Energy News Digest for January 2, 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.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

- State Approves Puget Energy Purchase by Foreign Group
- Approval of PSE Sale Not Seen As Affecting Jefferson PUD Power Study
- Montana - Result of BPA Suit: $17 Million Loss to Columbia Falls Aluminum
- Mason County PUD No. 3 Spends New Year's Day Restoring Power
- Mason County PUD 1 Approves 2009 Budgets
- Feds approve gas drilling plan for Montana
- Montana - Energy development, conservation hot topics for 2009 Legislature
- Areva seeks license to build Idaho uranium plant
- Boston Globe Editorial - The power of municipal power
- Boston Globe Op/Ed - Storm's aftermath underscores value of municipal utilities
- Tennessee - Improving Oversight Of Coal Ash Retention Ponds
- Utah - Battle over coal-fired plant rages on
- Utilities Offer ‘Green’ Nuclear Plans to Customers
- California - Pacific Gas and Electric Hands over Rulebook on Handling Reported Gas leaks
- Portland General Electric Workers Scramble To Save Hatchery Salmon From Suffocation
- S.F. Chronicle Op/Ed - Agreement to take down Klamath dams?
- Panel to Review Chinook Plans at Olympia Meetings
- Loaded Headline Theater - Power Plant Has No Plans to Stop Killing Fish
- California - Sea Lions along Sacramento River Blamed For Salmon Decline
- California - Sea Lion Barrier Broken, Coast Guard Closes Pier
- Researcher Says Jell-O May Eliminate Yellowstone Lake Trout
- Oregonians Foresee Future Water Shortages
- Idaho Power Asks to Keep Renewable Energy Credits
- Green Projects Hit Snags in Idaho
- 'A Social Service, Green Energy Financed By Tax Credits'
- Renewable Energy Flood-Control Dams Eyed For Energy Potential
- How Underground ‘Hot Rocks’ Could Power America’s Future
- Lending woes push alternative energy to back burner
- Maryland Utilities To Add Conservation Fees
- Wind Association's wind power trends to watch for in 2009
- Coke’s Wind-Powered Billboard Reveals Push for Eco-Friendly Advertising
- Clallam County Set To Get Final "Green" Plan
- Canada’s carbon tax conundrum
- Climate Change - We’re In for Stormy Weather
- How Carbon Neutral Is Dell, Really?
- CRIME: Vandals to Blame for Internet Outage
- Shots Damage BPA Fiber Optic Line and Disrupt Service
- 'Clear' Launches in Portland Next Week
- Qwest Ordered to Restore New Mexico Services to SkyWi
- Researchers Hack Internet Security Infrastructure
- Time Warner Still Pretending Core, Last Mile Fiber The Same
- On The Shelf: "Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House?"
- State Buys Store, Land Near Belfair State Park

These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest

WORD OF THE DAY

Frigorific • \frig-uh-RIFF-ik\ • adjective - Causing cold: chilling

“This frigorific weather is unbearable,” grunted the all-electric home customer during a short outage. “Let’s turn up the heat to full blast so the house warms up quickly when the lights come back on,” the bright-bulbed visitor from warmer climates exclaimed.

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

State Approves Puget Energy Purchase by Foreign Group - 'Creates Too Much Risk,' Dissenter Says (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/394208_puget31.html

Regulatory Approval of PSE Sale Not Seen As Affecting Jefferson PUD Power Study (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081231/news/312319994

Montana - Result of BPA Suit: $17 Million Loss to Columbia Falls Aluminum: A multi-tiered federal lawsuit had a poison pill; effectively ceased a $17 million annual payment from the Bonneville Power Administration (Hungry Horse News, MT)
http://www.flatheadnewsgroup.com/articles/2007/10/31/hungryhorsenews/news/doc495a917271612274787880.txt

Mason County PUD No. 3 Spends New Year's Day Restoring Power (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/5976/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Mason County PUD 1 Approves 2009 Budgets (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/5964/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Feds approve gas drilling plan for Montana (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1769983~Feds_approve_gas_drilling_plan_for_Montana.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines

Montana - Energy development, conservation hot topics for 2009 Legislature
http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2008/12/30/state/hjjbihhahgjhei.txt

Areva seeks license to build Idaho uranium plant (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/713281.html

Boston Globe Editorial - The power of municipal power
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2008/12/29/the_power_of_municipal_power/

Boston Globe Op/Ed - Storm's aftermath underscores value of municipal utilities
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2009/01/02/storms_aftermath_underscores_value_of_municipal_utilities/

Tennessee - Improving Oversight Of Coal Ash Retention Ponds (Associated Press)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/us/01brfs-004.html

Utah - Battle over coal-fired plant rages on (Salt Lake Tribune, UT)
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11347400

Utilities Offer ‘Green’ Nuclear Plans to Customers (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/utilities-offer-green-nuclear-plans-to-customers/

