500th Blog Post - Energy News Digest for October 13, 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)

• Klickitat PUD Announces Manager’s Resignation
• Grant County PUD Discussing 5 Percent Rate Increase
• Skilling in the Dock - Supreme Court to Hear Ex-Enron CEO’s Appeal
• Hearings Set In Montana, Idaho over Power Plan
• Puget Sound Energy Files Two Draft ‘Request for Proposals’ with Washington UTC
• Fitch Affirms Energy Northwest Wind Project Bonds at ‘A-’; Outlook Stable
• Montana - Energy Ventures Keep Candidates Amped
• Seattle Utility Poles Targeted By Arsonists
• Heater Safety to Prevent Fires
• Florida Family Electrocuted Putting Up Ham Radio Antenna
• Kissimmee Utility Authority Adopts Policy to Help Local Vendors
• Clean Coal Dealt Second Blow As Danish Energy Giant Pulls Out Of Scottish Plans
• Record Numbers of Salmon, Steelhead Pour into Columbia River
• Surge of Puget Sound Pink Salmon Amazes, Mystifies
• Three Kennewick Men Accused of Stealing Fish from State Hatchery
• Meet the Maggie Walker Fish
• Olympia: New Policy Allows Collecting Rainwater without a Permit
• Cleansing the Air at the Expense of Waterways
• California Tries to Solve Water Woes
• Klickitat County Wind Project Gets $178M in Funding
• Wyoming Wind Developers Fear New Taxes
• California Heats Up Incentives for Solar Power
• New German Government May Cut Solar Subsidy
• Schools Go For Gold at Solar Decathlon
• California, Feds Sign MOU for Renewables
• Transforming Clean-Energy Industry into a Local One
• Is It A Sin To Leave Your Cell Phone Plugged In Overnight?
• Editorial - A Warming Earth Awaits Leadership on Climate
• US Energy Secretary Steven Chu Backs Carbon Capture Strategy
• Free Clark County Workshop Outlines Green Living Techniques
• Grant PUD Plans To Reduce Fiber Program
• Bandwidth Boost for Libraries Gaining Support
• Lack of Home Internet Service Puts Job Seekers at a Disadvantage
• Petroskey News Editorial - Broadband Group In Worthy Pursuit
• Connected Nation Misses Out On Early Mapping Money
• Sidekick Users See Their Data Vanish Into a Cloud
• Acer Sees Revenue Up As Tech Demand Returns
• The Web’s Inventor Regrets One Small Thing
• Bob Holter, Former Mason County Sheriff, Commissioner, & Shelton Police Chief, Dies
• Ceremonial First Step Launches Long-Awaited Belfair Sewer Project
• Pacific Storm Blows Into Western Washington
• Naches Slide One of Largest In State’s History
• Ship Built With World Trade Center Steel Sails For Namesake City
• Enter The Big Cheese - Is It Smart To Put Your CEO In Your Ad Campaign?
• “New” Michael Jackson Single a “Mistake”
• Magazine Votes Portland Building ‘Ugliest In the World’

WORD OF THE DAY

Preternatural • \preet-err-NATCH-er-ul\ • adjective – 1: existing outside of nature 2: exceeding what is natural or regular: extraordinary 3: inexplicable by ordinary means; especially: psychic

Barb’s shocking pink outfit was truly a preternatural creation. “I doubt you’ll find that color anywhere in nature,” exclaimed her new supervisor. The IS department was doubly concerned, because the light waves emanating from the unnaturally colored fabric created interference in the computer monitors throughout the cubicles in which she worked.

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

Klickitat PUD Announces Manager’s Resignation (Goldendale Sentinel, WA)
http://www.goldendalesentinel.com/news/2009news/10-01-09_news.htm

Grant County PUD Discussing 5 Percent Rate Increase (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/10/12/news/doc4ad39add2c00a825583826.txt

Skilling in the Dock - Supreme Court to Hear Ex-Enron CEO’s Appeal (Courthouse News Service)
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/10/13/Supreme_Court_to_Hear_Ex-Enron_CEO_s_Appeal.htm

Hearings Set In Montana, Idaho over Power Plan (Associated Press)
http://www.fox12idaho.com/Global/story.asp?S=11303156

Puget Sound Energy Files Two Draft ‘Request for Proposals’ with Washington UTC (BusinessWire)
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20091012006220&newsLang=en

Fitch Affirms Energy Northwest Wind Project Bonds at ‘A-’; Outlook Stable (PR Inside)
http://www.pr-inside.com/fitch-affirms-energy-northwest-wa-wind-r1524055.htm

Montana - Energy Ventures Keep Candidates Amped (Great Falls Tribune)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20091013/NEWS01/910130304

Seattle Utility Poles Targeted By Arsonists (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theblotter/2010055072_utility_poles_targeted_by_arso.html?syndication=rss

Heater Safety to Prevent Fires (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11302408

Florida Family Electrocuted Putting Up Ham Radio Antenna (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010052522_apusfloridafamilyelectrocuted.html?syndication=rss

Kissimmee Utility Authority Adopts Policy to Help Local Vendors (Orlando Business Journal)
http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2009/10/12/daily10.html?ana=from_rss

