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)
Grays Harbor County and PUD bill could top $20 million
Mason County Storm Damage Over $18 Million
Injured Grays Harbor PUD Worker Recovering
Mason County PUD No. 3 Approves 2008 Budget
Clark Public Utilities budgets call for unchanged water, electric rates
No increases seen for Cowlitz PUD
California sues U.S. over utility pole transformers
U.S. Senate Energy Bill Drops Renewable Energy Mandates
Dams and Salmon On The Docket In Redden's Court
Accentuate the positive – Big spring Chinook run forecast for Columbia
Salmon and sea lions, a sad situation
Makah whalers plead not guilty to tribal charges
Idaho Power buys geothermal energy: Move could result in higher electric bills
USA Today Opinion – Our view on energy mandates: States wean from fossil fuels, so why can't Washington?
Why did solar energy lose its flare?
The Electric Vehicle Acid Test – Are they really any better for the environment than gas-guzzling cars?
Off-Peak Laundry? Pricing Power by the Hour
Scientists wonder if Arctic melting a blip or a warning
Lewis County's past strategy: Build and hope for flood control
Oregon – State warns retailers not to charge excessive prices after storm
Olympia’s protest bill: $112,168
WA state auditor: Staffers at WSU Tri-Cities inflated enrollment
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Harry • \HAIR-ee\ • verb – 1: to make a pillaging or destructive raid on: assault 2: to force to move along by harassing *3: to torment by or as if by constant attack
Harry harried his heavenly housemates with hour-long histrionics about housekeeping. Finally the harangue wore out, as Harry’s housemates hustled him out the door onto the dust heap.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Grays Harbor County and PUD bill could top $20 million (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/12/11/local_news/02news.txt
MASON COUNTY STORM DAMAGE OVER $18 MILLION – Mason County suffered over $18 Million in storm damage from the December 3rd storm. According to the County's Director of Emergency Management, Marty Best, the preliminary damage estimation to public facilities is $10 Million and personal property damage is over $8 Million. Fifteen homes were destroyed and 38 homes sustained major damage. Mason County P.U.D. No. 1 reported about $100,000 in damage. Mason County P.U.D. No. 3 had over $1.2 Million damage. The City of Shelton sustain close to a Million dollars damage. And the Skokomish Tribe is reporting a little over $100,000 just in initial damages. The County is still gathering damage reports and resident who haven't already done so are encouraged to call Mason County's Division of Emergency Management at 427-7535. The hardest hit areas in Mason County were in Potlatch, Union, Hoodsport, Tahuya, Dewatto, and Lilliwaup. Officials are calling this disaster one of the largest disasters in Mason County's history. Officials are also hoping that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will make federal assistance available to Mason County residents. If that happens Best will be requesting Disaster Assistance Centers be located in the County to help people register their damage with FEMA. In the meantime, Non-Perishable food, blankets, clothing, and household goods are still available for those in need at the Mason County Fairgrounds in Shelton and at the Theler Community Center in Belfair. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Injured Grays Harbor PUD Worker Recovering (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14827510/detail.html
News Release – Mason County PUD No. 3 Approves 2008 Budget: Increased operating costs mean small rate increase (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/News/display.asp?NewsID=396
Clark Public Utilities budgets call for unchanged water, electric rates (The Oregonian)
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/12/clark_public_utilities_budgets.html
No increases seen for Cowlitz PUD – The Cowlitz PUD board Tuesday adopted a "status quo" budget for 2008 that includes no electric rate increases and puts no money toward a proposed Kalama power plant. (Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/12/12//area_news/doc475f96f135f0c561986787.txt
California sues U.S. over utility pole transformers – action being sought against the Bush administration over the U.S. Energy Department's new efficiency standards for the 40 million electric transformers on utility poles around the nation, saying the rules are too weak and would allow pollution that contributes to global warming. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/12/BA1FTSBR2.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
News Release – BPA uses aluminum shunts to increase power line capacity and save money (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/186166/
Judge greenlights AEP pollution settlement – Columbus-based American Electric Power has been pilloried as one of the biggest polluters in the country. But that changed yesterday when a federal judge approved what the government calls the largest environmental settlement in history. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association OnLine)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChhjloolSTfcw11rbfem%5Ev
U.S. Senate Energy Bill Drops Utility Rules, Keeps Most of Tax Package – Senate leaders are planning to introduce a slimmed-down package of energy legislation, eliminating a minimum requirement for utilities' use of renewable resources (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/11/AR2007121102197.html?nav=rss_business
News Release – President George W. Bush nominates Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff, to another term as Commissioner (White House Web Site)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/12/20071211-8.html
Missouri – Suit filed to halt Taum Sauk project. The Great Rivers Environmental Law Center and Missouri Parks Association filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) failed to evaluate most of the significant impacts of Ameren UE's Taum Sauk project before authorizing its reconstruction. (St. Louis Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2007/12/10/daily28.html?ana=from_rss
New Hampshire – Power company decides Hanover wrong on pole use. An official from electric company National Grid has reversed his position and now sides with local telecommunications company segTEL in that company's lawsuit against the town of Hanover. (Hanover Union Leader)
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?articleId=7f814db6-6d3f-4dd9-8121-c3876b85c2be&headline=Power+company+decides+Hanover+wrong+on+pole+use
Dark days ahead for energy-strapped South Africa – Constant power cuts are darkening the mood among South Africans, with President Thabo Mbeki admitting that government was at fault for ignoring growing energy needs. (AFP News Service)
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iFt-NzKEPX5hkooDK7DnsA7RjguQ
News Tribune Opinion – Let there be light again over the Narrows. Some public agency has the opportunity to be Santa this season and win the gratitude of thousands of South Sounders. How? Simply by taking $1.5 million – already appropriated by the Legislature – and using that money to hire a contractor to string decorative lights over the new Narrows Bridge.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/227381.html
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Dams And Salmon On The Docket In Redden's Court (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/dams-and-salmon-docket-reddens-court/
Accentuate the positive – Big spring Chinook run forecast for Columbia. Here's the number salmon anglers have been waiting to learn: a whopping 269,300 spring Chinook - the third-best run in recent times - are forecast to enter the Columbia River headed for waters upstream of Bonneville Dam. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/12/12122007_Big-spring-chinook-run-forecast-for-Columbia.cfm
Salmon forecasts: good news, bad news situation – The spring Chinook run in the Willamette looks bleak -- the opposite of the Columbia's (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1197428106174720.xml&coll=7
Salmon and sea lions, a sad situation (Eugene Register Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=34485&sid=40&fid=1
Makah whalers plead not guilty to tribal charges (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20071212/NEWS/712120304
Seattle Times Editorial – Hands on the spigot. Watching Western Washington bail out from record rainstorms, it is easy to forget how much of the country is in the grip of record drought.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2004066097_watered12.html
Local company to help build Elwha water plant – A Port Angeles company will share in part of a contract to build a nearly 70 million dollar water treatment plant on the Elwha River. (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3296
Port Angeles eastside sewer project a half-million beyond expected cost (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20071211/NEWS/712110304
Oregon – Springfield Utility Board likely to raise water rates. Water rates for customers are expected to climb 9.6 percent in January — as they did last January and probably will do so again in 2009 and 2010. (Eugene Register-Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=34477&sid=4&fid=1
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Idaho Power buys geothermal energy: Move could result in higher electric bills (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association OnLine)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChhjkkouYTfcw11rbfem%5Ev
USA Today Opinion – Our view on energy mandates: States wean from fossil fuels, so why can't Washington?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20071212/cm_usatoday/ourviewonenergymandatesstatesweanfromfossilfuelssowhycantwashington
Why did solar energy lose its flare? Underutilized alternative source could curb bad gases (MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22185017/
Washington Post Op/Ed – Food vs. Fuel; By Robert J. Samuelson
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/11/AR2007121101834.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns
The Green Gap in Communications and Messaging – There is a growing misalignment between people’s stated intentions, e.g., their desire to be more environmentally conscious or to save energy, and their actual purchasing and consumption behavior. (Energy Pulse Commentary – VERY interesting article)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1625
Pennsylvania Senate vote expected on $650M alternative energy bill (WHP, Harrisburg)
http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=5a0bdf07-03cc-4cf9-b108-a783a19613fd&rss=50
The Electric Vehicle Acid Test – Are they really any better for the environment than gas-guzzling cars? (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2179609/fr/rss/
CONSERVATION
Off-Peak Laundry? Pricing Power by the Hour – Pepco is about to start sending personal e-mail messages to Jonathan and Lauren Schwabish every few hours that could determine when they do the dishes, wash the baby's clothes or turn on the air conditioner. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/11/AR2007121102502.html?nav=rss_technology
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Scientists wonder if Arctic melting a blip or a warning – Ice disappeared at record levels this summer (Associated Press, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/343215_melt12.html
Hard Choices on Climate Can Wait for Next President, Aides Indicate (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/12/AR2007121200478.html?nav=rss_world
Paying other nations to be green – Some at the Bali summit see carbon credits as a way to save the rain forests and reduce greenhouse gases. Others have doubts. (Associated Press, via the Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-sci-deforest12dec12,1,468306.story?coll=la-news-a_section&ctrack=1&cset=true
GENERAL NEWS
Lewis County's past strategy: Build and hope for flood control – Chehalis and Centralia are geographically challenged, a fact brought home by record flooding last week in the Chehalis River Valley. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/297347.html
Oregon – State warns retailers not to charge excessive prices after storm (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/12/10/daily16.html?ana=from_rss
New Tribune Opinion – Few natural disasters can match the demoralizing aftermath of a flood.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/227378.html
Olympia’s protest bill: $112,168 – The protests of military shipments at the Port of Olympia last month cost the city of Olympia at least $112,168. Officials say the city should consider sending the bill to the port and “other entities” (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/297321.html
WA state auditor: Staffers at WSU Tri-Cities inflated enrollment (KNDO-TV, Tri Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=7485651
Former employee accused of bomb threats at Lacey Wal-Mart (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1100575~Former_employee_accused_of_bomb_threats_at_Lacey_Wal_Mart.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
DIVERSIONS
These are GREAT –'Danger: Avoid Death' contest winner. Words to live by, from a warning label on a small tractor: "Danger: Avoid Death."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071212/ap_on_fe_st/odd_wacky_warnings;_ylt=AsqIktsNfXCdpSgY.NLX4bDtiBIF
Icelandic teenage caller tricks White House – A teenager says he convinced the White House he was Iceland's president and managed to schedule a call with George W. Bush but was found out before he got to talk to the U.S. president.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071212/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_iceland_bush;_ylt=Ao8buPqgz29I3GIl0ymgrfDtiBIF
Merriam-Webster's word of '07: 'w00t'
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071211/ap_on_fe_st/word_of_the_year;_ylt=AqZYhc1mj5HlEqiLZ4bdB3XtiBIF
Men drive straight to work, women stop a lot – Men and women do have different driving habits according to a new study that shows women squeeze more stops into their daily commute than men.
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=6c07918f-338a-4e78-8069-27ed42682ac9&k=1491
After a Window Washer’s 47-Floor Plunge, the Big Question Is: How Did He Survive? A 29-year-old man plunges 17 stories in the atrium of a hotel in Minneapolis, landing on an overhang.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/nyregion/12fall.html?ex=1355115600&en=f717ebf517f800cc&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Energy News Digest for December 11, 2007
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)
-Grays Harbor County PUD – Almost There
-Puget Sound Energy buys Sumas plant
-People Satisfied With Chelan County PUD
-Judge threatens to take over Columbia Basin salmon plan
-Alaska – New kingdom of kings. After major undercount of salmon, state adds opportunity for anglers
-Wildlife Officials Try To Save Sturgeon From Sea Lions
-Will taxes halt Calif.'s solar thermal ambitions?
-Pacific Ethanol halts construction of another ethanol plant
-More farmers seeing wind as cash crop
-Congressional Research Service – Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage: Frequently Asked Questions
-Seattle Times Book Review – Knocking Seattle off its haughty green throne
-Warming Trends – In Duck Blinds, Visions of Global Warming
-Data Centers Caught In Power Play – Electricity Plan Confounds Firms
-Wyoming – a $5 million cost – Powell works on fiber optics service
-Gov. Gregoire frustrated about federal response to flood
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Caltrop • \KAL-trip \ • noun – 1: a device with four metal points so arranged that when any three are on the ground the fourth projects upward as a hazard to the hooves of horses or to pneumatic tires 2: aplural but sing or plural in constr : star thistle 1 b: puncture vine; also : any of various related herbs (genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia) of the same family (Zygophyllaceae, the caltrop family)
Amanda stood at the second floor window, a smile playing across her face as she watched her potential fiancé dance gingerly in his bare feet across her gravel driveway. She knew that when she asked for a bouquet of roses from the garden that he would have to negotiate the sharp gravel chunks, jabbing the tender soles of his feet as if she had strewn his path with a truckload of caltrops. “Next time I’ll ask for a boquet of ‘stinging nettles’,” she thought. Her sharp cackle of laughter at the thought chased her long-haired Chihuahua from the room.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Almost There – Approximate number of customers without power: less than 100 customers (Grays Harbor County PUD)
http://www.ghpud.org/
Puget Sound Energy buys Sumas plant – Puget Sound Energy is buying a 125-megawatt power plant in Sumas, Wash., to help meet growing demands for electricity. (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/12/10/daily4.html?ana=from_rss
PEOPLE SATISFIED WITH CHELAN COUNTY PUD – A recent telephone survey of Chelan County PUD customers found that 97 percent report being satisfied with the overall services of the PUD, the same percentage as last year. Robinson Research of Spokane contacted 400 PUD customers in the greater Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Chelan-Manson areas. (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)
ROCK ISLAND HYDRO PARK TO BE RENAMED FOR LATE CHELAN PUD MANAGER – Chelan County PUD commissioners voted today to change the name of Rock Island Hydro Park to Kirby Billingsley Hydro Park. The vote came after a request was made by customer Bob Parlette, Wilfred Woods, Rich Congdon and Bill Layman. Billingsley was a former PUD general manager and commissioner. (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)
Owners bristle as Progress chops trees: Power company says it must clear paths to comply with new federal regulations (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChhhgoxqRTebw11rbfem%5Ev
Massena Electric, New York conservation agency close to ending dam dispute - Massena Electric Department and the state Department of Environmental Conservation are one step closer to ending a dispute over the company's plans to study the impact of a proposed hydroelectric dam on the Grasse River. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChhihpphRTebw11rbfem%5Ev
Fools on the Hill – Greed versus green on the energy bill (Grist)
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/12/10/114820/26
News Release – Detroit Edison Offers Winter Storm Tips (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/IndustryNews.asp?m=1&id=79801
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Judge rips latest plan to help salmon – A meeting with Judge James Redden is federal managers' last chance (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1197345328250200.xml&coll=7
Judge threatens to take over Columbia Basin salmon plan “…operators could be liable for illegally killing threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead (and what about the fish caught by commercial, tribal and sport fisherman?)…” (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004064685_salmondams11m.html?syndication=rss
Alaska – New kingdom of kings. After major undercount of salmon, state adds opportunity for anglers (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/9508084p-9418795c.html
Wildlife Officials Try To Save Sturgeon From Sea Lions (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/wildlife-officials-try-save-sturgeon-sea-lions/
City tells EPA the water's fine – Portland's taking no chances after a court rejected its efforts to avoid expensive federal water treatment rules. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119725714277770.xml&coll=7
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Will taxes halt Calif.'s solar thermal ambitions? (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/Will-taxes-halt-Calif.s-solar-thermal-ambitions/2100-13836-6222219.html?part=dht
Pacific Ethanol halts construction of ethanol plant – The company, which has an ethanol plant in Oregon, has suspended construction of its Imperial Valley ethanol plant near Calipatria, Calif., citing the difficult market for ethanol producers. (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/12/10/daily10.html?ana=from_rss
More farmers seeing wind as cash crop – Wind farms are springing up from rural fields across the Midwest as a once-boutique alternative power industry begins to boom (Chicago Tribune)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-071211windfarm_web-story,1,7587612.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
CONSERVATION
North Carolina – Utilities devise ways to induce users to save energy – If you're considering a new refrigerator, insulation or a home energy audit, you might want to hold off for a few more months. (The News Observer)
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/822688.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Congressional Research Service – Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage: Frequently Asked Questions
http://opencrs.com/document/RL34218
Seattle Times Book Review – Knocking Seattle off its haughty green throne
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2004064297_emeraldcity11.html?syndication=rss
Speaking of smug – Solar City: San Francisco is setting the bar nationally and internationally for what cities can do to address global warming. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/11/ED4GTPKKT.DTL&feed=rss.opinion
Warming Trends – In Duck Blinds, Visions of Global Warming (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/us/11hunting.html?ex=1355029200&en=b20a1f8dac0c03a4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Data Centers Caught In Power Play – Electricity Plan Confounds Firms. With five computer data centers in Northern Virginia, DuPont Fabros Technologies is a major local player in a growing industry responsible for safeguarding vast repositories of information stored online. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/10/AR2007121001777.html?nav=rss_business
Wyoming – a $5 million cost – Powell works on fiber optics service (KIFI-AM)
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=7480424
Ask.com allows users to erase search queries (Reuters)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071211/tc_nm/ask_search_dc_2
GENERAL NEWS
Bill Virgin, Seattle Post Intelligencer: State's rainy-day fund has proved its value – In November, Washington voters gave the state a rainy-day fund. In December, they got a vivid demonstration of why such a fund is a good idea.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/342965_virgin11.html
Gov. Gregoire frustrated about federal response to flood (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_121007WAB_gov_storm_presser_SW.1852c7a.html
DIVERSIONS
Hands off Christmas, say religious leaders – Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims joined Britain's equality watchdog Monday in urging Britons to enjoy Christmas without worrying about offending non-Christians.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1041014220071210?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Man freed after 100 hours trapped in a lavatory
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1032522120071210?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Play's killer lied about wife who vanished from Bellingham
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12092007news244879.cfm?newsletter=10
A Tug of War Over a Declaration of Independence
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/us/11declaration.html?ex=1355029200&en=e812b398a7f60cbf&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
-Grays Harbor County PUD – Almost There
-Puget Sound Energy buys Sumas plant
-People Satisfied With Chelan County PUD
-Judge threatens to take over Columbia Basin salmon plan
-Alaska – New kingdom of kings. After major undercount of salmon, state adds opportunity for anglers
-Wildlife Officials Try To Save Sturgeon From Sea Lions
-Will taxes halt Calif.'s solar thermal ambitions?
-Pacific Ethanol halts construction of another ethanol plant
-More farmers seeing wind as cash crop
-Congressional Research Service – Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage: Frequently Asked Questions
-Seattle Times Book Review – Knocking Seattle off its haughty green throne
-Warming Trends – In Duck Blinds, Visions of Global Warming
-Data Centers Caught In Power Play – Electricity Plan Confounds Firms
-Wyoming – a $5 million cost – Powell works on fiber optics service
-Gov. Gregoire frustrated about federal response to flood
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Caltrop • \KAL-trip \ • noun – 1: a device with four metal points so arranged that when any three are on the ground the fourth projects upward as a hazard to the hooves of horses or to pneumatic tires 2: aplural but sing or plural in constr : star thistle 1 b: puncture vine; also : any of various related herbs (genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia) of the same family (Zygophyllaceae, the caltrop family)
Amanda stood at the second floor window, a smile playing across her face as she watched her potential fiancé dance gingerly in his bare feet across her gravel driveway. She knew that when she asked for a bouquet of roses from the garden that he would have to negotiate the sharp gravel chunks, jabbing the tender soles of his feet as if she had strewn his path with a truckload of caltrops. “Next time I’ll ask for a boquet of ‘stinging nettles’,” she thought. Her sharp cackle of laughter at the thought chased her long-haired Chihuahua from the room.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Almost There – Approximate number of customers without power: less than 100 customers (Grays Harbor County PUD)
http://www.ghpud.org/
Puget Sound Energy buys Sumas plant – Puget Sound Energy is buying a 125-megawatt power plant in Sumas, Wash., to help meet growing demands for electricity. (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/12/10/daily4.html?ana=from_rss
PEOPLE SATISFIED WITH CHELAN COUNTY PUD – A recent telephone survey of Chelan County PUD customers found that 97 percent report being satisfied with the overall services of the PUD, the same percentage as last year. Robinson Research of Spokane contacted 400 PUD customers in the greater Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Chelan-Manson areas. (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)
ROCK ISLAND HYDRO PARK TO BE RENAMED FOR LATE CHELAN PUD MANAGER – Chelan County PUD commissioners voted today to change the name of Rock Island Hydro Park to Kirby Billingsley Hydro Park. The vote came after a request was made by customer Bob Parlette, Wilfred Woods, Rich Congdon and Bill Layman. Billingsley was a former PUD general manager and commissioner. (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)
Owners bristle as Progress chops trees: Power company says it must clear paths to comply with new federal regulations (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChhhgoxqRTebw11rbfem%5Ev
Massena Electric, New York conservation agency close to ending dam dispute - Massena Electric Department and the state Department of Environmental Conservation are one step closer to ending a dispute over the company's plans to study the impact of a proposed hydroelectric dam on the Grasse River. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChhihpphRTebw11rbfem%5Ev
Fools on the Hill – Greed versus green on the energy bill (Grist)
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/12/10/114820/26
News Release – Detroit Edison Offers Winter Storm Tips (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/IndustryNews.asp?m=1&id=79801
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Judge rips latest plan to help salmon – A meeting with Judge James Redden is federal managers' last chance (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1197345328250200.xml&coll=7
Judge threatens to take over Columbia Basin salmon plan “…operators could be liable for illegally killing threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead (and what about the fish caught by commercial, tribal and sport fisherman?)…” (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004064685_salmondams11m.html?syndication=rss
Alaska – New kingdom of kings. After major undercount of salmon, state adds opportunity for anglers (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/9508084p-9418795c.html
Wildlife Officials Try To Save Sturgeon From Sea Lions (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/wildlife-officials-try-save-sturgeon-sea-lions/
City tells EPA the water's fine – Portland's taking no chances after a court rejected its efforts to avoid expensive federal water treatment rules. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119725714277770.xml&coll=7
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Will taxes halt Calif.'s solar thermal ambitions? (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/Will-taxes-halt-Calif.s-solar-thermal-ambitions/2100-13836-6222219.html?part=dht
Pacific Ethanol halts construction of ethanol plant – The company, which has an ethanol plant in Oregon, has suspended construction of its Imperial Valley ethanol plant near Calipatria, Calif., citing the difficult market for ethanol producers. (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/12/10/daily10.html?ana=from_rss
More farmers seeing wind as cash crop – Wind farms are springing up from rural fields across the Midwest as a once-boutique alternative power industry begins to boom (Chicago Tribune)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-071211windfarm_web-story,1,7587612.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
CONSERVATION
North Carolina – Utilities devise ways to induce users to save energy – If you're considering a new refrigerator, insulation or a home energy audit, you might want to hold off for a few more months. (The News Observer)
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/822688.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Congressional Research Service – Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage: Frequently Asked Questions
http://opencrs.com/document/RL34218
Seattle Times Book Review – Knocking Seattle off its haughty green throne
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2004064297_emeraldcity11.html?syndication=rss
Speaking of smug – Solar City: San Francisco is setting the bar nationally and internationally for what cities can do to address global warming. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/11/ED4GTPKKT.DTL&feed=rss.opinion
Warming Trends – In Duck Blinds, Visions of Global Warming (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/us/11hunting.html?ex=1355029200&en=b20a1f8dac0c03a4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Data Centers Caught In Power Play – Electricity Plan Confounds Firms. With five computer data centers in Northern Virginia, DuPont Fabros Technologies is a major local player in a growing industry responsible for safeguarding vast repositories of information stored online. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/10/AR2007121001777.html?nav=rss_business
Wyoming – a $5 million cost – Powell works on fiber optics service (KIFI-AM)
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=7480424
Ask.com allows users to erase search queries (Reuters)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071211/tc_nm/ask_search_dc_2
GENERAL NEWS
Bill Virgin, Seattle Post Intelligencer: State's rainy-day fund has proved its value – In November, Washington voters gave the state a rainy-day fund. In December, they got a vivid demonstration of why such a fund is a good idea.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/342965_virgin11.html
Gov. Gregoire frustrated about federal response to flood (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_121007WAB_gov_storm_presser_SW.1852c7a.html
DIVERSIONS
Hands off Christmas, say religious leaders – Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims joined Britain's equality watchdog Monday in urging Britons to enjoy Christmas without worrying about offending non-Christians.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1041014220071210?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Man freed after 100 hours trapped in a lavatory
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1032522120071210?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Play's killer lied about wife who vanished from Bellingham
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12092007news244879.cfm?newsletter=10
A Tug of War Over a Declaration of Independence
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/us/11declaration.html?ex=1355029200&en=e812b398a7f60cbf&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Monday, December 10, 2007
Energy News Digest for December 10, 2007
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)
-Disaster declarations bring federal help to flooded Washington
-Links to local papers in Grays Harbor and Lewis Counties
-Avista to pay fines for accident that left one dead
-Columbian Guest Op/Ed – Kalama plant neither coal nor defeated
-Pacific Gas & Electric vs. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA wins)
-Energy bill hits road bump in Senate
-NorthWestern Energy Announces Settlement Agreement With Montana Consumer Counsel
-Columbia River salmon plan isn't looking good
-Negotiating the Klamath – Settlement may in the air
-Salmon survival could be affected by storm damage
-Alaska salmon haul a season for the books: fourth-largest ever
-Clallam Public Utility District to hold meetings on water, sewer rate hikes
-Focus airborne soot rules on the source
-Alcoa's Wenatchee Smelter receives approval for renewable, hydropower supply agreement
-Efforts to Harvest Ocean’s Energy Open New Debate Front
-Wind power project good fit for Skamania, official says
-City of Olympia Nixes Free Wi-Fi
-Columbian Editorial – In our view: Fix flood problems or accept them
-Did development, logging set the stage for disaster?
