Energy News Digest for July 18, 2008

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)

- Gore Calls for Carbon-Free Electric Power
- Al Gore’s 100% Renewable Goal Distant, Even in Northwest
- PUD 3 Fuel Mix Report - Hydropower helps minimize Pacific Northwest “Carbon Footprint”
- Can the U.S. Reach 100 Percent Renewable Electricity in 10 Years?
- Lewis County Sheriff: "Wire Theft Ring Crushed"
- Copper theft task force makes more arrests
- Aberdeen – Fire started when power restored
- Umbrella causes brief Chelan County PUD power outage
- Clark Public Utilities ranks top in region
- Email Etiquette – Ex-employee candidate criticizes Grant PUD
- CALIFORNIA – Sacramento Utilities Department worker arrested in water meter probe
- MASSACHUSETTS – State orders utilities to restructure charges
- New York Power Authority halts 680 MW integrated gasification combines cycle plant
- MARYLAND – Clean energy advocates rally against proposed nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs
- Electrical Risks at Iraq Bases Are Worse Than Said
- FERC issues its acceptance of the transmission planning compliance filings by Avista and Puget Sound
- Oregonian Opinion – End the LNG threat that faces Oregon
- ALASKA – Sockeye surge is on
- Montana Fish-purging plan will proceed
- Should we move species to save them?
- Congressional Research Service – Davis-Bacon Act Coverage and the State Revolving Fund Program Under the Clean Water Act
- Weyco extends deadline on closing a deal on the sale of the Cosmopolis Pulp Mill
- AUSTRALIA – Green Energy Up In Smoke
- CALIFORNIA – Sacramento Municipal Utility District to offer $5.2M in solar power incentives
- NEW YORK – Watervliet gets OK from feds to study potential for new hydro plant
- Energy Pulse Commentary – Renewable Energy Industry Standards are Needed Now
- Can plug-in hybrids ride to America’s rescue?
- McCain: Electric car 'vital' to oil independence
- California adopts nation's first green building standards
- IDAHO – Meridian family on 30-day quest to slash energy, water use
- Warming Is Major Threat To Humans, EPA Warns
- Warming may affect Northwest way of life
- Cooling Off on Dubious Eco-Friendly Claims
- Seattle Post Intelligencer Columnist – Nuclear power no solution to climate change
- Nation's Largest ISPs Crafting Fake National Broadband Policy
- Comcast on the Defensive
- Why Metered Broadband Is Bad for Microsoft, Google & US
- Mason County Sheriff Spokesman Calls Disappearance of Union Man "Suspicious"
- Site dispute means no renaissance for medieval festival
- Scrap Metal Sting – Man convicted of buying stolen signs
- Oregon men accused in bleacher theft
- Snow still covers hiking trails in Cascades, Olympics
- Starbucks announces full list of store closings; 19 in Washington

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Bogart • \BOH-gart\ • verb – 1: bully, intimidate *2: to use or consume without sharing

Nymphadora was making everyone at the root beer decanting party nervous. Along with her bogart of the first bottle of brew taken from the fruit cellar, she was also making wise cracks about no “backwash” guarantees. Ewwwww!

WEATHER

Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944

(NOTE: Some readers have noted that the NWS forecast has not been updated regularly. Apparently there is a refresh issue with the weather web site. If you visit and the forecast isn’t updated, press F5 or refresh the web page. That should take care of the issue)

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Gore Calls for Carbon-Free Electric Power (NY Times – He likes Hydro!)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/washington/18gore.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1216397649-bypelA8043vLOSjMYY+BQg

Al Gore’s 100% Renewable Goal Distant, Even in Northwest – “…the Northwest has a big head start toward that goal if you count hydropower generation…” (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/2621-al-gores-100-renewable-goal-distant-even-northwest/

News Release Archive – PUD 3 Fuel Mix Report - Hydropower helps minimize Pacific Northwest “Carbon Footprint” (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/News/display.asp?NewsID=368

Can the U.S. Reach 100 Percent Renewable Electricity in 10 Years? (Renewable Energy World Online)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/ate/story?id=53095&src=rss

Lewis County Sheriff: "Wire Theft Ring Crushed" (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews/?Lewis-County-Sheriff-Wire-Theft-Ring-Cru=1&blockID=10479&feedID=410

Copper theft task force makes more arrests (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/25619599.html

Aberdeen – Fire started when power restored (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/07/18/local_news/06news.txt

Umbrella causes brief Chelan County PUD power outage (The Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/NEWS04/750315821

Clark Public Utilities ranks top in region (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2008/07/07182008_Clark-Public-Utilities-ranks-top-in-region.cfm/

Email Etiquette – Ex-employee candidate criticizes Grant PUD – Retiring employee sent accusations in e-mail (The Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/07/17/news/news03.txt

CALIFORNIA – Sacramento Utilities Department worker arrested in water meter probe (The Sacramento Bee, CA)
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1091871.html

MASSACHUSETTS – State orders utilities to restructure charges – electric and natural gas companies told to restructure their distribution rates in such a way that it doesn't go against the utility's self-interest to help customers lower bills by consuming less (Boston Globe, MA)
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/07/17/mass_orders_utilities_to_restructure_charges/

