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
Schmegegge • \skmuh-JEGG\ • noun – (Yiddish) baloney; hot air; nonsense; hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensicality, bunk
“You little Mensch,” warbled the Rabbi to the trembling Hebrew school student. “Rosh Hashanah began at sundown last night. Anyone who says different is just spouting schmegegge”
You may also want to look up the word mensch. It’s easy and fun. Happy new year everybody!
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Power prices set to surge – From expensive construction costs to uncertainty over global warming laws, experts say electricity bills are only headed higher. (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/11/news/economy/power_prices/index.htm?section=money_mostpopular
LEWIS COUNTY PUD LOAD GROWTH IS UP – Here’s another sign of Lewis County’s expansion. The demand for power is up sharply at the Lewis County PUD. The so-called “load growth” is up 10 percent. Local power providers describe that as “aggressive." The pervious year’s load growth was 6 percent. A large share of the growth comes from the Cardinal Glass plants. It’s also from the new I-5 retailers in Chehalis, and new housing. (KELA Radio, Centralia/Chehalis)
Oregon – Availability of power is Coos-Curry Electrical Cooperative’s biggest future issue. The biggest issue facing the CCEC in the years to come is not the building of the new transmission line to Brookings, nor who will be the next general manager, but something much more basic. (Curry County Reporter)
http://www.currycountyreporter.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=2905
Rural electric chief warns of energy challenges – A “perfect storm” is brewing, with the converging issues of climate change and growth in demand for electricity, the CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association said Wednesday in La Crosse. (La Crosse Tribune)
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2007/09/13/news/z14rceo13.txt
Clatskanie Prepares to Sell $19.5 Million in Bonds for System Expansion and Improvements (Clatskanie Chief)
http://www.stpns.net/view_article.html?articleId=53748672103255823
Okanogan – Fire burns in Manila Creek area of reservation. “…Fire officials are working with Ferry County PUD to shut down power to most of Keller as the fire is burning wooden power poles. The length of the outage is unknown. (Omak Chronicle)
http://www.omakchronicle.com/nws/n070912b.shtml
Hopes Dim for Measures to Conserve Energy – The prospect of a comprehensive energy package’s emerging from Congress this fall is rapidly receding, held up by technical hurdles and policy disputes between the House and the Senate and within the parties. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/washington/13energy.html?ex=1347336000&en=1d87ab359dda3a80&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
TVA readies petition for new type reactors – On the site of Alabama's biggest unfinished construction site, the Tennessee Valley Authority is developing plans for a new type of nuclear reactor it hopes will be cheaper and safer than those built in the 1970s. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via PowerMarketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfikgoonXTgd%27%40%3E%20bfem%5Ev
North Dakota – Carbon dioxide has become most profitable byproduct: Carbon dioxide once spewed freely from the metallic jumble of smokestacks and towers at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant. Now, almost seven years later, carbon dioxide is the most profitable of a lineup of byproducts sold to supplement revenues from the sale of synthetic natural gas. (The Forum)
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=178061&forumcomm_check_return&freebie_check&CFID=53586288&CFTOKEN=55700986&jsessionid=8830220026d34d848347
New Orleans – Businessman Avoids Jail in Dispute With Utility. A Texas businessman avoided jail Wednesday in a dispute with Entergy, the Louisiana electric utility holding company, when a judge approved his letter of apology to the company’s chief executive. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/business/13pole.html?ex=1347336000&en=641a90d58dd03917&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Makah leaders apologize to federal officials – Leaders of the Makah Indian tribe were in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday and expressed regret to federal officials and members of Congress for the unauthorized killing of a gray whale off the coast of Washington state. (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/9747717.html
San Juan County strengthens orca protection laws (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_091207WAB_orca_ordinance_KS.c8849ee0.html
Craig's parting shot hurts NW salmon (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/331389_craigsalmon13.html
Dredging project at full throttle – A fleet of five dredges is scouring the Columbia River bottom in the biggest deployment of manpower since Congress authorized the long-sought project to deepen the river's channel for bigger, modern ships. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/09132007news196704.cfm
However…3-year effort to fortify jetties nears its end – A deeper upriver channel is useless if ships can't pass through the notoriously rough Columbia River bar. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/09132007news196731.cfm
Fishing – Salmon fishing options abound (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003881931_fishing13.html
Prison's leak costs state $220,000 Agency will pay City of Monroe for 19 million gallons of water – The state Department of Corrections has agreed to pay the city for 19 million gallons of water lost through a leaky pipe at its prison complex. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20070913/NEWS01/109130043
Groundbreaking set for Elwha water treatment plant (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3089
Problem dams on the rise in US (Christian Science Monitor)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070913/ts_csm/adam
Water bottle company uses Clallam County PUD well – The only water bottle company in Jefferson County that delivers to homes and businesses gets its water from a Clallam County Public Utility District well in Sequim.
http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=21&SubSectionID=21&ArticleID=18716&TM=35995.77
Washington State recycling plan could be poison for other countries (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/331364_computer12.html?source=rss
Ecology fines Manke Lumber Co. $16,000 – A Tacoma Tideflats sawmill and wood-pellet producer has been fined $16,000 for violations of its stormwater discharge permit, officials said. (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/154954.html
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Emerald People's Utility District `walks the talk' on solar – The shamrock-colored roof atop the EPUD headquarters just got a little greener. This even though 90 black panels - each 5 feet long - now obscure much of EPUD's green metal roof. (The Register-Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2007/09/12/b1.bz.epud.0912.p1.php?section=business
Discount retailer Costco making solar conversions – Costco is looking to turn Hawaiian sunshine into electricity in order to save on costs. (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/215979.html
CONSERVATION
How to build political backing for a better light bulb – It's a bright idea: Get one of the Senate's biggest skeptics of the causes of global warming to co-sponsor legislation that encourages conservation. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003882080_bulb13.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Federal judge gives boost to states on limiting vehicle emissions (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/09/13/MNK2S4PLM.DTL
Olympia dips into coffers to bring high-profile warming experts to town “…The council will pay each speaker $12,500 — plus travel and lodging costs — from discretionary funds…” (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/216025.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Google in Oregon: Mother Nature Meets the Data Center (Information Week, thanks to the tip from John Bennett)
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/08/google_in_orego.html;jsessionid=MUZLGMKHW0NEYQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN?queryText=google+is+building+data+centers
And here are the pictures of the mysterious “Google Complex” and its environs
http://www.informationweek.com/galleries/showGallery.jhtml;jsessionid=5YVE1EY4SE2HYQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN?galleryID=62&noCache=true
Qwest pulls bid to ease price rules – Qwest withdrew a petition with federal regulators late Tuesday that sought to ease restrictions on what the Baby Bell can charge competitors for access to its communications network. (Denver Post)
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6865782
Columnist Timothy Karr – Exposing the Justice Department's Hit Job against an Open Internet (The Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/exposing-the-justice-depa_b_64170.html
At Home, Cheaper Alternatives to Office – In the workplace, Microsoft Office is as inevitable as drawn-out meetings and bad coffee. But Microsoft's combination of Word, Excel and PowerPoint is not the only way to write, crunch numbers or prepare slideshows. And for home users, it isn't even the best way anymore. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/12/AR2007091202268.html?nav=rss_technology
GENERAL NEWS
Man dies after falling almost 70 feet from tree in Spokane, WA (KREM-TV, Spokane via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP09132007news196525.cfm
DIVERSIONS
Can't quit chocolate? Don't fret, it's no addiction
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSGOR25158820070912
Surfer rescues dog swept off Mich. Pier
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070913/ap_on_fe_st/surfer_saves_dog;_ylt=AnRh2aIs.86O5IiqFcX8GlLtiBIF
Woman drives stolen car to courthouse
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070912/ap_on_fe_st/odd_stolen_car;_ylt=AnsBa08l01CxP8ywd0CDfpLtiBIF
Couple tries to name child '@'
http://www.cnn.com/2007/funnynews/08/16/strange.name.reut/index.html
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
News Digest for September 12, 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
Sisyphean • \sis-uh-FEE-un\ • adjective – of or related to Sisyphus - a legendary king of Corinth condemned eternally to repeat the cycle of rolling a heavy rock up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again as it nears the top
Unto the young Pat Wood the Sisyphean task of ramming electricity deregulation down the throats of unwilling states was given. In some remote and gullible lands, the daunting task of this errant knight was successful, but the results were horrendous. Like the multi-headed hydra confronted by Hercules in one of his 12 labors, Sir Wood found that his legacy may be more of a patch of thorns instead of a rose garden of delight. “Watch how you roll,” advised the sage Duke McCullough, “or the rock may roll over thee.”
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269
2008 will be warmest in 100 years, Farmer's Almanac says – The Old Farmer's Almanac says it used time-honored, complex calculations to predict that 2008 will be the warmest year in a century, along with a bit of folklore — years that end in "8" have weird weather.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20070912/NEWS02/109120036/-1/RSS01
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Montana – Great Falls coal plant to move forward. A proposed coal-fired power plant that would provide electricity for at least 60,000 people in central and south-central Montana doesn't need financing help from the city of Great Falls to succeed, its developer said this week. (The Missoulian)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/09/12/news/local/news04.txt
TVA in good shape despite problems, CEO says – To provide electricity to its nearly 9 million customers, the Tennessee Valley Authority smashes atoms, burns coal and gas, and uses water. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via PowerMarketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhrrpoqYTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
New Orleans – Businessman Ordered Jailed in Dispute with Utility. A judge ordered a businessman jailed Tuesday in an unusual case involving a corroded light pole, an injured street vendor and what the businessman calls a vindictive utility company. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/business/12pole.html?ex=1347249600&en=230c7dea251e43a9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
San Francisco Chronicle Guest Commentary: Christine Todd Whitman – Nuclear energy needs to grow. Summer - a time for vacations, the beach, fun in the sun - and high electricity bills. “…Relative to other sources for electricity, nuclear power has the lowest production cost per kilowatt hour. The average fuel cost for nuclear plants last year was 0.45 cents/kwh, compared to 1.36 cents/kwh for coal and 3.44 cents/kwh for natural gas…”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/09/12/EDJQS3523.DTL
Astorian Editorial – Is the fix in on LNG at Bradwood? It is time for Kulongoski and other coast governors to set a standard. You are not alone if you were surprised at the Clatsop County Planning Commission's favorable decision on NorthernStar's land-use application to build a liquefied natural gas terminal at Bradwood.
http://dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=45153
Cowlitz PUD lowers rate for low income, disabled clients (The Daly News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/12/area_news/news07.txt
Minnesota – Utilities step up power shut-offs: Xcel, CenterPoint find more customers behind on their bills. After Ana Rodriguez lost her job in January, she had the electricity to her house in St. Paul's West Seventh Street neighborhood shut off by Xcel Energy, not once, not twice, but three times.
