All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Possible Wild Weather in Store for Puget Sound
- Deal lined up for BPA payments (Oh, Really?)
- TransAlta sees big future in 'carbon-neutral' energy
- Oregon governor says he is open to LNG plants
- Tennessee Valley Authority Gives CEO $1M Pay Raise
- Lance Dickie, Seattle Times editorial columnist – Fish and dams: Tell it to the judge.
- Kitsap Sun Op/Ed Page – SALMON: Don't Remove Dams, Kill Birds
- Seattle P-I Dateline Earth – Top chefs want NW salmon saved for diners
- Lower Columbia sturgeon appear on downward trend
- Columbian Editorial – In our view: Pesky Parakeets.
- Idaho water hearings begin with trout farm complaints
- Oil company BP pleads guilty to environmental crime
- Clark County might enter wind power market
- Ethanol Craze Cools
- Ethanol Producers Combine as Price Drop Hits Corn Belt
- 150 Global Firms Seek Mandatory Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Eco-Friendly Product Claims Often Misleading
- Illinois – $25 million network to aid rural hospitals
- Colorado – Denver International Airport sets Wi-Fi free.
- New Hampshire – Economic panel concerned with Verizon sale.
- Lawmakers restore 1% property tax cap
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Lares and Penates • \LAIR-eez-end-puh-NAY-teez\ • noun – 1: household gods *2: personal or household effects
“The Italian family down the street returned to the ‘old country’ two years ago,” mused Donald. “Who can forget all the stuff that was in the house? Lares and Penates they called it when they rolled out their house wares at the moving sale. Funny sounding name for a bunch of bric-a-brac.”
Did you know? The phrase "lares and penates" is at home in the elevated writings of scholars. A classicist could tell you that Lares and Penates were Roman gods once worshipped as guardians of the household, and an avid Walpolian might be able to tell you that his or her favorite author (Horace Walpole) is credited with first domesticating the phrase to refer to a person's possessions. In the centuries since Walpole used "lares and penates" in a 1775 letter to the English poet William Mason, the phrase has become solidly established in the English language, and it continues to be used by authors and journalists today.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Possible Wild Weather in Store for Puget Sound This Weekend – Kitsap County and the surrounding areas could be hit with anything from snow to heavy rain to strong winds this weekend through Monday, according to forecasters who are warily eyeing an approaching combination of weather systems. (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/29/possible-wild-weather-store-puget-sound-weekend/
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Deal lined up for BPA payments – A tentative deal has been reached that would restore Bonneville Power Administration payments to private utilities, including Puget Sound Energy, for a share of the region's low-cost hydropower. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/285748.html
Smells like a news release to me – BRIEF: Idaho Power rates are among the lowest in the U.S. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Markets Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChekmmvwXUok%22EN%26bfem%5Ev
TransAlta sees big future in 'carbon-neutral' energy (London Free Press)
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Business/2007/11/29/4694004-sun.html
Oregon governor says he is open to LNG plants – Gov. Ted Kulongoski is open to the idea of liquefied natural gas terminals, but he has told state agencies to "fully assert Oregon's concerns and interests" as they are considered, according to a memo to state agency directors (Ashland Daily Tidings, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1076256~Oregon_governor_says_he_is_open_to_LNG_plants.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines
HELP WITH HEATING FROM MASON COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT TWO – Mason County Fire District Two wants everyone to be warm and safe this winter. With the high cost of fuel, people with limited income may have difficulty keeping their homes warm. According to Fire District Two's Public Educator, Ryan Cloud, there is help available: the National Fuel Funds Network. The National Fuel Funds Network is a broad-based organization dedicated to increasing resources to meet the energy needs of financially struggling residents across the country. It consists of more than 300 non-profit organizations, government agencies and utilities that raise and distribute more than $100 million annually in charitably-donated home energy assistance for families in need. George Coling who directs the National Fuel Funds Organization says that the support of the network comes through private donations. Fuel funds can fill in the gap if a family has used up federal assistance, but faces a shut-off of their electricity. In some cases this assistance can pay a past-due bill or give a client an energy credit that lasts one month, or longer, if that is what is necessary to keep the lights on and the heater running. To find out more about the National Fuel Funds Network, call 1-202-824-0660 or click on their website, www.nationalfuelfund.org. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Mason County PUD No. 3 Project Share (energy bill assistance for low-income customers) information can be found here:http://www.masonpud3.org/Customer/Projectshare.asp
Tennessee Valley Authority Gives CEO $1M Pay Raise – TVA Gives CEO $1M Pay Raise to Reach $2.7M Total Compensation (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/7275378d591a23698c091adcfefaa47d.htm
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Lance Dickie, Seattle Times editorial columnist – Fish and dams: Tell it to the judge. Federal authorities would rather tug on Superman's cape than muss the robes of U.S. District Judge James Redden.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004043226_lance30.html
Kitsap Sun Op/Ed Page – SALMON: Don't Remove Dams, Kill Birds (May require free registration)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/30/salmon-dont-remove-dams-kill-birds/
Seattle P-I Dateline Earth – Top chefs want NW salmon saved for diners
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/environment/archives/126849.asp
Dredging should help anglers at Cowlitz – One of the best summer steelhead fishing spots in the lower Columbia River is getting a new lease on life. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/11/11292007_Dredging-should-help-anglers-at-Cowlitz.cfm?newsletter=1
Lower Columbia sturgeon appear on downward trend – The population of legal-size sturgeon in the lower Columbia River appears to be continuing on a gradual, decade-long decline. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/11/11292007_Lower-Columbia-sturgeon-appear-on-downward-trend.cfm?newsletter=1
Columbia River summit to address pollution – A bistate organization will convene a conference in early January in Vancouver to address toxic contamination in the Columbia River. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/11/11292007_Columbia-River-summit-to-address-pollution.cfm?newsletter=2
Columbian Editorial – In our view: Pesky Parakeets. Rousting birds from their roost was unpleasant but necessary chore
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/11/11292007_In-our-view-Pesky-Parakeets.cfm
Idaho water hearings begin with trout farm complaints (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/285425.html
News Tribune Editorial – Snub of Lake Tapps cities doesn’t shore up trust. The Cascade Water Alliance is doing a poor job of assuring concerned east Pierce County residents that it would be a good steward of Lake Tapps.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/216929.html
Oil company BP pleads guilty to environmental crime and other energy-related misdeeds – The Alaska subsidiary of oil giant BP PLC pleaded guilty today to a federal environmental crime for failing to prevent a crude spill in America's largest oil field. (Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004042575_weboil29m.html?syndication=rss
China Says Three Gorges Dam Is Not Responsible for Landslides (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/world/asia/28gorges.html?ex=1353906000&en=a5ff72e334ce58ce&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Clark County might enter wind power market – Hoping to cut costs and balance its contributions to global warming, Clark County's government is thinking about dipping a toe into the growing wind power business.
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/11/11292007_County-might-enter-wind-power-market.cfm?newsletter=2
Ethanol Craze Cools – As Doubts Multiply Claims for Environment, Energy Use Draw Fire; Fighting on the Farm (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119621238761706021.html?mod=rss_Page_One
Those darn price signals! Ethanol Producers Combine as Price Drop Hits Corn Belt – VeraSun Energy, one of the nation's largest ethanol producers, agreed to acquire US BioEnergy, as falling prices are prompting consolidation among producers of the gasoline additive. (Bloomberg News, via the Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR2007112902206.html?nav=rss_business
A Motivating Force for Wind Energy: Galicia, Spain – With no end to increased energy consumption in sight and a growing concern surrounding climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, the growth opportunity for wind farms, and firms, is significant. In fact, few industries today have grown as quickly as the wind energy market. (Energy Pulse Commentary)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1614
CONSERVATION
Maryland – Teens target energy-saving in home audits (Baltimore Sun)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.neighbors30nov30,0,5862942.story
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
150 Global Firms Seek Mandatory Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions – A sizable fraction of the international business community launched an effort to press for mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas emissions yesterday, on the eve of a major round of climate negotiations set to begin Monday in Bali. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR2007112902039.html?nav=rss_nation
Eco-Friendly Product Claims Often Misleading (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16754919&ft=1&f=3
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Illinois – $25 million network to aid rural hospitals – Just as you can download full-length movies with speedy broadband Internet service at home, small hospitals in rural Illinois soon will be able to quickly send MRI scans and consult distant Chicagoland doctors through a new fiber-optic health network. (The Beacon News)
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/672576,2_1_AU29_NIU_S1.article
Colorado – Denver International Airport sets Wi-Fi free. An airport spokesman says wireless Internet use has risen tenfold since DIA dropped the fee early this month. (The Denver Post, via Baller/Herbst)
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_7585581
New Hampshire – Economic panel concerned with Verizon sale. The Rochester Economic Development Commission says it's "seriously concerned" with the $2.7 billion sale of Verizon's northern New England landlines to FairPoint Communications because the move could slow efforts to provide faster broadband access to businesses and homes. (Rochester Times)
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071130/GJNEWS04/711300073
GENERAL NEWS
Lawmakers restore 1% property tax cap – Special session called to revive I-747 limit (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341706_special30.html
DNR says it catches cedar thieves – Two men were arrested in the early hours of the morning today in connection to the theft of more than $20,000 worth of timber along a rural logging road east of Moclips, according to Dave Christiansen, the state Department of Natural Resources’ coast district manager for the Olympic region. (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/11/29/local_news/07news.txt
DIVERSIONS
What else could go wrong – Ice, downed power line hamstrings firefighters
http://www.examiner.com/a-1077774~Ice__downed_power_line_hamstrings_firefighters.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
Police: Thief Not Brightest Bulb on Tree
http://www.examiner.com/a-1077164~Police__Thief_Not_Brightest_Bulb_on_Tree.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines
Footprints seen around Mt.Everest stoke Yeti mystery
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071130/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_nepal_yeti;_ylt=AibcxSZUYVjKLjm0L2ps0lvtiBIF
Italian farmer fined 200 (about $300) euros over noisy rooster
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071128/od_afp/italyanimalnoiseoffbeat_071128152720;_ylt=Ap5LapCn1_wao6kBNE0VNxWgOrgF
Humanoid robot teaches dentists to feel people's pain – Japan's future dentists may soon be able to better appreciate patients' pain by training on a humanoid robot that can mumble "ouch" when the drill hits a nerve.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071128/od_afp/lifestylejapantechnologyrobothealthoffbeat_071128094545;_ylt=Ap7MZBnCNXCHVZOcMpWxgbagOrgF
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Energy News Digest for November 29, 2007
All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Snow Possible Beginning Saturday
- Mason County PUD No. 3 voices concerns to BPA
- Energy Northwest will pursue $1.5 billion plant in Kalama
- Montana – NorthWestern, counsel eye deal on rate hike request.
- Three Linked to Enron Fraud Plead Guilty
- Congressional negotiators Close In on Energy Measure
- New Administrator for Southwestern Power Administration started career at BPA
- Clark County – Wild parakeets' nests destroyed
- Senator to keep EPA focused on Duwamish
- Top scientists: Klamath salmon need more water
- California – New Sacramento delta water diversion debate bubbles up.
- Clean-tech startups in state attract record investment
- Yahoo prepares to open data center in Quincy
- U.S. not up to speed on broadband
- Passing 1% property tax limit may not stop local districts
- Shelton’s First Street Closed For Gas Contamination Clean Up
- Fire shuts key Canada-U.S. pipeline
- Port Orchard – Protesters Plan Rally Outside Soldier's Funeral.
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Cetacean • \SIT-ay-shee-un\ • noun – Any of an order (Cetacea) of aquatic mostly marine mammals that includes the whales, dolphins, porpoises, and related forms and that have a torpedo-shaped nearly hairless body, paddle-shaped forelimbs but no hind limbs, one or two nares opening externally at the top of the head, and a horizontally flattened tail used for locomotion
Alfred stood along the Columbia River, mouth agape. The cetacean show of an Orca whale chasing a sea lion, which was chasing a salmon into the Bonneville Dam fish ladder was ludicrous. The best part to Alfred was the whale tour boat that was valiantly trying to keep up with the unfolding spectacle. The tour boat operator continued to bellow that this was all a part of nature’s circle of life…and that no dams were hurt in the production of the show.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
SNOW POSSIBLE BEGINNING SATURDAY – The National Weather Service is saying that snow is possible beginning Saturday. Forecasters say a northerly flow will drive colder and drier Canadian air south into Western Washington Friday and Friday night. A surface low pressure system is expected to form off the south coast of Vancouver Island on Saturday and spread moisture into the cool air mass in place over Western Washington. Rain and snow showers are expected to develop Saturday afternoon and increase Saturday night. Locations away from the water and especially with a little elevation will have the best chance of some light snow accumulations. Temperatures near the water will be marginal to support all snow with a rain and snow mix. At this time, it is too soon to tell how much snow accumulation will occur. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
News Release – BPA offers safety tips, urges caution for series of storms headed to the region (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/183792/
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
MASON COUNTY PUD NO. 3 VOICES CONCERNS TO B-P-A – Officials with Mason County P.U.D. No. 3 voiced their concerns with the Bonneville Power Administration. Tuesday during the P.U.D. 3 Board of Commissioners' meeting, two account executives from the B-P-A, Kirsten Watts and Lynn Aspass, briefed the P.U.D. on a variety of subjects including the utility's transmission request for Nine Canyon, Bonneville's “Network Open Season”, long-term regional dialogue, tiered rates, and the recent court ruling against the B-P-A relating to payments to investor owned utilities. P.U.D. officials told Watts and Aspass that they do not believe Bonneville is listening to them, that the B-P-A is not following the rules, and they feel that some of what Bonneville is requiring public utilities to sign is blackmail. Watts and Aspass told the P.U.D. they have noted the concerns and will take them back to Bonneville officials. The P.U.D. will need to sign a new contract with B-P-A by December of next year. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Energy Northwest will pursue $1.5 billion plant in Kalama – Energy Northwest will continue its effort to build a $1.5 billion petcoke/ coal gasification plant at the Port of Kalama, but its next move is unclear. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/29/area_news/doc474eeea711509337891613.txt
Montana – NorthWestern, counsel eye deal on rate hike request. NorthWestern Energy and the state lawyer representing utility consumers are trying to strike a deal on the company's $42 million annual rate hike request, with the consumer counsel angling for a smaller increase. (The Missoulian)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/11/28/news/local/znews04.txt
Three Linked to Enron Fraud Plead Guilty – Three British bankers who were set to go to trial for their roles in a fraudulent scheme with former Enron chief financial officer Andrew S. Fastow changed their pleas to guilty on Wednesday. (Associated Press, via the Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802358.html?nav=rss_business
Negotiators Close In on Energy Measure – Bill Raises Ethanol, Efficiency Targets; Fuel Credits for Auto Industry at Issue (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802582.html?nav=rss_business
Coal-fired power plants are opposed: 7 proposed or being considered in state – While Gov. Jennifer Granholm is in California hawking Michigan's capabilities as a center of new energy technology, seven new coal-fueled power plants are formally proposed or under serious discussion in Michigan. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChehkhgpZUnj%22EN%26bfem%5Ev
Dept. of Energy Names New Administrator for Southwestern Power Administration – …selection of Jon Worthington as the new Administrator of the Southwestern Area Power Administration (Started his career at BPA) (The News Blaze)
http://newsblaze.com/story/20071128163233tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html
Municipal Bond Deals Squeezed By Credit Crisis – The widening credit crunch is making it harder for cities and school systems to get money for buildings, ballparks and other vital projects (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802486.html?nav=rss_business
Utilities address next generation of customer care -- web-self service (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/display_article/313186/22/ARTCL/none/none/1/Utilities-address-next-generation-of-customer-care----web-self-service/
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Clark County – Wild parakeets' nests destroyed (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/11/11282007_Wild-parakeets-nests-destroyed.cfm?newsletter=1
49 bird species in state on watch list (McClatchy Newspapers, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/284689.html
Senator to keep EPA focused on Duwamish – Murray calls polluted river city's 'dark secret' (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341561_duwamish29.html
Top scientists: Klamath salmon need more water – More water should be released down the Klamath River to help salmon while studies are honed to provide for better management (Times-Standard, Eureka, CA)
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_7587851
California – New Sacramento delta water diversion debate bubbles up. A state advisory panel is expected this week to rekindle debate over one of the hottest political issues in state history - a peripheral canal to divert water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta largely for use in Southern California. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/11/29/MNVATKJ7V.DTL
Pick your river carefully for big salmon – River fishing wasn't too bad in Western Washington last week. Not all rivers were kicking out fish, but in rivers that were, angling was steady and consistent. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/284834.html
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Clean-tech startups in state attract record investment – Washington clean-tech startups attracted record venture capital during the first nine months of the year, positioning the state as the fourth-biggest beneficiary of clean-tech dollars. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/341375_cleantech28.html?source=rss
Plugging in to renewables – Google Inc. could stand as Exhibit A for the argument that the United States can retain economic leadership in the 21st century. (Eugene Register Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=28875&sid=1&fid=1
(Illinois) Governor announces Lincoln’s Tomb going green – Geothermal heating and cooling system to be installed at Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site to reduce energy usage, increase visitor comfort (Illinois Governor’s Office)
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=1&RecNum=6463
CONSERVATION
Santa rewards those who conserve (News Review: Green Guide)
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=602599
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Global Warming Blamed for Bird Species Extinction (Half Life Online)
http://www.halflifesource.com/news/2007/11/29/article10250.htm
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Yahoo prepares to open data center in Quincy (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004041356_brier29.html?syndication=rss
U.S. not up to speed on broadband – Lawmakers want to know where availability is low to help the nation keep up internationally. The federal government's latest annual report on the availability of high-speed Internet service throughout the country contains 19 pages of detailed data -- pie charts, bar graphs, maps and column upon column of numbers and percentages. Most of them are useless. (LA Times)
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-broadband28nov28,1,2389351.story?coll=la-headlines-technology&ctrack=1&cset=true
'The Future of the Internet--and How to Stop It' – Restrictive tools and rash approaches to security challenges are endangering the health of the online ecosystem, an Oxford University researcher warned Wednesday. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/News.com-talk-The-Future-of-the-Internet-and-How-to-Stop-It/8301-10784_3-9825477-7.html?part=dht
GENERAL NEWS
Passing 1% property tax limit may not stop local districts – Proposed fix for loophole is sham, Eyman says (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341517_special29.html
SHELTON’S FIRST STREET CLOSED FOR GAS CONTAMINATION CLEAN UP – First Street in downtown Shelton was closed this morning to allow crews to remove gas contaminated soil from the Franklin Street intersection. According the Shelton City Engineer Mike Michael, the closure is from Railroad Avenue to Cedar Street. Traffic is being detoured to Front Street. This closure will last for up to seven working days. Motorists should be aware of this closure and plan accordingly as traffic in downtown Shelton will likely be more congested while this work is being completed. Again, First Street is closed between Railroad and Cedar in downtown Shelton. Businesses in the area are open. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Fire shuts key Canada-U.S. pipeline (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN2865270520071129?feedType=nl&feedName=usbusinessearly
Port Orchard – Protesters Plan Rally Outside Soldier's Funeral. A group of protesters from Kansas are planning a rally outside a local soldier’s funeral in Port Orchard Friday afternoon. (KIRO-TV, Seattle – and yes…it’s THOSE protesters)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14718137/detail.html
Sanctions lead to free-speech fight – Republican state Rep. Jim Dunn is claiming a right of free speech as he fights back against House leaders who stripped him of committee assignments and ordered him into counseling. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/284693.html
Seattle radio host Larry Nelson dies (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/285039.html
DIVERSIONS
Oregon woman loses long-time Christmas tree, but not the stump
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004042225_webxmastreestolen29.html?syndication=rss
America's Music: A Rural Dance Tradition in Twilight – In the isolated farmland counties of eastern Nebraska, polka helps tie people together.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/arts/music/29polka.html?ex=1353992400&en=bcacc85b5adcb77a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Police say two's a crowd – When does a legitimate Russian political protest become an illegal gathering? Answer: When a second person joins in to spoil it.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071129/od_nm/vote_crowds_dc;_ylt=AjIdKyEXxrjLln1bMU1k56DtiBIF
Thief makes off with 180 Guinness kegs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071129/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_ireland_guinness;_ylt=Amno13za2Y3dmNidMlbf8KntiBIF
You won't believe what befell this lady
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071129/ap_on_fe_st/odd_scattered_cash;_ylt=AmVuZJVG_yelyLs_wGVby7vtiBIF
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Snow Possible Beginning Saturday
- Mason County PUD No. 3 voices concerns to BPA
- Energy Northwest will pursue $1.5 billion plant in Kalama
- Montana – NorthWestern, counsel eye deal on rate hike request.
- Three Linked to Enron Fraud Plead Guilty
- Congressional negotiators Close In on Energy Measure
- New Administrator for Southwestern Power Administration started career at BPA
- Clark County – Wild parakeets' nests destroyed
- Senator to keep EPA focused on Duwamish
- Top scientists: Klamath salmon need more water
- California – New Sacramento delta water diversion debate bubbles up.
- Clean-tech startups in state attract record investment
- Yahoo prepares to open data center in Quincy
- U.S. not up to speed on broadband
- Passing 1% property tax limit may not stop local districts
- Shelton’s First Street Closed For Gas Contamination Clean Up
- Fire shuts key Canada-U.S. pipeline
- Port Orchard – Protesters Plan Rally Outside Soldier's Funeral.
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Cetacean • \SIT-ay-shee-un\ • noun – Any of an order (Cetacea) of aquatic mostly marine mammals that includes the whales, dolphins, porpoises, and related forms and that have a torpedo-shaped nearly hairless body, paddle-shaped forelimbs but no hind limbs, one or two nares opening externally at the top of the head, and a horizontally flattened tail used for locomotion
Alfred stood along the Columbia River, mouth agape. The cetacean show of an Orca whale chasing a sea lion, which was chasing a salmon into the Bonneville Dam fish ladder was ludicrous. The best part to Alfred was the whale tour boat that was valiantly trying to keep up with the unfolding spectacle. The tour boat operator continued to bellow that this was all a part of nature’s circle of life…and that no dams were hurt in the production of the show.
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
SNOW POSSIBLE BEGINNING SATURDAY – The National Weather Service is saying that snow is possible beginning Saturday. Forecasters say a northerly flow will drive colder and drier Canadian air south into Western Washington Friday and Friday night. A surface low pressure system is expected to form off the south coast of Vancouver Island on Saturday and spread moisture into the cool air mass in place over Western Washington. Rain and snow showers are expected to develop Saturday afternoon and increase Saturday night. Locations away from the water and especially with a little elevation will have the best chance of some light snow accumulations. Temperatures near the water will be marginal to support all snow with a rain and snow mix. At this time, it is too soon to tell how much snow accumulation will occur. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
News Release – BPA offers safety tips, urges caution for series of storms headed to the region (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/183792/
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
MASON COUNTY PUD NO. 3 VOICES CONCERNS TO B-P-A – Officials with Mason County P.U.D. No. 3 voiced their concerns with the Bonneville Power Administration. Tuesday during the P.U.D. 3 Board of Commissioners' meeting, two account executives from the B-P-A, Kirsten Watts and Lynn Aspass, briefed the P.U.D. on a variety of subjects including the utility's transmission request for Nine Canyon, Bonneville's “Network Open Season”, long-term regional dialogue, tiered rates, and the recent court ruling against the B-P-A relating to payments to investor owned utilities. P.U.D. officials told Watts and Aspass that they do not believe Bonneville is listening to them, that the B-P-A is not following the rules, and they feel that some of what Bonneville is requiring public utilities to sign is blackmail. Watts and Aspass told the P.U.D. they have noted the concerns and will take them back to Bonneville officials. The P.U.D. will need to sign a new contract with B-P-A by December of next year. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Energy Northwest will pursue $1.5 billion plant in Kalama – Energy Northwest will continue its effort to build a $1.5 billion petcoke/ coal gasification plant at the Port of Kalama, but its next move is unclear. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/29/area_news/doc474eeea711509337891613.txt
Montana – NorthWestern, counsel eye deal on rate hike request. NorthWestern Energy and the state lawyer representing utility consumers are trying to strike a deal on the company's $42 million annual rate hike request, with the consumer counsel angling for a smaller increase. (The Missoulian)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/11/28/news/local/znews04.txt
Three Linked to Enron Fraud Plead Guilty – Three British bankers who were set to go to trial for their roles in a fraudulent scheme with former Enron chief financial officer Andrew S. Fastow changed their pleas to guilty on Wednesday. (Associated Press, via the Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802358.html?nav=rss_business
Negotiators Close In on Energy Measure – Bill Raises Ethanol, Efficiency Targets; Fuel Credits for Auto Industry at Issue (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802582.html?nav=rss_business
Coal-fired power plants are opposed: 7 proposed or being considered in state – While Gov. Jennifer Granholm is in California hawking Michigan's capabilities as a center of new energy technology, seven new coal-fueled power plants are formally proposed or under serious discussion in Michigan. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChehkhgpZUnj%22EN%26bfem%5Ev
Dept. of Energy Names New Administrator for Southwestern Power Administration – …selection of Jon Worthington as the new Administrator of the Southwestern Area Power Administration (Started his career at BPA) (The News Blaze)
http://newsblaze.com/story/20071128163233tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html
Municipal Bond Deals Squeezed By Credit Crisis – The widening credit crunch is making it harder for cities and school systems to get money for buildings, ballparks and other vital projects (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802486.html?nav=rss_business
Utilities address next generation of customer care -- web-self service (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/display_article/313186/22/ARTCL/none/none/1/Utilities-address-next-generation-of-customer-care----web-self-service/
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Clark County – Wild parakeets' nests destroyed (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/11/11282007_Wild-parakeets-nests-destroyed.cfm?newsletter=1
49 bird species in state on watch list (McClatchy Newspapers, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/284689.html
Senator to keep EPA focused on Duwamish – Murray calls polluted river city's 'dark secret' (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341561_duwamish29.html
Top scientists: Klamath salmon need more water – More water should be released down the Klamath River to help salmon while studies are honed to provide for better management (Times-Standard, Eureka, CA)
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_7587851
California – New Sacramento delta water diversion debate bubbles up. A state advisory panel is expected this week to rekindle debate over one of the hottest political issues in state history - a peripheral canal to divert water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta largely for use in Southern California. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/11/29/MNVATKJ7V.DTL
Pick your river carefully for big salmon – River fishing wasn't too bad in Western Washington last week. Not all rivers were kicking out fish, but in rivers that were, angling was steady and consistent. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/284834.html
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Clean-tech startups in state attract record investment – Washington clean-tech startups attracted record venture capital during the first nine months of the year, positioning the state as the fourth-biggest beneficiary of clean-tech dollars. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/341375_cleantech28.html?source=rss
Plugging in to renewables – Google Inc. could stand as Exhibit A for the argument that the United States can retain economic leadership in the 21st century. (Eugene Register Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=28875&sid=1&fid=1
(Illinois) Governor announces Lincoln’s Tomb going green – Geothermal heating and cooling system to be installed at Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site to reduce energy usage, increase visitor comfort (Illinois Governor’s Office)
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=1&RecNum=6463
CONSERVATION
Santa rewards those who conserve (News Review: Green Guide)
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=602599
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Global Warming Blamed for Bird Species Extinction (Half Life Online)
http://www.halflifesource.com/news/2007/11/29/article10250.htm
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Yahoo prepares to open data center in Quincy (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004041356_brier29.html?syndication=rss
U.S. not up to speed on broadband – Lawmakers want to know where availability is low to help the nation keep up internationally. The federal government's latest annual report on the availability of high-speed Internet service throughout the country contains 19 pages of detailed data -- pie charts, bar graphs, maps and column upon column of numbers and percentages. Most of them are useless. (LA Times)
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-broadband28nov28,1,2389351.story?coll=la-headlines-technology&ctrack=1&cset=true
'The Future of the Internet--and How to Stop It' – Restrictive tools and rash approaches to security challenges are endangering the health of the online ecosystem, an Oxford University researcher warned Wednesday. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/News.com-talk-The-Future-of-the-Internet-and-How-to-Stop-It/8301-10784_3-9825477-7.html?part=dht
GENERAL NEWS
Passing 1% property tax limit may not stop local districts – Proposed fix for loophole is sham, Eyman says (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341517_special29.html
SHELTON’S FIRST STREET CLOSED FOR GAS CONTAMINATION CLEAN UP – First Street in downtown Shelton was closed this morning to allow crews to remove gas contaminated soil from the Franklin Street intersection. According the Shelton City Engineer Mike Michael, the closure is from Railroad Avenue to Cedar Street. Traffic is being detoured to Front Street. This closure will last for up to seven working days. Motorists should be aware of this closure and plan accordingly as traffic in downtown Shelton will likely be more congested while this work is being completed. Again, First Street is closed between Railroad and Cedar in downtown Shelton. Businesses in the area are open. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Fire shuts key Canada-U.S. pipeline (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN2865270520071129?feedType=nl&feedName=usbusinessearly
Port Orchard – Protesters Plan Rally Outside Soldier's Funeral. A group of protesters from Kansas are planning a rally outside a local soldier’s funeral in Port Orchard Friday afternoon. (KIRO-TV, Seattle – and yes…it’s THOSE protesters)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14718137/detail.html
Sanctions lead to free-speech fight – Republican state Rep. Jim Dunn is claiming a right of free speech as he fights back against House leaders who stripped him of committee assignments and ordered him into counseling. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/284693.html
Seattle radio host Larry Nelson dies (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/285039.html
DIVERSIONS
Oregon woman loses long-time Christmas tree, but not the stump
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004042225_webxmastreestolen29.html?syndication=rss
America's Music: A Rural Dance Tradition in Twilight – In the isolated farmland counties of eastern Nebraska, polka helps tie people together.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/arts/music/29polka.html?ex=1353992400&en=bcacc85b5adcb77a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Police say two's a crowd – When does a legitimate Russian political protest become an illegal gathering? Answer: When a second person joins in to spoil it.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071129/od_nm/vote_crowds_dc;_ylt=AjIdKyEXxrjLln1bMU1k56DtiBIF
Thief makes off with 180 Guinness kegs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071129/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_ireland_guinness;_ylt=Amno13za2Y3dmNidMlbf8KntiBIF
You won't believe what befell this lady
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071129/ap_on_fe_st/odd_scattered_cash;_ylt=AmVuZJVG_yelyLs_wGVby7vtiBIF
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Energy News Digest for November 28, 2007
All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- More snow headed our way late Wednesday
- Energy NW – Power-plant plan rejected; fails to meet emissions law
- Generator-related – 3 children die in Grant County of carbon monoxide
- Grays Harbor PUD Interested – Weyco will look at other mill offers
- OSU prof talks up tiny nuclear plants
- Final tweaks made to 2008 Chelan PUD budget
- Clark County Utility Hook-Ups Slow
- Clean energy vs. whales: how to choose?