-In Depth – We just keep rebuilding on valuable, unsafe land.
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Imprecate • \IM-prih-kayt\ • verb – to invoke evil on: curse
“Bubble, bubble, toilet trouble,” intoned the three witches over their steaming cauldron. They weren’t really evil, just annoying. They never did imprecate anyone seriously. The worst they ever did was to place a curse on the Coca Cola executive who thought coming up with a “new Coke” campaign was an outstanding idea.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Disaster declarations bring federal help to flooded Washington – covers six counties so far -- Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston. FEMA may help pay for emergency measures and debris removal. (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1096114~Disaster_declarations_bring_federal_help_to_flooded_Washington.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
Link here to the Daily World in Aberdeen for Grays Harbor storm recovery news:
http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news/
Link here to the Chronicle in Centralia for Lewis County storm recovery news:
http://www.chronline.com/index.php
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Avista to pay fines for accident that left one dead – Avista Utilities confirmed Thursday morning their plans to pay all fines associated with an accident at an Othello elementary school May 31. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/12/07/news/news03.txt
Columbian Guest Op/Ed – Kalama plant neither coal nor defeated. If you read last week's guest column in this space you might think a coal plant at the Port of Kalama had been defeated; you would be wrong on both counts. (By Brad Peck, Energy Northwest)
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12092007_Kalama-plant-neither-coal-nor-defeated.cfm
Pacific Gas & Electric vs Bonneville Power Administration – Supreme Court turns down PG&E appeal: case that centers on whether federal energy regulators have authority over municipalities. (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/AFX-0013-21561224.htm
Energy bill hits road bump in Senate – Senate Democrats searched for a compromise on energy legislation as Republican leaders made clear Friday they will oppose oil industry taxes and a mandate for utilities to use more wind and solar-generated electricity. (Associated Press)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071208/ap_on_go_co/congress_energy_21
Senate To Rework Ambitious Energy Bill – Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Expected to Be the Focus (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/07/AR2007120700856.html?nav=rss_business
NY Times Commentary – Stuck on Coal, and Stuck for Words in a High-Tech World
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/science/earth/04comm.html?ex=1354424400&en=85825cd960dc6487&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
News Release – NorthWestern Energy Announces Settlement Agreement With Montana Consumer Counsel. Preliminary rate settlements reached in South Dakota and Nebraska (NorthWestern Energy, via Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071207/aqf084.html?.v=16
Artists' suit against Snohomish police moved – A civil-rights lawsuit alleging Snohomish city police illegally detained an artist for photographing power lines has been moved to U.S. District Court in Seattle. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004055885_civilrights06m.html?syndication=rss
PJM opposes Duquesne Light pull out request (Pittsburgh Business Times)
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2007/12/03/daily29.html?ana=from_rss
News Release – PPM Energy Completes Purchase of 506 MW Klamath Cogeneration Plant (PPM Energy, via Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071205/20071205005988.html?.v=1
Fraud trial for ex-El Paso natural gas traders begins (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKN0562476420071205?rpc=44
Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds nearly $533,000 award in stray voltage case. The court sustained the award to Marathon County dairy farmers who claimed a power company's stray voltage hurt their cows' milk production. (Associated Press, via the Capitol Times)
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/260679
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Judge: Columbia River salmon plan isn't looking good (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/12/12082007_Judge-Salmon-plan-isnt-looking-good.cfm/
Negotiating the Klamath – Farmers, fishermen, Native Americans and environmentalists could be near a breakthrough on talks about removing four Klamath River dams to restore salmon runs and water health (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119709150477660.xml&coll=7
Fishing Salmon survival affected – While chances of going river fishing are pretty much washed out for at least a week, many are concerned about the long-term ramifications of young salmon survival due to the massive flooding. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2004055715_fish06.html
Alaska salmon haul a season for the books: fourth-largest ever – 2007: The catch has an estimated value of $374 million. (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/money/story/9510743p-9421489c.html
Kokanee salmon carcasses in Lake Stevens -- and environmentalists celebrate (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071206/NEWS01/712060047/-1/RSS01
Dams meet opposition – A water conservation coalition sent a letter Friday to the Washington State Legislature asking them to oppose new dams and support common-sense water solutions for the state’s Columbia River region. (The Othello Outlook)
http://othellooutlook.com/cgi-bin/outlook/get_story.cgi?story=Story_1&dir=12062007
American Indian artifacts found near Beebe Springs – Fish restoration, roadside park project put on hold (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/NEWS04/712080021/1001
Alcoa to clean PCB-tainted river shoreline – A PCB-tainted stretch of Columbia River shoreline will be cleaned to the highest level that's technically feasible, state regulators announced Thursday. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/12/12072007_Alcoa-to-clean-PCB-tainted-river-shoreline.cfm?newsletter=1
Clallam Public Utility District to hold meetings on water, sewer rate hikes – The public will have three chances next week to comment on water and sewer rate increases to be proposed by the Clallam County Public Utility District. (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20071208/NEWS/712080302
Low-flow toilets are next on the green agenda – New models boast a lot more flush (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342867_toilets10.html
Focus airborne soot rules on the source – The state’s new attack on dangerous airborne soot has drawn far too large a target within Pierce County. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/224754.html
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Alcoa's Wenatchee Smelter receives approval for renewable, hydropower supply agreement for 17 years (Trading Markets: underline added)
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/894825/
Efforts to Harvest Ocean’s Energy Open New Debate Front (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/08/us/08waves.html?ex=1354770000&en=be88f93795deeed9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Wind power project good fit for Skamania, official says (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2007/12/12092007_Wind-power-project-good-fit-for-Skamania-official-says.cfm
Branching Out – SDS Lumber Co. and Broughton Lumber Co. looking at wind power diversification (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/12/12092007_Branching-Out.cfm
Texas – Wind farm plan dropped; Gillespie residents cheer decision. NRG Energy has decided to abandon plans to build wind turbines in Gillespie County, a move hailed this week by county residents and local officials. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChgmokqqSSkiw11rbfem%5Ev
Giant offshore wind farms to supply half of UK power (London Times)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3022277.ece
Renewable Energy Portfolios Standards and Transmission Reliability: Can Demand Response Be a Solution? (PowerMarketers Industry Publications)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8kowu%5D%5Chgmtwpq%5BSkiw11rbfem%5Ev
CONSERVATION
Maine: Students win state energy savings contest (Portland Press-Herald)
http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/019492.html
Hydro Quebec shelves smart meters – Hydro Quebec is backing away from a major government initiative that would have reduced electricity consumption in the province, CBC News has learned.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2007/12/10/qc-hydrosmart1210.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Congressional Research Reports – State Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Comparison and Analysis (Once again, the Pacific Northwest comes out smelling great!)
http://opencrs.cdt.org/document/RL34272
Canada said to be Fort Knox of carbon – Boreal forests crucial as carbon storehouses, environmentalists say (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b55d3d7d-3cc5-4a58-b0f8-c7dd42e8b7ac
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Olympia nixes free Wi-Fi idea (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/294573.html
Cable to link Florence, Oregon and Alaska – Greater computer bandwith is headed to Florence but it may be awhile before locals have access to it. An Alaska telecommunications company has announced that it will run a fiber optic cable from the coastal town of Homer south to Oregon next year. (The Register-Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=31519&sid=2&fid=1
GENERAL NEWS
Columbian Editorial – In our view: Fix It or Accept It. This time, the parties must decide what, if anything, to do about flood problem
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12072007_In-our-view-Fix-It-or-Accept-It.cfm?newsletter=5
Did development, logging set the stage for disaster? (Seattle Times)
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=flood09m&date=20071209
In Depth – We just keep rebuilding on valuable, unsafe land. After the second catastrophic flood to hit the Northwest in 11 years, the communities of Tillamook and Chehalis, Wash., once again face the hazards of living and growing in the heart of a natural flood zone. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1197102325288610.xml&coll=7
View from Weyerhaeuser's chief economist (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/225515.html
Strow quitting Legislature – Rising Republican wants more time with family, less with politics (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342819_legislator08.html?source=rss
Lobbyist corps, state reach agreement on rent – Washington's lobbyist corps has agreed to pay $7,000 in back rent at the Capitol out of $24,494 owed and will pay the remainder later. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/293738.html
DIVERSIONS
From the “more than one way to skin a cat” department – Flag Burning Nixed Because Of Air Pollution Concerns. The state is unlikely to grant a permit to a man who wants to burn a Mexican flag on the steps of the state Capitol, because of air pollution concerns.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14801929/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news
How Dictionaries Define Publicity: The Word of the Year (ed note: Locavore? Yeah. Right….)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/business/media/10oxford.html?ex=1354942800&en=4f48337195000101&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Business: The Lump of Coal Awards – A big helping of holiday jeers (My favorite is the “Happy Meal” month…open a $250 account and get a happy meal! Wheee!)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/09/BUSUTQA2M.DTL&feed=rss.business
Led Zeppelin to Return to Stage
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/10/entertainment/e043422S51.DTL&feed=rss.news
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
-Disaster declarations bring federal help to flooded Washington
-Links to local papers in Grays Harbor and Lewis Counties
-Avista to pay fines for accident that left one dead
-Columbian Guest Op/Ed – Kalama plant neither coal nor defeated
-Pacific Gas & Electric vs. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA wins)
-Energy bill hits road bump in Senate
-NorthWestern Energy Announces Settlement Agreement With Montana Consumer Counsel
-Columbia River salmon plan isn't looking good
-Negotiating the Klamath – Settlement may in the air
-Salmon survival could be affected by storm damage
-Alaska salmon haul a season for the books: fourth-largest ever
-Clallam Public Utility District to hold meetings on water, sewer rate hikes
-Focus airborne soot rules on the source
-Alcoa's Wenatchee Smelter receives approval for renewable, hydropower supply agreement
-Efforts to Harvest Ocean’s Energy Open New Debate Front
-Wind power project good fit for Skamania, official says
-City of Olympia Nixes Free Wi-Fi
-Columbian Editorial – In our view: Fix flood problems or accept them
-Did development, logging set the stage for disaster?
