Energy News Digest for December 11, 2007

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

-Grays Harbor County PUD – Almost There
-Puget Sound Energy buys Sumas plant
-People Satisfied With Chelan County PUD
-Judge threatens to take over Columbia Basin salmon plan
-Alaska – New kingdom of kings. After major undercount of salmon, state adds opportunity for anglers
-Wildlife Officials Try To Save Sturgeon From Sea Lions
-Will taxes halt Calif.'s solar thermal ambitions?
-Pacific Ethanol halts construction of another ethanol plant
-More farmers seeing wind as cash crop
-Congressional Research Service – Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage: Frequently Asked Questions
-Seattle Times Book Review – Knocking Seattle off its haughty green throne
-Warming Trends – In Duck Blinds, Visions of Global Warming
-Data Centers Caught In Power Play – Electricity Plan Confounds Firms
-Wyoming – a $5 million cost – Powell works on fiber optics service
-Gov. Gregoire frustrated about federal response to flood

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Caltrop • \KAL-trip \ • noun – 1: a device with four metal points so arranged that when any three are on the ground the fourth projects upward as a hazard to the hooves of horses or to pneumatic tires 2: aplural but sing or plural in constr : star thistle 1 b: puncture vine; also : any of various related herbs (genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia) of the same family (Zygophyllaceae, the caltrop family)

Amanda stood at the second floor window, a smile playing across her face as she watched her potential fiancé dance gingerly in his bare feet across her gravel driveway. She knew that when she asked for a bouquet of roses from the garden that he would have to negotiate the sharp gravel chunks, jabbing the tender soles of his feet as if she had strewn his path with a truckload of caltrops. “Next time I’ll ask for a boquet of ‘stinging nettles’,” she thought. Her sharp cackle of laughter at the thought chased her long-haired Chihuahua from the room.

WEATHER

Forecast for Mason County, Washington
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Almost There – Approximate number of customers without power: less than 100 customers (Grays Harbor County PUD)
http://www.ghpud.org/

Puget Sound Energy buys Sumas plant – Puget Sound Energy is buying a 125-megawatt power plant in Sumas, Wash., to help meet growing demands for electricity. (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/12/10/daily4.html?ana=from_rss

PEOPLE SATISFIED WITH CHELAN COUNTY PUD – A recent telephone survey of Chelan County PUD customers found that 97 percent report being satisfied with the overall services of the PUD, the same percentage as last year. Robinson Research of Spokane contacted 400 PUD customers in the greater Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Chelan-Manson areas. (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)

ROCK ISLAND HYDRO PARK TO BE RENAMED FOR LATE CHELAN PUD MANAGER – Chelan County PUD commissioners voted today to change the name of Rock Island Hydro Park to Kirby Billingsley Hydro Park. The vote came after a request was made by customer Bob Parlette, Wilfred Woods, Rich Congdon and Bill Layman. Billingsley was a former PUD general manager and commissioner. (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)

Owners bristle as Progress chops trees: Power company says it must clear paths to comply with new federal regulations (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChhhgoxqRTebw11rbfem%5Ev

Massena Electric, New York conservation agency close to ending dam dispute - Massena Electric Department and the state Department of Environmental Conservation are one step closer to ending a dispute over the company's plans to study the impact of a proposed hydroelectric dam on the Grasse River. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChhihpphRTebw11rbfem%5Ev

Fools on the Hill – Greed versus green on the energy bill (Grist)
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/12/10/114820/26

News Release – Detroit Edison Offers Winter Storm Tips (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/IndustryNews.asp?m=1&id=79801

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Judge rips latest plan to help salmon – A meeting with Judge James Redden is federal managers' last chance (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1197345328250200.xml&coll=7

Judge threatens to take over Columbia Basin salmon plan “…operators could be liable for illegally killing threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead (and what about the fish caught by commercial, tribal and sport fisherman?)…” (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004064685_salmondams11m.html?syndication=rss

Alaska – New kingdom of kings. After major undercount of salmon, state adds opportunity for anglers (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/9508084p-9418795c.html

Wildlife Officials Try To Save Sturgeon From Sea Lions (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/wildlife-officials-try-save-sturgeon-sea-lions/

City tells EPA the water's fine – Portland's taking no chances after a court rejected its efforts to avoid expensive federal water treatment rules. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119725714277770.xml&coll=7

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Will taxes halt Calif.'s solar thermal ambitions? (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/Will-taxes-halt-Calif.s-solar-thermal-ambitions/2100-13836-6222219.html?part=dht

Pacific Ethanol halts construction of ethanol plant – The company, which has an ethanol plant in Oregon, has suspended construction of its Imperial Valley ethanol plant near Calipatria, Calif., citing the difficult market for ethanol producers. (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/12/10/daily10.html?ana=from_rss

More farmers seeing wind as cash crop – Wind farms are springing up from rural fields across the Midwest as a once-boutique alternative power industry begins to boom (Chicago Tribune)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-071211windfarm_web-story,1,7587612.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

CONSERVATION

North Carolina – Utilities devise ways to induce users to save energy – If you're considering a new refrigerator, insulation or a home energy audit, you might want to hold off for a few more months. (The News Observer)
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/822688.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Congressional Research Service – Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage: Frequently Asked Questions
http://opencrs.com/document/RL34218

Seattle Times Book Review – Knocking Seattle off its haughty green throne
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2004064297_emeraldcity11.html?syndication=rss

Speaking of smug – Solar City: San Francisco is setting the bar nationally and internationally for what cities can do to address global warming. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/11/ED4GTPKKT.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

Warming Trends – In Duck Blinds, Visions of Global Warming (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/us/11hunting.html?ex=1355029200&en=b20a1f8dac0c03a4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Data Centers Caught In Power Play – Electricity Plan Confounds Firms. With five computer data centers in Northern Virginia, DuPont Fabros Technologies is a major local player in a growing industry responsible for safeguarding vast repositories of information stored online. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/10/AR2007121001777.html?nav=rss_business

Wyoming – a $5 million cost – Powell works on fiber optics service (KIFI-AM)
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=7480424

Ask.com allows users to erase search queries (Reuters)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071211/tc_nm/ask_search_dc_2

GENERAL NEWS

Bill Virgin, Seattle Post Intelligencer: State's rainy-day fund has proved its value – In November, Washington voters gave the state a rainy-day fund. In December, they got a vivid demonstration of why such a fund is a good idea.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/342965_virgin11.html

Gov. Gregoire frustrated about federal response to flood (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_121007WAB_gov_storm_presser_SW.1852c7a.html

DIVERSIONS

Hands off Christmas, say religious leaders – Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims joined Britain's equality watchdog Monday in urging Britons to enjoy Christmas without worrying about offending non-Christians.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1041014220071210?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Man freed after 100 hours trapped in a lavatory
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1032522120071210?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Play's killer lied about wife who vanished from Bellingham
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12092007news244879.cfm?newsletter=10

A Tug of War Over a Declaration of Independence
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/us/11declaration.html?ex=1355029200&en=e812b398a7f60cbf&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss