Energy News Digest for May 6, 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)

- First Open House on Mason County PUD No. 3 Johns Prairie Operations Center Today
- Truck Stolen From Under Him: California Cable Repairman in Crane Basket Hurt
- Gillnets: Oregon Lawmakers Are Leaving This Tangle for another Day
- BPA News Advisory - Friday, May 8: Northwest Tribes and Federal Agencies Commemorate Columbia River Basin Fish Accords
- Wash. Sea Otters Face Potential Disease Threats
- Canada - New Rules Eyed for Whale-Watching Tour Operators
- California Scientists Side with Drakes Bay Oyster Farmer
- Avista Corp. Deal Allows Spokane Falls to Flow All Summer
- Eastern Oregon Dam Site Group Will Update Commissioners
- After Emergency Landing: Washington May Fine Airline for Dumping Fuel
- Rules to Limit Emissions in the Making of Ethanol
- Lack of Money Biggest Block for Biofuels
- Compressed Air: A Down-To-Earth Approach to Storing Energy
- Reuters Op/Ed - Wind Energy is Too Inefficient to Catch On
- PUD 3 and Mason County EDC Promote Conservation Programs
- Chelan PUD Sets Conservation Goals
- Tiny Particles Make LED Light More Pleasing
- News Release - Utilities Aim to Save Billions with Energy Efficiency
- Obama Urges Dems to Compromise on Warming
- Prince Charles Ramps up Rain Forest Effort
- Latest Round of Microsoft Layoffs May Not Be Last
- Libraries Eye Stimulus Money for Their Web Access
- Gregoire Names New Head of Information Services
- North Carolina Broadband Bill Shelved For Now
- Hawaii Broadband Bill Fails in State Legislature
- Google and Others Urge Inventory of National Airwaves
- Qwest’s 1st Rule of Bandwidth Caps: Don’t Talk about the Caps
- A Fifth of US Homes Have Cell Phones, No Landlines
- Date Set For Charter Communications Reorganization Plan Hearing
- Swine Flu Confirmed In Washington State
- Belfair-Tahuya Bridge to Close Overnight
- Locke Names Courtney Gregoire Legislative Director
- Viaduct Replacement Foreshadowing? Unexpected Holes Result from Sound Transit Tunneling
- Federal Stimulus Spending Could Take Us Down the Wrong Road
- Federal Way Council Ousts City Manager
- Portland’s Quality Of Life 42nd-Best in the World

WORD OF THE DAY

Kosher • \KOE-sherr\ • adjective - 1a: sanctioned by Jewish law; especially: ritually fit for use b: selling or serving food ritually fit according to Jewish law 2: being proper, acceptable, or satisfactory

There’s got to be a sentence that I could use today for kosher that would relate to the swine flu, but for the life of me I cannot come up with an appropriate example. Therefore I’m leaving it up to you, the FONDS (friends of the news digest) to come up with your own. It’s easy and fun!

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

First Open House on Mason County PUD No. 3 Johns Prairie Operations Center Today (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7164/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Truck Stolen From Under Him: California Cable Repairman in Crane Basket Hurt (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2000593~Cable_repairman_in_crane_basket_hurt_in_carjacking.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

FISH & WILDLIFE

Gillnets: Oregon Lawmakers Are Leaving This Tangle for another Day (The Oregonian, Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/05/gillnets_lawmakers_are_leaving.html

BPA News Advisory - Friday, May 8: Northwest Tribes and Federal Agencies Commemorate Columbia River Basin Fish Accords (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/271651/

Wash. Sea Otters Face Potential Disease Threats (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009179603_apwaseaotters2ndldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Canada - New Rules Eyed for Whale-Watching Tour Operators (Oak Bay News, BC)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/44383972.html

California Scientists Side with Drakes Bay Oyster Farmer “…second time in a year that the Park Service has been put under a spotlight for fudging data to show that the company harmed the environment…” (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/06/MNIQ17ERPE.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Avista Corp. Deal Allows Spokane Falls to Flow All Summer (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009180914_spokanefalls06.html?syndication=rss