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhqpjhhRTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
Illinois – Ameren Customers to Receive Rebates (Forbes)
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/10/ap4099660.html
The Winner's Circle – Lobbyists are amassing on Capitol Hill. Energy legislation is pending. It's not just any bill. It's one that will touch every dimension of the sector from the greenies to the fossil fuel factions to the nuclear power sector. (EnergyBiz Insider via PowerMarketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8kowu%5D%5CfhqupovZTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
Tip-from Samuel Insull – A Rebuttal to Dr. Hogan: "Looking for the 'Voom’ – Earlier this year, Dr. William Hogan issued a paper on the regulation of wholesale electricity markets titled, "Acting in Time: Regulating Wholesale Electricity Markets". Mr. McCullough has written a rebuttal to Dr. Hogan's paper noting that the market set-up favored by Dr. Hogan will not reduce price volatility, and does little to encourage the investments needed to meet our nation's growing demand. (Links to PDF File)
http://www.mresearch.com/pdfs/326.pdf
Colorado – Burying lines could go to voters. Mayor John Hickenlooper is backing a plan to ask Denver voters next year whether or not they would pay to bury power lines that run through city parks. (Rocky Mountain News)
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5695125,00.html
Energy Pulse Commentary – Mega Hydraulic Storage for Future Power Generation
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1560
Started by faulty electrical work in home – A little extra something in the smoke at Oakland home fire. Firefighters battling a blaze at a home in the Oakland hills this morning discovered a marijuana-growing operation, authorities said. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/12/MNFOS3J6M.DTL
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Seattle Times guest columnist: Cathy McMorris Rodgers – Salmon and dams can coexist on the Snake River
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003879882_mcmorris12.html
News Release via KCBI, Boise – Congress Urged to Oppose Anti-Salmon Measure
http://www.2news.tv/news/local/9721292.html
British Columbia Hydro reservoir levels near all-time high – BC Hydro reservoir levels are at their fourth highest level on record thanks to this spring's unusually high snowpack. (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=21c542c5-c66b-4549-8946-fd9d72983bb1&k=44625
California Officials Tackle a Toothy Lake Predator – For the last decade, California has waged a Sisyphean battle against the northern pike, a fish and a voracious eating machine. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/us/12pike.html?ex=1347249600&en=d770926bff423846&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Water Board Tours Fish Habitat Projects – Members of the Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB) toured fish habitat projects in the Stanley Basin last Thursday during a work session prior to the Boards regularly scheduled meeting. (KBCI, Boise)
http://www.2news.tv/news/local/9732977.html
On the Washington Coast – Science: Effort to revive bird population blossoms (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/09102007news194982.cfm
Chelan County PUD looks to tap into new aquifer – The Chelan County PUD will study an aquifer near Beebe Bridge to see if it's large enough to help alleviate demand on the Wenatchee area's water supply. (The Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/NEWS04/709110329/1001/rss1001
Surprise offer for Lake Tapps – The cities of Auburn, Bonney Lake and Sumner are expected to submit a joint proposal to Puget Sound Energy today to buy Lake Tapps as a potential domestic water source. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/153982.html
Consultant to study Hoquiam’s dam issue – The City Council approved $6,000 on Monday to hire a consultant in the city’s quest to bring down the Little Hoquiam River dam in the city’s watershed. (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/09/11/local_news/08news.txt
Water crisis squeezes California's economy – A recent federal ruling to reduce the amount of water that flows through the delta is likely to boost food prices and trim jobs in agriculture. (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0912/p02s01-ussc.html
Restoring original waterways – Nason Creek to flow into historic channel for first time in 50 years Restoring original waterways (The Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/NEWS04/709110331/1025/rss1025
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Massachusetts – More spin at Cape Wind hearing: No new ideas heard
http://www.townonline.com/barnstable/homepage/x1875627698
Arizona – County supervisors set to OK backyard wind towers. When William and Janeen Scharf sought permission to install a Southwest Windpower turbine at their Doney Park home this summer, a Coconino County board turned them down. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via PowerMarketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhprmknUTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
CONSERVATION
Power companies get incentive to save kilowatts – “…three states are launching programs to conserve energy and curb global warming while preserving utility profits. Idaho has enacted the nation's boldest plan to encourage efficiency by guaranteeing that utilities won't sacrifice profits by sel ing less electricity…”
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhqnoqqYTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
Federal Efficiency Standards Result In Less Efficient Washers – As of January, the Department of Energy requires washer makers to use 21% less energy, but some makers are meeting the standards by decreasing how well their products actually wash clothes, according to Consumer Reports. (The Consumerist. Note: the comments section may contain PG-13 language)
http://consumerist.com/consumer/department-of-energy/federal-efficiency-standards-result-in-less-efficient-washers-298601.php
New Zealand – Government blasted over DIY 'death traps'. Aluminum foil stapled under the floors of houses as insulation could become a death trap and the Government has done little to warn of the dangers, says a coroner.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/4199279a6467.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Nevada regulators reject GHG emissions standard for power plants – Nevada regulators on Friday rejected a proposal to stop approving new coal-fired power plants and adopt a carbon dioxide emissions standard that essentially would bar conventional coal-fired plants from being built. (Platts News Service)
http://www.platts.com/Electric%20Power/News/6466093.xml?src=Electric%20Powerrssheadlines1
Climate Change's Great Divide – Lawmakers Favor Carbon Caps, Trading; Economists Prefer a Tax. The biggest political battle in Washington over climate change may not pit Democrats against Republicans. Instead, it could be economists versus politicians. (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118955082446224332.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Official: 'Massive' Damage to China from Hacking – Charge Seen as Response to Reports of Chinese Hacking in Western Countries (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/12/AR2007091200791.html?nav=rss_nation
Digital Voice: Whether You Want It or Not, It’s Comcastic! Consumers are up in arms about Comcast's latest innovation: Want It or Not Digital Voice. (Turn.Org)
http://www.turn.org/article.php?id=599
Congressional Research Service – The Transition to Digital Television: Is America Ready?
http://opencrs.com/document/RL34165
Internet Users Join Search for Steve Fossett – In Nevada, the search for missing aviator Steve Fossett goes on — and now thousands of amateurs are joining in from their desks. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14332329&ft=1&f=3
News Release – The Catch-22 of Powering Today's Corporate Data Centers – Consulting Firm Report Offers Multi-Pronged Route Away From the Power Drain (PR NewsWire via Yahoo News)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070912/aqw145.html?.v=15
GENERAL NEWS
BRUSH FIRE IN DAYTON AREA – Fire crews remain on the scene of a brush fire in the Dayton area. According to the State Department of Natural Resources, the fire on Martin Road near Mill Five is contained and about 17 acres in size. Just about all fire departments in Mason County and the DNR responded to the blaze that was reported about 7:30 Tuesday night. The cause of the fire on Green Diamond Resource Company land is under investigation. Three engines, two tenders and three ten-person inmate crews from Mission Creek Corrections Center will be on the scene today. No other details are available. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Horizon Air cancels many flights – Horizon Air, one of the busiest carriers at Portland International Airport and other regional airports, is canceling more than 100 flights today to carry out emergency inspections of landing gear on many of its aircraft. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/09122007news196010.cfm
Feds tab I-5 as 'corridor of the future' – The U.S. Department of Transportation has named Interstate 5 as a "corridor of the future" and is providing millions of dollars to upgrade I-5 from Washington to California. (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/09/10/daily13.html?ana=from_rss
Case of the missing gift cards: Mail carrier is stung – A video and transmitter lead to a worker scheduled to plead guilty
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1189475714222580.xml&coll=7
Get healthy or else: More firms are imposing health surcharges on out-of-shape workers (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20070912/BIZ/109120015
DIVERSIONS
No clucking in Soap Lake – An ordinance to allow chickens in the city limits failed with a 2-5 vote during a Wednesday night Soap Lake City Council meeting. (But a huge Lava Lamp? You Bet!)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/09/11/news/news04.txt
(No prehensile toes yet!) UC to ask for removal of tree-sitters: University tells judge that the protesters have become dangerous – UC Berkeley will ask a judge today to order the removal of more than a dozen tree-sitters from an oak grove near Memorial Stadium. (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6870399?source=rss&nclick_check=1
Bank robber uses own check in robbery
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070912/ap_on_fe_st/odd_bumbling_robber;_ylt=AlVmcFY4M.jfw9mpGReTn1vtiBIF
Mugger in Germany foiled by blind judo expert – A blind judo expert astounded a mugger by pinning him to the ground after he tried to steal his cigarettes
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_germany_blind;_ylt=As4pA8bgULMKujbPiZfFUl7tiBIF
WORD OF THE DAY
Sisyphean • \sis-uh-FEE-un\ • adjective – of or related to Sisyphus - a legendary king of Corinth condemned eternally to repeat the cycle of rolling a heavy rock up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again as it nears the top
Unto the young Pat Wood the Sisyphean task of ramming electricity deregulation down the throats of unwilling states was given. In some remote and gullible lands, the daunting task of this errant knight was successful, but the results were horrendous. Like the multi-headed hydra confronted by Hercules in one of his 12 labors, Sir Wood found that his legacy may be more of a patch of thorns instead of a rose garden of delight. “Watch how you roll,” advised the sage Duke McCullough, “or the rock may roll over thee.”
