Energy News Digest for November 19, 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)

- News Tribune Opinion – A smart move to settle power fight at home.
- BPA ends 70th year in good financial shape
- Pacific Northwest emissions goals set; now comes hard part
- Chinese Dam Projects Criticized for Their Human Costs
- Construction firm pays $15,000 for (repeated) pipeline damage
- A controversial balance for Cowlitz River salmon
- Feds ignore pleas of fisheries; favor keeping four dams, Includes Klamath news release from FERC
- Human waste plagues Lake Roosevelt, other outdoor destinations
- Massachusetts – Energy bill's turbine amendment stirs storm.
- In Energy Sector, Renewables Get Less Federal Support
- Biofuels: Could the Cure Be Worse Than the Disease?
- U.N. Report Describes Risks of Inaction on Climate Change
- Port of Seattle truckers lament the cost of going green
- Is (The Olympic Peninsula) Peninsula turning 'green' enough, yet?
- Inconvenient Truth: Gore Won a Nobel, and Bush Will Host the Winners
- Video, interactivity could nab Web users by 2010
- Electronic trash piling up overseas
- WiMax gives businesses an Internet boost
- Record high diesel prices squeeze businesses
- State Worker Accused Of Supplying Drugs To Teenagers (L&I Safety & Compliance Administrator)
- Man Dies When SUV Falls Down Embankment In NW Mason County

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Besmirch • \bih-SMERCH\ • verb – sully, soil

Today’s example sentence is a do-it-yourself project: (Insert name here) was upset with (Insert sweetheart’s name here). She had done the worst thing he could imagine by besmirching his (Insert a fanboy activity or obsession here). “Never again,” he thundered as he showed here the door. (He actually didn’t force his sweetheart to leave; he just wanted to show off his new Simpson door from McCleary)

WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

News Tribune Opinion – A smart move to settle power fight at home. When it comes to working out disputes over the Northwest’s power supply, it’s always smart to keep it in the family. Let the trouble get out of the house, and you never know what might happen.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/207534.html

News Release – BPA ends 70th year in good financial shape, even with low water conditions. The agency started the year with a power rate reduction; rates will stay steady for 2008 (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/182830/

Emissions goals set; now comes hard part – To reach targets, Oregon faces the prospect of cutting cheap, reliable coal energy at a time when power demand is surging. Oregon and Washington set aggressive goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but actually meeting those goals could prove much tougher -- and more costly -- than leaders expect. (The Oregonian – Golly…and this surprises anyone?)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1195446342227160.xml&coll=7

Flooding darkens, closes mall stores as underground vault is flooded with heavy rain runoff – A power outage shut much of the Tacoma Mall on Saturday, including Nordstrom, J.C. Penney and smaller retailers. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/206854.html

Chinese Dam Projects Criticized for Their Human Costs (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/world/asia/19dam.html?ex=1353128400&en=21385d434698a2d3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Fort Collins, Colorado – A Deeply Green City Confronts Its Energy Needs and Nuclear Worries (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/us/19collins.html?ex=1353128400&en=6872b197287290d7&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Construction firm pays $15,000 for pipeline damage: charged with repeatedly damaging Clark County gas pipelines over a 13-month period.
http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2007/11/11162007_Construction-firm-pays-15000-for-pipeline-damage.cfm?newsletter=1

On the record: an interview with Pacific Gas and Electric's Peter Darbee – Peter Darbee is trying to build the country's greenest utility. As head of PG&E Corp. in San Francisco, Darbee has spent much of his tenure trying to convince fellow business executives that global warming is a threat. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/18/BU80TD6ER.DTL&feed=rss.business

Duke Energy fights rising pollution bill: CEO says coal-reliant industries should get time to figure out solutions that avoid rate hikes for customers (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CgmmensqWTkh%22EN%26bfem%5Ev

Clean Energy's Best-Kept Secret: Waste Heat Recovery (Environmental News Network)
http://www.enn.com/energy/article/25399

News Release – Shocking Holiday Statistics: New Electrical Safety Survey Shows How Consumers Often Put Themselves at Risk (Electrical Safety Foundation International)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/IndustryNews.asp?m=1&id=78104

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

A controversial balance for Cowlitz River salmon – Sport fishermen used to extol the Cowlitz River as "the fish factory." Now it's pretty much a dead zone -- in more ways than one. (Yakima Herald-Republic)
http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/290312585466310

Feds ignore pleas of fisheries, favor keeping four dams – Salmon advocates urge fish ladders, but agency favors hauling and trapping instead (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7498736?nclick_check=1

Here’s the news release from FERC – Final Environmental Impact Statement for Relicensing of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project No. 2082-027. Commission staff prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for relicensing of PacifiCorp’s 169-megawatt Klamath Hydroelectric Project, located primarily on the Klamath River in Klamath County, Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. (FERC)
http://www.ferc.gov/industries/hydropower/enviro/eis/2007/11-16-07.asp

Human waste plagues Lake Roosevelt, other outdoor destinations – The Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is 129 miles of watery beauty that is becoming a giant outdoor toilet, and workers are not pleased. (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP11192007news234492.cfm?newsletter=10

Crab fishermen worry about another late start – A debate over prices, combined with balancing tribal and non-tribal quotas could delay the season for crab fishermen, even though state officials say crabs from Westport and Long Beach will be ready for harvesting Dec. 1. (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/11531496.html

Kokanee doing better in N. Idaho's Lake Pend Oreille (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/274565.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Massachusetts – Energy bill's turbine amendment stirs storm. Environmentalists and coastal lawmakers are vowing to fight a surprise provision in an energy bill that they say would open up virtually the entire Massachusetts coast to unlimited wind turbine development. (Standard-Times, New Bedford)
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071118/NEWS/711180380

In Energy Sector, Renewables Get Less Federal Support – A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) comparing federal electricity subsidies by fuel type shows that renewables such as wind still get only a small share of the overall subsidies awarded to the energy sector. (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50615&src=rss

Biofuels and Food Prices – How much do biofuels benefit the environment, and does growing crops for biofuel manufacturing could drive up food prices. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16389598&ft=1&f=7

Biofuels: Could the Cure Be Worse Than the Disease? (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50616&src=rss

CONSERVATION

Saving energy: Put more money in your pocket – With the arrival of the cold weather and the Grays Harbor County PUD bill, this time of year is when most of us begin to think about making our homes more energy efficient. (The Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/11/18/local_news/03news.txt

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

U.N. Report Describes Risks of Inaction on Climate Change – In its final and most powerful report, a United Nations panel of scientists meeting here describes the mounting risks of climate change in language that is both more specific and forceful than its previous assessments, according to scientists here. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/17/science/earth/17climate.html?_r=1&ex=1353128400&en=a1e50bb9cd54db4a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

California – Report hails state's clean energy push – Group says federal policies hold back progress (Sacramento Bee, may require free registration – lookie lookie at the pretty graphic that says nice things about the Pacific Northwest)
http://www.sacbee.com/341/story/501881.html

Port of Seattle truckers lament the cost of going green – The Port of Seattle, like other Northwest ports, is proposing new emissions standards on its truck fleet that could have a major impact on not only air quality but also the livelihood of its trucking fleet. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/340095_port17.html?source=rss

Facing a Threat to Farming and Food Supply – Climate change may be global in its sweep, but not all of the globe's citizens will share equally in its woes. And nowhere is that truth more evident, or more worrisome, than in its projected effects on agriculture. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/18/AR2007111800501.html?nav=rss_nation

Is Peninsula turning 'green' enough, yet? It's been six months since "Step-It-Up" rallies across the North Olympic Peninsula drew hundreds and raised public awareness about global warming. (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20071119/NEWS/711190305

Inconvenient Truth: Gore Won a Nobel, and Bush Will Host the Winners – Maybe he'll bring the slide show. (Washington Post – Boy, I’ll bet THIS meeting will be a bit awkward!)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/16/AR2007111602050.html?nav=rss_politics

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Video, interactivity could nab Web users by 2010 – Enjoy your speedy broadband Web access while you can. The Web will start to seem pokey as early as 2010, as use of interactive and video-intensive services overwhelms local cable, phone and wireless Internet providers (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2007-11-18-slow-internet_N.htm

Electronic trash piling up overseas – Most Americans think they're helping the Earth when they recycle their old computers, televisions and cell phones. But chances are they're contributing to a global trade in electronic trash that endangers workers and pollutes the environment overseas. (Associated Press, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/340163_ewaste19.html

