Energy News Digest for December 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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

· Winter Storm Strains Western Power Grid
· Puget Sound Energy Says Natural Gas Use Hit Record during Cold Snap
· Grant PUD Dam Shutdown Comes Down To Human
· Cowlitz PUD Commissioners OK 2010 Budget
· Clark Public Utility's Budget Lacks Rate Hike for Customers
· No Cushion in Chelan PUD’s 2010 Budget
· Chelan PUD Seeks More Stability by Selling Power Forward
· Jefferson PUD Commission Has Third Applicant for Vacancy
· Portland General Electric Gets $200 Million Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility
· Detroit Edison Offers Winter Storm Tips
· Grant PUD, Landowners Talk Salmon Recovery
· Group Consolidates Data on Columbia Basin's Fish, Wildlife
· Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show
· Port of Olympia Sued Over Budd Inlet Pollution
· Council Says Portland Harbor Pollution Contaminating Fish and Wildlife
· Concerns Arise Over Plans to Fluctuate Lake Pend Oreille Levels
· GE Chief Hopes Copenhagen Leads To US Clean Energy
· FERC Sticks It to Midwest ISO Wind Developers
· Editorial - The Clean Energy Potential in Our Backyard
· Nickels: Seattle's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Down
· Study Says Biodiesel Kaput Without Fed Tax Credit
· Op/Ed - Building a Broadband Future
· Google Teams with Washington Post, NY Times To Create Online Tool
· Washington Pays Tribute to Slain Officers
· December Freeze Drops To Record Lows
· Yakima River Ice Buildup Brings Warning
· Mason County Commission Adopts 2010 Budget & Half Property Tax Levy
· Olympia Council Budget Includes Utility-Tax Increase
· Bills Would Push More National Forest Thinning
· Sen. McCain Blasts Hanford Spending as Wasteful

WORD OF THE DAY

Privy • \PRIV-vee\ • adjective – 1a: private, withdrawn b: secret 2: belonging or relating to a person in one's individual rather than official capacity 3: admitted as one sharing in a secret

Privy • \PRIV-vee\ • noun – An outhouse

The small, restless child at the remote Renaissance Festival started a familiar dance as his father frantically started looking for the nearest privy. Sir George, in reality an accountant at the local brewery, silently beckoned the beleaguered father to his side. “I will make thee privy to one of the best kept secrets on these grounds,” the bewhiskered faux knight rasped. “The chamber you seek is meant only for nobles, but if you are in desperate need, ye will find it behind the leather mug booth near the faire entrance.”

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

Winter Storm Strains Western Power Grid (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010462809_apuspowergridutah.html?syndication=rss

Puget Sound Energy Says Natural Gas Use Hit Record during Cold Snap (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/12/07/daily21.html

Grant PUD Dam Shutdown Comes Down To Human Error (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2009/dec/09/dam-shutdown-comes-down-to-human-error/

Cowlitz PUD Commissioners OK 2010 Budget (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/news/article_f4611080-e472-11de-950b-001cc4c002e0.html

Clark Public Utility's Budget Lacks Rate Hike for Customers (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20091209/NEWS02/712099959/

No Cushion in Chelan PUD’s 2010 Budget - But budget can’t hold for next year, board warns (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2009/dec/08/no-cushion-in-puds-2010-plan-but-budget-cant-hold/

Chelan PUD Seeks More Stability by Selling Power Forward (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2009/dec/08/chelan-pud-seeks-more-stability-by-selling-power/

Jefferson PUD Commission Has Third Applicant for Vacancy (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20091209/NEWS/312099990

Portland General Electric Gets $200 Million Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/12/07/daily18.html

Detroit Edison Offers Winter Storm Tips (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=124182

FISH & WILDLIFE

Grant PUD, Landowners Talk Salmon Recovery (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/12/08/news/doc4b1edcd33832b978428738.txt

Group Consolidates Data on Columbia Basin's Fish, Wildlife (East Oregonian, Pendleton)
http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=48&ArticleID=101098

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/energy-environment/08water.html?ref=todayspaper&utm_source=AllTodaysNewsRSS

Port of Olympia Sued Over Budd Inlet Pollution (Associated Press)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/78799107.html

Council Says Portland Harbor Pollution Contaminating Fish and Wildlife (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/12/portland_harbor_pollution_cont.html

Concerns Arise Over Plans to Fluctuate Lake Pend Oreille Levels (Idaho Business Review)
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2009/12/08/Concerns-arise-over-plans-to-fluctuate-Lake-Pend-Oreille-levels

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

GE Chief Hopes Copenhagen Leads To US Clean Energy (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010454266_apscgechiefclemson.html?syndication=rss

FERC Sticks It to Midwest ISO Wind Developers (North American Windpower)
http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2009/12/08/ferc-sticks-it-to-midwest-iso-wind-developers/

SF Chronicle Editorial - The Clean Energy Potential in Our Backyard
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/08/ED2U1B0MM8.DTL

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Nickels: Seattle's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Down (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/187615.asp?source=pimail

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Study Says Biodiesel Kaput Without Fed Tax Credit (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010462391_apusbiodieselstudynorthdakota.html?syndication=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The Hill Op/Ed - Building a Broadband Future
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/71193-building-a-broadband-future

Google Teams with Washington Post, NY Times To Create Online Tool (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/08/AR2009120802319.html?wprss=rss_business

GENERAL NEWS

Washington Pays Tribute to Slain Officers (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/21902332/detail.html

December Freeze Drops To Record Lows (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/news/local/Bone-chilling-temperatures-drop-to-record-lows-78867762.html

Yakima River Ice Buildup Brings Warning (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/821968.html

Mason County Commission Adopts 2010 Budget & Half Property Tax Levy (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=807:mason-county-commission-adopts-2010-budget-a-half-property-tax-levy&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Olympia Council Budget Includes Utility-Tax Increase (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/1064192.html

Bills Would Push More National Forest Thinning (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010457055_apornationalforestthinning1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Sen. Mccain Blasts Hanford Spending as Wasteful (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010462562_webstimulus09.html?syndication=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

German Coffee Tax Collection Costs Dwarf Revenue
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B74ED20091208?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Iowa Kmart Workers Open Tin Can, Find $10,000
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/07/national/a143015S19.DTL&tsp=1

Geminid Meteor Shower to Peak This Weekend
http://www.examiner.com/a-2361566~Geminid_meteor_shower_to_peak_this_weekend.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Firefighters Rescue Boy Whose Tongue Stuck To Pole
http://columbian.com/article/20091209/NEWS02/912099993/

SONG OF THE DAY

Bobby Hebb - Sunny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9EzFCkb8CU