Energy News Digest for December 9, 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)

- Shelton City Budget - All City Street Lights to Stay On
- Chelan County PUD Closes In On New Rocky Reach License
- Puget Sound Energy Completes Purchase of Longview Power Plant
- Seattle City Light Signs 17-Year BPA Pact
- The Future of Energy “…the future of energy can be summed up in one word: electricity…”
- Blowing Smoke - Is Clean Coal Technology Fact or Fiction?
- Clallam County PUD Officially Purchases Former Costco Property
- Chelan County PUD Narrows CFO Pack to 3 Finalists
- Arizona's Water and Power Supplies Intertwined
- News Whiz - New Report: beware of those dastardly regulated markets!
- The Dalles Dam to Be Upgraded In Effort to Save Young Salmon
- Swinomish Tribe and Skagit Farmers Settle Dispute
- Saving Puget Sound? Exactly how?
- Oregon - Project Alters Course of Willamette River
- Commentary - Unrealistic Mandates and Unrealistic Science
- California - Wave Power Put to the Test in Monterey Bay
- Race to Build Deep-Water Wind Farms Is a Long One
- North Carolina - The Latest from Shopping Network: Solar Power
- Scientists Try To Mitigate Climate Change Effects
- Obama Plans Meeting With Gore to Talk Energy
- Ecoflation, A New Worry, Could Hit Consumer Goods
- Report: Yahoo Job Cuts Coming Wednesday
- Comcast Digital Switch Stirs More Questions
- Comcast Attacks Verizon's HD Claims
- Computer Mouse Turns 40
- Cold, Snowy Weekend Forecast For Washington
- Judgment Day for Port Of Seattle Employees Accused Of Fraud
- In New Era, Timber’s Struggles Stir Broad Concern and Support

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Dastardly • \DAST-erd-lee\ • adjective - 1: cowardly 2: characterized by underhandedness or treachery

The villain was hoodwinked by his intended victim. Instead of placing the intricately trussed damsel on the railroad tracks, he unknowingly threw a bundle of blankets and horse manure. This left the lawmen stumped. Was the criminal a dastardly mastermind, or just plain stupid.

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

Shelton City Budget - All City Street Lights to Stay On (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/5761/reftab/1632/t/ALL-CITY-STREET-LIGHTS-TO-STAY-ON/Default.aspx

Chelan County PUD Closes In On New Rocky Reach License (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081209/NEWS04/712099990

Puget Sound Energy Completes Purchase of Longview Power Plant (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20081208/NEWS06/312089982/-1/NLstatenews

Seattle City Light Signs 17-Year BPA Pact (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008485304_webcitylight09.html

The Future of Energy “…the future of energy can be summed up in one word: electricity…” (MSNBC)
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/12/09/1702783.aspx

Blowing Smoke - Is Clean Coal Technology Fact or Fiction? (Newsweek Magazine)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/173086?from=rss

Clallam County PUD Officially Purchases Former Costco Property (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.konp.com/local/4228

Chelan County PUD Narrows CFO Pack To 3 Finalists (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081209/NEWS04/712099996

Arizona's Water and Power Supplies Intertwined (The Arizona Republic)
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/12/07/20081207sustain-watergy1207.html

News Whiz - New Report Warns Policymakers against 'Electricity Deja Vu': beware of those dastardly regulated markets! (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/New-Report-Warns-Policymakers-Against/story.aspx?guid=%7B5958990B-3B7B-4279-BE96-91EC29B87C8A%7D

FISH & WILDLIFE

The Dalles Dam to Be Upgraded In Effort to Save Young Salmon (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/outdoors/featured/35626084.html

Swinomish Tribe and Skagit Farmers Settle Dispute – Salmon Habitat at Issue (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008485762_apwaswinomishsettlement.html?syndication=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Saving Puget Sound? Exactly how? The Puget Sound Partnership has an Action Agenda, but so far no Answer Agenda (Crosscut, Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2008/12/08/puget-sound/18692/

Oregon - Project Alters Course of Willamette River: will aid habitat, flood control (The Statesman Journal, Salem, OR)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20081209/NEWS/812090333/1001

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

Commentary - Unrealistic Mandates and Unrealistic Science (GetLiberty.org)
http://alg31blog.timberlakepublishing.com/default.asp?Display=789

California - Wave Power Put to the Test in Monterey Bay (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_11175118?nclick_check=1

Race to Build Deep-Water Wind Farms Is a Long One (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008483347_apdeepwaterwind.html?syndication=rss

North Carolina - The Latest From Shopping Network: Solar Power (The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC)
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1326633.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Scientists Try To Mitigate Climate Change Effects (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008486104_apeupolandclimatescience.html?syndication=rss

Obama Plans Meeting With Gore to Talk Energy (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008482893_apobamagore.html?syndication=rss

Ecoflation, A New Worry, Could Hit Consumer Goods (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4B76RV20081208?sp=true

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Report: Yahoo Job Cuts Coming Wednesday (San Francisco Business Times)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/12/08/daily7.html?ana=from_rss

Comcast Digital Switch Stirs More Questions (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/brierdudley/2008484428_brier09.html

Comcast Attacks Verizon's HD Claims (Philadelphia Inquirer)
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/homepage/20081206_Comcast_attacks_Verizon_s_HD_claims.html

Computer Mouse Turns 40 (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97992287&ft=1&f=3

GENERAL NEWS

Cold, Snowy Weekend Forecast For Washington (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008486176_websnow09m.html?syndication=rss

Judgment Day for Port Of Seattle Employees Accused Of Fraud (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_120908WAB_port_fraud_discipline_SW.46c435f1.html

In New Era, Timber’s Struggles Stir Broad Concern and Support (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/09timber.html?th&emc=th

DIVERSIONS

Man Wants to Add Festivus Pole to Washington State Capitol
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18207510/detail.html

Capital Mall Drops Its Longtime Santa Claus - Swap raises ire in community
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/692337.html

Priest Chases Thief, Recovers Church Money
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18228512/detail.html

Woman Who Hid Sedated Monkey on Flight Convicted
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/35797979.html