Energy News Digest for October 1, 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)

• Douglas County PUD Rates To Jump In January
• Okanogan Electric Co-Op's New Rate Structure Raises Questions
• Energy: Strategies, Policy & Best Practices for the Northwest
• Montana – Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Hopeful for Long-Term BPA Deal
• Areva Moving VA Nuclear Fuel Operation to Richland
• Natural Gas Stockpiles Rise to Highest Level Ever
• Arizona - Salt River Project Marks 100 Years of Power from Roosevelt Dam
• California - Opposition Grows To New Carlsbad Beachfront Power Plant
• South Carolina - Duke, Santee Cooper Nuclear Plans Charged Up
• A Sure Sign of Fall: Chinook in Our Rivers
• Net Catch May Indicate Big Columbia Coho Return
• NOAA Issues Plan to Protect Columbia River Steelhead
• News Release - NOAA’s Fisheries Service Issues Recovery Plan for Mid-Columbia Steelhead
• Study Takes Long-Term, Diversified View of Salmon Issues
• Editorial - Opening the Klamath “…Four dams on the Snake River in Washington State are being eyed for demolition…”
• Sacramento River - Obama Administration Vows Second Look At Protections for Delta
• Is the Pacific Salmon Fishery Collapsing or Sustainable?
• Coho Proving to Be Strong Biters
• Dates Set For What Should Be another Gangbuster Coastal Razor Clam Season
• Waters Flow Again At Nisqually River Estuary
• California - Flows to Restore San Joaquin River Start Today
• Officials Called to Conference on California Drought
• King County Sewage Treatment Plant Gets New Permit, But With Strings
• Editorial - Renewable Energy Mandates Will Be Bad News for Ratepayers In the Long Run
• Want To Try Solar Power? Now’s The Time
• World's Largest Wind Farm Opens in West Texas
• Duke Wind-Power Facility in Wyoming Now Online
• Washington Corrections Center For Women Receives Cash For Conservation
• Sacramento - Energy Use Falls When Neighbors Compete
• EPA Moves to Regulate Smokestack Greenhouse Gases
• Montana - Climate Legislation Worries Electric Cooperatives
• Electric Cooperatives Flood Senate Offices with Half-A-Million Postcards
• Senate Climate Bill Drops "Cap & Trade" Term
• Op/Ed - Northwest Is Poised To Lead In Developing Electric-Car Transition
• ViaSat to Buy Wild Blue Satellite Provider of High-Speed Internet for $568M
• North Mason School District Leads the Way on Social Networking
• U.S. Moves to Lessen Its Oversight of Internet
• Work Begins on National E-Health Record Network
• Should Airlines Let Passengers Make Calls Via Wi-Fi?
• Is Bing Losing Its Wow Factor?
• Oops! Mizzou Sells Phones without Wiping Memory
• Small Quake near Shelton
• Could El Nino Spare Northwest From Harsh Winter?
• Editorial - Public Can Help Shape Management of Natural Resources
• Mystery of Mt. Rainier Survey Marker Melts Away

WORD OF THE DAY

Pukka • \PUCK-uh\ • adjective - Genuine, authentic; also: first-class

“Bully for you!” barked Teddy at his wildland companion. Teddy’s response was sparked by a quick shove to the tush after he became stuck in the afternoon climb to the top of Half-Dome in Yosemite. “You are a pukka companion.”

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & 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

Douglas County PUD Rates To Jump In January (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2009/sep/30/douglas-county-pud-rates-to-jump-in-january/#c1379

Okanogan Electric Co-Op's New Rate Structure Raises Questions (Methow Valley News, WA)
http://www.methowvalleynews.com/story.php?id=2186

Energy: Strategies, Policy & Best Practices for the Northwest (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://blog.seattlepi.com/energy/archives/180628.asp?source=rss

Montana – Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Hopeful for Long-Term BPA Deal (Hungry Horse News, MT)
http://www.flatheadnewsgroup.com/articles/2009/10/01/hungryhorsenews/news/news_8746797132_02.txt

Areva Moving VA Nuclear Fuel Operation to Richland (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009974010_apwaarevaconsolidation.html?syndication=rss

Natural Gas Stockpiles Rise to Highest Level Ever (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009981881_apapfnusnaturalgasstorage.html?syndication=rss

Arizona - Salt River Project Marks 100 Years of Power from Roosevelt Dam (Phoenix Business Journal)
http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2009/09/28/daily23.html?ana=from_rss

California - Opposition Grows To New Carlsbad Beachfront Power Plant (San Diego News Tribune, CA)
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/sep/29/bn29energy-in-carlsbad/

South Carolina - Duke, Santee Cooper Nuclear Plans Charged Up (Independent Mail, Anderson, SC)
http://www.independentmail.com/news/2009/sep/29/duke-santee-cooper-nuclear-plans-charged/

FISH & WILDLIFE

A Sure Sign of Fall: Chinook in Our Rivers (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2009/oct/01/a-sure-sign-of-fall-chinook-in-our-rivers/

