Energy News Digest for October 9, 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)

• Douglas PUD Budget Approved - Including Rate Increase
• Hearing Set on Pacific Power Rate Increase
• Op/Ed - Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative: Why Your Rates Are Changing
• Florida Utility Company to Pay $25 Million for Blackout
• United Kingdom - Energy Bills Could Surge 60%, Ofgem Warns
• Vermont Reaches Deal over Nuclear Power plant
• Ohio Light Bulb Program Has Some Customers Seeing Red
• Why Aren’t We Harnessing Waste Heat?
• Groups Say Nothing New In Columbia Salmon Plan
• Oregon and Its Allies Ask Judge to Toss Obama Salmon Plan
• Op/Ed – Kulongoski: Another flawed plan to protect salmon
• Critics Contest Dam Plan in Northwest
• Skagit River Salmon - 'This May Be a once in a Lifetime Experience'
• B.C. Study Says Climate Change Means Winners and Losers in Fisheries
• Gig Harbor ‘Chumfest’ Celebrates Salmon, Healthy Water
• Grizzly Bears in More Danger on Threatened List, Officials Say
• Skagit PUD Lays off Six in Bid to Harness Internal Costs
• Error Leads To 11,000 Gallon Sewage Spill in Lacey
• Tacoma among the Most Polluted In the US
• Pacific Ocean 'Dead Zone' In Northwest May Be Irreversible
• Montana - Space-Age Dam Gate Holds Water at Tin Cup Lake
• States Not Meeting Renewable Energy Goals
• Prospects Distant for Offshore Wind in West
• Smart Grid Good For Big Solar, Wind
• California Solar Company Expands In Oregon
• Centron Solar Changes Name to Grape Solar
• North Carolina - Fibrowatt’s Poultry Litter-Fired Power Plant Plans Progress
• A Smarter Use of Power - Flathead Electric Participating In ‘Smart Grid’
• North Carolina - LED-Maker Cree To Add 575 Jobs In Next 3 Years
• Defiant Chamber Chief Says ‘Bring ’Em On’
• Editorial - Embrace Cantwell on Climate Change
• Alaska's Murkowski Rips EPA Over Proposed Emissions Rules
• Going Green on the Blue Waters of Puget Sound
• Columnist - Clean Tech's Dirty Little Secret
• Speed Bumps That Also Generate Electricity
• FCC Approves New Trans-Pacific Fiber-Optic Cable
• Broadband Isn’t Just the Web - It’s Our Future
• YouTube: We’re Bigger than You Thought
• Cowlitz County Highway Project Forced To Refund Stimulus Money
• Professor May Sue Evergreen Over Chile Trip
• In Test of Water on Moon, Craft Hits Bull’s-Eye
• New Tech Not Always Best In a Disaster

WORD OF THE DAY

Romper • \RAWM-per\ • noun – 1: one that romps 2: jumpsuit 2; especially: a jumpsuit for infants - often used in plural

“Aren’t you a little old for rompers,” asked the bemused shop foreman to the new mechanic. “These aren’t ROMPERS,” shouted the new hire. “This is my superhero outfit. Now, outa my way so I can use my super powers to fix this reluctant Fiat!”

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

Douglas PUD Budget Approved - Including Rate Increase (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2009/oct/08/douglas-pud-budget-approved-including-rate-ncreas/

Hearing Set on Pacific Power Rate Increase (Walla Walla Union Bulletin, WA)
http://union-bulletin.com/articles/2009/10/08/local_news/091008local03pacificpowerhearing.txt

Teton Valley News Op/Ed - Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative: Why Your Rates Are Changing
http://www.tetonvalleynews.net/articles/2009/10/08/opinion/editorials/doc4acd127f1165f449820107.txt

Florida Utility Company to Pay $25 Million for Blackout (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/us/09blackout.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

United Kingdom - Energy Bills Could Surge 60%, Ofgem Warns (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/09/ofgem-warns-energy-prices-could-surge

Vermont Reaches Deal over Nuclear Power plant (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=369921&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Ohio Light Bulb Program Has Some Customers Seeing Red (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ihZf--KlAYYK_gaZJH2_Zj-9bD3AD9B763E80

Why Aren’t We Harnessing Waste Heat? (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/10/08/why-arent-we-harnessing-waste-heat/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Groups Say Nothing New In Columbia Salmon Plan (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010028174_aporsalmondams1stldwritethru.html

