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)
- PDC to investigate campaign-related complaint against Washington PUD Association
- Goose Short-Circuits Power Line, Causing North Seattle Outage
- Mason County PUD 1 and PUD 3 Urge Preparation for Fall and Winter Weather
- Grant PUD sees higher labor costs
- Avista Corp. Reports Results for the Third Quarter
- TransAlta Announces Profitable Year
- NW Power Council seeks natural gas price comments
- NorthWestern Energy Responds to Montana Proceedings Regarding Colstrip
- North Carolina – Duke doubles cost estimate for nuclear plant
- Is more nuclear energy in California's energy future?
- Tennessee – After years of cheap energy, rising costs are forcing changes
- United Kingdom’s gas and electricity bills increasing fast
- California – Copper thieves knocking out park lights
- Oregonian Op/Ed – Salmon science is not about sound bites
- Grant PUD approves $3 million for Priest Rapids Project Shoreline Management Plan
- Saving wild salmon, in hopes of saving the orca
- Canada – Salmon and whales
- Seattle Post Intelligencer Guest Columnist – Orcas deserve a fighting chance
- Fish forensics: Vital but stinky
- California – Coho salmon fry discovered up a remote creek
- Enough water for all in Orting?
- Olympian Editorial – LOTT remains innovative
- Canada – Burst dam may uncover hidden historical wonders
- Seattle Times Editorial – Washington State could spread the green around
- Seattle Times Op/Ed –Stimulate economy by supporting green power
- PSE Requests to Pass Through Adjusted Wind-Power Credit to Customers
- Digester project targets small farms
- California utility buys Iberdrola’s biomass energy
- EarthFirst Installs BC's First Wind Turbine
- There's a silver lining to Washington State Penitentiary's recent expansion project
- Utilities offer rebates, loans to increase home insulation
- Battelle CO2 project back online in Wallula
- Sitestar Purchases DONOBi Customers & Assets
- Barton Urges FCC to Listen to Public, Reform Costly Universal Service Fund
- FCC chairman cancels vote on telecom overhaul
- The strategic power of fiber
- Who Killed the VoIP Revolution?
- Time running short to make digital TV leap
- N. Idaho residents angry about cell tower
- City of Shelton Budget Controversial, Sobering: Library; Street Lights on Chopping Block
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Apropos • \ah-pruh-POE \ • adverb – 1: at an opportune time: seasonably 2: by way of interjection or further comment: with regard to the present topic
Whistling in the dark, the debate over streetlights goes on until, apropos of nothing, the meaning of life, the universe and everything commandeered the discussions…always ending, inexplicably, in the number 42.
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
PDC to investigate campaign-related complaint against Washington PUD Association (Whidbey Examiner, Coupeville, WA)
http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=1869&TM=48656.59
Goose Short-Circuits Power Line, Causing North Seattle Outage (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17874466/detail.html?treets=sea&tml=sea_break&ts=T&tmi=sea_break_-1_11360111032008
Mason County PUD 1 and PUD 3 Urge Preparation for Fall and Winter Weather in the Pacific Northwest (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/News/display.asp?NewsID=476
Grant PUD sees higher labor costs (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/11/03/news/nw1.11.3.08.txt
Avista Corp. Reports Results for the Third Quarter and Year-to-Date 2008 (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Avista-Corp-Reports-Results-Third/story.aspx?guid=%7BAAE3A7D2-B70E-4174-B990-5F16ED89B926%7D
TransAlta Announces Profitable Year – Canadian Company Spent $70 Million-$75 Million Upgrading Centralia Plant to Handle Wyoming Coal (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1225482471&archive=
NW Power Council seeks natural gas price comments (The Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/645722.html
News Release – NorthWestern Energy Responds to Montana Public Service Commission Proceedings Regarding Colstrip Unit 4 (Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/081031/aqf055.html?.v=50
North Carolina – Duke doubles cost estimate for nuclear plant (Charlotte Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2008/11/03/daily19.html?ana=from_rss
Is more nuclear energy in California's energy future? (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/1365206.html
Tennessee – High Voltage: After years of cheap energy, rising costs are forcing changes (The Daily Herald, Columbia, TN)
http://www.columbiadailyherald.com/articles/2008/11/04/top_stories/01power.txt
United Kingdom’s gas and electricity bills increasing at twice the rate of European neighbors (Daily Telegraph, UK)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3379808/UK-gas-and-electricity-bills-increasing-at-twice-the-rate-of-European-neighbours.html
California – Copper thieves knocking out park lights (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/04/BA2V13TBRP.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
FISH & WILDLIFE
Oregonian Op/Ed – Salmon science is not about sound bites (Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/11/salmon_science_is_not_about_so.html
Grant PUD approves $3 million for Priest Rapids Project Shoreline Management Plan (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/11/02/news/nw5.10.31.08.txt
Saving wild salmon, in hopes of saving the orca (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/science/04prof.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Canada – Salmon and whales (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081104.EWHALES04/TPStory/Comment
Seattle Post Intelligencer Guest Columnist – Orcas deserve a fighting chance
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/386200_orcas04.html
Fish forensics: Vital but stinky (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081103/NEWS04/711039950
California – Coho salmon fry discovered up a remote creek (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/31/MN5613NOAH.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
Enough water for all in Orting? Officials are continuing talks about building a bottled water plant in the city (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/525984.html
Olympian Editorial – LOTT remains innovative: There was a time when the board governing the LOTT regional wastewater collection and treatment system was one of the most dysfunctional government entities in South Sound (Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/645752.html
Canada – Burst dam may uncover hidden historical wonders (Simcoe Reformer, Ontario)
http://www.simcoereformer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1278178
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Seattle Times Editorial – Washington State could spread the green around “…BPA should be permitted to borrow more money from the U.S. Treasury to invest in electricity-transmission infrastructure in the Northwest…” (How about a green power CRAC? Sarcasm intended)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008342479_edit03green.html
Seattle Times Op/Ed –Stimulate economy by supporting green power: Some of the federal money intended to stimulate the economy should be devoted to building electrical transmission lines in the Northwest to help boost the development of green power
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008342480_opin03luceweb.html
PSE Requests to Pass Through Adjusted Wind-Power Credit to Customers – Output From Utility's Two Wind-Power Facilities Earns Increased Credit (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/PSE-Requests-Pass-Through-Adjusted/story.aspx?guid=%7B5483D0E7-1F7F-4DC3-92CE-5DC139B64038%7D
Digester project targets small farms (Sustainable Industries)
http://www.sustainableindustries.com/breakingnews/33648134.html
California utility buys Iberdrola’s biomass energy (Biomass Magazine )
http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2164
EarthFirst Installs BC's First Wind Turbine (Renewable Energy World)http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53993&src=rss
CONSERVATION
There's a silver lining to Washington State Penitentiary's recent expansion project – All seven buildings Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certifications (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/11/03/local_news/081103local02leed.txt
Utilities (including Snohomish PUD) offer rebates, loans to increase home insulation (Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081103/BIZ/711039956
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Battelle CO2 project back online in Wallula (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/915/story/369773.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Sitestar Purchases DONOBi Customers & Assets – Deal Includes Narrowband, Broadband & Hosting Customers in Pacific Northwest & Hawaii (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0448544.htm
Barton Urges FCC to Listen to Public, Reform Costly Universal Service Fund (Benton Foundation)
http://benton.org/node/18369?utm_campaign=Benton%27s+Headlines&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2008/10/31/nid-18391&
FCC chairman cancels vote on telecom overhaul – But ruling due on TV 'white spaces' (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/386242_fcctelecom04.html?source=rss
The strategic power of fiber (Fierce Telecom)
http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/strategic-power-fiber/2008-10-30
Who Killed the VoIP Revolution? (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/11/02/who-killed-the-voip-revolution/
Time running short to make digital TV leap (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/11/time_running_short_to_make_dig.html
N. Idaho residents angry about cell tower – Get out your Faraday Cages! (The Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/649361.html
GENERAL NEWS
City of Shelton Budget Controversial, Sobering: Library; Street Lights on Chopping Block (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5467/reftab/1896/Default.aspx?title=CITY_BUDGET_CONTROVERSIAL,_SOBERING:_LIBRARY;_STREET_LIGHTS_ON_CHOPPING_BLOCK_
DIVERSIONS
Election law forces Starbucks to change free coffee promo
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_110308WAB_starbucks_free_coffee_TP.179d1864a.html?npc
Granger man charged with shooting paintballs at City Hall
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/8945
Paper Boy Steals Car To Make Faster Rounds
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/17865142/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_-1_01000111032008&ts=H
Meth and cash found in boy's Halloween trick-or-treat bag
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008348854_webhalloweenmeth04.html?syndication=rss
Stevens juror: I lied about dad, went to horse race
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/03/stevens.trial.juror.ap/?iref=mpstoryview