-In Depth – We just keep rebuilding on valuable, unsafe land.
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Imprecate • \IM-prih-kayt\ • verb – to invoke evil on: curse
“Bubble, bubble, toilet trouble,” intoned the three witches over their steaming cauldron. They weren’t really evil, just annoying. They never did imprecate anyone seriously. The worst they ever did was to place a curse on the Coca Cola executive who thought coming up with a “new Coke” campaign was an outstanding idea.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Disaster declarations bring federal help to flooded Washington – covers six counties so far -- Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston. FEMA may help pay for emergency measures and debris removal. (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1096114~Disaster_declarations_bring_federal_help_to_flooded_Washington.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
Link here to the Daily World in Aberdeen for Grays Harbor storm recovery news:
http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news/
Link here to the Chronicle in Centralia for Lewis County storm recovery news:
http://www.chronline.com/index.php
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Avista to pay fines for accident that left one dead – Avista Utilities confirmed Thursday morning their plans to pay all fines associated with an accident at an Othello elementary school May 31. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/12/07/news/news03.txt
Columbian Guest Op/Ed – Kalama plant neither coal nor defeated. If you read last week's guest column in this space you might think a coal plant at the Port of Kalama had been defeated; you would be wrong on both counts. (By Brad Peck, Energy Northwest)
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12092007_Kalama-plant-neither-coal-nor-defeated.cfm
Pacific Gas & Electric vs Bonneville Power Administration – Supreme Court turns down PG&E appeal: case that centers on whether federal energy regulators have authority over municipalities. (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/AFX-0013-21561224.htm
Energy bill hits road bump in Senate – Senate Democrats searched for a compromise on energy legislation as Republican leaders made clear Friday they will oppose oil industry taxes and a mandate for utilities to use more wind and solar-generated electricity. (Associated Press)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071208/ap_on_go_co/congress_energy_21
Senate To Rework Ambitious Energy Bill – Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Expected to Be the Focus (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/07/AR2007120700856.html?nav=rss_business
NY Times Commentary – Stuck on Coal, and Stuck for Words in a High-Tech World
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/science/earth/04comm.html?ex=1354424400&en=85825cd960dc6487&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
News Release – NorthWestern Energy Announces Settlement Agreement With Montana Consumer Counsel. Preliminary rate settlements reached in South Dakota and Nebraska (NorthWestern Energy, via Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071207/aqf084.html?.v=16
Artists' suit against Snohomish police moved – A civil-rights lawsuit alleging Snohomish city police illegally detained an artist for photographing power lines has been moved to U.S. District Court in Seattle. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004055885_civilrights06m.html?syndication=rss
PJM opposes Duquesne Light pull out request (Pittsburgh Business Times)
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2007/12/03/daily29.html?ana=from_rss
News Release – PPM Energy Completes Purchase of 506 MW Klamath Cogeneration Plant (PPM Energy, via Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071205/20071205005988.html?.v=1
Fraud trial for ex-El Paso natural gas traders begins (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKN0562476420071205?rpc=44
Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds nearly $533,000 award in stray voltage case. The court sustained the award to Marathon County dairy farmers who claimed a power company's stray voltage hurt their cows' milk production. (Associated Press, via the Capitol Times)
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/260679
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Judge: Columbia River salmon plan isn't looking good (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/12/12082007_Judge-Salmon-plan-isnt-looking-good.cfm/
Negotiating the Klamath – Farmers, fishermen, Native Americans and environmentalists could be near a breakthrough on talks about removing four Klamath River dams to restore salmon runs and water health (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119709150477660.xml&coll=7
Fishing Salmon survival affected – While chances of going river fishing are pretty much washed out for at least a week, many are concerned about the long-term ramifications of young salmon survival due to the massive flooding. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2004055715_fish06.html
Alaska salmon haul a season for the books: fourth-largest ever – 2007: The catch has an estimated value of $374 million. (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/money/story/9510743p-9421489c.html
Kokanee salmon carcasses in Lake Stevens -- and environmentalists celebrate (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071206/NEWS01/712060047/-1/RSS01
Dams meet opposition – A water conservation coalition sent a letter Friday to the Washington State Legislature asking them to oppose new dams and support common-sense water solutions for the state’s Columbia River region. (The Othello Outlook)
http://othellooutlook.com/cgi-bin/outlook/get_story.cgi?story=Story_1&dir=12062007
American Indian artifacts found near Beebe Springs – Fish restoration, roadside park project put on hold (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/NEWS04/712080021/1001
Alcoa to clean PCB-tainted river shoreline – A PCB-tainted stretch of Columbia River shoreline will be cleaned to the highest level that's technically feasible, state regulators announced Thursday. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/12/12072007_Alcoa-to-clean-PCB-tainted-river-shoreline.cfm?newsletter=1
Clallam Public Utility District to hold meetings on water, sewer rate hikes – The public will have three chances next week to comment on water and sewer rate increases to be proposed by the Clallam County Public Utility District. (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20071208/NEWS/712080302
Low-flow toilets are next on the green agenda – New models boast a lot more flush (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342867_toilets10.html
Focus airborne soot rules on the source – The state’s new attack on dangerous airborne soot has drawn far too large a target within Pierce County. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/224754.html
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Alcoa's Wenatchee Smelter receives approval for renewable, hydropower supply agreement for 17 years (Trading Markets: underline added)
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/894825/
Efforts to Harvest Ocean’s Energy Open New Debate Front (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/08/us/08waves.html?ex=1354770000&en=be88f93795deeed9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Wind power project good fit for Skamania, official says (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2007/12/12092007_Wind-power-project-good-fit-for-Skamania-official-says.cfm
Branching Out – SDS Lumber Co. and Broughton Lumber Co. looking at wind power diversification (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/12/12092007_Branching-Out.cfm
Texas – Wind farm plan dropped; Gillespie residents cheer decision. NRG Energy has decided to abandon plans to build wind turbines in Gillespie County, a move hailed this week by county residents and local officials. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChgmokqqSSkiw11rbfem%5Ev
Giant offshore wind farms to supply half of UK power (London Times)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3022277.ece
Renewable Energy Portfolios Standards and Transmission Reliability: Can Demand Response Be a Solution? (PowerMarketers Industry Publications)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8kowu%5D%5Chgmtwpq%5BSkiw11rbfem%5Ev
CONSERVATION
Maine: Students win state energy savings contest (Portland Press-Herald)
http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/019492.html
Hydro Quebec shelves smart meters – Hydro Quebec is backing away from a major government initiative that would have reduced electricity consumption in the province, CBC News has learned.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2007/12/10/qc-hydrosmart1210.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Congressional Research Reports – State Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Comparison and Analysis (Once again, the Pacific Northwest comes out smelling great!)
http://opencrs.cdt.org/document/RL34272
Canada said to be Fort Knox of carbon – Boreal forests crucial as carbon storehouses, environmentalists say (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b55d3d7d-3cc5-4a58-b0f8-c7dd42e8b7ac
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Olympia nixes free Wi-Fi idea (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/294573.html
Cable to link Florence, Oregon and Alaska – Greater computer bandwith is headed to Florence but it may be awhile before locals have access to it. An Alaska telecommunications company has announced that it will run a fiber optic cable from the coastal town of Homer south to Oregon next year. (The Register-Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=31519&sid=2&fid=1
GENERAL NEWS
Columbian Editorial – In our view: Fix It or Accept It. This time, the parties must decide what, if anything, to do about flood problem
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12072007_In-our-view-Fix-It-or-Accept-It.cfm?newsletter=5
Did development, logging set the stage for disaster? (Seattle Times)
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=flood09m&date=20071209
In Depth – We just keep rebuilding on valuable, unsafe land. After the second catastrophic flood to hit the Northwest in 11 years, the communities of Tillamook and Chehalis, Wash., once again face the hazards of living and growing in the heart of a natural flood zone. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1197102325288610.xml&coll=7
View from Weyerhaeuser's chief economist (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/225515.html
Strow quitting Legislature – Rising Republican wants more time with family, less with politics (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342819_legislator08.html?source=rss
Lobbyist corps, state reach agreement on rent – Washington's lobbyist corps has agreed to pay $7,000 in back rent at the Capitol out of $24,494 owed and will pay the remainder later. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/293738.html
DIVERSIONS
From the “more than one way to skin a cat” department – Flag Burning Nixed Because Of Air Pollution Concerns. The state is unlikely to grant a permit to a man who wants to burn a Mexican flag on the steps of the state Capitol, because of air pollution concerns.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14801929/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news
How Dictionaries Define Publicity: The Word of the Year (ed note: Locavore? Yeah. Right….)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/business/media/10oxford.html?ex=1354942800&en=4f48337195000101&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Business: The Lump of Coal Awards – A big helping of holiday jeers (My favorite is the “Happy Meal” month…open a $250 account and get a happy meal! Wheee!)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/09/BUSUTQA2M.DTL&feed=rss.business
Led Zeppelin to Return to Stage
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/10/entertainment/e043422S51.DTL&feed=rss.news
Friday, December 7, 2007
Energy News Digest for December 7, 2007
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)
- Mason County PUD No. 3 completes restoration of electricity to customers
- Grays Harbor PUD Power Outage Update
- Avista cited for Othello boom-truck death
- PacifiCorp labels coal a no-go for new plants
- Utility examines possible site for nuclear plant in SW Idaho
- $1 billion lawsuit claims Klamath dams produce hazardous waste
- EPA objects to parts of Spokane River draft sewage permits
- Wave Power: Balance fishing and renewable power needs
- Old wood stoves pumping out pollution along with heat
- Montana – 'Brownout' reduces energy consumption by 6.6 percent
- LED street lighting: the Light at Night Falls Bright
- Climate change could mean more massive downpours
- San Francisco mayor proposes 'carbon tax
- Comcast's shares take a battering
- Funding, feuding put Lewis County flood project on hold
- Trucks rolling on freeway
- 19 in WA town taken to hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning
- WA Board of Health recommends carbon monoxide detectors
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Aficionado • \uh-FISH-ee-uh-nah-doe\ • noun – a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity
“Hand me that set of pliers,” squealed Anthony. Being the foremost historical aficionado of Dolly Parton’s series sequined dress evolution he could not resist pulling some rhinestones from the rare “Porter Waggoner/Dolly Parton appearance” at the Grand Old Opry. His friend Ambrose, standing watch in the wax museum, was sure that ‘Tony’s interest in Dolly’s costumes was NOT related to their design or architecture.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
News Release – Mason County PUD No. 3 completes restoration of electricity to customers affected by December 3 storm (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/News/display.asp?NewsID=395
Shelton – KMAS Radio’s Extreme Weather Page (for extreme weather addicts)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/badweather.htm
Flood Damage Estimates in Millions (Kitsap Sun, includes Mason County Estimates)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/06/flooding-damage-estimates-in-millions/
News Release – Grays Harbor PUD Power Outage Update (Grays Harbor County PUD)
https://www.ghpud.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=314&Itemid=150
Clallam County line crews helping in other parts of western Washington (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3290
Here’s a link to the Daily News in Aberdeen – all storm, all the time
http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news/
Here’s a link to the Chronicle in Centralia – Even more storm and flooding information, including I-5 conditions
http://www.chronline.com/index.php
News Release – BPA partnering with utilities to get lights back on (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/185379/
Avista cited for Othello boom-truck death – The state fined Avista Utilties for an incident when an Othello man fell to his death from a boom truck on May 31. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/12/07/news/news02.txt
PacifiCorp labels coal a no-go for new plants – The utility says its long-range plans will look elsewhere for resources to generate electric power (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/119700331683500.xml&coll=7
Idaho – Utility examines possible site for nuclear plant in SW Idaho. A large utility is considering building its first nuclear power plant Payette County, northwest of Boise, a company official says. (Idaho Statesman)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/531/story/228682.html
Energy bill includes 4 years of timber payments to rural counties (Eugene Register Guard)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WST_TIMBER_COUNTIES_OROL-?SITE=OREUG&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Artists' suit against Snohomish police moved – A civil-rights lawsuit alleging Snohomish city police illegally detained an artist for photographing power lines has been moved to U.S. District Court in Seattle. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004055885_civilrights06m.html
Maryland – PSC wants role in utilities: Senators are told that deregulation can't meet Md.'s power needs. Utility regulators yesterday presented lawmakers with a new model for electric regulation in Maryland, reinforcing the widespread view in Annapolis that competitive markets have failed to deliver benefits to consumers. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChgghhltYSjhw11rbfem%5Ev
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
$1 billion lawsuit claims Klamath dams produce hazardous waste (Eugene Register Guard)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WST_KLAMATH_DAMS_OROL-?SITE=OREUG&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