Oregon and Its Allies Ask Judge to Toss Obama Salmon Plan (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/10/oregon_and_its_allies_ask_judg.html

Oregonian Op/Ed – Kulongoski: Another flawed plan to protect salmon (Oh, and give us more Columbia water…)
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/10/another_flawed_plan_to_protect.html

Critics Contest Dam Plan in Northwest (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/critics-contest-dam-plan-in-northwest/

Skagit River Salmon - 'This May Be a once in a Lifetime Experience': the river is having its best salmon run in 3 decades (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/63813162.html

B.C. Study Says Climate Change Means Winners and Losers in Fisheries (Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Climate+change+means+winners+losers+fisheries/2082691/story.html

Gig Harbor ‘Chumfest’ Celebrates Salmon, Healthy Water (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/997832.html

Grizzly Bears in More Danger on Threatened List, Officials Say (Associated Press)
http://www.helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/article_d74bfe3a-b496-11de-a5d1-001cc4c03286.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Skagit PUD Lays off Six in Bid to Harness Internal Costs (Skagit Valley Herald)
http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/pud_lays_off_six_in_bid_to_harness_internal_costs/

Error Leads To 11,000 Gallon Sewage Spill in Lacey (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/997762.html

Tacoma among the Most Polluted In the US (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=222981

Pacific Ocean 'Dead Zone' In Northwest May Be Irreversible (Los Angeles Times, CA)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oregon-ocean9-2009oct09,0,4615320.story?track=rss

Montana - Space-Age Dam Gate Holds Water at Tin Cup Lake (Ravalli Republic, Hamilton, MT)
http://www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2009/10/09/news/news53.txt

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

States Not Meeting Renewable Energy Goals (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2009-10-08-altenergy_N.htm

Prospects Distant for Offshore Wind in West (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/prospects-distant-for-offshore-wind-in-west/

Smart Grid Good For Big Solar, Wind (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-BusinessofGreen/idUSTRE5973WM20091008

California Solar Company Expands In Oregon (Portland Business Journal)
http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/10/05/daily46.html?ana=from_rss

Centron Solar Changes Name to Grape Solar (Portland Business Journal)
http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/10/05/daily54.html?ana=from_rss

North Carolina - Fibrowatt’s Poultry Litter-Fired Power Plant Plans Progress (Biomass Magazine)
http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3137

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

A Smarter Use of Power - Flathead Electric Participating In ‘Smart Grid’ Demonstration Project (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/a_smarter_use_of_power/13420/

North Carolina - LED-Maker Cree To Add 575 Jobs In Next 3 Years (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/08/financial/f134953D33.DTL&feed=rss.business

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Defiant Chamber Chief Says ‘Bring ’Em On’ (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/defiant-chamber-chief-says-bring-em-on/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Daily Astorian Editorial - Embrace Cantwell on Climate Change: Waxman-Markey Bill is an elaborate and expensive shell game
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=64711

Alaska's Murkowski Rips EPA Over Proposed Emissions Rules (McClatchy News Service)
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/environment/story/76826.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Going Green on the Blue Waters of Puget Sound (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/63830272.html

Forbes Magazine Columnist - Clean Tech's Dirty Little Secret
http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/08/innovation-startups-legislation-technology-breakthroughs-cleantech.html

Speed Bumps That Also Generate Electricity (NY Times)
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/speed-bumps-that-also-generate-electricity/?hpw

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Approves New Trans-Pacific Fiber-Optic Cable (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13516303?nclick_check=1

Broadband Isn’t Just the Web - It’s Our Future (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/10/09/broadband-isnt-just-the-web-its-our-future/

YouTube: We’re Bigger than You Thought (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/youtube-were-bigger-than-you-thought/?partner=rss&emc=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Cowlitz County Highway Project Forced To Refund Stimulus Money (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11284393

Professor May Sue Evergreen Over Chile Trip - College settles with students for $23,500 (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/997758.html

In Test of Water on Moon, Craft Hits Bull’s-Eye (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/science/space/10moon.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

New Tech Not Always Best In a Disaster (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13447762

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Boredom Breeds Stupidity - Inmates' Flushing Habits Prove Costly
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/08/BA2C1A30DC.DTL&feed=rss.news

Shooting Away Unwanted Pumpkins
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=11279383

SONG OF THE DAY

Norah Jones - I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7PHHS3Wo08&feature=related