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)

- Power Outage in Allyn Area Overnight
- Montana - Snow, Ice Cut BPA Cables
- Chelan PUD’s lean $329 million budget passes
- Grand Coulee Dam Power & Water Pumping Plant To Be Renamed
- Should Coal Be Considered A Clean Fuel?
- Plant That Spilled Coal Ash Had Earlier Leak Problems
- How To Avert A Looming Power Crisis
- Smart Grid Companies Want Stimulus Cash From Feds
- FACTB0X-What Is A Smart Grid?
- Comcast Tech Left Dangling 100 Feet Up
- Federal Draft Report: Sacramento River Delta System Imperils Fish
- Water Levels Should Stay on Track for the Coming Months
- Victoria, BC – Pollution Squabble Sinks Testing of Sewage Outfalls
- Washington State Turns Down Stock Watering Petition
- Montana - Bill Benefits 'Medium-Speed' Electric Cars
- Cause of English Wind Turbine Damage Unknown – UFO May be to Blame
- Efficiency Help Wanted
- Organic LEDs Have Many Uses
- Global Warming Will Be A Killer for Agriculture, UW Scientists Say
- Qwest Seeks Stimulus Dollars for Broadband
- Comcast Making Switch To Digital Signals In Portland Area
- I-5, Snoqualmie Pass Open
- Solution to Flooding Problem A Long Way Off
- Daily News Editorial - Flood Closure More Costly Than I-5 Fix
- Washington's A State Of Emergency as Rain-Filled Rivers Rebel
- News Tribune Editorial - Is This the Future of Northwest Winters?
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer Put Up For Sale
- Nationwide Inquiry on Bids for Municipal Bonds
- Cabin Owners In National Forests Will Get Lease Break
- Western Washington Cuts Football Program

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Hassock • \HASS-uck\ • noun - 1: a cushion for kneeling b: a padded cushion or low stool that serves as a seat or leg rest

Large, ponderous Casper Gutman waddled across the room, the long tube tied to his water pipe wobbled like an obscene umbilical cord as he drew the grey, swirling smoke from the bowl on the many-faceted contraption through its length. He grunted heavily as he backed into his overstuffed chair, the tassel on his canted fez draped across one ear. Only the dark, heavy, leather hassock protected his dainty, beslippered feet from the desecration of touching the floor. “Now,” he rasped to the impatient Sam Spade, “I assume you are here to speak with me about ‘the bird’”

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

Power Outage In Allyn Area Overnight (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6045/reftab/1632/t/POWER-OUTAGE-IN-ALLYN-AREA-OVERNIGHT/Default.aspx

Montana - Snow, ice cut BPA cables (The Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, MT)
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2009/01/09/news/local_montana/news_8768521326_08.txt

Chelan PUD’s lean $329 million budget passes (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081216/NEWS04/712169974/1001

Grand Coulee Dam Power & Water Pumping Plant To Be Renamed - Late agency head to be honored (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/01/08/news/doc496632150990a132585324.txt

Should Coal Be Considered A Clean Fuel? “…The state should adopt a ‘clean’ standard for generating electricity, not just a ‘renewable’ standard…” (The Tampa Tribune, FL)
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/08/should-coal-be-considered-clean-fuel/

Plant That Spilled Coal Ash Had Earlier Leak Problems
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/us/09coal.html

How to Avert A Looming Power Crisis (Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.star-telegram.com/245/story/1132371.html

Smart Grid Companies Want Stimulus Cash From Feds (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10137337-54.html

FACTB0X-What Is A Smart Grid? (The Guardian, United Kingdom)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8219882

Comcast Tech Left Dangling 100 Feet Up - Though saved his own life by following proper safety guidelines (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-Tech-Left-Dangling-100-Feet-Up-100129

FISH & WILDLIFE

Federal Draft Report: Sacramento River Delta System Imperils Fish – “…salmon, steelhead and sturgeon in the Central Valley are being driven to extinction…” (Sacramento Bee)
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1528201.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Water Levels Should Stay on Track for the Coming Months - latest snowpack readings show we're actually a little behind compared to this time last year (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9643134

Victoria, BC – Pollution Squabble Sinks Testing of Sewage Outfalls (Vancouver Sun, BC – BTW, Victoria discharges raw sewage from its “treatment” system into the Strait of Juan de Fuca)
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Pollution+squabble+sinks+testing+sewage+outfalls/1158039/story.html

Washington State Turns Down Stock Watering Petition (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1785608~State_denies_stockwatering_petition.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Montana - Bill Benefits 'Medium-Speed' Electric Cars (Great Falls Tribune, MT)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090109/NEWS01/901090337/1002

Cause of English Wind Turbine Damage Unknown – UFO May be to Blame (Reuters)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090108/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_wind_turbine;_ylt=Ah4hhZJjA4TYuK5tDxS.9pTtiBIF

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Efficiency Help Wanted (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/efficiency-help-wanted/

Organic LEDs Have Many Uses (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/09/BUQF15615P.DTL&feed=rss.business

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Global Warming Will Be A Killer For Agriculture, UW Scientists Say (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008606940_warming09m.html?syndication=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Qwest Seeks Stimulus Dollars for Broadband (New Mexico Business Weekly)
http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/01/05/daily42.html?ana=from_rss

Comcast Making Switch To Digital Signals In Portland Area - The cable company's conversion is different from the national switch, which may confuse some customers (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1231476915177900.xml&coll=7

GENERAL NEWS

I-5, Snoqualmie Pass open (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008608509_weblewis09m.html

Solution To Flooding Problem A Long Way Off – For roads there are two years of design work yet to be done (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/395367_lewis09.html?source=rss

Daily News Editorial - Flood Closure More Costly Than I-5 Fix
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/01/09/editorial/doc4966add6eaf73590765899.txt

Washington's A State Of Emergency As Rain-Filled Rivers Rebel (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395249_storm09.html

News Tribune Editorial - Is This The Future Of Northwest Winters?
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/589382.html

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Put Up For Sale (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/395463_newspapersale10.html

Nationwide Inquiry on Bids for Municipal Bonds- Lawmen investigating collusion that has taken approximately $400 billion worth of municipal notes and bonds to market each year (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/business/09insure.html

Cabin Owners In National Forests Will Get Lease Break – Cushman Residents Rejoice! (Associated Press)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395398_cabins09.html?source=rss

Western Washington Cuts Football Program (Examiner.Com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1784435~Western_Washington_cuts_football_program.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

DIVERSIONS

Diabetics Beware! Cute Things Falling Asleep
http://www.cutethingsfallingasleep.org/

Karaoke Most Irritating Gadget In Britain: Govt Survey
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090109/lf_afp/lifestylebritaintechnologyoffbeatjapan_newsmlmmd;_ylt=AgfaAlovHgsaWtPZ4GyjQEGgOrgF

Masked Man Waits In Line To Rob Ohio Bank
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090109/ap_on_fe_st/odd_masked_robber;_ylt=AhkJDvEnI2yaUGMebHd.V5jtiBIF

Canadian Woman Mistakes Labor Pains For Kidney Stone – Had no Idea She Was Pregnant
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090108/wl_canada_afp/canadachildfamilyoffbeat_newsmlmmd;_ylt=At5oZK3fLriHtKPu99qcUfmgOrgF