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269
2008 will be warmest in 100 years, Farmer's Almanac says – The Old Farmer's Almanac says it used time-honored, complex calculations to predict that 2008 will be the warmest year in a century, along with a bit of folklore — years that end in "8" have weird weather.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20070912/NEWS02/109120036/-1/RSS01
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Montana – Great Falls coal plant to move forward. A proposed coal-fired power plant that would provide electricity for at least 60,000 people in central and south-central Montana doesn't need financing help from the city of Great Falls to succeed, its developer said this week. (The Missoulian)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/09/12/news/local/news04.txt
TVA in good shape despite problems, CEO says – To provide electricity to its nearly 9 million customers, the Tennessee Valley Authority smashes atoms, burns coal and gas, and uses water. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via PowerMarketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhrrpoqYTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
New Orleans – Businessman Ordered Jailed in Dispute with Utility. A judge ordered a businessman jailed Tuesday in an unusual case involving a corroded light pole, an injured street vendor and what the businessman calls a vindictive utility company. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/business/12pole.html?ex=1347249600&en=230c7dea251e43a9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
San Francisco Chronicle Guest Commentary: Christine Todd Whitman – Nuclear energy needs to grow. Summer - a time for vacations, the beach, fun in the sun - and high electricity bills. “…Relative to other sources for electricity, nuclear power has the lowest production cost per kilowatt hour. The average fuel cost for nuclear plants last year was 0.45 cents/kwh, compared to 1.36 cents/kwh for coal and 3.44 cents/kwh for natural gas…”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/09/12/EDJQS3523.DTL
Astorian Editorial – Is the fix in on LNG at Bradwood? It is time for Kulongoski and other coast governors to set a standard. You are not alone if you were surprised at the Clatsop County Planning Commission's favorable decision on NorthernStar's land-use application to build a liquefied natural gas terminal at Bradwood.
http://dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=45153
Cowlitz PUD lowers rate for low income, disabled clients (The Daly News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/12/area_news/news07.txt
Minnesota – Utilities step up power shut-offs: Xcel, CenterPoint find more customers behind on their bills. After Ana Rodriguez lost her job in January, she had the electricity to her house in St. Paul's West Seventh Street neighborhood shut off by Xcel Energy, not once, not twice, but three times.
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhqpjhhRTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
Illinois – Ameren Customers to Receive Rebates (Forbes)
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/10/ap4099660.html
The Winner's Circle – Lobbyists are amassing on Capitol Hill. Energy legislation is pending. It's not just any bill. It's one that will touch every dimension of the sector from the greenies to the fossil fuel factions to the nuclear power sector. (EnergyBiz Insider via PowerMarketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8kowu%5D%5CfhqupovZTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
Tip-from Samuel Insull – A Rebuttal to Dr. Hogan: "Looking for the 'Voom’ – Earlier this year, Dr. William Hogan issued a paper on the regulation of wholesale electricity markets titled, "Acting in Time: Regulating Wholesale Electricity Markets". Mr. McCullough has written a rebuttal to Dr. Hogan's paper noting that the market set-up favored by Dr. Hogan will not reduce price volatility, and does little to encourage the investments needed to meet our nation's growing demand. (Links to PDF File)
http://www.mresearch.com/pdfs/326.pdf
Colorado – Burying lines could go to voters. Mayor John Hickenlooper is backing a plan to ask Denver voters next year whether or not they would pay to bury power lines that run through city parks. (Rocky Mountain News)
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5695125,00.html
Energy Pulse Commentary – Mega Hydraulic Storage for Future Power Generation
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1560
Started by faulty electrical work in home – A little extra something in the smoke at Oakland home fire. Firefighters battling a blaze at a home in the Oakland hills this morning discovered a marijuana-growing operation, authorities said. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/12/MNFOS3J6M.DTL
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Seattle Times guest columnist: Cathy McMorris Rodgers – Salmon and dams can coexist on the Snake River
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003879882_mcmorris12.html
News Release via KCBI, Boise – Congress Urged to Oppose Anti-Salmon Measure
http://www.2news.tv/news/local/9721292.html
British Columbia Hydro reservoir levels near all-time high – BC Hydro reservoir levels are at their fourth highest level on record thanks to this spring's unusually high snowpack. (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=21c542c5-c66b-4549-8946-fd9d72983bb1&k=44625
California Officials Tackle a Toothy Lake Predator – For the last decade, California has waged a Sisyphean battle against the northern pike, a fish and a voracious eating machine. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/us/12pike.html?ex=1347249600&en=d770926bff423846&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Water Board Tours Fish Habitat Projects – Members of the Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB) toured fish habitat projects in the Stanley Basin last Thursday during a work session prior to the Boards regularly scheduled meeting. (KBCI, Boise)
http://www.2news.tv/news/local/9732977.html
On the Washington Coast – Science: Effort to revive bird population blossoms (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/09102007news194982.cfm
Chelan County PUD looks to tap into new aquifer – The Chelan County PUD will study an aquifer near Beebe Bridge to see if it's large enough to help alleviate demand on the Wenatchee area's water supply. (The Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/NEWS04/709110329/1001/rss1001
Surprise offer for Lake Tapps – The cities of Auburn, Bonney Lake and Sumner are expected to submit a joint proposal to Puget Sound Energy today to buy Lake Tapps as a potential domestic water source. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/153982.html
Consultant to study Hoquiam’s dam issue – The City Council approved $6,000 on Monday to hire a consultant in the city’s quest to bring down the Little Hoquiam River dam in the city’s watershed. (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/09/11/local_news/08news.txt
Water crisis squeezes California's economy – A recent federal ruling to reduce the amount of water that flows through the delta is likely to boost food prices and trim jobs in agriculture. (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0912/p02s01-ussc.html
Restoring original waterways – Nason Creek to flow into historic channel for first time in 50 years Restoring original waterways (The Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/NEWS04/709110331/1025/rss1025
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Massachusetts – More spin at Cape Wind hearing: No new ideas heard
http://www.townonline.com/barnstable/homepage/x1875627698
Arizona – County supervisors set to OK backyard wind towers. When William and Janeen Scharf sought permission to install a Southwest Windpower turbine at their Doney Park home this summer, a Coconino County board turned them down. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via PowerMarketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhprmknUTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
CONSERVATION
Power companies get incentive to save kilowatts – “…three states are launching programs to conserve energy and curb global warming while preserving utility profits. Idaho has enacted the nation's boldest plan to encourage efficiency by guaranteeing that utilities won't sacrifice profits by sel ing less electricity…”
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhqnoqqYTfc%27%40%3E%20bfem%5E%21
Federal Efficiency Standards Result In Less Efficient Washers – As of January, the Department of Energy requires washer makers to use 21% less energy, but some makers are meeting the standards by decreasing how well their products actually wash clothes, according to Consumer Reports. (The Consumerist. Note: the comments section may contain PG-13 language)
http://consumerist.com/consumer/department-of-energy/federal-efficiency-standards-result-in-less-efficient-washers-298601.php
New Zealand – Government blasted over DIY 'death traps'. Aluminum foil stapled under the floors of houses as insulation could become a death trap and the Government has done little to warn of the dangers, says a coroner.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/4199279a6467.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Nevada regulators reject GHG emissions standard for power plants – Nevada regulators on Friday rejected a proposal to stop approving new coal-fired power plants and adopt a carbon dioxide emissions standard that essentially would bar conventional coal-fired plants from being built. (Platts News Service)
http://www.platts.com/Electric%20Power/News/6466093.xml?src=Electric%20Powerrssheadlines1
Climate Change's Great Divide – Lawmakers Favor Carbon Caps, Trading; Economists Prefer a Tax. The biggest political battle in Washington over climate change may not pit Democrats against Republicans. Instead, it could be economists versus politicians. (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118955082446224332.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Official: 'Massive' Damage to China from Hacking – Charge Seen as Response to Reports of Chinese Hacking in Western Countries (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/12/AR2007091200791.html?nav=rss_nation
Digital Voice: Whether You Want It or Not, It’s Comcastic! Consumers are up in arms about Comcast's latest innovation: Want It or Not Digital Voice. (Turn.Org)
http://www.turn.org/article.php?id=599
Congressional Research Service – The Transition to Digital Television: Is America Ready?
http://opencrs.com/document/RL34165
Internet Users Join Search for Steve Fossett – In Nevada, the search for missing aviator Steve Fossett goes on — and now thousands of amateurs are joining in from their desks. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14332329&ft=1&f=3
News Release – The Catch-22 of Powering Today's Corporate Data Centers – Consulting Firm Report Offers Multi-Pronged Route Away From the Power Drain (PR NewsWire via Yahoo News)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070912/aqw145.html?.v=15
GENERAL NEWS
BRUSH FIRE IN DAYTON AREA – Fire crews remain on the scene of a brush fire in the Dayton area. According to the State Department of Natural Resources, the fire on Martin Road near Mill Five is contained and about 17 acres in size. Just about all fire departments in Mason County and the DNR responded to the blaze that was reported about 7:30 Tuesday night. The cause of the fire on Green Diamond Resource Company land is under investigation. Three engines, two tenders and three ten-person inmate crews from Mission Creek Corrections Center will be on the scene today. No other details are available. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Horizon Air cancels many flights – Horizon Air, one of the busiest carriers at Portland International Airport and other regional airports, is canceling more than 100 flights today to carry out emergency inspections of landing gear on many of its aircraft. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/09122007news196010.cfm
Feds tab I-5 as 'corridor of the future' – The U.S. Department of Transportation has named Interstate 5 as a "corridor of the future" and is providing millions of dollars to upgrade I-5 from Washington to California. (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/09/10/daily13.html?ana=from_rss
Case of the missing gift cards: Mail carrier is stung – A video and transmitter lead to a worker scheduled to plead guilty
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1189475714222580.xml&coll=7
Get healthy or else: More firms are imposing health surcharges on out-of-shape workers (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20070912/BIZ/109120015
DIVERSIONS
No clucking in Soap Lake – An ordinance to allow chickens in the city limits failed with a 2-5 vote during a Wednesday night Soap Lake City Council meeting. (But a huge Lava Lamp? You Bet!)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/09/11/news/news04.txt
(No prehensile toes yet!) UC to ask for removal of tree-sitters: University tells judge that the protesters have become dangerous – UC Berkeley will ask a judge today to order the removal of more than a dozen tree-sitters from an oak grove near Memorial Stadium. (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6870399?source=rss&nclick_check=1
Bank robber uses own check in robbery
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070912/ap_on_fe_st/odd_bumbling_robber;_ylt=AlVmcFY4M.jfw9mpGReTn1vtiBIF
Mugger in Germany foiled by blind judo expert – A blind judo expert astounded a mugger by pinning him to the ground after he tried to steal his cigarettes
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_germany_blind;_ylt=As4pA8bgULMKujbPiZfFUl7tiBIF
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
News Digest for September 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.
WORD OF THE DAY
Aplomb • \uh-PLAHM\ • noun – complete and confident composure or self-assurance: poise
Albert was amazed at the aplomb with which his professor withstood scathing questions from the skeptical students about his contention that the earth was flat, and balanced on the back of a large turtle named “Fred”. It wasn’t until halfway through the class that the reason for the professor’s imperturbability was known: he had fallen fast asleep, with both eyes wide open.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
MASON PUD 3 PIONEER SUBSTATION DE-ENERGIZED, POWER QUICKLY RESTORED – Mason County PUD No. 3 acted quickly to restore electricity to customers served by the Pioneer substation after a circuit switcher at the facility opened this morning. Approximately 5,800 customers were affected by the outage which occurred at about 10:00 a.m. Power was restored within 40 minutes. PUD 3 personnel are investigating the cause.
CHELAN COUNTY PUD RATES GOING UP – Chelan County PUD commissioners Monday approved a five percent increase for electric rates, a nine percent increase in water and sewer rates and increased the wholesale fiber-optic rates charged to service providers by two percent. The increases take effect January first of next year, and will be considered annually as part of the PUD budget. For the average residential PUD power customer, the increase means their electric bill will go up by three dollars a month. (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)
Cowlitz County PUD embarks on $10 million meter project (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/11/area_news/news12.txt
Idaho Statesman Q&A – Newsmaker: Interest in nuclear power returns
http://www.idahostatesman.com/business/story/155371.html
Alaska – Rushing into coal: Borough right to scrutinize power plant plans. Matanuska Electric Association is eager to build a coal-fired power plant outside Palmer. (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/9292013p-9206498c.html
Iowa – 500 turn out for anti-power plant rally (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via PowerMarketers.com – Even the “Punkinator” was there! “…a pressurized pumpkin-shooting cannon for the kids)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhospnuZTeb%27%40%3E%20bfem%5Ev
Los Angeles – Audit called for city's aging power system: Two Los Angeles city council members plan to ask their colleagues today to authorize an audit of the city's aging power system, which buckled because of prolonged air conditioning use during the recent heat wave. (Daily News Wire Services)
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_6861230?source=most_emailed
Canada – Thieves scale crane to steal copper wiring. Thieves have gone to great heights to steal copper wiring in Cape Breton. (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2007/09/11/copper-theft.html
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Makah on 'damage control' mission – Team heads to D.C. to talk about illegal gray whale hunt (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/331122_makah11.html
Skokomish River Delta – Dike Removal Project Frees Tides. Watching the salt water lap his shoes, Keith Dublanica, senior land planner for the Skokomish Tribe, decided it was time to move from the Skokomish River tidelands to higher ground Monday afternoon. (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/sep/10/moving-to-higher-ground/
Vote gives geoduck rules new life – A proposal to regulate geoduck farming along Pierce County shorelines was revived and reinforced Monday with the unanimous backing of a County Council committee. (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/153162.html
New Aquifer Planned For Kennewick (KNDO-TV, Tri Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=7054645
Port Townsend City Council wants no part of county's proposed clean water district –Saying Jefferson County's clean water district fee proposal is financially flawed, the City Council on Monday night approved telling county commissioners that the city wants to opt out. (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/NEWS/709110304
Unknown Water Leak Leads To Big Bill – Chuck Willis, who lives on a lake near Duvall, says he and his wife are careful with water. They have water-saving toilets and appliances and have planted natural landscaping requiring little irrigation. So he thinks his latest water bill for $4,000 is all wet. (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/money/14085481/detail.html
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Gregoire's decision on wind farm coming soon – Gov. Chris Gregoire said this morning she plans to announce her decision about whether to permit the controversial Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project as soon as this week. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/blogs/mulick/v-rss/story/9292377p-9206882c.html
Utility Will Use Batteries to Store Wind Power – American Electric Power, a coal-burning utility company that is looking for ways to connect more wind power to its grid, plans to announce on Tuesday that it will install huge banks of high-technology batteries. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/business/11battery.html?ex=1347163200&en=ee88fae7cab8ea85&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Energy Pulse Commentary – Dispatchable Wind: Enabling Wind to Play a Mainstream Role in Power Production. The conventional wind industry has done a terrific job at reducing the cost of extracting energy out of the wind, but has not yet been able to shape wind power production to meet grid demands and secure a good price for its power.
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1556
Farmers tout alfalfa as fuel – Alfalfa producers throughout the country are bucking the notion that hay is for horses and hoping the ethanol industry will see that hay can provide horsepower as well. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/v-rss/story/9293795p-9208281c.html
Oregon – Lake County envisions renewal in renewable energy. Geothermal, biomass and solar could turn the ranching and timber area into a power exporter (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1189392919193610.xml&coll=7
Mass Marketing Solar to Colorado Residents – Metropolitan Denver and Boulder Home Depot's to offer complete, installed solar electric home power systems. (RenewableEnergyAccess.com)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=49897&src=rss
CONSERVATION
Florida – Seminole schools power down on electricity for big savings. Seminole County schools usually like to be first in everything, but their leaders are unhappy with being ranked as the most power-hungry district in Central Florida. (Orlando Sentinel)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-cutcosts1107sep11,0,1628382.story
Energy efficient appliances should be made compulsory, says UN expert (International Herald-Tribune)
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/11/asia/AS-GEN-Malaysia-Climate-Change.php
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Climate-change paradox: Greenhouse gas is Big Oil boon – With enough CO2 injected into declining oil fields, the US could see its petroleum reserves quadruple. (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0911/p03s03-wogi.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Broadcasters fight high-speed Internet transmission – Television broadcasters on Monday launched a Washington, D.C.-area advertising campaign to fight a technology-industry proposal to transmit high-speed Internet service over unused airwaves. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003878603_nettvfight11.html
GENERAL NEWS
State GOP Holds High Hopes for the 35th District (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/sep/10/state-gop-holds-high-hopes-for-the-35th-district/
Congressional Report Service – Older Workers: Employment and Retirement Trends
http://opencrs.com/document/RL30629
DIVERSIONS
Would-be Burglar Runs Off With No Loot, No Clothes
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14082977/detail.html
Teen's yearbook photo banned for flower (“props aren’t allowed”)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070911/ap_on_fe_st/odd_yearbook_photo;_ylt=AuQYUlp4N0OZD0yc7BN.8vztiBIF
Man charged after drive-through dispute
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070910/ap_on_fe_st/odd_fast_food_attack;_ylt=AnfLOQ2yyFdRoeeLRzNnLoPtiBIF
German town ditches traffic lights to cut accidents – A town council in Germany has decided the best way of improving road safety is to remove all traffic lights and stop signs downtown.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070910/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_germany_traffic;_ylt=AvHESv.DNmR1b0C.TauczkjtiBIF
WORD OF THE DAY
Aplomb • \uh-PLAHM\ • noun – complete and confident composure or self-assurance: poise
Albert was amazed at the aplomb with which his professor withstood scathing questions from the skeptical students about his contention that the earth was flat, and balanced on the back of a large turtle named “Fred”. It wasn’t until halfway through the class that the reason for the professor’s imperturbability was known: he had fallen fast asleep, with both eyes wide open.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
MASON PUD 3 PIONEER SUBSTATION DE-ENERGIZED, POWER QUICKLY RESTORED – Mason County PUD No. 3 acted quickly to restore electricity to customers served by the Pioneer substation after a circuit switcher at the facility opened this morning. Approximately 5,800 customers were affected by the outage which occurred at about 10:00 a.m. Power was restored within 40 minutes. PUD 3 personnel are investigating the cause.
CHELAN COUNTY PUD RATES GOING UP – Chelan County PUD commissioners Monday approved a five percent increase for electric rates, a nine percent increase in water and sewer rates and increased the wholesale fiber-optic rates charged to service providers by two percent. The increases take effect January first of next year, and will be considered annually as part of the PUD budget. For the average residential PUD power customer, the increase means their electric bill will go up by three dollars a month. (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)
Cowlitz County PUD embarks on $10 million meter project (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/11/area_news/news12.txt
Idaho Statesman Q&A – Newsmaker: Interest in nuclear power returns
http://www.idahostatesman.com/business/story/155371.html
Alaska – Rushing into coal: Borough right to scrutinize power plant plans. Matanuska Electric Association is eager to build a coal-fired power plant outside Palmer. (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/9292013p-9206498c.html
Iowa – 500 turn out for anti-power plant rally (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via PowerMarketers.com – Even the “Punkinator” was there! “…a pressurized pumpkin-shooting cannon for the kids)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfhospnuZTeb%27%40%3E%20bfem%5Ev
Los Angeles – Audit called for city's aging power system: Two Los Angeles city council members plan to ask their colleagues today to authorize an audit of the city's aging power system, which buckled because of prolonged air conditioning use during the recent heat wave. (Daily News Wire Services)
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_6861230?source=most_emailed
Canada – Thieves scale crane to steal copper wiring. Thieves have gone to great heights to steal copper wiring in Cape Breton. (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2007/09/11/copper-theft.html
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Makah on 'damage control' mission – Team heads to D.C. to talk about illegal gray whale hunt (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/331122_makah11.html
Skokomish River Delta – Dike Removal Project Frees Tides. Watching the salt water lap his shoes, Keith Dublanica, senior land planner for the Skokomish Tribe, decided it was time to move from the Skokomish River tidelands to higher ground Monday afternoon. (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/sep/10/moving-to-higher-ground/
Vote gives geoduck rules new life – A proposal to regulate geoduck farming along Pierce County shorelines was revived and reinforced Monday with the unanimous backing of a County Council committee. (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/153162.html
New Aquifer Planned For Kennewick (KNDO-TV, Tri Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=7054645
Port Townsend City Council wants no part of county's proposed clean water district –Saying Jefferson County's clean water district fee proposal is financially flawed, the City Council on Monday night approved telling county commissioners that the city wants to opt out. (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/NEWS/709110304
Unknown Water Leak Leads To Big Bill – Chuck Willis, who lives on a lake near Duvall, says he and his wife are careful with water. They have water-saving toilets and appliances and have planted natural landscaping requiring little irrigation. So he thinks his latest water bill for $4,000 is all wet. (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/money/14085481/detail.html
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Gregoire's decision on wind farm coming soon – Gov. Chris Gregoire said this morning she plans to announce her decision about whether to permit the controversial Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project as soon as this week. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/blogs/mulick/v-rss/story/9292377p-9206882c.html
Utility Will Use Batteries to Store Wind Power – American Electric Power, a coal-burning utility company that is looking for ways to connect more wind power to its grid, plans to announce on Tuesday that it will install huge banks of high-technology batteries. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/business/11battery.html?ex=1347163200&en=ee88fae7cab8ea85&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Energy Pulse Commentary – Dispatchable Wind: Enabling Wind to Play a Mainstream Role in Power Production. The conventional wind industry has done a terrific job at reducing the cost of extracting energy out of the wind, but has not yet been able to shape wind power production to meet grid demands and secure a good price for its power.
