Energy News Digest for January 30, 2008

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)

* Energy Dept. Pulls Support for FutureGen
* News Release – BPA will miss employee killed in fatal traffic accident
* Idaho Power sets winter demand record
* Report: Cost of building Black Rock reservoir exceed benefit
* Black Rock – Yakima River water not a win-win
* Oregonian Commentary – A paradigm shift in resolving Klamath Dam conflict
* For salmon tracking: Digital Angel Secures $6 Million Three-Year Contract
* Officials warn of salmon population 'collapse' in California’s Central Valley
* Alaska fishermen push for Farm Bill benefits
* Environmental group hopes river logs aid salmon
* Olympian Editorial – DNR debris removal a welcome service.
* Seattle Times Guest columnist – Risky timber practices worsened December flooding
* Entiat, private investor may get PUD land
* Seattle Times Op/Ed – Put through the wringer by fast-rising water rates
* Bill would benefit public power projects like Energy Northwest wind farms
* Clean energy groups face 'tough road' in getting tax-credit extensions in stimulus package
* Boardman to get ethanol demonstration plant
* Maryland – Wind farms hit opposition
* Cape Wind Passes Agency Test
* New York – Second Long Island wind energy project proposed
* Canada – McGuinty's clothes call
* Global warming takes center stage in South Sound
* Are firms telling little green lies?
* Travel – Fuzzy math on carbon footprints
* United Kingdom – Gas ad was hot air, says watchdog
* Yahoo to lay off 1,000 workers
* Vista at one year: Progress and pain
* Damaged Cable Cuts Internet in Mideast
* Clearwire, Sprint said to resume WiMax joint venture talks
* Shelton Man, Jason French, Killed In Wrong-Way Freeway Crash
* $5,000 worth of electrical wire stolen from Thurston County development
* Tips helped nab metal thieves
* Kidney Thefts Shock India
* Walla Walla County in running for $1.2 billion silicon chip plant
* What is a Recession, Who Decides When It Starts, and When Do They Decide?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Foozle • \FOO-zul\ • verb – To manage or play awkwardly: bungle

Watching Abercrombie in aerobics class was like watching a large, ponderous bear attempt ballet…only not as good. Just about every move barked out by the harridan leading the class led to a foozled step by Abercrombie. Many times he endangered his fellow classmates with flailing arms or a mistaken left step when a right one was ordered.

WEATHER

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

(NOTE: Some readers have noted that the NWS forecast has not been updated regularly. Apparently there is a refresh issue with the weather web site. If you visit and the forecast isn’t updated, press F5 or refresh the web page. That should take care of the issue)

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Energy Dept. Pulls Support for FutureGen – The U.S. Department of Energy, frustrated by ballooning costs for an ambitious plan to build a virtually emissions-free power plant, told federal lawmakers Tuesday it plans to pull its support for the $1.8 billion project in Illinois, lawmakers said. (Associated Press, via the San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/01/29/financial/f134224S01.DTL&feed=rss.business

News Release – BPA will miss employee killed in fatal traffic accident (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/190306/

Idaho Power sets winter demand record (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association OnLine)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5Cihllhkt%5BUok%7D38%7Dbfen%5Fv

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Report: Cost of building Black Rock reservoir exceed benefit (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/342151.html

Black Rock – Yakima River water not a win-win. Putting more water into the Yakima River basin might be a good deal for farmers, fish and regional economies, but it wouldn't be worth the cost to the federal government (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/9599860p-9511334c.html

Oregonian Commentary – A paradigm shift in resolving conflict. A proposed agreement for restoration of the Klamath Basin -- the result of two years of negotiations by a score of diverse representatives -- has now been released and deserves the thoughtful consideration of all Oregonians.
http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1201568120311960.xml&coll=7

News Release – For salmon tracking: Digital Angel Secures $6 Million Three-Year Contract from Bonneville Power Administration (Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080130/20080130005276.html?.v=1

Officials warn of salmon population 'collapse' in California’s Central Valley (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8109785?source=rss&nclick_check=1

Alaska fishermen push for Farm Bill benefits – Just these once, wild-harvest fishermen in Alaska and nationwide want to be lumped in with fish farmers. They're pushing for a version of the federal farm bill that redefines "farm" to include "a commercial fishing enterprise." (Juneau Empire)
http://juneauempire.com/stories/012908/loc_241684747.shtml