- Oxygen Levels Help Hood Canal Fish, Research Project Flourish
- The reservoir set to go into West Richland continues to bring in complaints
- Idaho May See Water War Over Snake Plane Aquifer
- Clark County – Parakeets that call power company home to be killed.
- Google to enter clean-energy business
- City of Portland might get in the wind farm business
- Winds of Change Blow into Roscoe, Texas
- Economist says conservation push could backfire
- Caves to Google – Verizon Wireless opens network
- Cable Industry Wins Compromise on F.C.C. Plans
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Clairvoyant • \klair-VOY-unt\ • adjective – 1: having the ability to see beyond the range of ordinary perception *2: of or relating to the power or faculty of discerning objects not present to the senses
Bartholomew sat alone in the corner of the crowded bar room. His eyes screwed shut and a look of utmost concentration on his face. He was hoping to call upon his non-existent clairvoyant talents to read the mind of his date. The only message he received was “we’re sorry, the number you have dialed has been changed or disconnected. Please hang up your mind and try again.”
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
More snow headed our way late Wednesday – The Cascades could get more than a foot of snow Wednesday and some areas of Seattle might see wet snow, according to the National Weather Service. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341432_weather28.html
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Energy NW – Power-plant plan rejected; fails to meet emissions law – New power plants built to light Washington must limit their greenhouse-gas pollution, according to a ruling Tuesday that affirms a new direction for the state's pursuit of electricity. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004039453_powerplant28m.html
Generator-related – 3 children die in Grant County of carbon monoxide (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071127/NEWS04/71127015/1001
Grays Harbor – Weyco will look at other mill offers. The Weyerhaeuser Co. is no longer in “exclusive sales discussions”…concerning its mothballed Cosmopolis Pulp Mill. That could open the door to a joint offer made by the Grays Harbor PUD and Evergreen Pulp (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/11/27/local_news/02new.txt
OSU prof talks up tiny nuclear plants – Over lunch Monday, the Corvallis City Club envisioned a future in which the city’s electricity needs could be met with portable nuclear reactors. (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2007/11/27/news/community/6loc01_nukes.txt
Final tweaks made to 2008 Chelan PUD budget (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071127/NEWS04/711270043/1001
CLARK COUNTY UTILITY HOOK-UPS SLOW AS HOUSING MARKET CONTINUES TO STALL – New residential electrical power hook-ups with Clark Public Utilities slowed to a crawl in October. The number of residential customers with the utility totaled 164,285 last month, up a mere 0.9 percent from October 2006 as local builders cut back operations in the face of declining home sales. There is a 11.4-month supply of new and existing homes for sale in the county with sales off 27 percent last month from a year ago. For more on what it takes to sell a house, see Wednesday's Columbian business section.
Candidates Offer Different Views on Energy Policy “…The truth is that the answer to high prices is high prices…” (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/us/politics/28energy.html?ex=1353992400&en=2f65d63c1157e84d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Nevada – No energy experience, but qualified to work for Gibbons. The state's energy secretary appoints someone with no energy experience to be her second in command. How can the governor's critics resist not weighing in? (Las Vegas Sun)
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2007/nov/28/566687176.html
AmerenUE to pay $180M in reservoir collapse settlement – AmerenUE and the state of Missouri reached a settlement, announced Wednesday, worth nearly $180 million resolving the state's lawsuit and claims for damages associated with the December 2005 collapse of AmerenUE's Taum Sauk reservoir. (St. Louis Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2007/11/26/daily31.html?ana=from_rss
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Clean energy vs. whales: how to choose? Northwest's dams are a source of clean energy. But scientists say they endanger salmon and orcas. (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1128/p03s01-usgn.html
Oxygen Levels Help Hood Canal Fish, Research Project Flourish (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/27/oxygen-levels-keep-hood-canal-fish-research/
The reservoir set to go into West Richland continues to bring in complaints – New information about a meeting in West Richland Monday night that wasn't exactly what Columbia Irrigation District leaders or West Richland Residents thought it was going to be. (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=7418020
Idaho May See Water War Over Snake Plane Aquifer (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/idaho-may-see-water-war-over-snake-plane-aquifer/
Alaska sentences processor for letting 400 tons of salmon rot (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/ap_alaska/story/9480538p-9391724c.html
OSU scientist to visit White House – Carl Schreck, an Oregon State University scientist and one of the leading salmon researchers in the country, has been named the recipient of a Meritorious Presidential Rank Award. (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2007/11/28/news/community/5loc05_scientist.txt
Clark County – Parakeets that call power company home to be killed. They have been called the biggest celebrities in Yacolt - dozens of parakeets that have been building nests on power transformers there for years. (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/11887446.html
Supreme Court Is Referee in Delaware River Fight – The case that was argued Tuesday morning has a more modern focus: a huge liquefied natural gas storage and processing plant that BP wants to build on New Jersey’s Delaware River shore in Logan Township. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/nyregion/28scotus.html?ex=1353992400&en=cab3ada66cd1a247&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Google to enter clean-energy business – Search giant earmarks hundreds of millions of dollars with the goal of generating a gigawatt of clean energy that's cheaper than coal. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/Google-to-enter-clean-energy-business/2100-13844-6220341.html?part=dht
City of Portland might get in the wind farm business – Commissioner says Sherman County project could help meet renewable energy goal (Portland Tribune)
http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=119610960593894500
Winds of Change Blow into Roscoe, Texas – There's a new sound out on the green grid of cotton fields that make up what West Texans affectionately call the "Big Country." Joining the hum of a seemingly ever-present wind is the rhythmic whoosh of spinning carbon-fiber blades on dozens of huge wind turbines. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16658695&ft=1&f=2
Vibrant Wind Industry Seeks Tax Credit Extension “…Washington, with 140 MW of new wind capacity, pulls ahead of Minnesota into 4th place…” (Environment News Service - And of course, poor REPI is left out…again!)
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2007/2007-11-26-092.asp
CONSERVATION
Economist says conservation push could backfire – Government is fooling itself if it believes that improving the energy efficiency of appliances, buildings, vehicles and businesses will result in less energy consumption and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report released yesterday from CIBC World Markets. (Toronto Star)
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/280526
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Caves to Google – Verizon Wireless opens network. Company said on Tuesday it will open its network to any phone or software application by the end of 2008 (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2749533620071127?feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology
Cable Industry Wins Compromise on F.C.C. Plans – In the face of a lobbying blitzkrieg by the cable television industry, the Federal Communications Commission drastically scaled back Tuesday evening a proposal by the agency’s chairman to more tightly regulate the industry. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/business/media/28cable.html?_r=1&ex=1353992400&en=9452eec7ddf5181a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Schwarzenegger: Free market best solution for broadband – California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger showed up in Los Angeles on Tuesday to give a keynote speech at a state broadband conference, but didn't say much in his speech about broadband after all. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9823983-38.html?part=dht
GENERAL NEWS
DIVERSIONS
Computer Glitch Leads To Kmart Brawl – A weekend melee at a Kmart store in Wauwatosa was started by a computer glitch.
http://www.kirotv.com/money/14702622/detail.html
Man with $1M bill busted at bank – A bank teller had a million reasons to deny this transaction.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071128/ap_on_fe_st/odd_million_dollar_bill;_ylt=AqXCDMauvYKmsZTTJ23VdKTtiBIF
Judge removed over cell phone jailing – A judge who jailed 46 people who were in his courtroom when a cell phone call interrupted proceedings was removed from the bench Tuesday by a state commission.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071128/ap_on_fe_st/odd_judge_cell_phone;_ylt=An0VLxRuT2S.MRP7s1QSD2vtiBIF
Poultry fat spill causes stinky mess – A waste truck leaked poultry fat along 20 miles of roadway Tuesday, causing at least four crashes and making a stinky mess
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071127/ap_on_fe_st/odd_chicken_fat;_ylt=AtHEExVaOZ9q4j85pQDMbRLtiBIF
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Energy News Digest for November 27, 2007
All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Snow makes I-90 a 'raging blizzard' Monday night
- PSE says copper thefts down 28 percent
- Mild Weather Keeps Clark Public Utilities’ Usage Down
- Alcoa-Chelan PUD power proposal scrutinized
- Coos Bay coal beds bubbling with gas
- 5 charged over whale hunt
- Sturdy Sea Lion Under Growing Threat From Acidic Algae
- Many question if Seattle's Duwamish waterway can ever be restored
- From Sewage, Added Water for Drinking
- Oregon’s Roadside Solar Panels New Theft Target
- Consumers Right to the Sun
- Google's Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal
- ‘Tis the Season for Light-Emitting Diodes
- Can LEED Survive the Carbon-Neutral Era?
- Marriott: Saving Energy, One Step at a Time
- Trees giving bizarre clues to climate change
- Green Marketing Review Is Put on Fast Track at FTC
- The Other Greenhouse Gases
- Cap-and-trade system sets the belching bar low
- Can baking soda curb global warming?
- Massachusetts – Fiber-optic deal draws businesses.
- Tennessee – Cable launches ad attack aimed at Chattanooga’s fiber plan.
- NY Times Editorial – Regulating Cable.
