Energy News Digest for December 23, 2008

The News Digest will be participating in Christmas festivities the 24th through the 26th, so you can set your reading glasses aside and dream of your own holiday plans this week instead.

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 – John Whalen’s Last Commission Meeting
- Columbia Treaty May Affect Hydropower Future
- Oregonian Op/Ed - The Case for Change at the Bonneville Power Administration
- P-I Columnist, Joel Connelly - Snow Is a Crucible for Those Governing
- Montana - Four Sentenced for Stealing Copper from Flathead Substations
- Denver Post Op/Ed - Affordable Electricity Crucial For Colorado and West
- Alcoa, Hydro-Quebec in Power Agreement Deal
- Advocacy Groups Put Constellation Energy on Naughty List
- Energy Industry Braces For Obama
- Smithsonian Highlights Nisqually Salmon Recovery Effort
- DNR Deal May Allow Totten Inlet Shellfish Harvest
- Goldmark Sees Politics in Shellfish Lease Study
- California - New wetlands plan worries S.F. Bay fishermen
- News Release - Innovative Fish Tower Will Restore Salmon Fish Passages
- New York Times Editorial - So Is Fish Safe to Eat or Not?
- Areas in Washington Exceed Pollution Standards
- Tacoma’s Biomass Heating Fallout – It Is Official: EPA Calls Area State’s ‘Sootiest’
- United Kingdom - Promoters Overstated the Environmental Benefit of Wind Farms
- Green Bling - Wind Turbines May Grace New I-5 Bridge over Columbia River
- Utilities versus Environmentalists - FPL's Efforts to Conserve Power Usage Spark Battle
- Efficient Holiday Lighting Gains More Converts
- Growing More Corn for Ethanol Makes Pest Control Harder
- Dishwasher Can Be An Energy Saver
- Washington State Pursuing Pared-Down Climate Change Agenda
- Are Carbon Offsets Worth It? Deciding Whether to Pay Off Your Holiday Air Travel
- At a Sleek Bioenergy Lab, a Lens on a Cabinet Pick
- GigaOM Cheat Sheet for National Broadband Plans
- FCC Free Broadband Plan Not Quite Dead Yet
- Is The Kirkland Honeymoon Really Over For Google?
- Lafayette Fiber Goes Live Next Month - What a long strange trip it's been
- Survey: Workers Facing Layoffs Could Be Security Threat
- Music Industry Drops Effort To Sue Over Illegal File Sharing
- Internet Service on Planes Likely To Become Commonplace
- Next Weather System: More Snow, Then Rain
- More Snow, Then Rain, To Be Followed By Possible Urban Flooding
- Census Report: Washington's Population Rises
- Several WA State Parks Slated for Closure
- Fry's Electronics Exec Accused Of $65 Million Fraud to Pay off Gambling Debts

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Jostle • \JOSS-sull\ • verb - 1a: to come in contact or into collision b: to make one's way by pushing and shoving c: to exist in close proximity 2: to vie in gaining an objective : contend

In “A Christmas Carol” the Spirit of Christmas Present used his torch to sprinkle food with the Christmas spirit and dispensed drops of water to restore good humor, including to those who, in the hustle and bustle of the holiday, jostled each other I the humming crowds and became angry about their physical encounters.

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 – John Whalen’s Last Commission Meeting (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/5885/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Columbia Treaty May Affect Hydropower Future (Associated Press)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/36534369.html

Oregonian Op/Ed - The Case for Change at the Bonneville Power Administration
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/12/the_case_for_change_at_the_bon.html

P-I Columnist, Joel Connelly - Snow Is A Crucible For Those Governing
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/393126_joel22.html

Montana - Four Sentenced for Stealing Copper from Flathead Substations (Associated Press)
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/four_sentenced_for_stealing_copper_from_flathead_substations/7362/

Denver Post Op/Ed - Affordable electricity crucial for Colorado and West
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_11284796

Alcoa, Hydro-Quebec in power agreement deal (International Water Power)
http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?sectioncode=130&storyCode=2051768

Advocacy Groups Put Constellation Energy on Naughty List (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/12/22/daily4.html?ana=from_rss

Energy Industry Braces For Obama - The industry praises the president-elect's picks at DOE and EPA. But lawyers and regulators will largely run the show and the outlook for dirtier fuels could be quite costly (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/22/news/economy/obama_energy/index.htm?section=money_latest