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1556
Farmers tout alfalfa as fuel – Alfalfa producers throughout the country are bucking the notion that hay is for horses and hoping the ethanol industry will see that hay can provide horsepower as well. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/v-rss/story/9293795p-9208281c.html
Oregon – Lake County envisions renewal in renewable energy. Geothermal, biomass and solar could turn the ranching and timber area into a power exporter (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1189392919193610.xml&coll=7
Mass Marketing Solar to Colorado Residents – Metropolitan Denver and Boulder Home Depot's to offer complete, installed solar electric home power systems. (RenewableEnergyAccess.com)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=49897&src=rss
CONSERVATION
Florida – Seminole schools power down on electricity for big savings. Seminole County schools usually like to be first in everything, but their leaders are unhappy with being ranked as the most power-hungry district in Central Florida. (Orlando Sentinel)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-cutcosts1107sep11,0,1628382.story
Energy efficient appliances should be made compulsory, says UN expert (International Herald-Tribune)
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/11/asia/AS-GEN-Malaysia-Climate-Change.php
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Climate-change paradox: Greenhouse gas is Big Oil boon – With enough CO2 injected into declining oil fields, the US could see its petroleum reserves quadruple. (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0911/p03s03-wogi.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Broadcasters fight high-speed Internet transmission – Television broadcasters on Monday launched a Washington, D.C.-area advertising campaign to fight a technology-industry proposal to transmit high-speed Internet service over unused airwaves. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003878603_nettvfight11.html
GENERAL NEWS
State GOP Holds High Hopes for the 35th District (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/sep/10/state-gop-holds-high-hopes-for-the-35th-district/
Congressional Report Service – Older Workers: Employment and Retirement Trends
http://opencrs.com/document/RL30629
DIVERSIONS
Would-be Burglar Runs Off With No Loot, No Clothes
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14082977/detail.html
Teen's yearbook photo banned for flower (“props aren’t allowed”)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070911/ap_on_fe_st/odd_yearbook_photo;_ylt=AuQYUlp4N0OZD0yc7BN.8vztiBIF
Man charged after drive-through dispute
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070910/ap_on_fe_st/odd_fast_food_attack;_ylt=AnfLOQ2yyFdRoeeLRzNnLoPtiBIF
German town ditches traffic lights to cut accidents – A town council in Germany has decided the best way of improving road safety is to remove all traffic lights and stop signs downtown.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070910/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_germany_traffic;_ylt=AvHESv.DNmR1b0C.TauczkjtiBIF
Monday, September 10, 2007
News Digest for September 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.
WORD OF THE DAY
Convivial • \kun-VIV-ee-ul\ • adjective – Relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company (From Merriam-Webster)
The convivial atmosphere of Dante’s 70’s disco party suffered a jolt like a cold shower when one of the guests added their own 70’s retro twist: a newly minted, digitally enhanced version of “The Candy Man”. Every person who left the party cursed the night that they walked out of the nightclub humming the song.
Believe it or not, “The Candy Man” was a number 1 hit on the Billboard charts in 1972; the same year that produced Rock & Roll (Led Zeppelin at #47), Layla (Derek & the Dominos, at #10).
http://www.superseventies.com/sw_candyman.html
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
TXU Shareholders Approve $32B Sale – The biggest power generator in Texas could soon belong to private owners, after shareholders of TXU Corp. voted Friday to sell the company for $32 billion in one of the largest leveraged buyouts ever. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090700773.html?nav=rss_business
Port Angeles still feeling rate effects from 2000-2001 energy shortage – A city increase in electrical charges is fueled by a need to continue rebuilding reserves depleted by the 2000-2001 West Coast energy crisis, says City Power Resources Manager Larry Dunbar. (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070908/NEWS/70908002
Swift 2 turbine fixed, Cowlitz PUD reports – The cause still remains a mystery, but damage to a turbine at the Cowlitz PUD's Swift 2 powerhouse on the Lewis River has been repaired, the utility reported last week. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/10/area_news/news11.txt
PG&E shifts rate increase away from big business – Households, small firms will pay more next year in wake of regulators' ruling. Small businesses and homeowners will bear the brunt of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. rate increases in January - a reversal from last week, when the utility said big businesses would shoulder more of the burden. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/08/BUSGS1D5U.DTL&feed=rss.business
New York – Con Edison Is Supported on Bid to Raise Rates. Officials at the State Public Service Commission said on Friday that Consolidated Edison should be allowed to raise the prices it charges for delivering electricity by what critics believe would be the biggest amount in the company’s history. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/nyregion/08coned.html?ex=1346904000&en=bd4bf55616879a67&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Maryland – State Mulls Return to Energy Regulation: Increase in Electricity Prices Has Raised Suspicions of Gouging. Maryland's top utility regulators, facing a backlash from consumers over high electricity rates, are exploring ways for the state to roll back its experiment with competitive electricity pricing and to possibly return money to ratepayers. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090801549.html?nav=rss_metro/md
Houston Chronicle Loren Steffy column: Deregulation's value can be found in CEO's pockets (Via PowerMakrketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfgqrsytUSki%27%40%3E%20bfem%5Ev
California – Aging power lines pose problems for residents – Outages leave many households battling extreme heat; PG&E crews prepare to replace lines, transformers (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6845085?source=rss&nclick_check=1
California utility presses for new electricity link with Arizona – A major California utility trying to shore up its sources of electricity isn't giving up its fight to build a new major transmission line, despite Arizona regulators' attempt to short-circuit the project. (The Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6846602?nclick_check=1
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Tribe vows prosecution for killing of whale – Many fear effort to legalize new hunt may be derailed. One day after a group of frustrated Makah tribal members asserted treaty and historic rights by harpooning and killing a protected gray whale, tribal leaders condemned the hunt and vowed to prosecute the men. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/331060_whale10.html
Hunter not ashamed of killing whale without a permit (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003877287_whalehunt10m.html?syndication=rss
Steilacoom – Channel unblocks creek to fish. Party celebrates completion of bypass system in Bresemann Forest. A $400,000 fish passage project has opened the headwaters of Spanaway Creek to migrating fish, at the same time preserving a century-old mill pond and neighborhood treasure. (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/151489.html
Alaska – Pinks lift '07 salmon catch to a near record. Catches are still trickling in but Alaska's 2007 salmon harvest is already one for the record books. (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/fishing/fishing_report/story/9286025p-9200501c.html
Fish Drift from Familiar Alaska Waters – The multibillion-dollar industry of pollock fishing may be in trouble. The fish have been abandoning areas where American fishermen normally catch them and have been popping up near where the Bering Sea becomes Russian territory. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14277699&ft=1&f=2
California – Cities’ dam, levee reports slowly trickle in. After being criticized for their lack of preparedness by a county grand jury, Peninsula cities have begun preparing reports on the safety and status of their dams and levees. (The Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-926163~Cities__dam__levee_reports_slowly_trickle_in.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines
Polluters show up on Portland Development Commission’s green list – In trying to attract and expand environmentally friendly businesses in the Portland region, the Commission is using methods agency officials agree are flawed – including defining current businesses in Portland as “sustainable” without regard to their environmental and pollution records. (Portland Tribune)
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=118911408513137000
RENEWABLE ENERGY
The Columbian Energy adviser: Ocean-power research holds real potential – I recently read a short article about electricity being generated by the ocean. Is this a feasible option for the future? (Thanks to staff from Clark Public Utilities)
http://www.columbian.com/lifeHome/lifeHomeNews/09092007news194549.cfm
U.S. Representative Herseth Sandlin: Wind energy producers want electricity mainstreamed –Sandlin and other U.S. House members heard testimony Thursday that wind energy resources should pair up with coal-fired plants to provide reliable sources of electricity for American consumers. (Madison Daily Leader)
http://www.madisondailyleader.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18792221&BRD=1302&PAG=461&dept_id=181987&rfi=6
Will the city of Tulsa embrace wind-supplied energy? (The Tulsa World)
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070909_1_A19_hWind18056
Scotland – Red face for Salmond as green energy claim proves unfounded. An attempt by Alex Salmond to claim renewable energy played a larger part than nuclear power in generating Scotland's electricity backfired last night. (The Scotsman)
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1436322007
CONSERVATION
Tri-cities builders greening up – Every day, Marchell Mascheck appreciates the quality of her green home. The Maschecks have been living in their new "built green" home, constructed by Pischel Quality Homes in Pasco, for more than a year. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/business/v-rss/story/9289850p-9204318c.html
Energy cutter gets in fast lane – Folsom-based tech startup SynapSense Corp. will announce today that it's received $10 million in venture funding to pursue the fast-growing market for reducing power consumption at energy-hungry computer data centers. (Sacramento Bee, may require free registration)
http://www.sacbee.com/103/story/369884.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Land managers short on climate change data – Federal agencies that manage nearly a third of the land in the United States and more than half of Oregon's land aren't adequately considering the effects of climate change, despite clear evidence that warming already is affecting public lands, the Government Accountability Office said Thursday. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/118913193037280.xml&coll=7
As climate warms, cities look to adjust – Unlike her neighbors', Rachael Paschal Osborn's yard isn't an expanse of green grass meticulously fertilized and watered on schedule by timed sprinklers. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003876184_warmwater09.html
Questioning Global-Warming Focus in 'Cool It' –Bjorn Lomborg calls himself a "skeptical environmentalist." Critics say he is an anti-environmentalist. In his new book, Cool It, he argues that global warming is not so important that tens of billions of dollars should be spent trying to prevent it. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14285997&ft=1&f=3
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Grays Harbor County – SafeHarbor lays off 13; down to 53 workers. SafeHarbor Technology Corp., the largest employer at Satsop Development Park, laid off 13 workers on Tuesday, dropping its number of employees to just 53. (The Daily World)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/09/08/local_news/02news.txt
Pasco's 2 water towers attract wireless business, extra revenue – Pasco's two water towers do more than just hold water. The structures, like church steeples, building rooftops and water towers across the country, are available for rent to cellular phone companies needing high spots to mount radio transmission equipment. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/v-rss/story/9286016p-9200489c.html
Camano Island Man Gets Surprise In Phone Bill – Among the top complaints received by our Consumer Investigators are problems with cell phone and Internet service. But one case in particular has surprised even the state Attorney General's office. (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/money/14068643/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news
New Technology Could Change How you View the World – Chattanooga's Electric Power Board is introducing high tech residential fiber optic cable. It could change the way you view your world. (WRCB-TV, Chattanooga)
http://www.wrcbtv.com/news/index.cfm?sid=11025
New Hampshire – Got high-speed? If not, there's hope – While high-speed Internet service is available to most New Hampshire businesses and homes, there is a large group of potential broadband or DSL consumers who have been bypassed by the technologies because they live in rural areas. (The Citizen of Laconia – Check out the picture of one of the antenna sites!)