United Kingdom - Clean Coal Dealt Second Blow As Danish Energy Giant Pulls Out Of Scottish Plans (Guardian, United Kingdom)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/12/dong-energy-coal-plant

FISH & WILDLIFE

Record Numbers of Salmon, Steelhead Pour into Columbia River (Heartland Institute)
http://www.heartland.org/publications/environment%20climate/article/26144/Record_Numbers_of_Salmon_Steelhead_Pour_into_Columbia_River.html

Surge of Puget Sound Pink Salmon Amazes, Mystifies (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/914091.html

Three Kennewick Men Accused of Stealing Fish from State Hatchery (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/751738.html

Meet The Maggie Walker Fish - An ugly little critter that can’t swim but still impresses (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/410961_fish12.html?source=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Olympia: New Policy Allows Collecting Rainwater without a Permit (Olympian, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/914277.html

Cleansing the Air at the Expense of Waterways (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/us/13water.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

California Tries to Solve Water Woes (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/us/13calif.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Klickitat County Wind Project Gets $178M in Funding (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/10/12/daily5.html?ana=from_rss

Wyoming Wind Developers Fear New Taxes (Billings Gazette, MT)
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_5ff9f584-b7b7-11de-b5e5-001cc4c03286.html

California Heats Up Incentives for Solar Power (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1213618120091012

New German Government May Cut Solar Subsidy (Sustainable Business)
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/19040

Schools Go For Gold at Solar Decathlon (Nat’l Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113735450&ft=1&f=2

California, Feds Sign MOU for Renewables (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=370028&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Transforming Clean-Energy Industry into a Local One - Minnesota Turbines At Forefront of A New Movement: Community Power (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101203097.html?wprss=rss_business

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Is It A Sin To Leave Your Cell Phone Plugged In Overnight? (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2232195/?from=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Oregonian Editorial - A Warming Earth Awaits Leadership on Climate
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/10/a_warming_earth_awaits_leaders.html

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu Backs Carbon Capture Strategy (Times of London, UK)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6872464.ece

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Free Clark County Workshop Outlines Green Living Techniques (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20091013/NEWS02/910129988/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Grant PUD Plans To Reduce Fiber Program (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/10/12/news/doc4ad39aab17661902523138.txt

Bandwidth Boost for Libraries Gaining Support - A plan to put fiber optic technology in public libraries may be a candidate for federal stimulus funding (Information Week)
http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/policy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220600556&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News

Lack of Home Internet Service Puts Job Seekers at a Disadvantage (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/technology/2009/oct/Lack-of-Home-Internet-Service-Puts-Job-Seekers-at-a-Disadvantage.html

Petroskey News Editorial - Broadband Group In Worthy Pursuit (Michigan)
http://www.petoskeynews.com/articles/2009/10/12/editorials/doc4ad33bff9b098424833682.txt

Connected Nation Misses Out On Early Mapping Money - A sign of things to come, or just early coincidence? (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Connected-Nation-Misses-Out-On-Early-Mapping-Money-104940

Sidekick Users See Their Data Vanish Into a Cloud (Washington Post)
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2009/10/sidekick_users_see_their_data.html

Acer Sees Revenue Up As Tech Demand Returns (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE59B2J220091012?feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology

The Web’s Inventor Regrets One Small Thing (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/the-webs-inventor-regrets-one-small-thing/?partner=rss&emc=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Bob Holter, Former Mason County Sheriff, Commissioner, & Shelton Police Chief, Dies (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=362:bob-holter-former-mason-county-sheriff-commissioner-a-shelton-police-chief-has-died&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Ceremonial First Step Launches Long-Awaited Belfair Sewer Project (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/oct/12/work-on-belfair-sewer-takes-ceremonial-first/?partner=RSS

Pacific Storm Blows Into Western Washington (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_101309WXB-storm-tues-SW.211600235.html?rss

Naches Slide One of Largest In State’s History (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/21281732/detail.html

Ship Built With World Trade Center Steel Sails For Namesake City (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010054858_apusussnewyork.html?syndication=rss

Enter The Big Cheese - Is It Smart To Put Your CEO In Your Ad Campaign? (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2232188/?from=rss

“New” Michael Jackson Single a “Mistake” (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1215390020091013

Magazine Votes Portland Building ‘Ugliest In the World’ (NW Cable News Network)
http://www.nwcn.com/topstories/stories/NW_101309ORN-portland-ugly-building-SW.211885651.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Officials Take Baseball Away From Little Girl Who Sues and Gets It Back
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/09/florida.baseball.lawsuit/index.html

Pennsylvania Man Sleeps through House Fire, Survives
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/12/national/a122554D15.DTL&feed=rss.business

Newlyweds Burglarized Chapel, Police Say
http://www.kirotv.com/news/21274209/detail.html

Despite Threats, California Governor Says Cows Can Keep Tails
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/12/financial/f160650D39.DTL&feed=rss.business

SONG OF THE DAY

Steely Dan - Kid Charlemagne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylr2D4Pwn58&feature=related