Energy News Digest for March 17, 2009

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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- Stimulus Money Puts Clean Coal Projects on a Faster Track
- Scheduled Mason PUD 3 Power Outage in Oak Park Area This Morning
- State Legislators Miss the Mark with Argument against LNG Terminal
- Grant PUD Questions Heritage Center Price
- BPA Honors Outstanding Efforts And Accomplishments
- Electricity Thefts Surge In Bad Times
- NYPA: Forget White Plains, set up shop in Niagara
- Alcoa Cuts Dividend by 82% as It Tries to Cut Costs
- Cattle React To Magnetic Fields from Power Lines; Study Says
- Appeals Court Upholds Feds' Salmon Hatchery Policy
- California - Nature Conservancy Land Buy to Help Revive Coho
- Dam Sinkhole Raises Flooding Fears along Green River
- Oregon Ranchers Concerned With Water Rights Legislation
- Southern Idaho Groundwater Plan Dries Up Some Farmland
- Canadian Company Must Pay Costs in Lawsuit over Columbia Pollution
- Land Conservation Efforts Flourish across South Sound
- EPA Re-Evaluates 'Green Club' For Companies
- Water Tower Leak Puts On a Show in Oak Harbor
- Interior-FERC Feud over Offshore Renewables Winding Down
- Inside Washington: Rivalry Stymies Wind-Power Goal
- Regulators to Rethink Idaho Power Green Tags
- Green Wind Blowing At Walla Walla School
- Massachusetts Energy Siting Board Approves Cape Wind Certificates
- Cap-And-Trade Emissions Bill Dies in the House
- Myth Buster - Northwest Expert Illuminates on Climate Change
- Coen Brothers Join Debate: Can Coal Be Clean Energy?
- Big Telcos Drag Their Heels on Broadband Stimulus
- 8,000 Comcast User Passwords Exposed
- Comcast Phases In Areas for Converter Boxes
- Cisco Offers Its First Server Computer
- Tacoma, Olympia Newspapers Announce Layoffs
- Seattle Paper Shifts Entirely To the Web
- In Seattle, the World Still Turns, a Beacon in Memory of a Lost Newspaper
- Historic Front Pages from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Bill Virgin, P-I Columnist - Class final: How to kill an American newspaper
- Weyerhaeuser Shuts Lumber Mills in Oregon, Oklahoma
- Clock Ticking on States to Spend Billions but Washington Still Writing the Rules
- Congress: Washington Ranks 14th in Congressional Clout

WORD OF THE DAY

Fendersmith • \FEND-err-smith \ • noun - a person employed to clean and repair the metal fenders before fireplaces in mansions, fine estates, or castles. In this archaic profession, the same person is usually also responsible for lighting and keeping the fire contained within the fireplace.

Prince Albert’s fingers shook dramatically as he moved the flame at the end of a long, wooden match towards the newspaper and kindling under the Yule log in the ceremonial fireplace. Only one thought ran through the amateur fendersmith’s mind: “If I blow this performance, I’ll truly be canned.”

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

Stimulus Money Puts Clean Coal Projects on a Faster Track (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/business/energy-environment/17coal.html?_r=1

Scheduled Mason County PUD No. 3 Power Outage in Oak Park Area This Morning (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6708/reftab/1632/t/SCHEDULED-POWER-OUTAGE-IN-OAK-PARK-AREA-THIS-MORNING/Default.aspx

Daily News Editorial - State Legislators Miss the Mark with Argument against LNG Terminal
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/03/17/editorial/doc49bee4a0232ca335164584.txt

Grant PUD Questions Heritage Center Price - Construction Costs Unknown (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/03/16/news/doc49be9cb499da5319198255.txt

BPA Honors Outstanding Efforts And Accomplishments - Winners of Administrator's Excellence Awards announced (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/260748/

Electricity Thefts Surge In Bad Times (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2009-03-16-electricity-thefts_N.htm

NYPA: Forget White Plains, set up shop in Niagara – Cheap Power is HERE! (Niagara Gazette, NY)
http://www.scoop.com/remote/article/include/79139682/53616c7465645f5fd5e2fb1fe21eb39879770302e6b6ffa0635d0c8697802b68

Alcoa Cuts Dividend by 82% as It Tries to Cut Costs (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/business/17alcoa.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Cattle React To Magnetic Fields from Power Lines; Study Says (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008870964_cows17.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Appeals Court Upholds Feds' Salmon Hatchery Policy (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/789580.html