http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070909/CITIZEN_01/709090118/-1/citizen0103
ISP Extras a Great Revenue Stream – Added value services generated more revenue than broadband... (Broadband Reports, Note: Comments may contain PG-13 Language)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ISP-Extras-a-Great-Revenue-Stream-87352
Tech companies are greener, but are they green enough?Story Highlights – The extremely air-conditioned computer farms known as data centers are the gas-guzzling jalopies of the technology world. Some require 40 or 50 times more power than comparably sized office space. (CNN.Com)
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/biztech/09/08/tech.green.credentials.ap/
GENERAL NEWS
Task force begins work out details on new family leave law – Washington's new law giving parents five weeks of paid time off to be with a new child is second only to California. (Associated Press via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/212629.html
A look at the paid family leave bill law (Associated Press via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/212635.html
Weyerhaeuser may close plants – Weyerhaeuser Co (WY.N: Quote, Profile , Research), one of the world's largest paper and lumber companies, said on Monday that it would probably close plants and restrict operations because of weak market conditions. (Reuters)
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=businessNews&storyid=2007-09-10T115450Z_01_WEN0868_RTRUKOC_0_US-WEYERHAEUSER-CLOSURES.xml&src=nl_usbusinessearly
Everett Herald Op/Ed – In an emergency, will you be prepared? September is National Preparedness Month.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20070908/OPINION03/109080008
DIVERSIONS
Ai Chihuahua! Dog Adopts 4 Baby Squirrels – Motherless Squirrels' Nest Found On Downed Tree Limb
http://www.kirotv.com/family/14066730/detail.html
Man calls the cops in Santa Cruz after buyers steal his weed
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/08/MNAQS18VQ.DTL&feed=rss.news
The Maestro of 'D'oh!' Makes a New Soundtrack – The Simpsons will begin its 19th season of dysfunctional family adventures and pointed social satire -- and music. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14234898&ft=1&f=10
Gunman gets chop during karate robbery
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSGOR04946220070910?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
WORD OF THE DAY
Convivial • \kun-VIV-ee-ul\ • adjective – Relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company (From Merriam-Webster)
The convivial atmosphere of Dante’s 70’s disco party suffered a jolt like a cold shower when one of the guests added their own 70’s retro twist: a newly minted, digitally enhanced version of “The Candy Man”. Every person who left the party cursed the night that they walked out of the nightclub humming the song.
Believe it or not, “The Candy Man” was a number 1 hit on the Billboard charts in 1972; the same year that produced Rock & Roll (Led Zeppelin at #47), Layla (Derek & the Dominos, at #10).
http://www.superseventies.com/sw_candyman.html
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
TXU Shareholders Approve $32B Sale – The biggest power generator in Texas could soon belong to private owners, after shareholders of TXU Corp. voted Friday to sell the company for $32 billion in one of the largest leveraged buyouts ever. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090700773.html?nav=rss_business
Port Angeles still feeling rate effects from 2000-2001 energy shortage – A city increase in electrical charges is fueled by a need to continue rebuilding reserves depleted by the 2000-2001 West Coast energy crisis, says City Power Resources Manager Larry Dunbar. (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070908/NEWS/70908002
Swift 2 turbine fixed, Cowlitz PUD reports – The cause still remains a mystery, but damage to a turbine at the Cowlitz PUD's Swift 2 powerhouse on the Lewis River has been repaired, the utility reported last week. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/10/area_news/news11.txt
PG&E shifts rate increase away from big business – Households, small firms will pay more next year in wake of regulators' ruling. Small businesses and homeowners will bear the brunt of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. rate increases in January - a reversal from last week, when the utility said big businesses would shoulder more of the burden. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/08/BUSGS1D5U.DTL&feed=rss.business
New York – Con Edison Is Supported on Bid to Raise Rates. Officials at the State Public Service Commission said on Friday that Consolidated Edison should be allowed to raise the prices it charges for delivering electricity by what critics believe would be the biggest amount in the company’s history. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/nyregion/08coned.html?ex=1346904000&en=bd4bf55616879a67&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Maryland – State Mulls Return to Energy Regulation: Increase in Electricity Prices Has Raised Suspicions of Gouging. Maryland's top utility regulators, facing a backlash from consumers over high electricity rates, are exploring ways for the state to roll back its experiment with competitive electricity pricing and to possibly return money to ratepayers. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090801549.html?nav=rss_metro/md
Houston Chronicle Loren Steffy column: Deregulation's value can be found in CEO's pockets (Via PowerMakrketers.com)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfgqrsytUSki%27%40%3E%20bfem%5Ev
California – Aging power lines pose problems for residents – Outages leave many households battling extreme heat; PG&E crews prepare to replace lines, transformers (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6845085?source=rss&nclick_check=1
California utility presses for new electricity link with Arizona – A major California utility trying to shore up its sources of electricity isn't giving up its fight to build a new major transmission line, despite Arizona regulators' attempt to short-circuit the project. (The Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6846602?nclick_check=1
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Tribe vows prosecution for killing of whale – Many fear effort to legalize new hunt may be derailed. One day after a group of frustrated Makah tribal members asserted treaty and historic rights by harpooning and killing a protected gray whale, tribal leaders condemned the hunt and vowed to prosecute the men. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/331060_whale10.html
Hunter not ashamed of killing whale without a permit (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003877287_whalehunt10m.html?syndication=rss
Steilacoom – Channel unblocks creek to fish. Party celebrates completion of bypass system in Bresemann Forest. A $400,000 fish passage project has opened the headwaters of Spanaway Creek to migrating fish, at the same time preserving a century-old mill pond and neighborhood treasure. (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/151489.html
Alaska – Pinks lift '07 salmon catch to a near record. Catches are still trickling in but Alaska's 2007 salmon harvest is already one for the record books. (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/fishing/fishing_report/story/9286025p-9200501c.html
Fish Drift from Familiar Alaska Waters – The multibillion-dollar industry of pollock fishing may be in trouble. The fish have been abandoning areas where American fishermen normally catch them and have been popping up near where the Bering Sea becomes Russian territory. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14277699&ft=1&f=2
California – Cities’ dam, levee reports slowly trickle in. After being criticized for their lack of preparedness by a county grand jury, Peninsula cities have begun preparing reports on the safety and status of their dams and levees. (The Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-926163~Cities__dam__levee_reports_slowly_trickle_in.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines
Polluters show up on Portland Development Commission’s green list – In trying to attract and expand environmentally friendly businesses in the Portland region, the Commission is using methods agency officials agree are flawed – including defining current businesses in Portland as “sustainable” without regard to their environmental and pollution records. (Portland Tribune)
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=118911408513137000
RENEWABLE ENERGY
The Columbian Energy adviser: Ocean-power research holds real potential – I recently read a short article about electricity being generated by the ocean. Is this a feasible option for the future? (Thanks to staff from Clark Public Utilities)
http://www.columbian.com/lifeHome/lifeHomeNews/09092007news194549.cfm
U.S. Representative Herseth Sandlin: Wind energy producers want electricity mainstreamed –Sandlin and other U.S. House members heard testimony Thursday that wind energy resources should pair up with coal-fired plants to provide reliable sources of electricity for American consumers. (Madison Daily Leader)
http://www.madisondailyleader.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18792221&BRD=1302&PAG=461&dept_id=181987&rfi=6
Will the city of Tulsa embrace wind-supplied energy? (The Tulsa World)
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070909_1_A19_hWind18056
Scotland – Red face for Salmond as green energy claim proves unfounded. An attempt by Alex Salmond to claim renewable energy played a larger part than nuclear power in generating Scotland's electricity backfired last night. (The Scotsman)
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1436322007
CONSERVATION
Tri-cities builders greening up – Every day, Marchell Mascheck appreciates the quality of her green home. The Maschecks have been living in their new "built green" home, constructed by Pischel Quality Homes in Pasco, for more than a year. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/business/v-rss/story/9289850p-9204318c.html
Energy cutter gets in fast lane – Folsom-based tech startup SynapSense Corp. will announce today that it's received $10 million in venture funding to pursue the fast-growing market for reducing power consumption at energy-hungry computer data centers. (Sacramento Bee, may require free registration)
http://www.sacbee.com/103/story/369884.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Land managers short on climate change data – Federal agencies that manage nearly a third of the land in the United States and more than half of Oregon's land aren't adequately considering the effects of climate change, despite clear evidence that warming already is affecting public lands, the Government Accountability Office said Thursday. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/118913193037280.xml&coll=7
As climate warms, cities look to adjust – Unlike her neighbors', Rachael Paschal Osborn's yard isn't an expanse of green grass meticulously fertilized and watered on schedule by timed sprinklers. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003876184_warmwater09.html
Questioning Global-Warming Focus in 'Cool It' –Bjorn Lomborg calls himself a "skeptical environmentalist." Critics say he is an anti-environmentalist. In his new book, Cool It, he argues that global warming is not so important that tens of billions of dollars should be spent trying to prevent it. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14285997&ft=1&f=3
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Grays Harbor County – SafeHarbor lays off 13; down to 53 workers. SafeHarbor Technology Corp., the largest employer at Satsop Development Park, laid off 13 workers on Tuesday, dropping its number of employees to just 53. (The Daily World)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/09/08/local_news/02news.txt
Pasco's 2 water towers attract wireless business, extra revenue – Pasco's two water towers do more than just hold water. The structures, like church steeples, building rooftops and water towers across the country, are available for rent to cellular phone companies needing high spots to mount radio transmission equipment. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/v-rss/story/9286016p-9200489c.html
Camano Island Man Gets Surprise In Phone Bill – Among the top complaints received by our Consumer Investigators are problems with cell phone and Internet service. But one case in particular has surprised even the state Attorney General's office. (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/money/14068643/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news
New Technology Could Change How you View the World – Chattanooga's Electric Power Board is introducing high tech residential fiber optic cable. It could change the way you view your world. (WRCB-TV, Chattanooga)
http://www.wrcbtv.com/news/index.cfm?sid=11025
New Hampshire – Got high-speed? If not, there's hope – While high-speed Internet service is available to most New Hampshire businesses and homes, there is a large group of potential broadband or DSL consumers who have been bypassed by the technologies because they live in rural areas. (The Citizen of Laconia – Check out the picture of one of the antenna sites!)
