Energy News Digest for December 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)

- Columbian Editorial – In Our View: Energy's Invasion
- Earth2Tech Maps: Coal Power Plant Deathwatch
- Texas Nuclear Plant Shenanigans
- Maryland – Reality shorts out electricity goal
- Smart Grid Provisions in H.R. 6, 110th Congress
- Australia – Power price shock losers
- Bremerton woman says generator fumes killed her cat
- Seattle – Fixed city creeks are still foul
- Big projections for Cowlitz River in 2008
- Outlook not pretty for Coho in 2008
- Interior Dept. sued over information about endangered species
- Lacey Issues Green Power Challenge
- Geothermal energy could meet half of British Columbia’s electricity needs
- Kansas – New fortunes in the wind
- Wisconsin – Wind farm plans worry neighbors
- Tapping into trash to find a new energy source
- Hotels: Energy Star Earns Its Keep
- The city of blinding lights is starting to see 'green'
- Tankless Water Heaters – Let the debate begin!
- E.P.A. to Comply in Waiver Inquiry
- Tracking Carbon Trail To Find Why So Much Fills the Atmosphere
- IPTV may go the Hong Kong way or head towards American tragedy
- Barack Obama's Technology Policy Position Paper
- Just How Neutral is the Net?
- Fake FEMA agent targeting flood victims
- WA Minimum Wage Increases On Jan. 1
- Air agency proposes burn bans
- Ruling allows benefit cut at 65 in retiree plans
- Seattle no longer nation's most literate city

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Opprobrium • \uh-PROH-bree-um\ • noun – 1: something that brings disgrace 2a: public disgrace or ill fame that follows from conduct considered grossly wrong or vicious*b: contempt, reproach

Enron’s multitudinous financial shenanigans brought well-deserved opprobrium to the company and those who actively rolled the dice on risky ventures with other people’s money.

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

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Columbian Editorial – In Our View: Energy's Invasion. Columbia River estuary is the last place to launch a petrochemical empire
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12272007_In-Our-View-Energys-Invasion.cfm

Earth2Tech Maps: Coal Power Plant Deathwatch (project also includes ethanol plant deathwatch)
http://earth2tech.com/2007/12/27/earth2tech-maps-coal-power-plant-deathwatch/

Texas Nuclear Plant Shenanigans – Trial is postponed in Davis-Besse case: Engineer is 3rd accused of cover-up (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChkjmpnoTUmiw11rbfem%5Ev

Maryland – Reality shorts out electricity goal. Utilities are submitting conservation proposals, but customers will pay (Baltimore Sun)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.bz.conserve28dec28,0,2027175.story?coll=bal-topemailed-headlines

Smart Grid Provisions in H.R. 6, 110th Congress (Congressional Research Service)
http://opencrs.com/document/RL34288

Australia – Power price shock losers. There is widespread concern that everyone will be a loser when electricity prices substantially rise on Tuesday. (The Mercury, Tasmania)
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22979633-5007221,00.html

Bremerton woman says generator fumes killed her cat (Kitsap Sun, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1125768~Bremerton_woman_says_generator_fumes_killed_her_cat.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Seattle – Fixed city creeks are still foul. Salmon are back, but the water is far from pristine, report says (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/345125_streams28.html

Big projections for Cowlitz River in 2008 (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/310363.html

Outlook not pretty for coho in 2008 (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/12/12272007_Outlook-not-pretty-for-coho-in-2008.cfm

Interior Dept. sued over information about endangered species – A conservation group sued the Interior Department on Thursday seeking documents about decisions on endangered species the group alleges were tainted by political pressure (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12272007news253941.cfm

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

LACEY ISSUES GREEN POWER CHALLENGE – City of Lacey and Puget Sound Energy are challenging businesses, community residents and public agencies to join in the effort to support development of long-term renewable energy solutions by signing up for green power in their homes and places of business. Puget Sound Energy's Green Power Program allows subscribers to select from several levels of participation. The minimum enrollment is $4 per month, which supports generation of 320 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy. Additional green power increments are available at $2 each. A typical energy-efficient household using about 800 kilowatt-hours of electrical energy per month would pay an additional $10 monthly to go 100 percent green. The Lacey Green Power Challenge officially begins Jan. 1. The goal of the six-month campaign is to increase green power usage to a total of 1,000 residential and business customers in the city. If the effort is successful, Puget Sound Energy, with support from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, will fund a $20,000 solar energy demonstration project on behalf of the community. The project will be installed on public property and provide an opportunity to highlight the increasingly-effective use of solar energy in Western Washington.

