Energy News Digest for December 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)

- Mason County PUD No. 3 Approves Bond Sale
- Grays Harbor County PUD - Cheap Holiday Bills and another Federal Court Appeal
- Clark Public Utilities Approves Water, Electric Rate Hikes for 2009
- Alabama - Lower Energy Costs Won't Mean Lower Electricity Rates
- Benton PUD’s Local Rural Economic Development Revolving Fund Created
- Customer Survey Says: Low Rates Chelan County PUD’s Biggest Challenge
- Miniature Nuclear Reactors Could Provide Energy
- Joint Session To Discuss Chinook Salmon Plans
- Taking Stock of Canadian Salmon Stocks
- The Olympian Editorial - Court Issues Welcome Ruling On Tribes
- Irony Alert - Seattle Company Fined For Biodiesel Spill
- BC Hydro's Call for Bioenergy Yields Four Projects
- Solar Power Systems Powering More California Agribusinesses
- Utah - Focus on Efficiency, Energy Panelists Say
- Cool Earth Solar's Solution: Big Party Balloons
- 2008 Coldest Year of the Decade
- UN negotiators to present draft climate treaty in June
- Report Scorches FCC Chairman
- Storm Forecast Buoys Ski Areas - 'We are waiting with bated breath'
- Third-Runway Boss: I Was Following Orders
- Prosecutors Look into Trooper Probe of Phony College Diplomas
- ‘Down is the new up’: T-bills hit zero
- Interior Secretary Choice Nears
- Obama to Name Leader of White House Council on Environmental Quality
- Incentives for Recycling Programs Lose Their Steam
- Civil Service Test - Man dies digging for a job in Seattle
- Mason County Judge Hears Suit against Former Port of Tahuya Commissioners

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Lothario • \loh-THAIR-ee-oh\ • noun - A man whose chief interest is seducing women

It was clear that Dagoberto was not quite the lothario that he imagined himself to be. His disastrous decision to wear “Salesman in a Drum” musk cologne to a speed-dating appointment event was evident in that his prospective dates didn’t just walk away from their two-minute interviews…they actually fled.

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

Mason County PUD No. 3 Approves Bond Sale (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/5772/reftab/1632/Default.aspx?t=P.U.D.-3-APPROVES-BOND-SALE

Grays Harbor County PUD - Cheap Holiday Bills and another Federal Court Appeal (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/12/09/local_news/03news.txt

Clark Public Utilities Approves Water, Electric Rate Hikes for 2009 (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20081209/BIZ01/812097498

Alabama - Lower Energy Costs Won't Mean Lower Electricity Rates (The Press-Register, Mobile, AL)
http://www.al.com/politics/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1228904155291110.xml&coll=3

Benton PUD’s Local Rural Economic Development Revolving Fund Created (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/bizbeat/story/411338.html

Customer Survey Says: Low Rates Chelan County PUD’s Biggest Challenge (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081209/NEWS04/712099976

Miniature Nuclear Reactors Could Provide Energy - and Opportunity for Terrorists (Fox News)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,464625,00.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Joint Session To Discuss Chinook Salmon Plans - A sport-commercial catch-sharing plan will be presented to commissions (The Statesman Journal, Salem, OR)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20081210/OUTDOORS/812100385/1034/SPORTS

Taking Stock of Canadian Salmon Stocks (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081210.COLETTS10-12/TPStory/Comment

The Olympian Editorial - Court Issues Welcome Ruling On Tribes
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/691288.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Irony Alert - Seattle Company Fined For Biodiesel Spill (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008490498_apwabiodieselspill.html?syndication=rss

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

BC Hydro's Call for Bioenergy Yields Four Projects (Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Hydro+call+bioenergy+yields+four+projects/1054445/story.html

Solar Power Systems Powering More California Agribusinesses (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008489528_apfarmscenesolarfarms.html?syndication=rss
Utah - Focus on Efficiency, Energy Panelists Say (Deseret News, Salt Lake City, UT)
http://deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705269347,00.html

Cool Earth Solar's Solution: Big Party Balloons (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11170601?source=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

2008 Coldest Year of the Decade (Hawaii Reporter)
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?57936010-03ec-4b85-b440-4489120ea443

UN negotiators to present draft climate treaty in June (Irish Times)
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1210/breaking46.htm

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Report Scorches FCC Chairman - Describes a pattern of mismanagement, dysfunction and power abuse at the Federal Communications Commission (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008488580_fcc10.html

GENERAL NEWS

Storm Forecast Buoys Ski Areas - 'We are waiting with bated breath' (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/391398_ski10.html

Third-Runway Boss: I Was Following Orders - Two managers quit after fraud report; port chief suspends four (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/391492_port10.html

Prosecutors Look into Trooper Probe of Phony College Diplomas (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/693762.html

‘Down is the new up’: T-bills hit zero (The Associated Press)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/562997.html

Interior secretary choice nears (Sublette Examiner, WY)
http://www.subletteexaminer.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=976

Obama to Name Leader of White House Council on Environmental Quality (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/nationworld/story/694180.html

Incentives For Recycling Programs Lose Their Steam - Market value drops for items such as paper, aluminum (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/693760.html

Civil Service Test - Man dies digging for a job in Seattle (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1736324~Man_dies_digging_for_a_job_in_Seattle.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Mason County Judge Hears Suit against Former Port of Tahuya Commissioners (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/dec/09/judge-hears-suit-against-former-port-of-tahuya/?partner=RSS

DIVERSIONS

Indiana Restricts Smiles on Driver's Licenses - Smiles Confuse Facial Recognition Software
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/18235504/detail.html

Seeing Red Over Scarlet-Marked Homework - Teachers using red pen to mark students' work could be harming their psyche
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE4B811Q20081209?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

GPS, Hidden Cameras Watch Over Baby Jesus - Churches Use Security Systems to Protect Holiday Displays
http://www.kirotv.com/holidays/18243662/detail.html

Deer Crashes into Michigan 4th-Grade Classroom
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18245455/detail.html