EPA objects to parts of Spokane River draft sewage permits – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency objects to portions of draft sewage discharge permits that the state Department of Ecology issued for several cities and mills on the Spokane River. (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12072007news244026.cfm?newsletter=10
Oregon – State will investigate windsurfers' health issues. Officials hope to find answers after two decades of complaints along the Columbia River (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/11969133179330.xml&coll=7
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Columbian Editorial – In our view: Wave Power? Balance fishing and renewable power needs
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12042007_In-our-view-Wave-Power.cfm?newsletter=1
Old wood stoves pumping out pollution along with heat – Oregon links wood along with wind and solar energy as renewable energy because it avoids using oil, coal or natural gas, said Ann Grim of the Oregon Department of Energy. (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1089184~Old_wood_stoves_pumping_out_pollution_along_with_heat.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines
Kansas – 1978 law at center of wind-power profit debate. Some of the state's top utility lawyers battled Wednesday over whether Westar Energy should get a chance to earn extra profit for adding wind power to the electric system that serves 674,000 customers. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChgiioxuVSjhw11rbfem%5Ev
CONSERVATION
Montana – 'Brownout' reduces energy consumption by 6.6 percent. The planned "Billings Brownout" Thursday evening reduced energy usage by about 6.6 percent according to NorthWestern Energy. (The Billings Gazette)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/07/news/local/23-brownout.txt
LED street lighting: the Light at Night Falls Bright – Welland, Ontario has launched the first phase of its LED lighting scheme and has installed 47 luminaires from Relume (LEDs Magazine)
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/4/12/10
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Climate change could mean more massive downpours – Record-setting storms like the one Sunday and Monday that flooded the Northwest could become more of the norm as climate change skews our region's rainfall patterns and leads to more of these massive deluges as compared to the typical drizzle. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342268_stormwater05.html
San Francisco mayor proposes 'carbon tax' to curb global warming (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1089505~San_Francisco_mayor_proposes__carbon_tax__to_curb_global_warming.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Comcast's shares take a battering – In a bad year for cable stocks, Comcast's fall has been downright ugly. (The Associated Press, via the Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1196908003154260.xml&coll=7
GENERAL NEWS
Funding, feuding put flood project on hold – When Washington lawmakers in 2003 approved an ambitious plan — the "nickel gas tax" package — to repair state highways, tucked inside was $30 million to help corral the Chehalis River. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004053251_stormnickel05m.html
Trucks rolling on freeway – If all goes as planned, the Washington state Department of Transportation will reopen Interstate 5 to passenger vehicles today. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/292841.html
19 in WA town taken to hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning – The Ocean Shores police chief says 19 people - 18 adults and one child - have been taken to a hospital for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning after becoming sick at an IGA grocery store in the Washington coast town. (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12062007news243319.cfm?newsletter=10
WA Board of Health recommends carbon monoxide detectors (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1092131~WA_Board_of_Health_recommends_carbon_monoxide_detectors.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
Veteran Tri-Cities legislator hit with record ethics fine (Wow! Four-thousand bucks – The Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1089654~Veteran_Tri_Cities_legislator_hit_with_record_ethics_fine.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
(Includes Belfair Residents) Ten private investigators charged with illegal dirt-digging (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12072007news244027.cfm?newsletter=10
State-paid divorce lawyers not a right – People who are going through divorce proceedings do not have the right to a lawyer paid by the state, the state Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342490_divorce07.html
Customers line up for tiny Smart car (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/motoring/2004053270_smartcar05.html
DIVERSIONS
Oh man! Grocery Store Issues Apology after Advertising Hams as Chanukah Food (um…pork products ARE NOT kosher foods)
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14799483/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_1_01000212072007&ts=H
Olympia Boy Wins $10k For Toy Roller Coaster Design
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14799617/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_1_01000212072007&ts=H
"Dead" canoeist's photo genuine, says wife – The wife of a man who was presumed to have drowned five years ago in a canoeing accident has told British newspapers that a photo of them taken together in Panama last year was genuine.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071206/od_nm/canoeist1_dc;_ylt=AkU8PO1vlFtDjNlf9OL10d7tiBIF
Bush says dial 1-800-OOPS for housing help – U.S. homeowners who could face crippling mortgage payments will have a hard time getting help if they call a telephone number President George W. Bush recommended on Thursday -- he gave them the wrong number.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071206/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_usa_subprime_bush_number;_ylt=AiPHXcrkQt8mT0qzL_A9TrXtiBIF
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Mason County PUD No. 3 completes restoration of electricity to customers
- Grays Harbor PUD Power Outage Update
- Avista cited for Othello boom-truck death
- PacifiCorp labels coal a no-go for new plants
- Utility examines possible site for nuclear plant in SW Idaho
- $1 billion lawsuit claims Klamath dams produce hazardous waste
- EPA objects to parts of Spokane River draft sewage permits
- Wave Power: Balance fishing and renewable power needs
- Old wood stoves pumping out pollution along with heat
- Montana – 'Brownout' reduces energy consumption by 6.6 percent
- LED street lighting: the Light at Night Falls Bright
- Climate change could mean more massive downpours
- San Francisco mayor proposes 'carbon tax
- Comcast's shares take a battering
- Funding, feuding put Lewis County flood project on hold
- Trucks rolling on freeway
- 19 in WA town taken to hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning
- WA Board of Health recommends carbon monoxide detectors
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Aficionado • \uh-FISH-ee-uh-nah-doe\ • noun – a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity
“Hand me that set of pliers,” squealed Anthony. Being the foremost historical aficionado of Dolly Parton’s series sequined dress evolution he could not resist pulling some rhinestones from the rare “Porter Waggoner/Dolly Parton appearance” at the Grand Old Opry. His friend Ambrose, standing watch in the wax museum, was sure that ‘Tony’s interest in Dolly’s costumes was NOT related to their design or architecture.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
News Release – Mason County PUD No. 3 completes restoration of electricity to customers affected by December 3 storm (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/News/display.asp?NewsID=395
Shelton – KMAS Radio’s Extreme Weather Page (for extreme weather addicts)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/badweather.htm
Flood Damage Estimates in Millions (Kitsap Sun, includes Mason County Estimates)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/06/flooding-damage-estimates-in-millions/
News Release – Grays Harbor PUD Power Outage Update (Grays Harbor County PUD)
https://www.ghpud.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=314&Itemid=150
Clallam County line crews helping in other parts of western Washington (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3290
Here’s a link to the Daily News in Aberdeen – all storm, all the time
http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news/
Here’s a link to the Chronicle in Centralia – Even more storm and flooding information, including I-5 conditions
http://www.chronline.com/index.php
News Release – BPA partnering with utilities to get lights back on (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/185379/
Avista cited for Othello boom-truck death – The state fined Avista Utilties for an incident when an Othello man fell to his death from a boom truck on May 31. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/12/07/news/news02.txt
PacifiCorp labels coal a no-go for new plants – The utility says its long-range plans will look elsewhere for resources to generate electric power (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/119700331683500.xml&coll=7
Idaho – Utility examines possible site for nuclear plant in SW Idaho. A large utility is considering building its first nuclear power plant Payette County, northwest of Boise, a company official says. (Idaho Statesman)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/531/story/228682.html
Energy bill includes 4 years of timber payments to rural counties (Eugene Register Guard)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WST_TIMBER_COUNTIES_OROL-?SITE=OREUG&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Artists' suit against Snohomish police moved – A civil-rights lawsuit alleging Snohomish city police illegally detained an artist for photographing power lines has been moved to U.S. District Court in Seattle. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004055885_civilrights06m.html
Maryland – PSC wants role in utilities: Senators are told that deregulation can't meet Md.'s power needs. Utility regulators yesterday presented lawmakers with a new model for electric regulation in Maryland, reinforcing the widespread view in Annapolis that competitive markets have failed to deliver benefits to consumers. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChgghhltYSjhw11rbfem%5Ev
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
$1 billion lawsuit claims Klamath dams produce hazardous waste (Eugene Register Guard)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WST_KLAMATH_DAMS_OROL-?SITE=OREUG&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
EPA objects to parts of Spokane River draft sewage permits – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency objects to portions of draft sewage discharge permits that the state Department of Ecology issued for several cities and mills on the Spokane River. (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12072007news244026.cfm?newsletter=10
Oregon – State will investigate windsurfers' health issues. Officials hope to find answers after two decades of complaints along the Columbia River (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/11969133179330.xml&coll=7
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Columbian Editorial – In our view: Wave Power? Balance fishing and renewable power needs
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12042007_In-our-view-Wave-Power.cfm?newsletter=1
Old wood stoves pumping out pollution along with heat – Oregon links wood along with wind and solar energy as renewable energy because it avoids using oil, coal or natural gas, said Ann Grim of the Oregon Department of Energy. (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1089184~Old_wood_stoves_pumping_out_pollution_along_with_heat.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines
Kansas – 1978 law at center of wind-power profit debate. Some of the state's top utility lawyers battled Wednesday over whether Westar Energy should get a chance to earn extra profit for adding wind power to the electric system that serves 674,000 customers. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChgiioxuVSjhw11rbfem%5Ev
CONSERVATION
Montana – 'Brownout' reduces energy consumption by 6.6 percent. The planned "Billings Brownout" Thursday evening reduced energy usage by about 6.6 percent according to NorthWestern Energy. (The Billings Gazette)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/07/news/local/23-brownout.txt
LED street lighting: the Light at Night Falls Bright – Welland, Ontario has launched the first phase of its LED lighting scheme and has installed 47 luminaires from Relume (LEDs Magazine)
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/4/12/10
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Climate change could mean more massive downpours – Record-setting storms like the one Sunday and Monday that flooded the Northwest could become more of the norm as climate change skews our region's rainfall patterns and leads to more of these massive deluges as compared to the typical drizzle. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342268_stormwater05.html
San Francisco mayor proposes 'carbon tax' to curb global warming (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1089505~San_Francisco_mayor_proposes__carbon_tax__to_curb_global_warming.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Comcast's shares take a battering – In a bad year for cable stocks, Comcast's fall has been downright ugly. (The Associated Press, via the Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1196908003154260.xml&coll=7
GENERAL NEWS
Funding, feuding put flood project on hold – When Washington lawmakers in 2003 approved an ambitious plan — the "nickel gas tax" package — to repair state highways, tucked inside was $30 million to help corral the Chehalis River. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004053251_stormnickel05m.html
Trucks rolling on freeway – If all goes as planned, the Washington state Department of Transportation will reopen Interstate 5 to passenger vehicles today. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/292841.html
19 in WA town taken to hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning – The Ocean Shores police chief says 19 people - 18 adults and one child - have been taken to a hospital for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning after becoming sick at an IGA grocery store in the Washington coast town. (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12062007news243319.cfm?newsletter=10
WA Board of Health recommends carbon monoxide detectors (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1092131~WA_Board_of_Health_recommends_carbon_monoxide_detectors.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
Veteran Tri-Cities legislator hit with record ethics fine (Wow! Four-thousand bucks – The Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1089654~Veteran_Tri_Cities_legislator_hit_with_record_ethics_fine.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
(Includes Belfair Residents) Ten private investigators charged with illegal dirt-digging (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12072007news244027.cfm?newsletter=10
State-paid divorce lawyers not a right – People who are going through divorce proceedings do not have the right to a lawyer paid by the state, the state Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342490_divorce07.html
Customers line up for tiny Smart car (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/motoring/2004053270_smartcar05.html
DIVERSIONS
Oh man! Grocery Store Issues Apology after Advertising Hams as Chanukah Food (um…pork products ARE NOT kosher foods)
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14799483/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_1_01000212072007&ts=H
Olympia Boy Wins $10k For Toy Roller Coaster Design
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14799617/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_1_01000212072007&ts=H
"Dead" canoeist's photo genuine, says wife – The wife of a man who was presumed to have drowned five years ago in a canoeing accident has told British newspapers that a photo of them taken together in Panama last year was genuine.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071206/od_nm/canoeist1_dc;_ylt=AkU8PO1vlFtDjNlf9OL10d7tiBIF
Bush says dial 1-800-OOPS for housing help – U.S. homeowners who could face crippling mortgage payments will have a hard time getting help if they call a telephone number President George W. Bush recommended on Thursday -- he gave them the wrong number.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071206/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_usa_subprime_bush_number;_ylt=AiPHXcrkQt8mT0qzL_A9TrXtiBIF
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Energy News Digest for December 4, 2007
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.
