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