Energy News Digest for November 21, 2007

Ed. Note: The energy news digest will be taking a rest this Thanksgiving holiday. Let us all give thanks for clean, renewable energy in the Pacific Northwest...lower carbon emissions than most of the country...and the freedoms we exercise every day.

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)

- Editorial – Residential Exchange: Welcome compromise on a crucial resource
- New Grays Harbor County PUD Commissioner Appointed
- Public tells Chelan PUD to go slow on Alcoa power deal
- Orca advocates say remove Snake River dams
- Bush administration drops effort to ease salmon protections
- State-tribal project marks century of saving salmon
- Kittitas County – Big growth, big fight over water
- Grays Harbor – Huge refinery with big issue
- Seeding the way to better biofuels
- Seattle Times Editorial – Climate change: Lead or step aside.
- Canada – First Nations Leader to Premier: Carbon Credits 'Belong to Us'
- Most products' green claims exaggerated, study finds
- FCC – Martin's 'War on Cable' Not Going Over Well
- Centralia Call Center Attracts Attention
- Telecommuting found to boost morale, cut stress
- Old ferries pulled from service
- Wetlands Investigation Trips Up Regional Horse Arena

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Commove • \kuh-MOOV\ • verb – *1: to move violently: agitate 2: to rouse intense feeling in: excite to passion

The editorial page manager had hoped to calm the waters by making a flat statement that removing the Snake River dams would result in every resident of the Pacific Northwest losing ten pounds, growing five inches taller, and becoming better dancers. He did not mean to commove Arthur Murray Dance Studio executives who picketed the newspaper offices for three days straight…all while dancing the cha-cha inside a snaking conga line. “There is no way that people can become better dancers without expert instruction,” huffed the protest leader. “And I have evidence that shows that regardless of the dam construction, dancers throughout the region, especially in Idaho, are actually becoming better dancers on their own.” After the protests ended, all that was left were those little numbered footprints on the sidewalk.

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

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Everett Herald Editorial – Residential Exchange: Welcome compromise on a crucial resource
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071120/OPINION01/711200003

Grays Harbor County PUD – Seely appointed to fill Ellison’s PUD post.Truman Seely, who managed the Weyerhaeuser pulp mill in Cosmopolis for 15 years, is now a Grays Harbor PUD commissioner. (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/11/20/local_news/01news.txt

Public tells Chelan County PUD to go slow on Alcoa power deal – Alcoa took a beating Monday morning from Chelan County PUD ratepayers who worry that the utility is giving Alcoa too much too cheaply in a proposed new 17-year power deal. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071120/NEWS04/711200050/1001

News Release – Scott Lowry Fills NWPPA Training Position. The Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA) has welcomed Scott Lowry to the Association as its newest training manager. NWPPA – links to PDF file)
http://www.nwppa.org/web/awards/Scott_Lowry_release.pdf

Still going strong – Efforts to curb greenhouse-gas emissions have yet to dent enthusiasm for coal (The Economist)
http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10145492

Indiana Utility Regulators Approve Duke Energy Clean Coal Power Plant (PR NewsWire viaCNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLTU08620112007-1.htm

Wisconsin – Squirrels Cause Power Outages for Hundreds of Customers. It was an unlucky day for two squirrels and hundreds of Midwestern power customers. (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14650410/detail.html

FERC Assesses Advanced Metering Programs – Interest in electric demand response and advanced metering increased significantly in the past year, as reported in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's "2007 Assessment of Demand Response and Advanced Metering." (Energy Pulse Commentary)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1610

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Orca advocates say remove Snake River dams (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_orcas_dams.html

More Details and Comments – Orca Researchers Call for Dam Removal. Six killer whale researchers say removing dams on the Snake River would benefit not only endangered salmon but also the killer whales of Puget Sound. (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/20/orca-researchers-call-for-dam-removal/

Bush administration drops effort to ease salmon protections – The Bush administration has abandoned efforts pushed by the timber industry to allow more logging around salmon streams on Northwest national forests. (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1060646~Bush_administration_drops_effort_to_ease_salmon_protections.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

State-tribal project marks century of saving salmon – The Tulalip Tribes continued a century-old tradition last week of partnering with state hatcheries for the increased production of Puget Sound salmon. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2004026012_salmon21n.html

Kittitas County – Big growth, big fight over water. A development bonanza is bringing hundreds of new wells here each year, tapping a limited water supply that long ago was fully claimed for agriculture and other uses. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004026753_water21m.html?syndication=rss

Tri-City Herald Opinion – Much of Kennewick Irrigation District’s dilemma could have been avoided. The ditches may be dry for the winter, but KID officials must be suffering from dampened spirits nonetheless.
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/opinions/v-rss/story/9468891p-9380236c.html

Accord reached over Hanford fine – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reached an agreement with its regulators Tuesday to settle a $1.14 million fine for cleanup failures at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site. (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004026634_hanford21m.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Grays Harbor – Huge refinery with big issue: the recipe. At a Washington State plant, all the oils used to make non-fossil fuel raise their own environmental red flags (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119553450974970.xml&coll=7

Seeding the way to better biofuels – Fuels derived from crops are making inroads into the global energy mix, but many wonder whether the world has enough land to feed 6 billion mouths — let alone 600 million cars. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/biotech/2004026594_biotechcrops21.html