New York Power Authority halts 680 MW integrated gasification combines cycle plant –officials say the electricity produced by the plant would be too expensive because of the technology involved (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=334543&C=PRODJ&dcmp=rss

MARYLAND – Clean energy advocates rally against proposed nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/07/14/daily40.html?ana=from_rss

Electrical Risks at Iraq Bases Are Worse Than Said (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/world/middleeast/18contractors.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

News Release – FERC issues its acceptance of the transmission planning compliance filings by Avista and Puget Sound subject to modifications (Links to PDF File from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
http://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/comm-meet/2008/071708/E-4.pdf

Oregonian Opinion – End the LNG threat that faces Oregon (Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1216335319123450.xml&coll=7

FISH & WILDLIFE

ALASKA – Sockeye surge is on – 68,000-fish count for single day signals bonanza (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/fishing/story/468172.html

Montana Fish-purging plan will proceed (The Daily Interlake, Kalispell, MT)
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2008/07/18/news/news01.txt

Should we move species to save them? (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008056947_apscisavingspecies.html?syndication=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Congressional Research Service – Davis-Bacon Act Coverage and the State Revolving Fund Program Under the Clean Water Act
http://opencrs.com/document/RL31491

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Weyco extends deadline on closing a deal on the sale of the Cosmopolis Pulp Mill – Power plant would provide renewable cogeneration (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/07/18/local_news/04news.txt

AUSTRALIA – Green Energy Up In Smoke – Electricity customers who signed up for green power with two of South Australia's major energy retailers are being delivered power predominantly sourced from coal and gas (The Advertiser, Adelaide, Australia)
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24041344-5006301,00.html?from=public_rss

CALIFORNIA – Sacramento Municipal Utility District to offer $5.2M in solar power incentives (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/07/14/daily45.html?ana=from_rss

NEW YORK – Watervliet gets OK from feds to study potential for new hydro plant (The Business Review, Albany, NY)
http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2008/07/14/daily29.html?ana=from_rss

Energy Pulse Commentary – Renewable Energy Industry Standards are Needed Now
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1781

Can plug-in hybrids ride to America’s rescue? The engineer behind many electric-car advances says oil’s days may be numbered (Christian Science Monitor)
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/07/18/can-plug-in-hybrids-ride-to-america%E2%80%99s-rescue/

McCain: Electric car 'vital' to oil independence (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-18-McCain-automobile-industry_N.htm?csp=34

CONSERVATION

California adopts nation's first green building standards (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/07/14/daily41.html?ana=from_rss

IDAHO – Meridian family on 30-day quest to slash energy, water use – Skenandores park the car, turn off the AC, share lighting *+(The Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/eyepiece/story/445621.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Warming Is Major Threat To Humans, EPA Warns (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/17/AR2008071701557.html?nav=rss_business

Warming may affect Northwest way of life – Climate - The EPA pulls together earlier research to look at how human health and welfare will be affected (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1216351512184610.xml&coll=7

Cooling Off on Dubious Eco-Friendly Claims (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/business/media/18adco.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Seattle Post Intelligencer Columnist – Nuclear power no solution to climate change (Seattle, WA)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/371199_amy18.html?source=rss

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Nation's Largest ISPs Crafting Fake National Broadband Policy – In order to make sure that no real, substantive ones take shape (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Nations-Largest-ISPs-Crafting-Fake-National-Broadband-Policy-96192

Comcast on the Defensive (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/07/17/comcast-on-the-defensive/

Why Metered Broadband Is Bad for Microsoft, Google & Us (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/07/17/why-metered-broadband-is-bad-for-microsoft-google-us/

GENERAL NEWS

Mason County Sheriff Spokesman Calls Disappearance of Union Man "Suspicious" (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/563/reftab/1896/Default.aspx

Site dispute means no renaissance for medieval festival – Organizer lacks proper permit, officials say (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/371224_faire18.html?source=rss

Scrap Metal Sting – Man convicted of buying stolen signs (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/5927

Oregon men accused in bleacher theft – Marion County authorities arrested two men accused of stealing metal bleachers from the Woodburn Dragstrip (The Associated Press, via Examinder.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1493367~Ore__men_accused_in_bleacher_theft.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Snow still covers hiking trails in Cascades, Olympics – Snowpack levels are at their highest since 1999, causing some hikers to rework their plans (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008058805_snowpack18m.html?syndication=rss

Starbucks announces full list of store closings; 19 in Washington (Puget Sound Business Journal, Seattle, WA)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/07/14/daily30.html?ana=from_rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Fla. Officer Fired For Demanding Free Coffee – Employees: Officer Would Visit Starbucks Up To 6 Times A Night
http://www.kirotv.com/money/16919787/detail.html

Fisherman Hooks Drowning Man, Reels Him In – Man Calls 911, Is Advised To Throw Something To Drowning Man
http://www.kirotv.com/family/16919710/detail.html

With this fake wife, I divorce thee
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSDEL8150220080718?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

Kids give pope Mickey Mouse cap but he prefers white
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1810090620080718?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews