Energy News Digest for December 4, 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)

- Energy Department, Change Is Coming
- Constellation Energy Group to Cut 8% of Global Work Force
- French Power Company in Hunt for Constellation
- More Could Get Grays Harbor PUD Discount
- What to Keep on Hand in Case of a Disaster
- US FERC Approves Incentives for Transmission Lines
- New Report Finds Benefits of Southwest Intertie Transmission Project
- Montana - Natural Gas Producer Wins Tax Case against State
- Oregon - Coastal Salmon at Center Of Forest Debate
- State Commissions To Hear Spring Chinook Allocation Recommendation
- A Fraser Full of Fish No More?
- Outdoors Report: Steelheaders Getting in Some Early Punches
- Idaho - Hecla to Pay $102,000 after 2006
- Oregon Projects Clearer Skies in Columbia Gorge
- Economic Stimulus Plan Tied to Energy Savings
- Summary Box: Energy Efficiency Industry Growth
- Our Northwest Energy: Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel
- PNNL Awarded Grant to Help China with Energy Efficiency
- Austin Aims To Become U.S. 'Clean Energy Capital'
- As More Eat Meat, a Bid to Cut Emissions – Animals are “Methane Machines”
- Maine - Group To Appeal Lincoln Wind Farm Approval
- 3Tier Releases 5km Wind Map of the World
- Con Edison to Customers: Install Safe, Energy-Efficient Lights
- WA Task Force Releases Climate Change Report
- 2008 Washington State Climate Action Team
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase in US
- Why Government Should Meddle in Broadband
- FCC to Tackle Cable and More Wireless Broadband
- Washington State Asks For Federal Money
- Airbus, Boeing Face Specter Of 'White Tail' Jets
- Port of Seattle Probe Exposes Fraud, A "Get-It-Done Culture
- HANFORD: DOE to Hit Contractor with $385,000 Fine

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Dragoon • \druh-GOON\ • verb - 1: to subjugate or persecute by harsh use of troops *2: to force into submission or compliance especially by violent measures

“My job description said nothing about this,” grumbled the new mail room worker. He had been recruited by the CEO to dragoon the sleeping executives who had missed the big gift exchange on Christmas Eve. Perhaps the fact that the gift drawing was fixed with only the name of the CEO had something to do with the tardy workers.

From Merriam-Webster - A dragoon was a mounted European infantryman of the 17th and 18th centuries armed with a firearm called by the same name. No arm-twisting should be needed to get you to believe that the firearm's name, which came to English from French, is derived from its semblance to a fire-breathing dragon when fired. History has recorded the dragonish nature of the dragoons who persecuted the French Protestants in the 17th century, during the reign of Louis XIV. The persecution by means of the dragoons led to the use of the word "dragoon" as a verb.

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

Energy Department, Change Is Coming - DOE is expected to get shaken up under Obama's administration, playing a central role in its plans to move the economy to a greener future (CNN)
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/03/news/obama_doe/?postversion=2008120405

Constellation Energy Group to Cut 8% of Global Work Force (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/12/01/daily41.html?ana=from_rss

French Power Company in Hunt for Constellation (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/03/financial/f062924S93.DTL&feed=rss.business

More Could Get Grays Harbor PUD Discount (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/12/03/local_news/08news.txt

What to Keep on Hand in Case of a Disaster (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1228329457&archive

US FERC Approves Incentives for Transmission Lines (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0333048420081204

New Report Finds Benefits of Southwest Intertie Transmission Project (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=346991&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Montana - Natural Gas Producer Wins Tax Case against State (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1724428~Natural_gas_producer_wins_tax_case_against_state.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines

FISH & WILDLIFE

Oregon - Coastal Salmon at Center Of Forest Debate (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/12/_tillamook_five_rivers.html

State Commissions To Hear Spring Chinook Allocation Recommendation (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20081203/SPORTS04/812039963/-1/SPORTS

A Fraser Full of Fish No More? Fraser sockeye: Timeless, diminishing. All of BC has a stake in better managing once massive salmon runs (The Tyee)
http://thetyee.ca/News/2008/12/03/Sockeye/

Outdoors Report: Steelheaders Getting in Some Early Punches - Fishing not hot, but catch reports spread area wide (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/390536_out04.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Idaho - Hecla to Pay $102,000 after 2006 (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1724613~Hecla_to_pay__102_000_after_2006_spill_in_N__Idaho.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Oregon Projects Clearer Skies in Columbia Gorge (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1725158~Oregon_projects_clearer_skies_in_gorge.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

Economic Stimulus Plan Tied to Energy Savings (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/us/politics/04green.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1228374235-hVjuYb/M+rjbrMhZG/EKsA

Summary Box: Energy Efficiency Industry Growth (Associated Press)
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081203/energy_efficiency_summary_box.html?.v=1

Our Northwest Energy: Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4674

PNNL Awarded Grant to Help China with Energy Efficiency (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9455089

Austin Aims To Become U.S. 'Clean Energy Capital' - Microsoft is part of consortium to help make city's power grid both green and 'smart' (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/390535_smartgrid04.html?source=rss

As More Eat Meat, a Bid to Cut Emissions – Animals are “Methane Machines” (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/science/earth/04meat.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Maine - Group To Appeal Lincoln Wind Farm Approval (Bangor Daily News)
http://www.bangornews.com/detail/94381.html

3Tier Releases 5km Wind Map of the World (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=54222&src=rss

Con Edison to Customers: Install Safe, Energy-Efficient Lights (Power Marketing Association)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CmqsrputUSgew11rbfen%5Fv

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

WA Task Force Releases Climate Change Report (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1724919~WA_task_force_releases_climate_change_report.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

2008 Washington State Climate Action Team (CAT) Implementing the Comprehensive Approach to Climate Change (Washington Department of Ecology)
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/2008CAT_overview.htm

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase in US “…people used more coal, oil and natural gas because of a colder winter and more electricity during a warmer summer…” (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g2WeeFw37TQV5hcs7bEp7RPXS5vAD94RH1201

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Why Government Should Meddle in Broadband (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/12/03/why-government-should-meddle-in-broadband/

FCC to Tackle Cable and More Wireless Broadband (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/12/03/fcc-to-tackle-cable-and-more-wireless-broadband/

GENERAL NEWS

Washington State Asks For Federal Money - Gregoire, other governors meet with Obama (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/555926.html

Airbus, Boeing Face Specter Of 'White Tail' Jets (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008463971_apeufranceairbusboeingwhitetails.html?syndication=rss

Port of Seattle Probe Exposes Fraud, A "Get-It-Done Culture" (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008466932_port04m0.html?syndication=rss

HANFORD: DOE to Hit Contractor with $385,000 Fine (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/404475.html?mi_email=Tri-City%20Herald_PM+%26+Breaking+News

DIVERSIONS

The One That Didn't Get Away Yields Long-Lost Ring
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_fe_st/odd_ring_in_fish;_ylt=AqzTBO.2Qa6szIeEKolj8cbtiBIF

Man Uses Candy Cane to Subdue Attacker With Knife
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_fe_st/odd_candy_cane_defense;_ylt=ArVW3zJatEyzbmgj3EqOUKLtiBIF

Fla. Man Accused of Making Boy Drive on Beer Run
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_fe_st/odd_child_designated_driver;_ylt=AjxOUg7b45jc6KB8GGTH4wrtiBIF

Does Daily Use Of Digital Gadgets Rewire Brains? A person's social skills can decline, psychiatrist says
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/390540_brain04.html