You Can Read the Ruling Here (PDF File):
http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/opinions/view_subpage.php?pk_id=0000009417

California - Nature Conservancy Land Buy to Help Revive Coho (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/17/MNKA16F5S6.DTL&feed=rss.news

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Dam Sinkhole Raises Flooding Fears along Green River (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/41343402.html

Oregon Ranchers Concerned With Water Rights Legislation (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Ranchers-concerned-with-water-rights-legislation

Southern Idaho Groundwater Plan Dries Up Some Farmland (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/789185.html

Teck Cominco Must Pay Colvilles' Costs in Lawsuit over Columbia River Pollution (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1908723~Teck_Cominco_must_pay_Colvilles__costs.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Land Conservation Efforts Flourish across South Sound (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/789686.html

EPA Re-Evaluates 'Green Club' For Companies (Seattle Times, I’m not just a customer…)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008870262_apepaprogram.html?syndication=rss

Water Tower Leak Puts On a Show in Oak Harbor (Whidbey News Times)
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/news/41341879.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Interior-FERC Feud over Offshore Renewables Winding Down, Salazar Says (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/16/16greenwire-interiorferc-feud-over-offshore-renewables-win-10147.html

Inside Washington: Rivalry Stymies Wind-Power Goal (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008868934_apoffshorewinddispute.html?syndication=rss

Regulators to Rethink Idaho Power Green Tags (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/789331.html

Green Wind Blowing At Rogers - Students chipped in on the labor to help the school make way for a 53-foot wind turbine (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
http://union-bulletin.com/articles/2009/03/16/local_news/090316local02rogersturbine.txt

Massachusetts Energy Siting Board Approves Cape Wind Certificates (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/03/massachusetts-energy-siting-board-approves-cape-wind-certificates?src=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Cap-And-Trade Emissions Bill Dies in the House - Remains Alive In the Senate (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/03/16/news/doc49be9cd81cf5e106055886.txt

Playing the Role of Myth Buster - Northwest Expert Illuminates on Climate Change (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/789688.html

Coen Brothers Join Debate: Can Coal Be Clean Energy? (Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, MN)
http://www.startribune.com/local/41349222.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Big Telcos Drag Their Heels on Broadband Stimulus - Telecom giants are concerned that Washington's $8 billion plan to promote broadband access will force them to open their networks to other providers (BusinessWeek)
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2009/tc20090316_000261.htm?campaign_id=yhoo

8,000 Comcast User Passwords Exposed - Comcast tells us only about 700 users impacted (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/8000-Comcast-User-Passwords-Exposed-101398

Comcast Phases In Areas for Converter Boxes (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_031609TTB-comcast-digitalES.40e720e9.html?rss

Cisco Offers Its First Server Computer (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/17/BUKD16GCT4.DTL&feed=rss.business

GENERAL NEWS

Tacoma, Olympia Newspapers Announce Layoffs (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/789426.html

Seattle Paper Shifts Entirely To the Web (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/business/media/17paper.html

In Seattle, the World Still Turns, a Beacon in Memory of a Lost Newspaper (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/us/17globe.html

Historic Front Pages from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008870662_picovers.html?syndication=rss

Bill Virgin, P-I Columnist - Class final: How to kill an American newspaper
http://www.seattlepi.com/virgin/403824_virgin17.html

Weyerhaeuser Shuts Lumber Mills in Oregon, Oklahoma; Lumber Capacity Down 18 Percent (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008873561_weyerhaeuserplantclosure.html?syndication=rss

Clock Ticking on States to Spend Billions but Washington Still Writing Stimulus Rules (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008872195_whatnow.html?syndication=rss

Congress: Washington Ranks 14th in Congressional Clout (Tri-City Herald, Wa)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/511261.html?mi_email=Tri-City%20Herald_PM+%26+Breaking+News

DIVERSIONS

Robber's Heart-Attack Ploy Works Only Once
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/16/BADD16GCRI.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Anti-Logger School Book Replaced In Grants Pass, OR
http://www.examiner.com/a-1908890~Anti_logger_school_book_replaced_in_Grants_Pass.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

After Dora Uproar, Nick and Mattel Soothe Moms
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090316/ap_on_en_tv/dora_for_tweens

Driving Lesson on Runway, Philippine Pilot Averts Crash
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090317/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_philippines_plane;_ylt=AveWS4MYUcneet99v1Gm.OPtiBIF

SONG OF THE DAY

Chase – Get it On
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmX3uBsyEY8&feature=related