Net Catch May Indicate Big Columbia Coho Return (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20091001/SPORTS04/710019934/AL+THOMAS++Net+catch+may+indicate+big+Columbia+coho+return

NOAA Issues Plan to Protect Columbia River Steelhead (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009982246_apwasteelheadrecovery.html?syndication=rss

News Release - NOAA’s Fisheries Service Issues Recovery Plan for Mid-Columbia Steelhead (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration)
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090930_columbiasteelhead.html

Study Takes Long-Term, Diversified View of Salmon Issues (Mount Shasta News, CA)
http://www.mtshastanews.com/news/x1991994365/Study-takes-long-term-diversified-view-of-salmon-issues

SF Chronicle Editorial - Opening the Klamath “…Four dams on the Snake River in Washington State are being eyed for demolition…” (What!?)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/EDML19V308.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

Sacramento River - Obama Administration Vows Second Look At Protections for Delta (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2222165.html

Is the Pacific Salmon Fishery Collapsing or Sustainable? (Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Pacific+salmon+fishery+collapsing+sustainable/2049806/story.html

Coho Proving to Be Strong Biters (Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090930/SPORTS/709309648/1008/SPORTS02

Dates Set For What Should Be another Gangbuster Coastal Razor Clam Season (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2009975669_dates_set_for_what_should_be_a.html?syndication=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Waters Flow Again At Nisqually River Estuary - Twelve-Year Restoration Effort Cost $12 Million (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/988863.html

California - Flows to Restore San Joaquin River Start Today (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/30/MN6M19V6IQ.DTL&feed=rss.news

Officials Called to Conference on California Drought (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009974116_apuscaliforniawaterwoes.html?syndication=rss

King County Sewage Treatment Plant Gets New Permit, But With Strings (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/410662_permit30.html?source=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Daily News Editorial - Renewable Energy Mandates Will Be Bad News for Ratepayers In the Long Run
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/10/01/editorial/doc4ac3d97632268063967144.txt

Want To Try Solar Power? Now’s The Time (Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091001/LIVING03/710019940

World's Largest Wind Farm Opens in West Texas (Dallas Morning News, TX)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-wind_01bus.State.Edition1.ddb4af.html

Duke Wind-Power Facility in Wyoming Now Online (Denver Business Journal)
http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/09/28/daily65.html?ana=from_rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Washington Corrections Center For Women Receives Cash For Conservation – PenLight in the spotlight (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/partners/gatelinegigharbor/story/899520.html

Sacramento - Energy Use Falls When Neighbors Compete (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/09/30/energy-use-falls-when-neighbors-compete/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

EPA Moves to Regulate Smokestack Greenhouse Gases (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009978289_apusepagreenhousegases.html?syndication=rss

Montana - Climate Legislation Worries Electric Cooperatives (Great Falls Tribune, MT)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20091001/BUSINESS/910010305

Electric Cooperatives Flood Senate Offices with Half-A-Million Postcards (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=119511

Senate Climate Bill Drops "Cap & Trade" Term (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009975483_apusclimaterebranding.html?syndication=rss

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Seattle Times Op/Ed - Northwest Is Poised To Lead In Developing Electric-Car Transition
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009975818_guest01marshall.html?syndication=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

ViaSat to Buy Wild Blue Satellite Provider of High-Speed Internet for $568M (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009976898_apustecviasatwildblue.html?syndication=rss

North Mason School District Leads the Way on Social Networking (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/30/north-mason-school-district-leads-the-way-on/?partner=RSS

U.S. Moves to Lessen Its Oversight of Internet (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/technology/internet/01icann.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Work Begins on National E-Health Record Network (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2009970203_apusmederecords.html?syndication=rss

Should Airlines Let Passengers Make Calls Via Wi-Fi? (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-09-28-wi-fi-cellphones-airlines_N.htm

Is Bing Losing Its Wow Factor? (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/10/01/is-bing-losing-its-wow-factor/

Oops! Mizzou Sells Phones without Wiping Memory (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009970689_apuscellphonesmissouri.html?syndication=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Small Quake near Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=285:small-quake-near-shelton&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Could El Nino Spare Northwest From Harsh Winter? (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_093009WAB-winter-weather-prediction-SW.1d081955a.html?rss

Olympian Editorial - Public Can Help Shape Management of Natural Resources
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/988917.html

Mystery of Mt. Rainier Survey Marker Melts Away (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009977050_rainiershrinking01m.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Bank Robbery Foiled By Penmanship
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009976664_aporrobberswriting1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

What The? Tourism Group Changes Name - Old Name's Initials Formed Crude Acronym
http://www.kirotv.com/travelgetaways/21165120/detail.html

Bangladesh Awards Farmer Who Killed 83,000 Rats - Man Collects Tails For Proof
http://www.kirotv.com/money/21158372/detail.html

Cops: Angry Woman Fries, Eats Goldfish
http://www.kirotv.com/news/21158231/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHWeuQyFouo&feature=related