California - Pacific Gas and Electric Hands over Rulebook on Handling Reported Gas leaks - The utility refuses to make it public (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1510405.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Portland General Electric Workers Scramble To Save Hatchery Salmon From Suffocation - Last week's snow threatened a pump keeping 900,000 spring Chinook alive (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1230776725287610.xml&coll=7

S.F. Chronicle Op/Ed - Agreement to take down Klamath dams? Not likely
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/31/EDRV150MGT.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

Panel to Review Chinook Plans at Olympia Meetings (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/01/02/this_day/doc495d6576f2f1d999218104.txt

Loaded Headline Theater - Power Plant Has No Plans to Stop Killing Fish (San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/01/BAAS151F1U.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

California - Sea Lions along Sacramento River Blamed For Salmon Decline (Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1511636.html

California - Sea Lion Barrier Broken, Coast Guard Closes Pier (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11347519

Researcher Says Jell-O May Eliminate Yellowstone Lake Trout (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1766982~Researcher_says_Jell_O_may_eliminate_lake_trout.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Oregonians Foresee Future Water Shortages (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/12/oregonians_foresee_future_wate.html

RENEWABLE ENERGY & CONSERVATION

Idaho Power Asks to Keep Renewable Energy Credits – Fears loss from potential renewable portfolio standards mandate (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4795

Green Projects Hit Snags in Idaho - Concerns about wildlife habitat, aesthetics and competing interests have hindered a number of alternative energy proposals (Idaho Statesman, Boise)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/620216.html

'A Social Service, Green Energy Financed By Tax Credits' - Washington leads the way and wind offers some fresh hope as utilities move to renewable (Daily Astorian, OR)
http://www.dailyastorian.com/Main.asp?SectionID=184&ArticleID=57102

Renewable Energy Flood-Control Dams Eyed For Energy Potential - Dozens of Government Sites Studied For Hydro-Electric Retrofits (MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28421520/

How Underground ‘Hot Rocks’ Could Power America’s Future (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/12/31/how-underground-hot-rocks-could-power-america’s-future/

Lending woes push alternative energy to back burner (Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6190611.html

Maryland Utilities To Add Conservation Fees - Regulators OK plan to subsidize initiative aimed at reducing energy use (Baltimore Sun, MD)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.energy01jan01,0,5547582.story

American Wind Energy Association's wind power trends to watch for in 2009 (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=349003&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Coke’s Wind-Powered Billboard Reveals Push for Eco-Friendly Advertising (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/2008/December/Coke-s-Wind-Powered-Billboard-Reveals-Push-for-Eco-Friendly-Advertising-.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Clallam County Set To Get Final "Green" Plan (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.konp.com/local/4277

Canada’s carbon tax conundrum - A key question in the coming provincial election will be whether the downturn will overshadow - or reignite - anger over the Liberal government's controversial measure (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090102.BCYEARENDERCARBON02/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia

We’re In for Stormy Weather - Overshadowed by the economic headlines, serious climate trouble looms ahead (Newsweek)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/177224?from=rss

How Carbon Neutral Is Dell, Really? (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/12/30/how-carbon-neutral-is-dell-really/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

CRIME: Vandals To Blame For Internet Outage (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/431367.html

News Release – Shots Damage BPA Fiber Optic Line and Disrupt Service (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/246639/

'Clear' Launches in Portland Next Week - Customers getting an early look at speed, pricing (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Clear-Launches-In-Portland-Next-Week-99956

Qwest Ordered to Restore Services to SkyWi - New Mexico regulators step in to tackle $1.7 million dispute (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Qwest-Ordered-To-Restore-Services-To-SkyWi-99970

Researchers Hack Internet Security Infrastructure - International Team Discovers Way to Mimic Digital Identity (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/30/AR2008123001056.html?wprss=rss_technology

Time Warner Still Pretending Core, Last Mile Fiber The Same (Broadband Reports)
http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/Time-Warner-Still-Pretending-Core-Last-Mile-Fiber-The-Same-99948

On The Shelf: "Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House?" (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/157973.asp

GENERAL NEWS

State Buys Store, Land Near Belfair State Park (The Kitsap Sun)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/dec/30/state-buys-store-near-belfair-park/?partner=RSS

DIVERSIONS

Annual 'Banished Words' List Unveiled - Language Critics Cast Out 'Bailout,' 'Maverick' From Lexicon
http://www.kirotv.com/education/18387382/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_-1_01000112312008&ts=H

Man Says He Shot Car with Paintballs to Deter DUI
http://www.examiner.com/a-1771792~Man_says_he_shot_car_with_paintballs_to_deter_DUI.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Popular Photo Frames Carry Risk of Computer Virus Infection
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/02/BUV9150IH8.DTL&feed=rss.business

Discarded Lottery Ticket Resurfaces a $650K Winner
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18389912/detail.html