WORD OF THE DAY
Genius Loci • \JEEN-yus – LOW-sigh\ • noun – 1: the pervading spirit of a place 2: a tutelary deity of a place
Ambrose lazily swirled his plastic spoon in his nightly serving of “Pork and Beans”. Dreamily he reached out and touched the base of his chipped, plastic Porky Pig statue that had represented the Genius Loci of his family for over forty years. “Oh Porky,” he intoned. “Please don’t think any less of me when I say that I LOVE eating this little square of pork fat swimming at the top of my daily dose of high fiber beans.” Porky remained stoic, just as he had for many other house guests over the years.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
KMAS Radio’s “Extreme Weather” page. Includes road, power and weather updates (Shelton/Mason County)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/badweather.htm
Devastating Storm (That pretty much says it all for the coast – Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/12/03/local_news/001news.txt
Storm drenches region; rescuers "overwhelmed" – Efforts will resume today to rescue people from flood-stricken homes in Southwest Washington after Monday's regionwide storm killed two, severed major highways, isolated communities and closed scores of roads and businesses. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004051245_stormmainbar04.html
Wind, rain lash Pacific Northwest, then target Midwest (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2007-12-03-northwest-storm_N.htm?csp=34
Flooding closes Interstate 5, isolates some communities - Showers expected to abate after tonight (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/289521.html
Thousands Stranded Due to North Mason Flooding (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/04/thousands-stranded-due-to-north-mason-flooding/
Grays Harbor County cut off (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/289516.html
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
News Release – Mason County PUD No. 3 linemen joined by Peninsula Power & Light and Snohomish County PUD in power restoration efforts. Access to Lake Cushman hindered by Skokomish River flooding (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/News/display.asp?NewsID=384
Clallam County’s west end power out; isolated by road closures (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3278
Douglas PUD budget anticipates no rate increase – Douglas County PUD commissioners have approved a 2008 budget that includes no rate increases and a slightly faster build-out of its fiber-optics network. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071130/NEWS04/71130008/1025/rss1025
Chelan County PUD approves Alcoa power deal – PUD commissioners today approved a 17-year contract that Alcoa officials say will expand production, add 60 jobs and secure the future of the Wenatchee Works aluminum smelter. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/NEWS04/71203017/1001
Gas, electrical bills could go up – Puget Sound Energy told state regulators Monday it wants to raise electrical rates 9.5 percent and natural gas rates 5.3 percent to pay for new generating capacity, energy supplies and pipes and wires needed to serve its growing customer base. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/342144_pugetenergy04.html
North Carolina – Duke Energy told to cut electricity rates. State regulators said today that Duke Energy must cut its electricity rates for North Carolina customers by 3.4 percent in January. (The News-Observer)
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/803297.html
Baltimore Sun Op/Ed – Reregulating power
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.psc03dec03,0,1861419.story?track=rss
Michigan – Keep clean coal plants for state's power needs. Michigan's energy needs and its business recruitment efforts will be harmed by environmentalists who continue tilting at windmills. They want to ban the construction of new coal plants in the state but haven't come up with legitimate alternatives. (The Detroit News)
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/OPINION01/712020301/1008
Failed Nevada Experimental Energy Plant Costs Millions (Canadian Business)
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D8TA3NHG2
Buffett bets $2.1bn on utility sector (MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22084799/
Arizona – Federal plan for transmission lines draws ire (The Business Journal of Phoenix)
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/12/03/story9.html?ana=from_rss
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Endangered species questions expand – The Interior Department's inspector general will expand an investigation into the alleged political manipulation of decisions on 18 endangered species, including the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and bull trout. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119648315871510.xml&coll=7
Coho still abundant in rivers; steelhead on their way (Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/30/this_day/doc47503724cfbaf534038781.txt
Another dismal season forecast for British Columbia salmon – Things are going from bad to worse for Pacific salmon.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=df0c48b0-db3f-4bc4-a05d-efd12c54aead
Oregon – Trout back in Diamond Lake after tui chub poisoning. With Diamond Lake free of the invasive tui chub, fishermen say the trout they are catching are fatter and longer than they have been in decades. (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1084489~Trout_back_in_Diamond_Lake_after_tui_chub_poisoning.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Ambitious wind farm idea pushes on in gorge – An energy developer from New York is moving forward with a project to build a gargantuan wind farm along the Columbia River in Gilliam and Morrow counties. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1196742332287410.xml&coll=7
Unfouling dirty garbage trucks – Portland-area governments are taking the first steps toward cleaning up old and dirty diesel engines, drafting new requirements that would cut the toxic particulates spewed into the air but also would raise garbage rates and contractor costs. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119665233143050.xml&coll=7
As fuel prices rise, rural Alaska looks at alternative energy (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/ap_alaska/story/9494111p-9405007c.html
Electric cars could act as batteries for the energy grid (New Scientist)
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/energy-fuels/dn13000-electric-cars-could-act-as-batteries-for-the-energy-grid-.html
CONSERVATION
News Release – FERC Hydrokinetic Energy Project Policy Statement allows conditioned licensing – The policy statement covers projects that use currents, waves and tides to generate renewable electric energy. (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
http://www.ferc.gov/news/news-releases/2007/2007-4/11-30-07.asp
Texas mayors promote fluorescents as 'state bulb' (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC34772620071203?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Power firms accused of emissions trade cheating (The Guardian, United Kingdom)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/03/climatechange.greenpolitics1
Should Couples Stay Together For Planet? Divorce Adds $6.9B In Energy Costs In U.S. A Year (Associated Press, Via KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/family/14763071/detail.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Google may bid to lose – Auction for wireless airwaves is next month (Bloomberg News, via the Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/342160_googleauction04.html?source=rss
DIVERSIONS
Thief hopes ironworkers don't find him
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071204/ap_on_fe_st/odd_funeral_thief;_ylt=Ap6yMi8KNSrgq9633DVd3GLtiBIF
Driver passes test, then hits building
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071204/ap_on_fe_st/odd_hit_the_wall;_ylt=Ai7ejZBn1Gg9NKJaNYjyyivtiBIF
China says moon pictures not faked from NASA – China has dismissed Internet gossip that its first photo of the moon taken from a lunar orbiter might have been plagiarized from NASA, local media said on Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071203/od_nm/moon_dc;_ylt=Au6EZ9UqpO3Dggy79xCtBNvtiBIF
Man accused of stealing plane to impress – A man accused of stealing a twin-engine plane and driving it down the taxiway staged the stunt while he was drunk to impress his girlfriend, police said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071204/ap_on_fe_st/stolen_plane;_ylt=ApLJ_0.l.vbgJi0db0Zx7jLtiBIF
"Naughty" nations in a coal lot of trouble in Bali
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071203/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_bali_award;_ylt=AkNILM3C1vGA_4I.FCVYoErtiBIF
WORD OF THE DAY
Genius Loci • \JEEN-yus – LOW-sigh\ • noun – 1: the pervading spirit of a place 2: a tutelary deity of a place
Ambrose lazily swirled his plastic spoon in his nightly serving of “Pork and Beans”. Dreamily he reached out and touched the base of his chipped, plastic Porky Pig statue that had represented the Genius Loci of his family for over forty years. “Oh Porky,” he intoned. “Please don’t think any less of me when I say that I LOVE eating this little square of pork fat swimming at the top of my daily dose of high fiber beans.” Porky remained stoic, just as he had for many other house guests over the years.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
KMAS Radio’s “Extreme Weather” page. Includes road, power and weather updates (Shelton/Mason County)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/badweather.htm
Devastating Storm (That pretty much says it all for the coast – Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/12/03/local_news/001news.txt
Storm drenches region; rescuers "overwhelmed" – Efforts will resume today to rescue people from flood-stricken homes in Southwest Washington after Monday's regionwide storm killed two, severed major highways, isolated communities and closed scores of roads and businesses. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004051245_stormmainbar04.html
Wind, rain lash Pacific Northwest, then target Midwest (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2007-12-03-northwest-storm_N.htm?csp=34
Flooding closes Interstate 5, isolates some communities - Showers expected to abate after tonight (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/289521.html
Thousands Stranded Due to North Mason Flooding (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/04/thousands-stranded-due-to-north-mason-flooding/
Grays Harbor County cut off (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/289516.html
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
News Release – Mason County PUD No. 3 linemen joined by Peninsula Power & Light and Snohomish County PUD in power restoration efforts. Access to Lake Cushman hindered by Skokomish River flooding (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/News/display.asp?NewsID=384
Clallam County’s west end power out; isolated by road closures (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3278
Douglas PUD budget anticipates no rate increase – Douglas County PUD commissioners have approved a 2008 budget that includes no rate increases and a slightly faster build-out of its fiber-optics network. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071130/NEWS04/71130008/1025/rss1025
Chelan County PUD approves Alcoa power deal – PUD commissioners today approved a 17-year contract that Alcoa officials say will expand production, add 60 jobs and secure the future of the Wenatchee Works aluminum smelter. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/NEWS04/71203017/1001
Gas, electrical bills could go up – Puget Sound Energy told state regulators Monday it wants to raise electrical rates 9.5 percent and natural gas rates 5.3 percent to pay for new generating capacity, energy supplies and pipes and wires needed to serve its growing customer base. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/342144_pugetenergy04.html
North Carolina – Duke Energy told to cut electricity rates. State regulators said today that Duke Energy must cut its electricity rates for North Carolina customers by 3.4 percent in January. (The News-Observer)
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/803297.html
Baltimore Sun Op/Ed – Reregulating power
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.psc03dec03,0,1861419.story?track=rss
Michigan – Keep clean coal plants for state's power needs. Michigan's energy needs and its business recruitment efforts will be harmed by environmentalists who continue tilting at windmills. They want to ban the construction of new coal plants in the state but haven't come up with legitimate alternatives. (The Detroit News)
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/OPINION01/712020301/1008
Failed Nevada Experimental Energy Plant Costs Millions (Canadian Business)
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D8TA3NHG2
Buffett bets $2.1bn on utility sector (MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22084799/
Arizona – Federal plan for transmission lines draws ire (The Business Journal of Phoenix)
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/12/03/story9.html?ana=from_rss
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Endangered species questions expand – The Interior Department's inspector general will expand an investigation into the alleged political manipulation of decisions on 18 endangered species, including the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and bull trout. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119648315871510.xml&coll=7
Coho still abundant in rivers; steelhead on their way (Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/30/this_day/doc47503724cfbaf534038781.txt
Another dismal season forecast for British Columbia salmon – Things are going from bad to worse for Pacific salmon.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=df0c48b0-db3f-4bc4-a05d-efd12c54aead
Oregon – Trout back in Diamond Lake after tui chub poisoning. With Diamond Lake free of the invasive tui chub, fishermen say the trout they are catching are fatter and longer than they have been in decades. (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1084489~Trout_back_in_Diamond_Lake_after_tui_chub_poisoning.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Ambitious wind farm idea pushes on in gorge – An energy developer from New York is moving forward with a project to build a gargantuan wind farm along the Columbia River in Gilliam and Morrow counties. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1196742332287410.xml&coll=7
Unfouling dirty garbage trucks – Portland-area governments are taking the first steps toward cleaning up old and dirty diesel engines, drafting new requirements that would cut the toxic particulates spewed into the air but also would raise garbage rates and contractor costs. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119665233143050.xml&coll=7
As fuel prices rise, rural Alaska looks at alternative energy (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/ap_alaska/story/9494111p-9405007c.html
Electric cars could act as batteries for the energy grid (New Scientist)
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/energy-fuels/dn13000-electric-cars-could-act-as-batteries-for-the-energy-grid-.html
CONSERVATION
News Release – FERC Hydrokinetic Energy Project Policy Statement allows conditioned licensing – The policy statement covers projects that use currents, waves and tides to generate renewable electric energy. (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
http://www.ferc.gov/news/news-releases/2007/2007-4/11-30-07.asp
Texas mayors promote fluorescents as 'state bulb' (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC34772620071203?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Power firms accused of emissions trade cheating (The Guardian, United Kingdom)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/03/climatechange.greenpolitics1
Should Couples Stay Together For Planet? Divorce Adds $6.9B In Energy Costs In U.S. A Year (Associated Press, Via KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/family/14763071/detail.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Google may bid to lose – Auction for wireless airwaves is next month (Bloomberg News, via the Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/342160_googleauction04.html?source=rss
DIVERSIONS
Thief hopes ironworkers don't find him
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071204/ap_on_fe_st/odd_funeral_thief;_ylt=Ap6yMi8KNSrgq9633DVd3GLtiBIF
Driver passes test, then hits building
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071204/ap_on_fe_st/odd_hit_the_wall;_ylt=Ai7ejZBn1Gg9NKJaNYjyyivtiBIF
China says moon pictures not faked from NASA – China has dismissed Internet gossip that its first photo of the moon taken from a lunar orbiter might have been plagiarized from NASA, local media said on Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071203/od_nm/moon_dc;_ylt=Au6EZ9UqpO3Dggy79xCtBNvtiBIF
Man accused of stealing plane to impress – A man accused of stealing a twin-engine plane and driving it down the taxiway staged the stunt while he was drunk to impress his girlfriend, police said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071204/ap_on_fe_st/stolen_plane;_ylt=ApLJ_0.l.vbgJi0db0Zx7jLtiBIF
"Naughty" nations in a coal lot of trouble in Bali
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071203/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_bali_award;_ylt=AkNILM3C1vGA_4I.FCVYoErtiBIF
Friday, November 30, 2007
Energy News Digest for November 30, 2007
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)
- Possible Wild Weather in Store for Puget Sound
- Deal lined up for BPA payments (Oh, Really?)