FISH & WILDLIFE

Smithsonian Highlights Nisqually Salmon Recovery Effort (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/575699.html

DNR Deal May Allow Totten Inlet Shellfish Harvest - State, company continue negotiations over damages for past years' yields (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/706911.html

Goldmark Sees Politics In Shellfish Lease Study (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008551554_geoduck23m.html

California - New wetlands plan worries S.F. Bay fishermen (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/22/MN4914Q1I0.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

News Release - Innovative Fish Tower Will Restore Salmon Fish Passages And Provide Green Energy (Power Online)
http://www.poweronline.com/article.mvc/Innovative-Fish-Tower-Will-Restore-Salmon-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO

New York Times Editorial - So Is Fish Safe to Eat or Not?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/opinion/23tue3.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Areas In Washington Exceed Pollution Standards (Associated Press)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/393323_airquality23.html?source=rss

Tacoma’s Biomass Heating Fallout - It’s official: EPA calls area state’s ‘sootiest’ (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/575726.html

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

United Kingdom - Promoters Overstated the Environmental Benefit of Wind Farms: leads to a reduction in the carbon displacement figure (The Daily Telegraph, UK)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/3867232/Promoters-overstated-the-environmental-benefit-of-wind-farms.html

Green Bling - Wind turbines may grace new I-5 bridge Over Columbia River (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/12/wind_turbines_may_grace_new_i5.html

Utilities versus Environmentalists - FPL's Efforts to Conserve Power Usage Spark Battle (Miami Herald)
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/823484.html

Efficient holiday lighting gains more converts (Associated Press)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11292419?source=rss

Growing More Corn for Ethanol Makes Pest Control Harder (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/science/23obfuel.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Dishwasher can be an energy saver - Hand-washing can cost more in water, energy and detergent (Detroit Free Press)
http://www.freep.com/article/20081223/FEATURES01/812230304/1025/rss05

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Washington State Pursuing Pared-Down Climate Change Agenda (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/706932.html

Are Carbon Offsets Worth It? Deciding whether to pay off your holiday air travel (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2207324/?from=rss

At a Sleek Bioenergy Lab, a Lens on a Cabinet Pick (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/science/23lab.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

GigaOM Cheat Sheet for National Broadband Plans (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/12/21/gigaom-cheat-sheet-for-national-broadband-plans/

FCC Free Broadband Plan Not Quite Dead Yet - Though it probably won't be long for this world (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCC-Free-Broadband-Plan-Not-Quite-Dead-Yet-99806

Is The Kirkland Honeymoon Really Over For Google? (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/brierdudley/2008546909_brier22.html

Lafayette Fiber Goes Live Next Month - What a long strange trip it's been (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Lafayette-Fiber-Goes-Live-Next-Month-99813

Survey: Workers facing layoffs could be security threat (Birmingham Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2008/12/22/daily7.html?ana=from_rss

Music industry drops effort to sue over illegal file sharing (Associated Press)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCC-Free-Broadband-Plan-Not-Quite-Dead-Yet-99806

Internet Service on Planes Likely To Become Commonplace (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11264469?source=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Next Weather System: More Snow, Then Rain (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/5891/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

More snow, then rain, to be followed by possible urban flooding (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008552403_webforecast23m.html?syndication=rss

Census report: Washington's population rises (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/393211_census23.html?source=rss

Several WA State Parks Slated for Closure (Looks like the list includes Schafer – NW Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4754

Fry's Electronics Exec Accused Of $65 Million Fraud to Pay off Gambling Debts (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11290227?source=rss

DIVERSIONS

California Synagogue Makes Solar-Powered Potato Pancake - Happy Hanukkah!
http://www.examiner.com/a-1757686~OC_synagogue_makes_solar_powered_potato_pancake.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Audacity of hoops: Obama recruits Dream Team ... of basketball players
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11273386?source=rss

OMG! Baby Dolls Raise a Stink In More Ways Than One
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122102397.html?wprss=rss_business

Doctor Allegedly Used Body Fat as Fuel - Liposuction Remains Supposedly Used For Biodiesel
http://www.kirotv.com/health/18343310/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_7am&tmi=sea_7am_-1_09000112232008&ts=H