Eastern Oregon Dam Site Group Will Update Commissioners (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Dam-site-group-will-update-commissioners

After Emergency Landing: Washington May Fine Airline for Dumping Fuel (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/841288.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Rules to Limit Emissions in the Making of Ethanol - rules would limit emissions of climate-changing gases from the manufacture of ethanol (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/business/energy-environment/06ethanol.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Lack of Money Biggest Block for Biofuels (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/06/BUTB17F9IA.DTL&feed=rss.business

Compressed Air: A Down-To-Earth Approach to Storing Energy (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/4921-down-earth-approach-storing-energy/

Reuters Op/Ed - Wind Energy is Too Inefficient to Catch On
http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-wind-energy-is-too-inefficient-to-catch-on

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

PUD 3 and Mason County EDC Promote Conservation Programs (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=551

Chelan PUD Sets Conservation Goals (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090506/NEWS04/705069984

Tiny Particles Make LED Light More Pleasing (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/05/financial/f135749D87.DTL&feed=rss.business

News Release - Utilities Aim to Save Billions with Energy Efficiency (Washington Energy Services)
http://www.washingtonenergy.com/articles/article/205/utilities-aim-to-save-billions-with-energy-efficiency

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Obama Urges Dems to Compromise on Warming (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/05/MNGT17F9HP.DTL&type=politics

Prince Charles Ramps Up Rain Forest Effort (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/prince-charles-ramps-up-rain-forest-effort/?partner=rss&emc=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Latest Round of Microsoft Layoffs May Not Be Last (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2009180671_microsoft06.html?syndication=rss

Libraries Eye Stimulus Money for Their Web Access (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/05/financial/f090134D80.DTL&feed=rss.business

Gregoire Names New Head of Information Services (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/841720.html

North Carolina Broadband Bill Shelved For Now - State will study bill's impact in more detail (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/North-Carolina-Broadband-Bill-Shelved-102300

Hawaii Broadband Bill Fails in State Legislature (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/06/financial/f072537D95.DTL&feed=rss.business

Google and Others Urge Inventory of National Airwaves (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12300916

Qwest’s 1st Rule of Bandwidth Caps: Don’t Talk about the Caps (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/05/05/qwest-the-first-rule-of-bandwidth-caps-is-dont-talk-about-bandwidth-caps/

A Fifth of US Homes Have Cell Phones, No Landlines (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/06/national/w090056D59.DTL&feed=rss.news

Date Set For Charter Communications Reorganization Plan Hearing (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/05/financial/f135743D98.DTL&feed=rss.business

GENERAL NEWS

Swine Flu Confirmed In Washington State (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009180832_flu06m0.html?syndication=rss

Belfair-Tahuya Bridge to Close Overnight (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/may/05/belfair-tahuya-bridge-to-close-overnight/?partner=RSS

Locke Names Courtney Gregoire Legislative Director (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_commerce_gregoire.html

Viaduct Replacement Foreshadowing? Unexpected Holes Result from Sound Transit Tunneling (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009180823_hole06m0.html

Federal Stimulus Spending Could Take Us Down the Wrong Road (Crosscut Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/05/06/transportation/18989/

Federal Way Council Ousts City Manager (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009182803_webfedwaymanager06m.html?syndication=rss

Portland’s Quality Of Life 42nd-Best in the World – Seattle is 50th (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/05/04/daily26.html?ana=from_rss

Link to Quality of Life Summary is here (Mercer Quality of Living Survey)
http://www.mercer.com/referencecontent.htm?idContent=1173105#Top_50_cities:_Quality_of_living

DIVERSIONS

Afghanistan’s Only Pig Quarantined in Flu Fear
http://www.timescolonist.com/Health/Afghanistan+only+quarantined+fear/1565423/story.html

British Scientists Unveil Chocolate-Fueled Race Car They Hope Will Go 145 Mph
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12298720

Thieves Use a Crane to Steal Man's Vacation Home and Everything Inside
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12307156

German Court Bans Very Long Names
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/world/europe/06germany.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

SONG OF THE DAY

String of Pearls - Glenn Miller and his Orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2uoH6kcpMc