- TransAlta sees big future in 'carbon-neutral' energy
- Oregon governor says he is open to LNG plants
- Tennessee Valley Authority Gives CEO $1M Pay Raise
- Lance Dickie, Seattle Times editorial columnist – Fish and dams: Tell it to the judge.
- Kitsap Sun Op/Ed Page – SALMON: Don't Remove Dams, Kill Birds
- Seattle P-I Dateline Earth – Top chefs want NW salmon saved for diners
- Lower Columbia sturgeon appear on downward trend
- Columbian Editorial – In our view: Pesky Parakeets.
- Idaho water hearings begin with trout farm complaints
- Oil company BP pleads guilty to environmental crime
- Clark County might enter wind power market
- Ethanol Craze Cools
- Ethanol Producers Combine as Price Drop Hits Corn Belt
- 150 Global Firms Seek Mandatory Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Eco-Friendly Product Claims Often Misleading
- Illinois – $25 million network to aid rural hospitals
- Colorado – Denver International Airport sets Wi-Fi free.
- New Hampshire – Economic panel concerned with Verizon sale.
- Lawmakers restore 1% property tax cap
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Lares and Penates • \LAIR-eez-end-puh-NAY-teez\ • noun – 1: household gods *2: personal or household effects
“The Italian family down the street returned to the ‘old country’ two years ago,” mused Donald. “Who can forget all the stuff that was in the house? Lares and Penates they called it when they rolled out their house wares at the moving sale. Funny sounding name for a bunch of bric-a-brac.”
Did you know? The phrase "lares and penates" is at home in the elevated writings of scholars. A classicist could tell you that Lares and Penates were Roman gods once worshipped as guardians of the household, and an avid Walpolian might be able to tell you that his or her favorite author (Horace Walpole) is credited with first domesticating the phrase to refer to a person's possessions. In the centuries since Walpole used "lares and penates" in a 1775 letter to the English poet William Mason, the phrase has become solidly established in the English language, and it continues to be used by authors and journalists today.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Possible Wild Weather in Store for Puget Sound This Weekend – Kitsap County and the surrounding areas could be hit with anything from snow to heavy rain to strong winds this weekend through Monday, according to forecasters who are warily eyeing an approaching combination of weather systems. (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/29/possible-wild-weather-store-puget-sound-weekend/
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Deal lined up for BPA payments – A tentative deal has been reached that would restore Bonneville Power Administration payments to private utilities, including Puget Sound Energy, for a share of the region's low-cost hydropower. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/285748.html
Smells like a news release to me – BRIEF: Idaho Power rates are among the lowest in the U.S. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Markets Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChekmmvwXUok%22EN%26bfem%5Ev
TransAlta sees big future in 'carbon-neutral' energy (London Free Press)
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Business/2007/11/29/4694004-sun.html
Oregon governor says he is open to LNG plants – Gov. Ted Kulongoski is open to the idea of liquefied natural gas terminals, but he has told state agencies to "fully assert Oregon's concerns and interests" as they are considered, according to a memo to state agency directors (Ashland Daily Tidings, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1076256~Oregon_governor_says_he_is_open_to_LNG_plants.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines
HELP WITH HEATING FROM MASON COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT TWO – Mason County Fire District Two wants everyone to be warm and safe this winter. With the high cost of fuel, people with limited income may have difficulty keeping their homes warm. According to Fire District Two's Public Educator, Ryan Cloud, there is help available: the National Fuel Funds Network. The National Fuel Funds Network is a broad-based organization dedicated to increasing resources to meet the energy needs of financially struggling residents across the country. It consists of more than 300 non-profit organizations, government agencies and utilities that raise and distribute more than $100 million annually in charitably-donated home energy assistance for families in need. George Coling who directs the National Fuel Funds Organization says that the support of the network comes through private donations. Fuel funds can fill in the gap if a family has used up federal assistance, but faces a shut-off of their electricity. In some cases this assistance can pay a past-due bill or give a client an energy credit that lasts one month, or longer, if that is what is necessary to keep the lights on and the heater running. To find out more about the National Fuel Funds Network, call 1-202-824-0660 or click on their website, www.nationalfuelfund.org. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Mason County PUD No. 3 Project Share (energy bill assistance for low-income customers) information can be found here:http://www.masonpud3.org/Customer/Projectshare.asp
Tennessee Valley Authority Gives CEO $1M Pay Raise – TVA Gives CEO $1M Pay Raise to Reach $2.7M Total Compensation (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/7275378d591a23698c091adcfefaa47d.htm
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Lance Dickie, Seattle Times editorial columnist – Fish and dams: Tell it to the judge. Federal authorities would rather tug on Superman's cape than muss the robes of U.S. District Judge James Redden.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004043226_lance30.html
Kitsap Sun Op/Ed Page – SALMON: Don't Remove Dams, Kill Birds (May require free registration)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/30/salmon-dont-remove-dams-kill-birds/
Seattle P-I Dateline Earth – Top chefs want NW salmon saved for diners
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/environment/archives/126849.asp
Dredging should help anglers at Cowlitz – One of the best summer steelhead fishing spots in the lower Columbia River is getting a new lease on life. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/11/11292007_Dredging-should-help-anglers-at-Cowlitz.cfm?newsletter=1
Lower Columbia sturgeon appear on downward trend – The population of legal-size sturgeon in the lower Columbia River appears to be continuing on a gradual, decade-long decline. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/11/11292007_Lower-Columbia-sturgeon-appear-on-downward-trend.cfm?newsletter=1
Columbia River summit to address pollution – A bistate organization will convene a conference in early January in Vancouver to address toxic contamination in the Columbia River. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/11/11292007_Columbia-River-summit-to-address-pollution.cfm?newsletter=2
Columbian Editorial – In our view: Pesky Parakeets. Rousting birds from their roost was unpleasant but necessary chore
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/11/11292007_In-our-view-Pesky-Parakeets.cfm
Idaho water hearings begin with trout farm complaints (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/285425.html
News Tribune Editorial – Snub of Lake Tapps cities doesn’t shore up trust. The Cascade Water Alliance is doing a poor job of assuring concerned east Pierce County residents that it would be a good steward of Lake Tapps.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/216929.html
Oil company BP pleads guilty to environmental crime and other energy-related misdeeds – The Alaska subsidiary of oil giant BP PLC pleaded guilty today to a federal environmental crime for failing to prevent a crude spill in America's largest oil field. (Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004042575_weboil29m.html?syndication=rss
China Says Three Gorges Dam Is Not Responsible for Landslides (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/world/asia/28gorges.html?ex=1353906000&en=a5ff72e334ce58ce&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Clark County might enter wind power market – Hoping to cut costs and balance its contributions to global warming, Clark County's government is thinking about dipping a toe into the growing wind power business.
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/11/11292007_County-might-enter-wind-power-market.cfm?newsletter=2
Ethanol Craze Cools – As Doubts Multiply Claims for Environment, Energy Use Draw Fire; Fighting on the Farm (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119621238761706021.html?mod=rss_Page_One
Those darn price signals! Ethanol Producers Combine as Price Drop Hits Corn Belt – VeraSun Energy, one of the nation's largest ethanol producers, agreed to acquire US BioEnergy, as falling prices are prompting consolidation among producers of the gasoline additive. (Bloomberg News, via the Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR2007112902206.html?nav=rss_business
A Motivating Force for Wind Energy: Galicia, Spain – With no end to increased energy consumption in sight and a growing concern surrounding climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, the growth opportunity for wind farms, and firms, is significant. In fact, few industries today have grown as quickly as the wind energy market. (Energy Pulse Commentary)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1614
CONSERVATION
Maryland – Teens target energy-saving in home audits (Baltimore Sun)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.neighbors30nov30,0,5862942.story
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
150 Global Firms Seek Mandatory Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions – A sizable fraction of the international business community launched an effort to press for mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas emissions yesterday, on the eve of a major round of climate negotiations set to begin Monday in Bali. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR2007112902039.html?nav=rss_nation
Eco-Friendly Product Claims Often Misleading (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16754919&ft=1&f=3
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Illinois – $25 million network to aid rural hospitals – Just as you can download full-length movies with speedy broadband Internet service at home, small hospitals in rural Illinois soon will be able to quickly send MRI scans and consult distant Chicagoland doctors through a new fiber-optic health network. (The Beacon News)
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/672576,2_1_AU29_NIU_S1.article
Colorado – Denver International Airport sets Wi-Fi free. An airport spokesman says wireless Internet use has risen tenfold since DIA dropped the fee early this month. (The Denver Post, via Baller/Herbst)
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_7585581
New Hampshire – Economic panel concerned with Verizon sale. The Rochester Economic Development Commission says it's "seriously concerned" with the $2.7 billion sale of Verizon's northern New England landlines to FairPoint Communications because the move could slow efforts to provide faster broadband access to businesses and homes. (Rochester Times)
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071130/GJNEWS04/711300073
GENERAL NEWS
Lawmakers restore 1% property tax cap – Special session called to revive I-747 limit (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341706_special30.html
DNR says it catches cedar thieves – Two men were arrested in the early hours of the morning today in connection to the theft of more than $20,000 worth of timber along a rural logging road east of Moclips, according to Dave Christiansen, the state Department of Natural Resources’ coast district manager for the Olympic region. (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/11/29/local_news/07news.txt
DIVERSIONS
What else could go wrong – Ice, downed power line hamstrings firefighters
http://www.examiner.com/a-1077774~Ice__downed_power_line_hamstrings_firefighters.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
Police: Thief Not Brightest Bulb on Tree
http://www.examiner.com/a-1077164~Police__Thief_Not_Brightest_Bulb_on_Tree.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines
Footprints seen around Mt.Everest stoke Yeti mystery
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071130/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_nepal_yeti;_ylt=AibcxSZUYVjKLjm0L2ps0lvtiBIF
Italian farmer fined 200 (about $300) euros over noisy rooster
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071128/od_afp/italyanimalnoiseoffbeat_071128152720;_ylt=Ap5LapCn1_wao6kBNE0VNxWgOrgF
Humanoid robot teaches dentists to feel people's pain – Japan's future dentists may soon be able to better appreciate patients' pain by training on a humanoid robot that can mumble "ouch" when the drill hits a nerve.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071128/od_afp/lifestylejapantechnologyrobothealthoffbeat_071128094545;_ylt=Ap7MZBnCNXCHVZOcMpWxgbagOrgF
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Possible Wild Weather in Store for Puget Sound
- Deal lined up for BPA payments (Oh, Really?)
- TransAlta sees big future in 'carbon-neutral' energy
- Oregon governor says he is open to LNG plants
- Tennessee Valley Authority Gives CEO $1M Pay Raise
- Lance Dickie, Seattle Times editorial columnist – Fish and dams: Tell it to the judge.
- Kitsap Sun Op/Ed Page – SALMON: Don't Remove Dams, Kill Birds
- Seattle P-I Dateline Earth – Top chefs want NW salmon saved for diners
- Lower Columbia sturgeon appear on downward trend
- Columbian Editorial – In our view: Pesky Parakeets.
- Idaho water hearings begin with trout farm complaints
- Oil company BP pleads guilty to environmental crime
- Clark County might enter wind power market
- Ethanol Craze Cools
- Ethanol Producers Combine as Price Drop Hits Corn Belt
- 150 Global Firms Seek Mandatory Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Eco-Friendly Product Claims Often Misleading
- Illinois – $25 million network to aid rural hospitals
- Colorado – Denver International Airport sets Wi-Fi free.
- New Hampshire – Economic panel concerned with Verizon sale.
- Lawmakers restore 1% property tax cap
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Lares and Penates • \LAIR-eez-end-puh-NAY-teez\ • noun – 1: household gods *2: personal or household effects
“The Italian family down the street returned to the ‘old country’ two years ago,” mused Donald. “Who can forget all the stuff that was in the house? Lares and Penates they called it when they rolled out their house wares at the moving sale. Funny sounding name for a bunch of bric-a-brac.”
Did you know? The phrase "lares and penates" is at home in the elevated writings of scholars. A classicist could tell you that Lares and Penates were Roman gods once worshipped as guardians of the household, and an avid Walpolian might be able to tell you that his or her favorite author (Horace Walpole) is credited with first domesticating the phrase to refer to a person's possessions. In the centuries since Walpole used "lares and penates" in a 1775 letter to the English poet William Mason, the phrase has become solidly established in the English language, and it continues to be used by authors and journalists today.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Possible Wild Weather in Store for Puget Sound This Weekend – Kitsap County and the surrounding areas could be hit with anything from snow to heavy rain to strong winds this weekend through Monday, according to forecasters who are warily eyeing an approaching combination of weather systems. (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/29/possible-wild-weather-store-puget-sound-weekend/
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Deal lined up for BPA payments – A tentative deal has been reached that would restore Bonneville Power Administration payments to private utilities, including Puget Sound Energy, for a share of the region's low-cost hydropower. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/285748.html
Smells like a news release to me – BRIEF: Idaho Power rates are among the lowest in the U.S. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Markets Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChekmmvwXUok%22EN%26bfem%5Ev
TransAlta sees big future in 'carbon-neutral' energy (London Free Press)
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Business/2007/11/29/4694004-sun.html
Oregon governor says he is open to LNG plants – Gov. Ted Kulongoski is open to the idea of liquefied natural gas terminals, but he has told state agencies to "fully assert Oregon's concerns and interests" as they are considered, according to a memo to state agency directors (Ashland Daily Tidings, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1076256~Oregon_governor_says_he_is_open_to_LNG_plants.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines
HELP WITH HEATING FROM MASON COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT TWO – Mason County Fire District Two wants everyone to be warm and safe this winter. With the high cost of fuel, people with limited income may have difficulty keeping their homes warm. According to Fire District Two's Public Educator, Ryan Cloud, there is help available: the National Fuel Funds Network. The National Fuel Funds Network is a broad-based organization dedicated to increasing resources to meet the energy needs of financially struggling residents across the country. It consists of more than 300 non-profit organizations, government agencies and utilities that raise and distribute more than $100 million annually in charitably-donated home energy assistance for families in need. George Coling who directs the National Fuel Funds Organization says that the support of the network comes through private donations. Fuel funds can fill in the gap if a family has used up federal assistance, but faces a shut-off of their electricity. In some cases this assistance can pay a past-due bill or give a client an energy credit that lasts one month, or longer, if that is what is necessary to keep the lights on and the heater running. To find out more about the National Fuel Funds Network, call 1-202-824-0660 or click on their website, www.nationalfuelfund.org. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Mason County PUD No. 3 Project Share (energy bill assistance for low-income customers) information can be found here:http://www.masonpud3.org/Customer/Projectshare.asp
Tennessee Valley Authority Gives CEO $1M Pay Raise – TVA Gives CEO $1M Pay Raise to Reach $2.7M Total Compensation (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/7275378d591a23698c091adcfefaa47d.htm
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Lance Dickie, Seattle Times editorial columnist – Fish and dams: Tell it to the judge. Federal authorities would rather tug on Superman's cape than muss the robes of U.S. District Judge James Redden.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004043226_lance30.html
Kitsap Sun Op/Ed Page – SALMON: Don't Remove Dams, Kill Birds (May require free registration)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/30/salmon-dont-remove-dams-kill-birds/
Seattle P-I Dateline Earth – Top chefs want NW salmon saved for diners
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/environment/archives/126849.asp
Dredging should help anglers at Cowlitz – One of the best summer steelhead fishing spots in the lower Columbia River is getting a new lease on life. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/11/11292007_Dredging-should-help-anglers-at-Cowlitz.cfm?newsletter=1
Lower Columbia sturgeon appear on downward trend – The population of legal-size sturgeon in the lower Columbia River appears to be continuing on a gradual, decade-long decline. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/11/11292007_Lower-Columbia-sturgeon-appear-on-downward-trend.cfm?newsletter=1
Columbia River summit to address pollution – A bistate organization will convene a conference in early January in Vancouver to address toxic contamination in the Columbia River. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/11/11292007_Columbia-River-summit-to-address-pollution.cfm?newsletter=2
Columbian Editorial – In our view: Pesky Parakeets. Rousting birds from their roost was unpleasant but necessary chore
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/11/11292007_In-our-view-Pesky-Parakeets.cfm
Idaho water hearings begin with trout farm complaints (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/285425.html
News Tribune Editorial – Snub of Lake Tapps cities doesn’t shore up trust. The Cascade Water Alliance is doing a poor job of assuring concerned east Pierce County residents that it would be a good steward of Lake Tapps.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/216929.html
Oil company BP pleads guilty to environmental crime and other energy-related misdeeds – The Alaska subsidiary of oil giant BP PLC pleaded guilty today to a federal environmental crime for failing to prevent a crude spill in America's largest oil field. (Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004042575_weboil29m.html?syndication=rss
China Says Three Gorges Dam Is Not Responsible for Landslides (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/world/asia/28gorges.html?ex=1353906000&en=a5ff72e334ce58ce&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Clark County might enter wind power market – Hoping to cut costs and balance its contributions to global warming, Clark County's government is thinking about dipping a toe into the growing wind power business.
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/11/11292007_County-might-enter-wind-power-market.cfm?newsletter=2
Ethanol Craze Cools – As Doubts Multiply Claims for Environment, Energy Use Draw Fire; Fighting on the Farm (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119621238761706021.html?mod=rss_Page_One
Those darn price signals! Ethanol Producers Combine as Price Drop Hits Corn Belt – VeraSun Energy, one of the nation's largest ethanol producers, agreed to acquire US BioEnergy, as falling prices are prompting consolidation among producers of the gasoline additive. (Bloomberg News, via the Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR2007112902206.html?nav=rss_business
A Motivating Force for Wind Energy: Galicia, Spain – With no end to increased energy consumption in sight and a growing concern surrounding climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, the growth opportunity for wind farms, and firms, is significant. In fact, few industries today have grown as quickly as the wind energy market. (Energy Pulse Commentary)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1614
CONSERVATION
Maryland – Teens target energy-saving in home audits (Baltimore Sun)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.neighbors30nov30,0,5862942.story
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
150 Global Firms Seek Mandatory Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions – A sizable fraction of the international business community launched an effort to press for mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas emissions yesterday, on the eve of a major round of climate negotiations set to begin Monday in Bali. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR2007112902039.html?nav=rss_nation
Eco-Friendly Product Claims Often Misleading (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16754919&ft=1&f=3
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Illinois – $25 million network to aid rural hospitals – Just as you can download full-length movies with speedy broadband Internet service at home, small hospitals in rural Illinois soon will be able to quickly send MRI scans and consult distant Chicagoland doctors through a new fiber-optic health network. (The Beacon News)
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/672576,2_1_AU29_NIU_S1.article
Colorado – Denver International Airport sets Wi-Fi free. An airport spokesman says wireless Internet use has risen tenfold since DIA dropped the fee early this month. (The Denver Post, via Baller/Herbst)
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_7585581
New Hampshire – Economic panel concerned with Verizon sale. The Rochester Economic Development Commission says it's "seriously concerned" with the $2.7 billion sale of Verizon's northern New England landlines to FairPoint Communications because the move could slow efforts to provide faster broadband access to businesses and homes. (Rochester Times)
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071130/GJNEWS04/711300073
GENERAL NEWS
Lawmakers restore 1% property tax cap – Special session called to revive I-747 limit (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341706_special30.html
DNR says it catches cedar thieves – Two men were arrested in the early hours of the morning today in connection to the theft of more than $20,000 worth of timber along a rural logging road east of Moclips, according to Dave Christiansen, the state Department of Natural Resources’ coast district manager for the Olympic region. (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/11/29/local_news/07news.txt
DIVERSIONS
What else could go wrong – Ice, downed power line hamstrings firefighters
http://www.examiner.com/a-1077774~Ice__downed_power_line_hamstrings_firefighters.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
Police: Thief Not Brightest Bulb on Tree
http://www.examiner.com/a-1077164~Police__Thief_Not_Brightest_Bulb_on_Tree.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines
Footprints seen around Mt.Everest stoke Yeti mystery
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071130/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_nepal_yeti;_ylt=AibcxSZUYVjKLjm0L2ps0lvtiBIF
Italian farmer fined 200 (about $300) euros over noisy rooster
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071128/od_afp/italyanimalnoiseoffbeat_071128152720;_ylt=Ap5LapCn1_wao6kBNE0VNxWgOrgF
Humanoid robot teaches dentists to feel people's pain – Japan's future dentists may soon be able to better appreciate patients' pain by training on a humanoid robot that can mumble "ouch" when the drill hits a nerve.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071128/od_afp/lifestylejapantechnologyrobothealthoffbeat_071128094545;_ylt=Ap7MZBnCNXCHVZOcMpWxgbagOrgF
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