City manager pushes waste-to-energy proposal
- Rhode Island - Boosting renewable energy
- Problems Plague U.S. Flex-Fuel Fleet
- News Release - Light Up the Holidays Safely and Efficiently
- Alcoa encourages energy conservation
- Cheap Green: Energy and Ovens
- No electricity? Connecticut island now energy independent
- Oregonian Op/Ed - Seizing our chance in the midst of crisis
- Obama urged to create 'Green New Deal'
- Port of Quincy Confirms it Has Significant Fiber Optics Capacity
- Remote Wyoming towns home to broadband jobs
- A Quick Peek at the Internet Growth Charts
- AT&T To Pay $17 Million For Universal Service Fund Over-Charges
- Layoffs leave Silicon Forest less populated
- Eight Alarm Fire - Shelton's Bowling Alley Burns Down
- 20% cuts may be ahead for state colleges
- How much does Obama know about the West?
- Senators prepare to tutor Obama on Hanford
- Who from here might serve in Obama administration?
- Washington's new area code delayed until 2012
- Washington cities can add $20 car tab fee

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Non sequitur • \NON SEK-witt-ter\ • noun - 1: an inference that does not follow from the premises *2: a statement (as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said

For about an hour the conversation about long-term power contracts, direct service industry subsidies, fish and wildlife costs, and residential exchange flowed along about as smoothly as could be expected. Suddenly nearly all persons in the board room suffered whiplash as a burly, oddly-dressed guest (whom no one remembered inviting) started riffing with non sequiturs about minutiae involving Dungeons and Dragons, World of Warcraft, and the latest “Star Trek” convention that was to be held downtown, featuring Malachi Throne, a minor character who played in three 1966 “Trek” episodes.

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

His crusade continues - The latest foe in Stan Trohimovich’s decades-long anti-tax crusade is the Grays Harbor PUD. ..He has withheld payment of taxes, fees and the 13 percent charge for the Bonneville Power Administration’s Residential Exchange (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/11/23/local_news/01news.txt

Worker Electrocuted By Power lines Identified (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18027219/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news

Yakama Tribe in a power position - Local irrigation system could benefit if Yakamas become a player in the Northwest energy game (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2008/11/23/tribe-in-a-power-position

Energy Pulse Commentary - Whipping up Support for Transmission
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1877

From Chelan County PUD - Local engineers society names first woman president (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081123/NEWS04/711249987

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon proposal upsets gillnetters - Low numbers would favor sport anglers (Associated Press)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/389150_salmon24.html?source=rss

Fighting for fish - Camas man’s methods to restore salmon unconventional, effective (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20081123/NEWS02/711239994/-1/NEWS

Salmon, owls might have ally in White House (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/547417.html

Canada - Green groups blast increases in salmon farms (Victoria Times-Colonist)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=8d74a9a7-764f-4a6c-998f-ddb6789040a6

Salmon farming in Maine mounting a strong comeback (Associated Press)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2008/11/23/salmon_farming_in_maine_mounting_a_strong_comeback/

Oregonian Op/Ed - Farmed fish: Almost organic, and always polluting (Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/11/farmed_fish_almost_organic_and.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Puget Sound cleanup criticized - Scientists say plan headed for failure (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/388962_sound22.html

Lack Of Funding Slows Research, Cleanup Of Sound (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18034044/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_7am&tmi=sea_7am_-1_09000111242008&ts=H

Judge says Yelm must prove it has water - Condition placed by city on subdivisions ruled illegal (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/672384.html

Workers warn of problems at Brightwater Sewer Plant (KOMO-TV., Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/34971969.html

California experts fear 3rd straight dry winter likely (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/22/MNV8149Q32.DTL&feed=rss.news

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

Cowlitz County Panel mulls wind turbine rules (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/11/24//area_news/doc492ac2a7bd7b7397172848.txt

Star Telegram Op/Ed - Despite obstacles, Pickens is not giving up on wind energy (Fort Worth, TX)
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/1053439.html

Hawaii Reporter Op/Ed - Wind Power: The 'Green' Myth
http://hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?3fe59302-a0ac-435f-874e-518f40d9b26d

Wyoming group points out where to build wind (Associated Press)
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=9400896

Cow power - Digester makes dairy man a believer (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2008/11/22/cow-power-digester-makes-dairy-man-a-believer

Solar boom - Palm Desert's loan program giving contractors seeds to grow their businesses (The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, CA)
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20081122/NEWS07/811220318/1013

California - Sacramento City manager pushes waste-to-energy proposal; county cautious (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1419145.html

Rhode Island - Boosting renewable energy (Providence Journal, RI)
http://www.projo.com/business/content/BZ_Greenstart_24_11-24-08_J7CBI89_v13.3fe6ddb.html

Problems Plague U.S. Flex-Fuel Fleet - Most Government-Bought Vehicles Still Use Standard Gas (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/22/AR2008112200886.html?nav=rss_business

News Release - Light Up the Holidays Safely and Efficiently - PSE Donates Energy-Efficient Holiday Light Strands for Customer and Community Displays (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Light-Up-Holidays-Safely-Efficiently/story.aspx?guid=%7B2A65BB1C-678F-48AF-8295-247FA06CFC7E%7D

Alcoa encourages energy conservation through Web site (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081123/NEWS04/711249990

Cheap Green: Energy and Ovens (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/cheap-green-energy-and-ovens/

No electricity? Connecticut island now energy independent. Three-acre property boasts wind turbine, solar panels and Segways (MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27861109/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Oregonian Op/Ed - Seizing our chance in the midst of crisis
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/11/seizing_our_chance_in_the_mids.html

Obama urged to create 'Green New Deal' (Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2008/11/24/obama_urged_to_create_green_new_deal/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

News Release - Port of Quincy Confirms That Quincy, WA Has Significant Fiber Optics Capacity and Availability (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Port-Quincy-Confirms-That-Quincy/story.aspx?guid=%7B896A78A3-A2A8-40E2-9732-22D88835E924%7D

Remote Wyoming towns home to broadband jobs (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008427624_btenglishteach24.html?syndication=rss

A Quick Peek at the Internet Growth Charts (GigaOM)http://gigaom.com/2008/11/24/a-quick-peek-at-the-internet-growth-charts/

AT&T To Pay $17 Million For Universal Service Fund Over-Charges (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-To-Pay-17-Million-For-USF-OverCharging-99263

Layoffs leave Silicon Forest less populated - High-tech companies in Oregon employ 2,000 fewer people than a year ago (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1227239720313090.xml&coll=7

GENERAL NEWS

Eight Alarm Fire - Shelton's Bowling Alley Burns Down (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5655/reftab/1632/Default.aspx?title=SHELTON'S_BOWLING_ALLEY_BURNS_DOWN

20% cuts may be ahead for state colleges, universities as bottom falls out of budget (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008425188_highered23m0.html?syndication=rss

How much does Obama know about the West? (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/394065.html

Senators prepare to tutor Obama on Hanford (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/394063.html

Who from here might serve in Obama administration? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/389071_Joel24.html?source=rss

Washington State's new telephone area code delayed until 2012 (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1705693~State_s_new_telephone_area_code_delayed_until_2012.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Washington cities can add $20 car tab fee (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1708206~Washington_cities_can_add__20_car_tab_fee.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

DIVERSIONS

Panda bites student who just wanted a hug
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/670776.html

B.G. proposal riles animal lovers - Complaint about chickens’ smell prompts action, and angry response (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20081121/NEWS02/711219955/-1/NEWS

Police Chase Ends With Man Up Tree For Hours
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18049737/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news