- Derailed by Deficient DSL
- In-Store Wi-Fi Is Free, but Not Commercial-Free
- WiFi and autism: a quick debunking
- Google plans service to store users' data
- Shelton’s First And Franklin Gas Contamination Clean Up To Begin Wednesday
- Light earthquake near Brinnon WA
- Pot 'Grow Houses' Flourish in Pacific Northwest
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Oenophile • \EEN-uh-file\ • noun – A lover or connoisseur of wine
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Snow makes I-90 a 'raging blizzard' Monday night – The National Weather Service issued a heavy snow warning for the Cascades, but snow isn't expected to stick in Seattle.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341261_snow27.html
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
PSE says copper thefts down 28 percent (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/11/26/daily2.html?ana=from_rss
Puget Sound Energy Protecting Copper Wire with Fences (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14695311/detail.html
What’s the Deal? A 17-year proposal power supply proposal would virtually guarantee a three-potline operation and some 450 jobs at Alcoa's Wenatchee Works smelter, according to the findings of an independent consultant hired by Alcoa to assess the proposed deal. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071126/NEWS04/711260060/1025/rss1025
Oregon – Coos Bay coal beds bubbling with gas. Logistical and environmental unknowns make extraction (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1196135727238370.xml&coll=7
MILD WEATHER KEEPS CLARK PUBLIC UTILITIES’ USAGE DOWN – Mild weather in October meant the amount of electrical power sold through Clark Public Utilities was lower than for the same month last year. The utility delivered 414.1 kilowatt hours of electricity to more than 187,000 customers, mostly in Clark County, last month, down 7.3 percent from the 446.5 kilowatt hours tallied in October 2006. (The Columbian)
House Committee on Homeland Security urges FERC chairman to investigate grid security (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/display_article/313026/22/ARTCL/none/none/1/House-Committee-on-Homeland-Security-urges-FERC-chairman-to-investigate-grid-security/
When power's out, couple enjoys sounds of the past – Power outages are a tremendous nuisance, but with a bit of preparation, and a special activity, it can be a heartfelt time at the Andersen home on Camano Island. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071127/NEWS01/711270050
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
5 charged over whale hunt – Five members of the Makah Tribe face a year in prison and may be fined $5,000 each for participating in an unauthorized whale hunt earlier this fall. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341216_makah27.html
Sturdy Sea Lion Under Growing Threat From Acidic Algae – The California sea lion is a robust species, but in the past decade marine biologists have recognized domoic acid poisoning as a growing threat to its health. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/science/27obseal.html?ex=1353906000&en=909632dee197db40&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
(A Seattle Post Intelligencer Series) Many question if Seattle's Duwamish waterway can ever be restored
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/duwamish/341065_duwamish26.html
Volunteers help restore Puget Sound's coastal prairies – Like parents fussing over their children on the first day of school, volunteers planted the rare golden paintbrush seedlings at Forbes Point in hopes that their efforts will help restore the coastal prairies of Puget Sound. (Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1069188~Volunteers_help_restore_Puget_Sound_s_coastal_prairies.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
Public meeting in West Richland to discuss the CID Reservoir – A meeting in West Richland to talk about a very hot topic the new Columbia Irrigation District reservoir. (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=7411767
From Sewage, Added Water for Drinking – It used to be so final: flush the toilet, and waste be gone. But on Nov. 30, for millions of people here in Orange County, pulling the lever will be the start of a long, intense process to purify the sewage into drinking water (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/us/27conserve.html?ex=1353819600&en=32f7c1092e884a70&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Oregon – Roadside Solar Panels New Theft Target. It seems that even crooks have jumped on the renewable energy bandwagon. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/roadside-solar-panels-new-theft-target/
Consumers Right to the Sun – Solar access laws, a topic generally relegated to the province of attorneys and feuding neighbors, establish certain rights for homeowners and businesses to use sunlight to generate solar thermal or solar electric energy (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50671&src=rss
Alberta company's turbines spin wind into gold (CanWest News Service)
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=b3bb0e1d-1d94-4bec-81a0-1a92760c6ce9&k=92005
Xcel solar power plan catching on – Xcel Energy Inc., Colorado's largest utility, connected its 1,000th small-solar customer to the grid on Monday. “…The money comes from a special charge on every Xcel customers' bill in Colorado. Currently, customers pay an extra 0.6 percent or roughly 36 cents on a $60 monthly electricity bill. The charge currently brings Xcel $13 million a year…” (The Denver Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2007/11/26/daily8.html?ana=from_rss
News Release – Google's Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal (Google, via FinanzNachrichten)
http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2007-11/artikel-9561627.asp
CONSERVATION
U.S. News & World Report – 'Tis the Season for Light-Emitting Diodes
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2007/11/26/tis-the-season-for-light-emitting-diodes.html
Can LEED Survive the Carbon-Neutral Era? The rating system is beginning to gain wide acceptance, but critics now wonder whether the checklist approach can meet the daunting challenges ahead. (MetropolisMag.Com)
http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=3051
News Release – Say 'Bah! Humbug!' to an Energy-Wasting Holiday Season. Simple tips for holiday decorating, cooking and other activities from a leading energy retailer (Duke Energy, via Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071127/aqtu045.html?.v=38
Saving Energy, One Step at a Time – Marriott Transforms Its Penny-Pinching Measures Into a Conservation Ethos. At Marriott International, green has been an evolution, not a revolution. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/25/AR2007112501284.html?nav=rss_business
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Trees giving bizarre clues to climate change (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004037053_trees27m.html
Green Marketing Review Is Put on Fast Track at FTC – The Federal Trade Commission said it would accelerate a review of its decade-old "green" marketing guidelines because of the booming number of businesses that are persuading customers to purchase certificates or pay premiums to help pay for projects or practices that purportedly benefit the environment (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/26/AR2007112601940.html?nav=rss_business
Slate Magazine – The Other Greenhouse Gases. Is methane really worse for the environment than carbon dioxide? (Careful how you answer that one, sonny)
http://www.slate.com/id/2178595/fr/rss/
Canada – Cap-and-trade system sets the belching bar low (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071123.RBRETHOUR23/TPStory/TPBusiness/BritishColumbia/
Can baking soda curb global warming? A start-up in Texas says it can turn the carbon dioxide emitted by power plants into baking soda. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/Can-baking-soda-curb-global-warming/2100-13838-6220127.html?part=dht
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Massachusetts – Fiber-optic deal draws businesses. Three more city businesses have joined a program offering high-speed fiber-optic service through a joint agreement between Chicopee Electric Light and Holyoke Gas & Electric. (The Republican, Springfield)
http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=25909&zoneid=77
Tennessee – Cable launches ad attack aimed at Chattanooga’s fiber plan. Tennessee's cable industry is expanding its fight against EPB's planned entry into the cable business from the legal arena into the court of public opinion. (Chattanooga Times Free Press – OK, what tactic shall we use for THIS community)
http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=25909&zoneid=77
NY Times Editorial – Regulating Cable. In 1984, cable companies convinced Congress that they were mere minnows that needed to be exempted from many regulatory requirements so they could compete against the titans of broadcast television. That may have been true back then, but now cable companies are media titans, and they should be regulated.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/opinion/27tue3.html?ex=1353906000&en=da818cfb733b9d9c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Derailed by Deficient DSL – It’s a balmy October afternoon at the Wendy’s restaurant in Keene, N.H., and the franchise is literally paving over a technology that didn’t work out. (Computerworld, via Baller/Herbst)
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=306936
Broadband Connectivity an American Issue, Not Democratic or Republican – Where are the hot discussions about broadband deployment and regional economic sustainability in the presidential debates? (Midwest Business.com, via Baller/Herbst)
http://www.midwestbusiness.com/news/viewnews.asp?newsletterID=18415
In-Store Wi-Fi Is Free, but Not Commercial-Free – People who like to use their laptops, iPhones and other devices in public are always so delighted when they stumble on a wireless hot spot in an unexpected place. Will they be pleased enough to look at ads before getting their broadband fix? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/business/media/27adco.html?_r=1&ex=1353906000&en=32528287736aba8c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
WiFi and autism: a quick debunking (The Art of Technology, via Baller/Herbst)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071123-wifi-and-autism-a-quick-debunking.html
Google plans service to store users' data – Google Inc is preparing a service that would enable users to store data from their personal hard drives on its computers, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday in its online edition. (Reuters)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071127/wr_nm/google_service_data_dc_2
Broadband Tariff Trends: Average residential downstream speeds have increased significantly (Point-Topic)
http://point-topic.com/content/dslanalysis/BBAtariffspeeds071126.htm
Cyber Monday Strikes! Heavy online shopping causes Yahoo outages (Sacramento Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2007/11/26/daily11.html?ana=from_rss
GENERAL NEWS
GET READY FOR DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC FUN! SHELTON’S FIRST AND FRANKLIN GAS CONTAMINATION CLEAN UP TO BEGIN WEDNESDAY – The clean up of the gas contaminated soil at the intersection of First and Franklin will likely begin Wednesday. Monday, the Shelton City Commission approved a contract with NCR Environmental Services to remove and dispose of some of the contaminated soil. The City needs to complete the Sewer Basin Two Project and will only be removing the soil needed to complete that project. NCR will be disposing that soil. The contract approved by the City Commission is not to exceed $150,798.76. However, that cost is based on removing nearly 1800 tons of soil or the estimated amount from the whole intersection. Since the City is only cleaning up the soil from the trench needed to complete Basin Two, the cost is expected to be significantly less. Work should begin Wednesday and take four to seven working days. The intersection will need to be closed as crews remove the contaminated soil and finish Sewer Basin Two. The work will close First Street between Railroad and Cedar, and Franklin Street from Second to First. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Light earthquake near Brinnon WA
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP11272007news238694.cfm?newsletter=10
Pot 'Grow Houses' Flourish in Pacific Northwest – Drug enforcement officials are seeing a spike in a lucrative cottage industry: indoor marijuana crops. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16628918&ft=1&f=2
Average state prisoner costs $30,000 a year to lock up (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP11262007news238461.cfm
DIVERSIONS
The Return of the Jumping Fleas! Or how we learned to stop worrying and love the ukulele
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/25/CMEQT4UH0.DTL
OMG…it’s like a totally anything goes beauty pageant! Puerto Rico Pageant Officials Probe Pepper Spray
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20071125/puerto-rico-pageant-pranks/
Teen Worried About Curfew Gets Stuck In Chimney
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14694704/detail.html
Mayor Claims He Was Abducted By Satanists – Mayor In Arkansas Says He's Been Leading Double Life for 30 years
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14665444/detail.html
Rome’s parking chief fired for illegal parking
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2624739820071126?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Snow makes I-90 a 'raging blizzard' Monday night
- PSE says copper thefts down 28 percent
- Mild Weather Keeps Clark Public Utilities’ Usage Down
- Alcoa-Chelan PUD power proposal scrutinized
- Coos Bay coal beds bubbling with gas
- 5 charged over whale hunt
- Sturdy Sea Lion Under Growing Threat From Acidic Algae
- Many question if Seattle's Duwamish waterway can ever be restored
- From Sewage, Added Water for Drinking
- Oregon’s Roadside Solar Panels New Theft Target
- Consumers Right to the Sun
- Google's Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal
- ‘Tis the Season for Light-Emitting Diodes
- Can LEED Survive the Carbon-Neutral Era?