Cynic Alert! – £400m (Appx. $824 m US) wood chip plant is approved. Plans to build the world's biggest biomass power station fuelled by wood chips have been given the go-ahead by the UK government. “…Prenergy said the use of wood chip as a fuel for electricity generation was recognised as being carbon-free. It said the carbon dioxide (CO2) released was equal to that absorbed during the growth of the tree, and replanting the trees ensured sustainability….” (British Broadcasting Corporation)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/7105124.stm

Canada – Harnessing flower power: Farmer proposes heating homes with sewage (The National Post)
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=d99e49bb-25f3-4b1d-843e-8ed64b937b07&k=22962

Solar Power Start-Up Opens Portland Factory (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/solar-power-start-opens-portland-factory/

CONSERVATION

Pulling the Plug – Forty thousand light bulbs! We should explain the true costs and underlying ugliness of these sparkling displays to our children, who may delight in them even more than we do. (The Virginia Pilot)
http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=15732

North Carolina – Saving energy: The Sierra Club highlights ways to reduce energy use. How would you like to get rid of your electric bill and become your own power station? And, if you had any extra unused energy, you could sell it to your local power company and help the environment at the same time. (Hendersonville Times-News)
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20071121/NEWS/711210303/1018/SERVICES03/NEWS/Saving_energy

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Seattle Times Editorial – Climate change: Lead or step aside. The United States can best influence how the world addresses global warming by leading the way instead of sniping from the sidelines. Constructive participation in meetings next month in Bali, Indonesia, must set the tone.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2004026203_climed21.html

Canada – First Nations Leader to Premier: Carbon Credits 'Belong to Us' (Tyee)
http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/11/20/CarbonCreditClaims/

Most products' green claims exaggerated, study finds – Greenwashing -- making false or misleading green marketing claims -- is pervasive, according to a consumer study released yesterday that found 99 per cent of more than a thousand products from big box stores committed at least one of the "Six Sins of Greenwashing." (The Victoria Times Colonist)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=069407bf-c497-407d-bff4-8aca5bad43cc&k=45856

Carbonrally: My carbon footprint's smaller than yours (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/greentech/8301-11128_3-9821041-54.html?part=dht

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Federal Communications Commission – Martin's 'War on Cable' Not Going Over Well – Members of own party call it 'misguided and harmful' (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119551115421998409.html?mod=mm_media_marketing_hs_left

Centralia Call Center Attracts Attention – Unpaid Telemarketers Unhappy: Call Center Workers and Former Landlord Looking for Payment from Select Communications (Daily Chronicle)
http://www.chronline.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1195584742&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&

Telecommuting found to boost morale, cut stress (Reuters, via CNET News)
http://www.news.com/Telecommuting-found-to-boost-morale%2C-cut-stress/2100-1022_3-6219462.html?tag=fd_nbs_ent

UK Govt Apologizes About Huge Data Loss – Prime Minister Gordon Brown tried to reassure Britons their personal details were safe Wednesday after the one of the biggest security breaches in the country's history left millions of people exposed to identity theft and bank fraud. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/21/AR2007112100333.html?nav=rss_technology

GENERAL NEWS

Old ferries pulled from service; Keystone-Port Townsend run closed – The state's oldest ferries were pulled from service Tuesday, right before the Thanksgiving holiday rush, amid mounting concerns over cracks, leaks and corrosion in their 80-year-old hulls. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071121/NEWS01/711210061

Wetlands Investigation Trips Up Regional Horse Arena – The Army Corps of Engineers says a development along Interstate 5 in Southwest Washington has the potential to be the biggest wetlands violation the Northwest has ever seen. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/wetlands-investigation-trips-regional-horse-arena/

Yakima mayor asks for resignation of newly election city councilman – He hasn't even taken the oath of office yet, but already Yakima city councilman-elect Rick Ensey is being asked to step down by mayor Dave Edler. (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=7391309

Man Suspected Of Stealing Metal Found Asleep Near Crime Scene (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14650757/detail.html

KOMO’s Larry Nelson – Fans repaying ailing ex-radio host (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004026658_komoradio21.html?syndication=rss

DIVERSIONS

New Jersey Cat Turns Up In Atlanta Area – Heathcliff the cat somehow hitched a nearly 800-mile ride from New Jersey to Georgia -- most likely on a moving van, authorities said.
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14650441/detail.html

Yes, This Is Your Grandfather's Ford – The Ford Lauderdale, the Volvo Vermont, and other car names that actually make sense.
http://www.slate.com/id/2178332/fr/rss/

Painting found in trash sells for $1M
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071121/ap_on_fe_st/trash_treasure;_ylt=AiIZ4uJz9Eet01PGfFi1HsjtiBIF

Ancient sea scorpion was bigger than a human
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071121/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_scorpion_fossil;_ylt=Au39iE5hsvJQFGbFAtSpNentiBIF

Thousands protest over China ant aphrodisiac scheme
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071121/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_china_protests;_ylt=Ampi99QTFptCXgdMWwV6yk7tiBIF

Police smelled trouble with teenagers – Two teens who went to the Leicester police station to apply for door-to-door sales permits were arrested after officers say they smelled burned marijuana on them.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071121/ap_on_fe_st/odd_police_station_bust;_ylt=AuKazW222RwXzbpem53g1fjtiBIF