http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070909/CITIZEN_01/709090118/-1/citizen0103
ISP Extras a Great Revenue Stream – Added value services generated more revenue than broadband... (Broadband Reports, Note: Comments may contain PG-13 Language)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ISP-Extras-a-Great-Revenue-Stream-87352
Tech companies are greener, but are they green enough?Story Highlights – The extremely air-conditioned computer farms known as data centers are the gas-guzzling jalopies of the technology world. Some require 40 or 50 times more power than comparably sized office space. (CNN.Com)
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/biztech/09/08/tech.green.credentials.ap/
GENERAL NEWS
Task force begins work out details on new family leave law – Washington's new law giving parents five weeks of paid time off to be with a new child is second only to California. (Associated Press via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/212629.html
A look at the paid family leave bill law (Associated Press via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/212635.html
Weyerhaeuser may close plants – Weyerhaeuser Co (WY.N: Quote, Profile , Research), one of the world's largest paper and lumber companies, said on Monday that it would probably close plants and restrict operations because of weak market conditions. (Reuters)
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=businessNews&storyid=2007-09-10T115450Z_01_WEN0868_RTRUKOC_0_US-WEYERHAEUSER-CLOSURES.xml&src=nl_usbusinessearly
Everett Herald Op/Ed – In an emergency, will you be prepared? September is National Preparedness Month.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20070908/OPINION03/109080008
DIVERSIONS
Ai Chihuahua! Dog Adopts 4 Baby Squirrels – Motherless Squirrels' Nest Found On Downed Tree Limb
http://www.kirotv.com/family/14066730/detail.html
Man calls the cops in Santa Cruz after buyers steal his weed
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/08/MNAQS18VQ.DTL&feed=rss.news
The Maestro of 'D'oh!' Makes a New Soundtrack – The Simpsons will begin its 19th season of dysfunctional family adventures and pointed social satire -- and music. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14234898&ft=1&f=10
Gunman gets chop during karate robbery
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSGOR04946220070910?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Friday, September 7, 2007
News Digest for September 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.
WORD OF THE DAY
Plenitude • \PLEN-uh-tood\ • noun – 1: the quality or state of being full: completeness *2: a great sufficiency: abundance
Gabriel was ecstatic over about her first crop of corpse flowers. The plenitude of her garden’s bounty of titan arum was evident to her neighbors at the first blooming. The Glade Air Freshener salesman made a “killing” that week.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269
La Nina developing in Pacific Ocean (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_090607WAB_la_nina_SW.a97b15f8.html
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
California Heat Wave Ends With a Death Toll Near 25 – A week of excessively high temperatures has ended in Southern California after causing more than 20 deaths and sporadic power failures. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/07/us/07heat.html?ex=1346817600&en=d01e5b239887b02f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Former Enron Chief Appeals Conviction – Former Enron chief executive Jeffrey K. Skilling today appealed criminal convictions that sent him to prison for more than 24 years, seeking a new trial and citing "profound, inherent weaknesses in the government's case." (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090700959.html?nav=rss_business
Avista sees a change in the wind: Long-term power plan anticipates 'gassy, windy' future, shift from coal (Spokesman Review via Electric Light & Power)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=HOME&NewsID=151604
Montana – FERC grants company another 3-year permit to study Gibson site. A Bellingham, Wash., company has received another three-year permit to study the hydroelectric potential of Gibson Dam on the Sun River west of Augusta (Choteau Acantha)
http://www.choteauacantha.com/articles/2007/09/06/news/news3.txt
FERC approves TXU sale – TXU Corp.'s pending buyout has been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Dallas Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2007/09/03/daily24.html?ana=from_rss
Coal-fired power plant to offset CO2 emissions – Seven regional utilities that propose building a $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant on the South Dakota border have agreed to offset the CO2 emissions of the plant's Minnesota customers, according to a local report. (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=304924&C=ENVIR
Canada – Report buttresses argument against power lines, EMF emissions would be 149 times level recommended. A scientific report released late last week joins others in raising serious public-health concerns over long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields from high-voltage power lines. (The Province)
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=392a56cf-50c6-4c07-9745-630b9dbb7066
Remembering Nat Washington, by Joel Connelly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Strange Bedfellows. A tree-flanked oasis of shade, the residence around the corner from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Ephrata housed the single most interesting source for Washington history ever encountered by this reporter.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/121345.asp?from=blog_last3
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Feds reel out third salmon plan – Northwest - U.S. officials hope their latest proposal to protect fish, yet keep dams, pleases a skeptical judge (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1189135513132230.xml&coll=7
Federal Executives Comment on New Approach for Salmon Recovery – NOAA Fisheries to review the proposed action to develop a biological opinion for listed fish. (Via PRWeb)
http://www.prweb.com/releases/salmon/recovery/prweb551900.htm
MP3 Audio for local media can be found here:
http://www.salmonrecovery.gov/biological_opinions/fcrps/ba-ca/index.cfm
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1189135513132230.xml&coll=7
News Release NW River Partners – Science-Based Plan Step in Right Direction. Today the Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation released to the public a draft plan to aid the recovery of Pacific salmon and steelhead stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act. (Links to PDF File)
http://nwriverpartners.org/documents/NWRPresponsetoFedAgenciesBA9-6-07.pdf
News Release (SOWS) – New Salmon Plan Follows Administration's Blueprint for Failure: Administration Continues Failing Salmon, Fishermen and Northwest
Communities (Via PR Newswire)
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-06-2007/0004658068&EDATE=
Hatchery coho making their way to area tributaries (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/07/this_day/news04.txt
Estimated 780,000 pink salmon head up Puyallup River – The Puyallup River runs as gray as wet concrete, but the real color of the river these days is pink; as in hundreds of thousands of pink salmon. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/210351.html
Oops! – Biologists use wrong fish trying to save endangered trout species. Scientists say error is a potential black eye, but they are optimistic about the project's success (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6826070?source=rss&nclick_check=1
Canada – Salmon 'spill' prompts calls for closed farming system. Calls to have British Columbia's salmon farming industry move to a closed, shore-based system were revived yesterday while crews scrambled to respond to the latest "spill" of Atlantic salmon from an open net pen in Clayoquot Sound. (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070907.BCSALMON07/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/
Dam Safety – We have a lot of old dams. Roughly 25-hundred hold back waters here in the Northwest. Even the sturdiest structures made from concrete and wood don’t hold up forever. (Oregon Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=3204
The overcrowded ark – The Endangered Species Act has become unwieldy. Time for a change (The Economist Magazine)
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9767816
Golly, another study – A $500,000 question for lake. Capitol Lake managers are at odds over an ambitious schedule that would attempt to complete a Capitol Lake versus Deschutes River estuary comparison in 22 months at a cost of $500,000. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/210287.html
Too many straws in the glass – Duke going after improper pumpers: With drought sapping lakes, utility enforcing lake limits
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfgntwqnVSjh%27%40%3E%20bfem%5Ev
'Gray Water' Codes Pose Enforcement Challenge – Across the country people are disconnecting the pipes taking water from their homes to local water treatment plants. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14210147&ft=1&f=17
CONSERVATION & RENEWABLE ENERGY
First Wave Energy Buoy Deployed on West Coast (Oregon Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=3205
Kansas – College inadvertently steals wind from beneath high school's wings (Dodge City Globe)
http://www.dodgeglobe.com/stories/090707/loc_20070907003.shtml
Insert cynical comment about burning biomass here…. Curb on wood stoves in works
Board to vote on banning their use about 30 days each winter for bad-air days. (Sacramento Bee, may require free registration)
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/365145.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Arctic ice cap to melt faster than feared, scientists say (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003873003_arcticice07m.html
Global warming: Too hot to handle for the British Broadcasting Corporation – Green groups protest after corporation calls off day of programming dedicated to climate change
http://environment.independent.co.uk/climate_change/article2934318.ece
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Judge strikes down part of Patriot Act – Federal Judge Throws Out Parts of Patriot Act, Says Court's OK Needed to Get Internet Records (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090600999.html?nav=rss_technology
Feds OK Fee for Priority Web Traffic – The Justice Department on Thursday said Internet service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority Web traffic. The agency told the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing high-speed Internet practices, that it is opposed to "Net neutrality," the principle that all Internet sites should be equally accessible to any Web user. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090601262.html?nav=rss_technology
Shutting Down Big Downloaders – Comcast Cuts Internet Service to Bandwidth Hogs. The rapid growth of online videos, music and games has created a new Internet sin: using it too much. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090602545.html?nav=rss_metro
Review: After Smoke Clears, FiOS a Hit – If the installers hadn't almost burned my house down, I'd say Verizon's new cable television and high speed Internet service was fantastic. (The Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDQ4VqX3NSOqLqy4jqcSiJFBOxqA
Wenatchee – Peshastin mill site eyed for tech area. A Leavenworth developer has offered to buy the Port of Chelan County's 59-acre Peshastin mill site for $3.3 million to turn it into a campus for high-tech research and development. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070906/NEWS04/709060436/1001
FCC may ban cable exclusivity deals – Federal regulators appear set to crack down on cable companies that sign exclusive deals with apartment and condominium buildings, denying residents the fruits of emerging pay-TV competition. (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2007-09-05-cable-fcc_N.htm?csp=34
Cable Ads Mark Switch to Digital TV – The cable television industry has launched a $200 million advertising campaign to assure customers they will still be able to watch their favorite programs after the transition to digital broadcasting. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090601180.html?nav=rss_technology
GENERAL NEWS