E-pollution is on the rise: Global electronic waste mishandled in China (Associated Press, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/340157_chinaewaste19.html

California – Study says county likely to cash in on broadband. Solano County stands to gain nearly 15,000 jobs and millions in payroll in the next decade as a result of Internet technology, a new study reveals. (Vallejo Times-Herald)
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_7492057

WiMax gives businesses an Internet boost (Associated Press, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/340060_wimaxwork17.html?source=rss

EarthLink exploring Muni Wi-Fi changes – EarthLink Inc., one of the chief evangelists of blanketing cities with wireless Internet service, said Friday is going to consider "strategic alternatives" for that business. (Associated Press)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071116/ap_on_hi_te/earthlink_municipal_wireless_2

Agencies trying to help rural areas to get high-speed Internet (News Gazette, Champaign, Illinois)
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/living/2007/11/18/crossing_the_digital_divide_government

Tennessee – EPB not ready to finance fiber-to-home project – EPB still is studying options to finance its $219 million fiber-to-home initiative, the largest publicly backed project in Chattanooga history. (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)
http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=25381&zoneid=77

Tennessee – Judge considers dismissing EPB cable suit. Davidson County judge said Friday she will decide in the next few weeks whether she has jurisdiction to hear a cable-television industry lawsuit challenging plans by public power distributor EPB of Chattanooga to provide cable services. (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)
http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=25404&zoneid=77

GENERAL NEWS

Record high diesel prices squeeze businesses – While rising gasoline prices have grabbed headlines the past two years, the cost of diesel fuel quietly set a new record in the Olympia area last week, according to AAA fuel data. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/business/story/274058.html

State Worker Accused Of Supplying Drugs To Teenagers – “…Sanford has been the head of L&I Safety and Compliance and was involved in overseeing the inspection of tower cranes one year ago…” (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14621520/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news

MAN DIES WHEN SUV FALLS DOWN EMBANKMENT IN NW MASON COUNTY – A Lacey man died Friday when his sport utility vehicle fell down a steep embankment on a forest service road near the Hamma Hamma Campground. Pat O’Connell and his fiancée, Katherine Milleson, were taking a drive and stopped to enjoy the view. O’Connell reportedly became worried that SUV was too close to the edge of the road. As he backed up the vehicle, the roadway partially gave way and the S-U-V fell at least 500 feet with him inside. Milleson called 9-1-1 about 4:30 p.m. but didn’t know where she was, and it took rescuers about two hours to locate her. Alcohol might have been a factor in the incident and an investigation is ongoing. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

SHELTON’S NORTHCLIFF PAVING TO BEGIN TUESDAY – Paving on Northcliff is expected this week which will impact where some residents park their cars. Weather permitting; Ace Paving will begin paving the final layer of asphalt at 8am Tuesday. Crews will start with the Terrace Boulevard side of Northcliff. Once pavers cross Terrace Boulevard, Terrace View Road and Poplar Street, NO vehicles will be allowed to cross hot asphalt. On Wednesday, the other half of Northcliff will be paved and similar restrictions will be in place. As new asphalt is vehicle sensitive, it may take four to six hours to reopen the road once the hot asphalt has been applied. Those who live in the area will need to make arrangements to have they vehicle accessible during this time. Residents may park on Barnhard or Eighth Street as foot traffic will be allowed to cross fresh pavement. Parking will also be permitted at the bus pullout south of Terrace Boulevard and on Terrace Boulevard but NOT allowed on Northcliff. Those vehicles will be towed. School and Transit buses will have to be met on North 13th. Again, only foot traffic will be allowed to cross hot asphalt. Access to Northcliff remains restricted to local traffic only and the City of Shelton encourages other motorists to avoid the area, especially between 8am and 6pm Tuesday and Wednesday. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

DIVERSIONS

Police Use Vegetable Oil To Free Burglary Suspect Trapped In Store Vent Shaft
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14617676/detail.html

102 Buried Urns Stolen From Cemetery – Police Say Thief May Want To Sell Metal
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14605245/detail.html

Starting Tuesday, plastic bags illegal at big San Francisco grocery stores
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/19/BA2BTE64K.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea