Energy News Digest for March 31, 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.

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TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- The Columbian Editorial - Modernize, but be fair
- Baker City Herald Editorial - Keep Power Line Out Of Baker County
- PGE Urban Arborist Dedicated To Healthy Trees, Safe Power
- Australia - Sydney Blackout Exposes Anti-Terror Network Flaw
- Electrical 'Smart Grid' Not Yet Smart Enough to Block Hackers
- Massachusetts Utilities Plan To Let Consumers Watch Energy Use
- Alaska's 2009 Salmon Harvest Is Projected To Increase
- Camas Well Project Will Aid Salmon
- Federal Agency Won't Defend Bush's Bull Trout Cuts
- Obama Signs Landmark Wilderness Bill; Restoration of Key California River Included
- REC Silicon's Moses Lake Plant Starts Up
- US Congress - Waxman outlines renewable electricity goals
- FirstLook Used By More Than 25,000 Renewable Energy Prospectors
- Is Wasting Energy Uncivilized?
- Federal Funds Can Help Alaska Fulfill Its Energy Destiny
- House Democrats Introduce Cap-and-Trade, ‘Clean Energy’ Bill
- Global Warming and Climate Change: Facts and Hype
- Times-Mail Op/Ed - Guest Column: Carbon Control Carries Costs
- Microsoft Hires Yahoo Exec to Head Online Services Data-Center Unit
- Spam Back to 94% of All E-Mail
- Incidents Of Internet Crime Rising
- Tech Firms Seek to Get Agencies on Board with Cloud Computing
- Microsoft to Pull the Plug on Encarta
- My Painfully Poky Week with IE 8
- State Senate Wants Big Cuts - McNeil Island Prison Could Close
- 7,000 Jobs Could Be Axed To Close $9 Billion Budget Gap
- State House, Senate Budget Paths Diverge
- State House Legislators like Their Roads Budget
- Critics Slam Microsoft Bridge as Waste Of Stimulus Money
- City of Shelton Seeking Snow Removal Cost Reimbursement
- Alaska Proposes Oil Surcharge on Washington State
- NY Times Editorial - A Champion for the Census?

WORD OF THE DAY

Perennial • \puh-REN-ee-ul\ • adjective - 1: present at all seasons of the year 2: continuing to live from year to year *3: recurring regularly: permanent

Monte whispered to his shriveling coneflowers, “I’ll see you in the spring!” “Not if we see you first,” croaked the eldest of the perennial flowers with its final breath of fall.

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

The Columbian Editorial - Modernize, but be fair: Converting to renewable energy sources is a good idea, but compromise has big flaws
http://columbian.com/article/20090331/OPINION02/703319988/-1/OPINION

Baker City Herald Editorial - Message to PUC: Keep Power Line Out Of Baker County
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Message-to-PUC-Keep-power-line-out-of-Baker-County

PGE Urban Arborist Dedicated To Healthy Trees, Safe Power (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4639-pge-urban-arborist-dedicated-healthy-trees-safe-power/

Australia - Sydney Blackout Exposes Anti-Terror Network Flaw (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/31/international/i063800D42.DTL&feed=rss.business

Electrical 'Smart Grid' Not Yet Smart Enough to Block Hackers (Fox News)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511648,00.html

Massachusetts Utilities Plan To Let Consumers Watch Energy Use (Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/03/31/utilities_plan_to_let_consumers_watch_energy_use/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Alaska's 2009 Salmon Harvest Is Projected To Increase (SitNews, Ketchikan, AK)
http://www.sitnews.us/LaineWelch/033009_fish_factor.html

Camas Well Project Will Aid Salmon - With stimulus funds likely, city advances long-term water plan (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090331/NEWS02/703319974/

Federal Agency Won't Defend Bush's Bull Trout Cuts (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/803922.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Obama Signs Landmark Wilderness Bill; Restoration of Key California River Included (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12032734?nclick_check=1

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

REC Silicon's Moses Lake Plant Starts Up (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/03/rec-silicons-moses-lake-plant-starts-up?src=rss

US Congress - Waxman Outlines Renewable Electricity Goals (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE52U05820090331

News Release - FirstLook Used By More Than 25,000 Renewable Energy Prospectors (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/3tier-4561/news/article/2009/03/55116?src=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Is Wasting Energy Uncivilized? (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/is-wasting-energy-uncivilized/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Federal Funds Can Help Alaska Fulfill Its Energy Destiny (Anchorage Daily News, AK)
http://www.adn.com/opinion/compass/story/742040.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

House Democrats Introduce Cap-and-Trade, ‘Clean Energy’ Bill (CNS News)
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=45900

Global Warming And Climate Change: Facts And Hype (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/x-6503-Ft-Lauderdale-Science-News-Examiner~y2009m3d31-Climate-change-global-warming-and-all-the-hype

Times-Mail Op/Ed - Guest Column: Carbon Control Carries Costs (Indiana)
http://www.tmnews.com/stories/2009/03/31/columns.nw-515070.tms

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Microsoft Hires Yahoo Exec to Head Online Services Data-Center Unit (Bloomberg News)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2008951863_webyahoo31.html?syndication=rss

Spam Back to 94% of All E-Mail (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/spam-back-to-94-of-all-e-mail/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Incidents Of Internet Crime Rising (Associated Press)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090331/BIZ/703319890/-1/RSS03

Tech Firms Seek to Get Agencies on Board with Cloud Computing (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/30/AR2009033002848.html?nav=rss_email/components

Microsoft to Pull the Plug on Encarta (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_033009TTB-Encarta-ES.88c2fb45.html?rss

My painfully poky week with IE 8 (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10207661-2.html?tag=nl.e703

GENERAL NEWS

State Senate Wants Big Cuts - McNeil Island Prison Could Close (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/693593.html

7,000 Jobs Could Be Axed to Close $9 Billion Budget Gap - Education takes a big hit in plan from Senate Democrats (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/804031.html

State House, Senate Budget Paths Diverge (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/693455.html

State House Legislators like Their Roads Budget (Associated Press)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/693641.html

Critics Slam Microsoft Bridge as Waste of Stimulus Money (CNN Money)
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/31/bridge.microsoft/index.html?eref=ib_topstories

City of Shelton Seeking Snow Removal Cost Reimbursement (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6838/reftab/1632/t/CITY-SEEKING-SNOW-REMOVAL-COST-REIMBURSEMENT/Default.aspx

Alaska Proposes Oil Surcharge on Washington State (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008951769_apakxgrfueltax1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

NY Times Editorial - A Champion for the Census? Gary Locke, the new commerce secretary, is off to a good start
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/opinion/31tue2.html?_r=1

DIVERSIONS

Man Driving His bar Stool Charged with DUI after Drinking 15 Beers and Crashing
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12036606

Jimi Hendrix Childhood Home Dismantled In Renton
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_033109WAB-AP-jimi-hendrix-home-LJ.8c33a813.html?rss

IRS Agent Admits Cheating On His Own Taxes
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/804391.html

Napping Jetblue Baggage Handler Flies From New York To Boston in the Cargo Hold
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12036921

SONG OF THE DAY

It’s an Incredibles Day! - The Incredits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnTSsIAcaOw&feature=PlayList&p=2D1F01FC577D3431&index=18