Energy News Digest for December 5, 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)

- JPMorgan Nixes Role as Holder Of Public Funds In Washington
- ColumbiaGrid Transmission Expansion Plan Gives Boost to Upgrades
- PJM Planning $1.6B in Upgrades for Grid
- Idaho - PUC Sets Hearings in Idaho Power Rate Case
- Plutonic Power, GE Submit Bids for Large British Columbia Hydro Projects
- Kentucky - The Meter's running: Groups urge conservation
- News Release - Transporting Juvenile Salmon Hinders Adult Migration
- Fish Follow Food Smells in Puget Sound
- State Environmentalists Outline priorities
- Filling the Chehalis River Floodplain - Officials Respond to an Old Question
- Northwest Water: How Municipalities Lose and Conserve
- Renewable Energy Goals a Moving Target for States
- Sea Breeze Bids Wind and Hydro Projects into BC Clean Power Call
- Seattle Company Wants to Get Energy from East Coast Waves
- City of Portland Pays More for Biodiesel
- Portland Scales Back Green Building Plan
- Climate Change, Drought to Strain Colorado River
- Google Turns down Some of North Carolina's Data Center Tax Incentives
- FBI: Copper Thefts Threaten U.S. Infrastructure
- It is World Wide Internet, For Real This Time
- Cost of Building Fiber to the Home: $10,000
- And Here Come the Broadband Industry Job Cuts
- Young Workers' Use of Social Networking Sites Concerns IT Staffs
- Employers Cut 533K Jobs in November; Most In 34 Years
- Report: Ten Types of Fraud at Port Of Seattle
- Thousands around Puget Sound Will Get Car-Tab Tax
- State lawmakers: Give counties revenue options
- State Regulators Put Off Decision on Internet Lobbying
- Anti-Religion Sign at State Capitol Disappears

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Golem • \GOH-lum\ • noun - 1: an artificial being in Hebrew folklore endowed with life *2: someone or something resembling a golem

The employees trudged into their gray, windowless sarcophagus, a place they called “work”; their putty-gray faces frozen in a mask of hopeless resignation. Fortunately, one of these workers rose above the level of golem: a laughing, horn-honking red-haired clown known only to his co-workers as “Bozo”.

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

JPMorgan Nixes Role As Holder Of Public Funds In Washington - Public entities across Washington will have to pull a total of $170 million out of the bank because of the move (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/12/01/daily33.html?ana=from_rss

News Release - ColumbiaGrid Transmission Expansion Plan Gives Boost to Upgrades (ColumbiaGrid)
http://www.columbiagrid.org/pressrelease-detail.cfm?pressreleaseID=9

PJM Planning $1.6B in Upgrades for Grid (Philadelphia Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2008/12/01/daily34.html?ana=from_rss

Idaho - PUC Sets Hearings in Idaho Power Rate Case (Ag Weekly)
http://www.agweekly.com/articles/2008/12/03/news/ag_news/news32.txt

Plutonic Power, GE Submit Bids for Large British Columbia Hydro Projects (Modern Power Systems)
http://www.modernpowersystems.com/story.asp?sectionCode=131&storyCode=2051632

Kentucky - The Meter's Running: With costs rising, groups urge conservation (Lexington Herald Leader, KY)
http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616361.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

News Release - Transporting Juvenile Salmon Hinders Adult Migration: Attempts to avoid dams decrease survival in adult fish (Ecological Society of America)
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/esoa-tjs120508.php

Fish Follow Food Smells in Puget Sound (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=112305

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

State Environmentalists Outline priorities (Associated Press)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/390802_fill05.html?source=rss

Filling the Chehalis River Floodplain - County and City Officials Respond to an Old Question: Why Do We Continue to Develop in the Flood Zone? (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1228416998&archive=

Our Northwest Water: How Municipalities Lose and Conserve Water (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4677

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

Renewable Energy Goals a Moving Target for States – “…the experience of states that have adopted…goals suggests that passing that requirement could be a lot easier than achieving it…” (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/business/05power.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Sea Breeze Bids Wind and Hydro Projects into BC Clean Power Call (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=54203&src=rss

Seattle Company Wants to Get Energy from East Coast Waves (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9464319

City of Portland Pays More For Biodiesel – At nearly $7 a gallon, contract to buy Eastern Oregon fuel now proving spendy (Portland Tribune, OR)
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122834393262807600

Portland Scales Back Green Building Plan (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1726568~Portland_scales_back_green_building_plan.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Change, Drought to Strain Colorado River (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jNegur-oYNojGLKHgOeM0KeAK8kwD94SFF6G0

Countries Looking To US Leadership on Climate (Associated Press)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/04/AR2008120403697.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

For New Data Center - Google turns down some of North Carolina's tax incentives (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/05/financial/f064308S43.DTL&feed=rss.business

FBI: Copper Thefts Threaten U.S. Infrastructure - Reason number 1,237 to deploy Fiber to the home? (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FBI-Copper-Thefts-Threaten-US-Infrastructure-99498

It is World Wide Internet, For Real This Time (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/12/04/it-is-world-wide-internet-for-real-this-time/

Cost of Building Fiber to the Home: $10,000 (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/12/04/fiber-to-the-home-for-10000/

And Here Come the Broadband Industry Job Cuts (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/And-Here-Come-The-Broadband-Industry-Job-Cuts-99479

Young Workers' Use of Social Networking Sites Concerns IT Staffs “…13 percent said they regard so-called Generation Y employees as ‘a major security concern’…” (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11138550?source=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Employers Cut 533K Jobs in November; Most In 34 Years (Associated Press)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/financial_meltdown_74

Report: Ten Types of Fraud at Port Of Seattle (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18203819/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news

Thousands Around Puget Sound Will Get Car-Tab Tax Refund - Sound Transit will refund incorrect car-tab payments totaling $3.2 (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008471685_taxrefund05m.html?syndication=rss

Seattle Times Op/Ed - State lawmakers: Give counties revenue options
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008470141_opin05council.html?syndication=rss

State Regulators Put Off Decision on Internet Lobbying Rule (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/558336.html

Anti-Religion Sign at State Capitol Disappears
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18212163/detail.html

DIVERSIONS

Embezzlement Blamed On TV Shopping Addiction - Tennessee Bank Teller Admits Using Stolen Money
http://www.kirotv.com/money/18194470/detail.html

Man allegedly attacks speed camera with pickax
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_fe_st/odd_speed_camera_attack;_ylt=AqjU4NB5Hu47yAwicSRslOztiBIF

Mexican sits in truck 14 hours; refuses to pay bribe to cop
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081204/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_mexico_police;_ylt=AoNeJV6KjvH0rDULrMjIdkPtiBIF

Do not disturb eggs: MP reveals Britain's oddest laws
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081205/od_afp/britainpoliticslawoffbeat_081205013244