Geothermal energy could meet half of British Columbia’s electricity needs, researcher says – No greenhouse gases would result from tapping underground magma-heated water (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=cfbbf32d-4a3f-48d5-9b69-7ec6a82a3d5a

Kansas – New fortunes in the wind: Economics advance state's new energy resource (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChjptsllVUmiw11rbfem%5Ev

Wisconsin – Wind farm plans worry neighbors (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChkjnuqtZUmiw11rbfem%5Ev

Tapping into trash to find a new energy source (Boston Globe)
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/12/28/tapping_into_trash_to_find_a_new_energy_source/

A Light Bulb Goes On – Willett Kempton sees cars--and the electric grid--as a solution to America's energy problem, not the source of it. (Forbes)
http://www.forbes.com/global/2008/0107/036.html

CONSERVATION

Kansas Town's Green Dreams Could Save Its Future (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17643060

Hotels: Energy Star Earns Its Keep (Environmental News Network)
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/28245

Civil servants to dress casual for energy conservation (China Daily)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-12/25/content_6344708.htm

The city of blinding lights is starting to see 'green' – The first thermal plant in 16 years opened this summer in southern Nevada. And America's most expensive private development – a new hotel and casino complex on the Strip – is getting LEED certified. (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1228/p01s02-wogi.html

Tankless Water Heaters – Let the debate begin! Heat only the water you need in 2008 (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071227/BLOG15/775574349

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

E.P.A. to Comply in Waiver Inquiry – The Environmental Protection Agency signaled that it was prepared to comply with a Congressional request for all documents concerning its decision to block California from imposing limits on heat-trapping gases. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/washington/28epa.html?_r=1&ei=5088&en=172b7331977bf1a2&ex=1356584400&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1198861935-rC0z2nletYMpwJFpeDyDfQ

Tracking Carbon Trail To Find Why So Much Fills the Atmosphere (Wall Street Journal – fascinating graphic)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119880485275254475.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

India – IPTV may go the Hong Kong way or head towards American tragedy (Daily News & Analysis)
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1141823

Barack Obama's Technology Policy Position Paper: Part 1 of 5 (TMC Net)
http://blog.tmcnet.com/regulations/tech-politics-2008/barack-obamas-technology-policy-position-paper-part-1-of-5.asp

Just How Neutral is the Net? Not Very (B mighty.com)
http://www.bmighty.com/network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205204270

GENERAL NEWS

Fake FEMA agent targeting flood victims (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122707WAB_fakefema_KC.5ba01126.html

WA Minimum Wage Increases On Jan. 1 (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/jobs/14938294/detail.html

Air agency proposes burn bans – Plan would prohibit land-clearing fires in rural areas of Pierce County (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/239876.html

Ruling allows benefit cut at 65 in retiree plans – Employers can reduce their health-insurance expenses for retired workers once they turn 65 and qualify for Medicare, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has affirmed. (Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004095776_retire28.html?syndication=rss

Seattle no longer nation's most literate city, says study (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/12/24/daily12.html?ana=from_rss

DIVERSIONS

Rare 'Inverted Jenny' Stamp Purchased For $825,000
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14931995/detail.html

Infamous potatoes: Tater Tots start blaze in Idaho firehouse kitchen while crew out on a call
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7828032?nclick_check=1

Hello Kitty turns attention to young men – The cute cuddly white cat from Japan's Sanrio Co., usually seen on toys and jewelry for girls and young women, will soon don T-shirts, bags, watches and other products targeting young men
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071228/ap_on_fe_st/japan_hello_kitty_for_men;_ylt=AgP7rX_KynewpDChauBiXkrtiBIF

A far from cracking surprise - a dead mouse
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071227/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_newzealand_cracker;_ylt=Ahxt2JSCumt5WNDK4dvyR.DtiBIF

W.Va. cop says woman wiped nose on him
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071227/ap_on_fe_st/odd_officer_nose_wipe;_ylt=ArH31zwhzIIC1x5OydlFbaLtiBIF