- Marriott: Saving Energy, One Step at a Time
- Trees giving bizarre clues to climate change
- Green Marketing Review Is Put on Fast Track at FTC
- The Other Greenhouse Gases
- Cap-and-trade system sets the belching bar low
- Can baking soda curb global warming?
- Massachusetts – Fiber-optic deal draws businesses.
- Tennessee – Cable launches ad attack aimed at Chattanooga’s fiber plan.
- NY Times Editorial – Regulating Cable.
- Derailed by Deficient DSL
- In-Store Wi-Fi Is Free, but Not Commercial-Free
- WiFi and autism: a quick debunking
- Google plans service to store users' data
- Shelton’s First And Franklin Gas Contamination Clean Up To Begin Wednesday
- Light earthquake near Brinnon WA
- Pot 'Grow Houses' Flourish in Pacific Northwest
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Oenophile • \EEN-uh-file\ • noun – A lover or connoisseur of wine
WEATHER
Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Snow makes I-90 a 'raging blizzard' Monday night – The National Weather Service issued a heavy snow warning for the Cascades, but snow isn't expected to stick in Seattle.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341261_snow27.html
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
PSE says copper thefts down 28 percent (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/11/26/daily2.html?ana=from_rss
Puget Sound Energy Protecting Copper Wire with Fences (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14695311/detail.html
What’s the Deal? A 17-year proposal power supply proposal would virtually guarantee a three-potline operation and some 450 jobs at Alcoa's Wenatchee Works smelter, according to the findings of an independent consultant hired by Alcoa to assess the proposed deal. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071126/NEWS04/711260060/1025/rss1025
Oregon – Coos Bay coal beds bubbling with gas. Logistical and environmental unknowns make extraction (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1196135727238370.xml&coll=7
MILD WEATHER KEEPS CLARK PUBLIC UTILITIES’ USAGE DOWN – Mild weather in October meant the amount of electrical power sold through Clark Public Utilities was lower than for the same month last year. The utility delivered 414.1 kilowatt hours of electricity to more than 187,000 customers, mostly in Clark County, last month, down 7.3 percent from the 446.5 kilowatt hours tallied in October 2006. (The Columbian)
House Committee on Homeland Security urges FERC chairman to investigate grid security (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/display_article/313026/22/ARTCL/none/none/1/House-Committee-on-Homeland-Security-urges-FERC-chairman-to-investigate-grid-security/
When power's out, couple enjoys sounds of the past – Power outages are a tremendous nuisance, but with a bit of preparation, and a special activity, it can be a heartfelt time at the Andersen home on Camano Island. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071127/NEWS01/711270050
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
5 charged over whale hunt – Five members of the Makah Tribe face a year in prison and may be fined $5,000 each for participating in an unauthorized whale hunt earlier this fall. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341216_makah27.html
Sturdy Sea Lion Under Growing Threat From Acidic Algae – The California sea lion is a robust species, but in the past decade marine biologists have recognized domoic acid poisoning as a growing threat to its health. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/science/27obseal.html?ex=1353906000&en=909632dee197db40&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
(A Seattle Post Intelligencer Series) Many question if Seattle's Duwamish waterway can ever be restored
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/duwamish/341065_duwamish26.html
Volunteers help restore Puget Sound's coastal prairies – Like parents fussing over their children on the first day of school, volunteers planted the rare golden paintbrush seedlings at Forbes Point in hopes that their efforts will help restore the coastal prairies of Puget Sound. (Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1069188~Volunteers_help_restore_Puget_Sound_s_coastal_prairies.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
Public meeting in West Richland to discuss the CID Reservoir – A meeting in West Richland to talk about a very hot topic the new Columbia Irrigation District reservoir. (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=7411767
From Sewage, Added Water for Drinking – It used to be so final: flush the toilet, and waste be gone. But on Nov. 30, for millions of people here in Orange County, pulling the lever will be the start of a long, intense process to purify the sewage into drinking water (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/us/27conserve.html?ex=1353819600&en=32f7c1092e884a70&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Oregon – Roadside Solar Panels New Theft Target. It seems that even crooks have jumped on the renewable energy bandwagon. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/roadside-solar-panels-new-theft-target/
Consumers Right to the Sun – Solar access laws, a topic generally relegated to the province of attorneys and feuding neighbors, establish certain rights for homeowners and businesses to use sunlight to generate solar thermal or solar electric energy (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50671&src=rss
Alberta company's turbines spin wind into gold (CanWest News Service)
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=b3bb0e1d-1d94-4bec-81a0-1a92760c6ce9&k=92005
Xcel solar power plan catching on – Xcel Energy Inc., Colorado's largest utility, connected its 1,000th small-solar customer to the grid on Monday. “…The money comes from a special charge on every Xcel customers' bill in Colorado. Currently, customers pay an extra 0.6 percent or roughly 36 cents on a $60 monthly electricity bill. The charge currently brings Xcel $13 million a year…” (The Denver Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2007/11/26/daily8.html?ana=from_rss
News Release – Google's Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal (Google, via FinanzNachrichten)
http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2007-11/artikel-9561627.asp
CONSERVATION
U.S. News & World Report – 'Tis the Season for Light-Emitting Diodes
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2007/11/26/tis-the-season-for-light-emitting-diodes.html
Can LEED Survive the Carbon-Neutral Era? The rating system is beginning to gain wide acceptance, but critics now wonder whether the checklist approach can meet the daunting challenges ahead. (MetropolisMag.Com)
http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=3051
News Release – Say 'Bah! Humbug!' to an Energy-Wasting Holiday Season. Simple tips for holiday decorating, cooking and other activities from a leading energy retailer (Duke Energy, via Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071127/aqtu045.html?.v=38
Saving Energy, One Step at a Time – Marriott Transforms Its Penny-Pinching Measures Into a Conservation Ethos. At Marriott International, green has been an evolution, not a revolution. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/25/AR2007112501284.html?nav=rss_business
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Trees giving bizarre clues to climate change (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004037053_trees27m.html
Green Marketing Review Is Put on Fast Track at FTC – The Federal Trade Commission said it would accelerate a review of its decade-old "green" marketing guidelines because of the booming number of businesses that are persuading customers to purchase certificates or pay premiums to help pay for projects or practices that purportedly benefit the environment (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/26/AR2007112601940.html?nav=rss_business
Slate Magazine – The Other Greenhouse Gases. Is methane really worse for the environment than carbon dioxide? (Careful how you answer that one, sonny)
http://www.slate.com/id/2178595/fr/rss/
Canada – Cap-and-trade system sets the belching bar low (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071123.RBRETHOUR23/TPStory/TPBusiness/BritishColumbia/
Can baking soda curb global warming? A start-up in Texas says it can turn the carbon dioxide emitted by power plants into baking soda. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/Can-baking-soda-curb-global-warming/2100-13838-6220127.html?part=dht
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Massachusetts – Fiber-optic deal draws businesses. Three more city businesses have joined a program offering high-speed fiber-optic service through a joint agreement between Chicopee Electric Light and Holyoke Gas & Electric. (The Republican, Springfield)
http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=25909&zoneid=77
Tennessee – Cable launches ad attack aimed at Chattanooga’s fiber plan. Tennessee's cable industry is expanding its fight against EPB's planned entry into the cable business from the legal arena into the court of public opinion. (Chattanooga Times Free Press – OK, what tactic shall we use for THIS community)
http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=25909&zoneid=77
NY Times Editorial – Regulating Cable. In 1984, cable companies convinced Congress that they were mere minnows that needed to be exempted from many regulatory requirements so they could compete against the titans of broadcast television. That may have been true back then, but now cable companies are media titans, and they should be regulated.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/opinion/27tue3.html?ex=1353906000&en=da818cfb733b9d9c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Derailed by Deficient DSL – It’s a balmy October afternoon at the Wendy’s restaurant in Keene, N.H., and the franchise is literally paving over a technology that didn’t work out. (Computerworld, via Baller/Herbst)
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=306936
Broadband Connectivity an American Issue, Not Democratic or Republican – Where are the hot discussions about broadband deployment and regional economic sustainability in the presidential debates? (Midwest Business.com, via Baller/Herbst)
http://www.midwestbusiness.com/news/viewnews.asp?newsletterID=18415
In-Store Wi-Fi Is Free, but Not Commercial-Free – People who like to use their laptops, iPhones and other devices in public are always so delighted when they stumble on a wireless hot spot in an unexpected place. Will they be pleased enough to look at ads before getting their broadband fix? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/business/media/27adco.html?_r=1&ex=1353906000&en=32528287736aba8c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
WiFi and autism: a quick debunking (The Art of Technology, via Baller/Herbst)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071123-wifi-and-autism-a-quick-debunking.html
Google plans service to store users' data – Google Inc is preparing a service that would enable users to store data from their personal hard drives on its computers, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday in its online edition. (Reuters)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071127/wr_nm/google_service_data_dc_2
Broadband Tariff Trends: Average residential downstream speeds have increased significantly (Point-Topic)
http://point-topic.com/content/dslanalysis/BBAtariffspeeds071126.htm
Cyber Monday Strikes! Heavy online shopping causes Yahoo outages (Sacramento Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2007/11/26/daily11.html?ana=from_rss
GENERAL NEWS
GET READY FOR DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC FUN! SHELTON’S FIRST AND FRANKLIN GAS CONTAMINATION CLEAN UP TO BEGIN WEDNESDAY – The clean up of the gas contaminated soil at the intersection of First and Franklin will likely begin Wednesday. Monday, the Shelton City Commission approved a contract with NCR Environmental Services to remove and dispose of some of the contaminated soil. The City needs to complete the Sewer Basin Two Project and will only be removing the soil needed to complete that project. NCR will be disposing that soil. The contract approved by the City Commission is not to exceed $150,798.76. However, that cost is based on removing nearly 1800 tons of soil or the estimated amount from the whole intersection. Since the City is only cleaning up the soil from the trench needed to complete Basin Two, the cost is expected to be significantly less. Work should begin Wednesday and take four to seven working days. The intersection will need to be closed as crews remove the contaminated soil and finish Sewer Basin Two. The work will close First Street between Railroad and Cedar, and Franklin Street from Second to First. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)
Light earthquake near Brinnon WA
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP11272007news238694.cfm?newsletter=10
Pot 'Grow Houses' Flourish in Pacific Northwest – Drug enforcement officials are seeing a spike in a lucrative cottage industry: indoor marijuana crops. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16628918&ft=1&f=2
Average state prisoner costs $30,000 a year to lock up (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP11262007news238461.cfm
DIVERSIONS
The Return of the Jumping Fleas! Or how we learned to stop worrying and love the ukulele
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/25/CMEQT4UH0.DTL
OMG…it’s like a totally anything goes beauty pageant! Puerto Rico Pageant Officials Probe Pepper Spray
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20071125/puerto-rico-pageant-pranks/
Teen Worried About Curfew Gets Stuck In Chimney
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14694704/detail.html
Mayor Claims He Was Abducted By Satanists – Mayor In Arkansas Says He's Been Leading Double Life for 30 years
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14665444/detail.html
Rome’s parking chief fired for illegal parking
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2624739820071126?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Monday, November 26, 2007
Energy News Digest for November 26, 2007
All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Snow advisory above 1,500 feet
- Progress Being Made at Defunct Centralia Coal Mine Site
- $80 million at Chief Joseph Dam – Alstom Hydro to refurbish power plant
- Canada – The estimated cost of hydro self-sufficiency: annual 7.5% rate hike for a decade.
- Oregon state agencies raise concerns on liquefied natural gas project
- China to Address Issues around Dam
- New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India
- Cowlitz tribe seeks protection for Columbia River smelt
- At Entiat hatchery, Coho are taking the place of Chinook
- Steelhead seem to be on schedule
- Lake Tapps water battle boils
- Inslee's Environmental Message Echoes in Current Political Campaigns
- The use of wind power in many European countries has stagnated in recent years
- As the Price of Oil Soars, Many Turn to Renewables
- Through Genetics, Tapping a Tree’s Potential as a Source of Energy
- Cities turn to LEDs to conserve energy
- As hot-button issues go, global warming trailing
- Being Skeptical of Green
- F.C.C. Chief Seeks Votes to Tighten Cable Rules
- Should USF Be Used For Rural Broadband?
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Minatory • \MIN-uh-tor-ee\ • adjective – Having a menacing quality: threatening
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Snow advisory above 1,500 feet:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/warnings.php?wfo=sew&zone=WAZ513&pil=XXXWSWSEW&productType=Snow+Advisory
North Central Washington – Snow storms expected to chase away stagnant air – Snow storms expected to chase away stagnant air. Stagnant air across parts of North Central Washington should start to clear away Saturday with the arrival of the first of three storms that could bring significant snowfall. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071124/NEWS04/711240017/1001
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Centralia – Progress Being Made at Defunct Mine Site. TransAlta Says Reclamation Work Done on 150 of 1,000 Acres Donated to Local EDC (The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis)
http://www.chronline.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1195914801&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&
Where Have All the Miners Gone? After Transalta: 600 Former Miners Try New Walks of Life (The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis)
http://www.chronline.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1195847012&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&
News Release – $80 million at Chief Joseph Dam – Alstom Hydro to refurbish power plant in USA (Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071121/mo288.html?.v=4
Canada – The estimated cost of hydro self-sufficiency: annual 7.5% rate hike for a decade. BC Hydro will have to boost electricity rates at least 7.5 per cent each year for the next decade in order to satisfy British Columbia's goals of electricity self-sufficiency and green power (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=4f6ccb6e-703a-462c-ad3a-594aed6d88f2&k=59573
Oregon state agencies raise concerns on liquefied natural gas project – Bradwood Landing – A federal environmental review generates comments (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1195703749259370.xml&coll=7
China to Address Issues around Dam – China has announced new plans to confront environmental and geological problems around the Three Gorges Dam, even as a landslide in the region on Tuesday killed one construction worker, injured a second and trapped two others beneath a mound of fallen earth. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/world/asia/22gorges.html?ex=1353819600&en=bd240212956a130c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India – Workers in Haora, India, have few protections while making manhole covers for Con Edison and some cities’ utilities. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/nyregion/26manhole.html?ex=1353819600&en=4968dd4f2f427ada&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
TVA customers get brief reprieve amid power rate increases – After raising rates in each of the past four quarters to cover higher fuel rates, TVA customers should get a brief reprieve this winter. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CgmtupoqTUie%22EN%26bfem%5Ev
North Carolina – Drought could force shutdown of nuclear, coal plants (Triangle Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2007/11/26/story5.html?ana=from_rss
Illinois – Quincy eyes river power – Mighty Mississippi could generate electricity for city (Chicago Tribune)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quincy_bd25nov25,1,2414625.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
Can't afford to keep warm? Energy assistance program can help – People who can't pay their heating bills can apply to the Snohomish County Energy Assistance office for financial aid. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071126/NEWS01/711260029&news01ad=1
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Cowlitz tribe seeks protection for Columbia River smelt (The Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/277934.html
At Entiat hatchery, Coho are taking the place of Chinook – Biologists decided the Chinook program was doing more harm than good. Now they have high hopes for helping another species. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004035120_floppingfish26.html
Steelhead seem to be on schedule – Around Thanksgiving is when winter steelhead start to return to state rivers. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071125/SPORTS/711250043/1004
Eternal dam nation – The life cycle of Columbia River salmon might be endangered, but not so the cycle of litigation over how to save the fish. (Crosscut – Ha! Ha! Good Headline)
http://www.crosscut.com/oregon/9388/
Lake Tapps water battle boils – October meeting’s no-shows ‘a real slap in the face,’ organizer says. Relations are frostier than ever between three local cities that want drinking water from Lake Tapps and an alliance of east King County cities that has first dibs on the water. (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/212460.html
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Inslee's Environmental Message Echoes in Current Political Campaigns (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/23/inslees-environmental-message-echoes-in-current/
Sweden Turns to a Promising Power Source, With Flaws The use of wind power in many European countries has stagnated in recent years. Sweden’s gleaming wind park is entering service at a time when wind energy is coming under sharper scrutiny, not just from hostile neighbors, who complain that the towers are a blot on the landscape, but from energy experts who question its reliability as a source of power. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/business/23wind.html?_r=1&ex=1353819600&en=3024fa47948297f1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Windy Kansas – Coal denial bad news for wind energy, some argue: Transmission lines could have been used for greener enterprises, but others say rejection of plants won't hurt Kansas' prospects (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CgmtstoqZUie%22EN%26bfem%5Ev
Jail cells to solar cells – State installing 'green' tech in prison system – For inmates in Massachusetts' state prisons, sunshine is a rare commodity. Soon, however, it may be a powerful energy source. (The Journal of New England Technology)
http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2007/11/26/story2.html?ana=from_rss
As the Price of Oil Soars, Many Turn to Renewables (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/11/25/ST2007112501234.html
Through Genetics, Tapping a Tree’s Potential as a Source of Energy – Aiming to turn trees into new energy sources, scientists are using a controversial genetic engineering process to change the composition of the wood. A major goal is to reduce the amount of lignin, a chemical compound that interferes with efforts to turn the tree’s cellulose into biofuels like ethanol. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/science/20tree.html?_r=1&ex=1353733200&en=5a0d506477443bfd&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Canada – Biofuels no longer just a corny alternative (CanWest News Service)
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=b21f9357-2ef9-4998-a7e0-070bb4e75188&k=16763
Shhhh: Postal carrier plugs in rather than gassing up (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20071126/NEWS/711260303
CONSERVATION
Cities turn to LEDs to conserve energy – Christmas will be greener this year with a growing number of cities and shopping districts saving electricity by using low-energy lights in holiday displays. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071124/LIFE08/711240320
California – Local teacher, students light up Napa homes with energy-saving bulbs (Napa Valley Register)
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/11/26/news/local/iq_4229338.txt
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
As hot-button issues go, global warming trailing – Climate change transforms an election campaign. Extreme weather and water restrictions galvanize voters. Both political parties scramble to propose mandatory limits on carbon emissions. (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7555421?nclick_check=1
Being Skeptical of Green – The newest trend is “green.” But consumers who think they can help improve the environment should be as careful as a snack-craving depressive when it comes to their purchasing decisions and avoid relying on labels. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/technology/24online.html?ex=1353560400&en=25a5589c7bc54f57&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
The Carbon Footprint – Virtually everything we do that requires oil, gas or electricity pumps carbon dioxide, CO2, into the air. As it rises into the atmosphere, scientists say it acts like a blanket and traps heat, warming the planet. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/25/AR2007112501510.html?nav=rss_business
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
F.C.C. Chief Seeks Votes to Tighten Cable Rules – The head of the Federal Communications Commission is struggling to find enough support from a majority of the agency’s commissioners to regulate cable television companies more tightly. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/business/media/26cable.html?ex=1353733200&en=0215c43bb03170aa&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Should USF Be Used For Rural Broadband? Policy-makers want to split the Universal Service Fund, which brings in around $7 billion or so every year and is used to subsidize the old-fashioned phone systems in rural areas, into three distinct parts: one to subsidize wireless services, another for the old-fashioned phone services, and a slice to subsidize the broadband build out in rural areas. (GigaOm)
http://gigaom.com/2007/11/26/should-a-portion-of-usf-be-used-for-rural-broadband/
Internet capacity alarmism is a corporatist scam – Industry in bed with authoritarians (The Inquirer)
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/26/internet-capacity-alarmism
GENERAL NEWS
Beach Upgrade Just the Start of Belfair Park Restoration (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/23/beach-upgrade-just-the-start-of-belfair-park/
Christmas-tree growers tout environmental tag – Picking a Christmas tree is typically a matter of taste. Is the shape right? Is it too tall? Too short? And is it "green" enough? (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004032648_greentrees24e.html
Tacoma News Tribune Opinion – Tapping state surplus for family leave a bad idea – Paid family leave is shaping up to be a cautionary tale about legislative punts.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/212395.html
Up Close, Farms Annoy Some Seekers of Rural Life (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/nyregion/26farm.html?ex=1353819600&en=4ef9453e0f0302f8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
DIVERSIONS
At least the partridge still costs $15 – While the origins of the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" might be a mystery, one thing is certain: It's getting more costly to buy your true love all the items mentioned.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/213297.html
Announcer sacked over spoof messages – An official announcer for London's Tube system has been sacked after making spoof messages mocking American tourists, peeping Toms and sweaty commuters. (Note: Some PG-13 content – The BBC would like to apologize for the following announcements…)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/announcer_dc;_ylt=AkfAVapcdP9esrQJJ.k1zwftiBIF
Cows' ear hair and other waste hit German taxpayers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071122/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_germany_waste;_ylt=Au5mROCN1XVWlRcAwFQoKz_tiBIF
First it was “Ukes for Troops”, now: Horde of harmonicas earmarked for troops (What’s next, “accordions for the Army?”)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071126/ap_on_fe_st/odd_harmonicas_troops;_ylt=Au1.ADjR8CtA2eVa4znqSE3tiBIF
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Snow advisory above 1,500 feet
- Progress Being Made at Defunct Centralia Coal Mine Site
- $80 million at Chief Joseph Dam – Alstom Hydro to refurbish power plant
- Canada – The estimated cost of hydro self-sufficiency: annual 7.5% rate hike for a decade.
- Oregon state agencies raise concerns on liquefied natural gas project
- China to Address Issues around Dam
- New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India
- Cowlitz tribe seeks protection for Columbia River smelt
- At Entiat hatchery, Coho are taking the place of Chinook
- Steelhead seem to be on schedule
- Lake Tapps water battle boils
- Inslee's Environmental Message Echoes in Current Political Campaigns
- The use of wind power in many European countries has stagnated in recent years
- As the Price of Oil Soars, Many Turn to Renewables
- Through Genetics, Tapping a Tree’s Potential as a Source of Energy
- Cities turn to LEDs to conserve energy
- As hot-button issues go, global warming trailing
- Being Skeptical of Green
- F.C.C. Chief Seeks Votes to Tighten Cable Rules
- Should USF Be Used For Rural Broadband?
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Minatory • \MIN-uh-tor-ee\ • adjective – Having a menacing quality: threatening
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Snow advisory above 1,500 feet:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/warnings.php?wfo=sew&zone=WAZ513&pil=XXXWSWSEW&productType=Snow+Advisory
North Central Washington – Snow storms expected to chase away stagnant air – Snow storms expected to chase away stagnant air. Stagnant air across parts of North Central Washington should start to clear away Saturday with the arrival of the first of three storms that could bring significant snowfall. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071124/NEWS04/711240017/1001
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Centralia – Progress Being Made at Defunct Mine Site. TransAlta Says Reclamation Work Done on 150 of 1,000 Acres Donated to Local EDC (The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis)
http://www.chronline.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1195914801&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&
Where Have All the Miners Gone? After Transalta: 600 Former Miners Try New Walks of Life (The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis)
http://www.chronline.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1195847012&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&
News Release – $80 million at Chief Joseph Dam – Alstom Hydro to refurbish power plant in USA (Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071121/mo288.html?.v=4
Canada – The estimated cost of hydro self-sufficiency: annual 7.5% rate hike for a decade. BC Hydro will have to boost electricity rates at least 7.5 per cent each year for the next decade in order to satisfy British Columbia's goals of electricity self-sufficiency and green power (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=4f6ccb6e-703a-462c-ad3a-594aed6d88f2&k=59573
Oregon state agencies raise concerns on liquefied natural gas project – Bradwood Landing – A federal environmental review generates comments (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1195703749259370.xml&coll=7
China to Address Issues around Dam – China has announced new plans to confront environmental and geological problems around the Three Gorges Dam, even as a landslide in the region on Tuesday killed one construction worker, injured a second and trapped two others beneath a mound of fallen earth. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/world/asia/22gorges.html?ex=1353819600&en=bd240212956a130c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India – Workers in Haora, India, have few protections while making manhole covers for Con Edison and some cities’ utilities. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/nyregion/26manhole.html?ex=1353819600&en=4968dd4f2f427ada&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
TVA customers get brief reprieve amid power rate increases – After raising rates in each of the past four quarters to cover higher fuel rates, TVA customers should get a brief reprieve this winter. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CgmtupoqTUie%22EN%26bfem%5Ev
North Carolina – Drought could force shutdown of nuclear, coal plants (Triangle Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2007/11/26/story5.html?ana=from_rss
Illinois – Quincy eyes river power – Mighty Mississippi could generate electricity for city (Chicago Tribune)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quincy_bd25nov25,1,2414625.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
Can't afford to keep warm? Energy assistance program can help – People who can't pay their heating bills can apply to the Snohomish County Energy Assistance office for financial aid. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071126/NEWS01/711260029&news01ad=1
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Cowlitz tribe seeks protection for Columbia River smelt (The Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/277934.html
At Entiat hatchery, Coho are taking the place of Chinook – Biologists decided the Chinook program was doing more harm than good. Now they have high hopes for helping another species. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004035120_floppingfish26.html
Steelhead seem to be on schedule – Around Thanksgiving is when winter steelhead start to return to state rivers. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071125/SPORTS/711250043/1004
Eternal dam nation – The life cycle of Columbia River salmon might be endangered, but not so the cycle of litigation over how to save the fish. (Crosscut – Ha! Ha! Good Headline)
http://www.crosscut.com/oregon/9388/
Lake Tapps water battle boils – October meeting’s no-shows ‘a real slap in the face,’ organizer says. Relations are frostier than ever between three local cities that want drinking water from Lake Tapps and an alliance of east King County cities that has first dibs on the water. (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/212460.html
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Inslee's Environmental Message Echoes in Current Political Campaigns (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/23/inslees-environmental-message-echoes-in-current/
Sweden Turns to a Promising Power Source, With Flaws The use of wind power in many European countries has stagnated in recent years. Sweden’s gleaming wind park is entering service at a time when wind energy is coming under sharper scrutiny, not just from hostile neighbors, who complain that the towers are a blot on the landscape, but from energy experts who question its reliability as a source of power. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/business/23wind.html?_r=1&ex=1353819600&en=3024fa47948297f1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Windy Kansas – Coal denial bad news for wind energy, some argue: Transmission lines could have been used for greener enterprises, but others say rejection of plants won't hurt Kansas' prospects (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CgmtstoqZUie%22EN%26bfem%5Ev
Jail cells to solar cells – State installing 'green' tech in prison system – For inmates in Massachusetts' state prisons, sunshine is a rare commodity. Soon, however, it may be a powerful energy source. (The Journal of New England Technology)
http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2007/11/26/story2.html?ana=from_rss
As the Price of Oil Soars, Many Turn to Renewables (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/11/25/ST2007112501234.html
Through Genetics, Tapping a Tree’s Potential as a Source of Energy – Aiming to turn trees into new energy sources, scientists are using a controversial genetic engineering process to change the composition of the wood. A major goal is to reduce the amount of lignin, a chemical compound that interferes with efforts to turn the tree’s cellulose into biofuels like ethanol. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/science/20tree.html?_r=1&ex=1353733200&en=5a0d506477443bfd&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Canada – Biofuels no longer just a corny alternative (CanWest News Service)
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=b21f9357-2ef9-4998-a7e0-070bb4e75188&k=16763
Shhhh: Postal carrier plugs in rather than gassing up (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20071126/NEWS/711260303
CONSERVATION
Cities turn to LEDs to conserve energy – Christmas will be greener this year with a growing number of cities and shopping districts saving electricity by using low-energy lights in holiday displays. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071124/LIFE08/711240320
California – Local teacher, students light up Napa homes with energy-saving bulbs (Napa Valley Register)
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/11/26/news/local/iq_4229338.txt
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
As hot-button issues go, global warming trailing – Climate change transforms an election campaign. Extreme weather and water restrictions galvanize voters. Both political parties scramble to propose mandatory limits on carbon emissions. (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7555421?nclick_check=1
Being Skeptical of Green – The newest trend is “green.” But consumers who think they can help improve the environment should be as careful as a snack-craving depressive when it comes to their purchasing decisions and avoid relying on labels. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/technology/24online.html?ex=1353560400&en=25a5589c7bc54f57&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
The Carbon Footprint – Virtually everything we do that requires oil, gas or electricity pumps carbon dioxide, CO2, into the air. As it rises into the atmosphere, scientists say it acts like a blanket and traps heat, warming the planet. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/25/AR2007112501510.html?nav=rss_business
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
F.C.C. Chief Seeks Votes to Tighten Cable Rules – The head of the Federal Communications Commission is struggling to find enough support from a majority of the agency’s commissioners to regulate cable television companies more tightly. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/business/media/26cable.html?ex=1353733200&en=0215c43bb03170aa&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Should USF Be Used For Rural Broadband? Policy-makers want to split the Universal Service Fund, which brings in around $7 billion or so every year and is used to subsidize the old-fashioned phone systems in rural areas, into three distinct parts: one to subsidize wireless services, another for the old-fashioned phone services, and a slice to subsidize the broadband build out in rural areas. (GigaOm)
http://gigaom.com/2007/11/26/should-a-portion-of-usf-be-used-for-rural-broadband/
Internet capacity alarmism is a corporatist scam – Industry in bed with authoritarians (The Inquirer)
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/26/internet-capacity-alarmism
GENERAL NEWS
Beach Upgrade Just the Start of Belfair Park Restoration (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/23/beach-upgrade-just-the-start-of-belfair-park/
Christmas-tree growers tout environmental tag – Picking a Christmas tree is typically a matter of taste. Is the shape right? Is it too tall? Too short? And is it "green" enough? (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004032648_greentrees24e.html
Tacoma News Tribune Opinion – Tapping state surplus for family leave a bad idea – Paid family leave is shaping up to be a cautionary tale about legislative punts.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/212395.html
Up Close, Farms Annoy Some Seekers of Rural Life (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/nyregion/26farm.html?ex=1353819600&en=4ef9453e0f0302f8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
DIVERSIONS
At least the partridge still costs $15 – While the origins of the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" might be a mystery, one thing is certain: It's getting more costly to buy your true love all the items mentioned.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/213297.html
Announcer sacked over spoof messages – An official announcer for London's Tube system has been sacked after making spoof messages mocking American tourists, peeping Toms and sweaty commuters. (Note: Some PG-13 content – The BBC would like to apologize for the following announcements…)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/announcer_dc;_ylt=AkfAVapcdP9esrQJJ.k1zwftiBIF
Cows' ear hair and other waste hit German taxpayers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071122/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_germany_waste;_ylt=Au5mROCN1XVWlRcAwFQoKz_tiBIF
First it was “Ukes for Troops”, now: Horde of harmonicas earmarked for troops (What’s next, “accordions for the Army?”)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071126/ap_on_fe_st/odd_harmonicas_troops;_ylt=Au1.ADjR8CtA2eVa4znqSE3tiBIF
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