Virus Is Seen as Suspect in Death of Honeybees – Scientists sifting genetic material from thriving and ailing bee colonies say a virus appears to be a prime suspect — but is unlikely to be the only culprit — in the mass die-offs of honeybees reported last fall and winter. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/07/science/07bees.html?ex=1346817600&en=be14bdfc2ca321fd&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
DIVERSIONS
Evergreen student wins facial-hair contest
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003870383_webbeard05m.html?syndication=rss
Kids smarter than apes -- sometimes, anyway – It's official: Your toddler is smarter than a chimp, at least at some things.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyid=2007-09-06T223616Z_01_N06373599_RTRUKOC_0_US-TODDLERS-APES.xml&src=nl_usmorningdigest
65-year-old gets carded in supermarket
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070906/ap_on_fe_st/65_year_old_carded;_ylt=ApIFHKdmtN.jdpTLn8PNwvztiBIF
Bush shows gift of gaffe at APEC summit
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSPAR75418520070907?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Corrupt China official felled by 11 mistresses
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSPEK36711520070907?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
WORD OF THE DAY
Plenitude • \PLEN-uh-tood\ • noun – 1: the quality or state of being full: completeness *2: a great sufficiency: abundance
Gabriel was ecstatic over about her first crop of corpse flowers. The plenitude of her garden’s bounty of titan arum was evident to her neighbors at the first blooming. The Glade Air Freshener salesman made a “killing” that week.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269
La Nina developing in Pacific Ocean (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_090607WAB_la_nina_SW.a97b15f8.html
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
California Heat Wave Ends With a Death Toll Near 25 – A week of excessively high temperatures has ended in Southern California after causing more than 20 deaths and sporadic power failures. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/07/us/07heat.html?ex=1346817600&en=d01e5b239887b02f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Former Enron Chief Appeals Conviction – Former Enron chief executive Jeffrey K. Skilling today appealed criminal convictions that sent him to prison for more than 24 years, seeking a new trial and citing "profound, inherent weaknesses in the government's case." (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090700959.html?nav=rss_business
Avista sees a change in the wind: Long-term power plan anticipates 'gassy, windy' future, shift from coal (Spokesman Review via Electric Light & Power)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=HOME&NewsID=151604
Montana – FERC grants company another 3-year permit to study Gibson site. A Bellingham, Wash., company has received another three-year permit to study the hydroelectric potential of Gibson Dam on the Sun River west of Augusta (Choteau Acantha)
http://www.choteauacantha.com/articles/2007/09/06/news/news3.txt
FERC approves TXU sale – TXU Corp.'s pending buyout has been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Dallas Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2007/09/03/daily24.html?ana=from_rss
Coal-fired power plant to offset CO2 emissions – Seven regional utilities that propose building a $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant on the South Dakota border have agreed to offset the CO2 emissions of the plant's Minnesota customers, according to a local report. (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=6&ARTICLE_ID=304924&C=ENVIR
Canada – Report buttresses argument against power lines, EMF emissions would be 149 times level recommended. A scientific report released late last week joins others in raising serious public-health concerns over long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields from high-voltage power lines. (The Province)
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=392a56cf-50c6-4c07-9745-630b9dbb7066
Remembering Nat Washington, by Joel Connelly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Strange Bedfellows. A tree-flanked oasis of shade, the residence around the corner from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Ephrata housed the single most interesting source for Washington history ever encountered by this reporter.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/121345.asp?from=blog_last3
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Feds reel out third salmon plan – Northwest - U.S. officials hope their latest proposal to protect fish, yet keep dams, pleases a skeptical judge (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1189135513132230.xml&coll=7
Federal Executives Comment on New Approach for Salmon Recovery – NOAA Fisheries to review the proposed action to develop a biological opinion for listed fish. (Via PRWeb)
http://www.prweb.com/releases/salmon/recovery/prweb551900.htm
MP3 Audio for local media can be found here:
http://www.salmonrecovery.gov/biological_opinions/fcrps/ba-ca/index.cfm
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1189135513132230.xml&coll=7
News Release NW River Partners – Science-Based Plan Step in Right Direction. Today the Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation released to the public a draft plan to aid the recovery of Pacific salmon and steelhead stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act. (Links to PDF File)
http://nwriverpartners.org/documents/NWRPresponsetoFedAgenciesBA9-6-07.pdf
News Release (SOWS) – New Salmon Plan Follows Administration's Blueprint for Failure: Administration Continues Failing Salmon, Fishermen and Northwest
Communities (Via PR Newswire)
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-06-2007/0004658068&EDATE=
Hatchery coho making their way to area tributaries (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/07/this_day/news04.txt
Estimated 780,000 pink salmon head up Puyallup River – The Puyallup River runs as gray as wet concrete, but the real color of the river these days is pink; as in hundreds of thousands of pink salmon. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/210351.html
Oops! – Biologists use wrong fish trying to save endangered trout species. Scientists say error is a potential black eye, but they are optimistic about the project's success (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6826070?source=rss&nclick_check=1
Canada – Salmon 'spill' prompts calls for closed farming system. Calls to have British Columbia's salmon farming industry move to a closed, shore-based system were revived yesterday while crews scrambled to respond to the latest "spill" of Atlantic salmon from an open net pen in Clayoquot Sound. (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070907.BCSALMON07/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/
Dam Safety – We have a lot of old dams. Roughly 25-hundred hold back waters here in the Northwest. Even the sturdiest structures made from concrete and wood don’t hold up forever. (Oregon Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=3204
The overcrowded ark – The Endangered Species Act has become unwieldy. Time for a change (The Economist Magazine)
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9767816
Golly, another study – A $500,000 question for lake. Capitol Lake managers are at odds over an ambitious schedule that would attempt to complete a Capitol Lake versus Deschutes River estuary comparison in 22 months at a cost of $500,000. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/210287.html
Too many straws in the glass – Duke going after improper pumpers: With drought sapping lakes, utility enforcing lake limits
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CfgntwqnVSjh%27%40%3E%20bfem%5Ev
'Gray Water' Codes Pose Enforcement Challenge – Across the country people are disconnecting the pipes taking water from their homes to local water treatment plants. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14210147&ft=1&f=17
CONSERVATION & RENEWABLE ENERGY
First Wave Energy Buoy Deployed on West Coast (Oregon Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=3205
Kansas – College inadvertently steals wind from beneath high school's wings (Dodge City Globe)
http://www.dodgeglobe.com/stories/090707/loc_20070907003.shtml
Insert cynical comment about burning biomass here…. Curb on wood stoves in works
Board to vote on banning their use about 30 days each winter for bad-air days. (Sacramento Bee, may require free registration)
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/365145.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Arctic ice cap to melt faster than feared, scientists say (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003873003_arcticice07m.html
Global warming: Too hot to handle for the British Broadcasting Corporation – Green groups protest after corporation calls off day of programming dedicated to climate change
http://environment.independent.co.uk/climate_change/article2934318.ece
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Judge strikes down part of Patriot Act – Federal Judge Throws Out Parts of Patriot Act, Says Court's OK Needed to Get Internet Records (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090600999.html?nav=rss_technology
Feds OK Fee for Priority Web Traffic – The Justice Department on Thursday said Internet service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority Web traffic. The agency told the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing high-speed Internet practices, that it is opposed to "Net neutrality," the principle that all Internet sites should be equally accessible to any Web user. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090601262.html?nav=rss_technology
Shutting Down Big Downloaders – Comcast Cuts Internet Service to Bandwidth Hogs. The rapid growth of online videos, music and games has created a new Internet sin: using it too much. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090602545.html?nav=rss_metro
Review: After Smoke Clears, FiOS a Hit – If the installers hadn't almost burned my house down, I'd say Verizon's new cable television and high speed Internet service was fantastic. (The Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDQ4VqX3NSOqLqy4jqcSiJFBOxqA
Wenatchee – Peshastin mill site eyed for tech area. A Leavenworth developer has offered to buy the Port of Chelan County's 59-acre Peshastin mill site for $3.3 million to turn it into a campus for high-tech research and development. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070906/NEWS04/709060436/1001
FCC may ban cable exclusivity deals – Federal regulators appear set to crack down on cable companies that sign exclusive deals with apartment and condominium buildings, denying residents the fruits of emerging pay-TV competition. (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2007-09-05-cable-fcc_N.htm?csp=34
Cable Ads Mark Switch to Digital TV – The cable television industry has launched a $200 million advertising campaign to assure customers they will still be able to watch their favorite programs after the transition to digital broadcasting. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090601180.html?nav=rss_technology
GENERAL NEWS
Virus Is Seen as Suspect in Death of Honeybees – Scientists sifting genetic material from thriving and ailing bee colonies say a virus appears to be a prime suspect — but is unlikely to be the only culprit — in the mass die-offs of honeybees reported last fall and winter. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/07/science/07bees.html?ex=1346817600&en=be14bdfc2ca321fd&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
DIVERSIONS
Evergreen student wins facial-hair contest
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003870383_webbeard05m.html?syndication=rss
Kids smarter than apes -- sometimes, anyway – It's official: Your toddler is smarter than a chimp, at least at some things.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyid=2007-09-06T223616Z_01_N06373599_RTRUKOC_0_US-TODDLERS-APES.xml&src=nl_usmorningdigest
65-year-old gets carded in supermarket
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070906/ap_on_fe_st/65_year_old_carded;_ylt=ApIFHKdmtN.jdpTLn8PNwvztiBIF
Bush shows gift of gaffe at APEC summit
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSPAR75418520070907?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Corrupt China official felled by 11 mistresses
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSPEK36711520070907?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
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