Environmental group hopes river logs aid salmon (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080130/NEWS01/785320005/-1/RSS01

Olympian Editorial – DNR debris removal a welcome service. Officials at the state Department of Natural Resources have stepped up and agreed to coordinate removal of woody debris in the upper Chehalis River Valley deposited during the December flooding.
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/342381.html

Seattle Times Guest columnist – Risky timber practices worsened December flooding
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004152372_goldmark30.html?syndication=rss

Entiat, private investor may get PUD land – The city of Entiat and companies owned by local developer Calvin White will benefit from land deals approved Monday by Chelan County PUD commissioners. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080129/NEWS04/464295601/1025/rss1025

Seattle Times Op/Ed – Put through the wringer by fast-rising water rates. Is it just me, or did other Snohomish-area residents feel absolutely railroaded with the recent water- and utility-rate increase from the city of Snohomish?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004152317_snomilburn30.html?syndication=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Bill would benefit public power projects like Energy Northwest wind farms – The Legislature is considering a bill that would front cash incentives owed by the federal government to public developers of wind farms and other environmentally friendly power projects. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/business/v-rss/story/9600450p-9511923c.html

Clean energy groups face 'tough road' in getting tax-credit extensions in stimulus package – President Bush's encouraging words about clean energy are meaningless without a tax credit for wind, solar and other renewable power. (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8110550?source=rss

Boardman to get ethanol demonstration plant – Pacific Ethanol will build a demonstration plant to produce ethanol from byproducts such as corn stalks, wheat straw and poplar trees with the help of up to $24.3 million from the Department of Energy. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/v-rss/story/9599859p-9511333c.html

Maryland – Wind farms hit opposition: Foes target clearing of state forest land (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association OnLine)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CihkmrtrXUok%7D38%7Dbfen%5Fv

Cape Wind Passes Agency Test – The first proposed offshore wind energy facility in the United States passed a significant test with the mid-January release of a federal review as it starts what is expected to be its final year of permitting. (Energy Pulse Commentary)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1658

New York – Second Long Island wind energy project proposed. A Hauppauge company is proposing its second wind energy project south of Long Island, this one to serve Nassau and Suffolk electricity customers instead of those in the city. (Newsday)
http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzleft0130,0,635566.story?track=rss

CONSERVATION

Canada – McGuinty's clothes call. It might have taken five years, but the government of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has finally unveiled a sensible conservation measure that doesn't revolve around banning anything except for bans. (The Windsor Star)
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/editorial/story.html?id=4e9e1687-5c31-491e-b2b8-e41070f85263

New Hampshire – Sen. Ted Gatsas: For higher electric rates, residents should get a guaranteed benefit (Union Leader)
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Sen.+Ted+Gatsas%3A+For+higher+electric+rates%2C+residents+should+get+a+guaranteed+benefit&articleId=e9490b11-76ed-4380-8b91-a4eed28139d3

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Global warming takes center stage in South Sound (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/342943.html

Are firms telling little green lies? Web site takes on ad claims that environmental facts may not back up (Portland Tribune)
http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=120155613148190600

Travel – Fuzzy math on carbon footprints (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/mcgee/2008-01-30-fuzzy-math_N.htm

United Kingdom – Gas ad was hot air, says watchdog. A TV and press ad campaign for British Gas has been banned by the advertising watchdog for making false green claims about an energy tariff. (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/30/asa.advertising1?gusrc=rss&feed=media

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Yahoo to lay off 1,000 workers (Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1190055~Yahoo_to_lay_off_1_000_workers.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Vista at one year: Progress and pain – Windows upgrade fuels revenue and frustrations (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/349265_msftvista30.html?source=rss

Damaged Cable Cuts Internet in Mideast – Internet outages disrupted business and personal usage across a wide swathe of the Middle East on Wednesday after an undersea cable in the Mediterranean was damaged, government officials and Internet service providers said. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004153779_apmideastinternetoutages30.html?syndication=rss

Pay Per Gig – If you are an Internet-crazy movie lover in Beaumont, Tex., life may soon take a miserable turn for you. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/29/AR2008012903205.html?nav=rss_email/components

Clearwire, Sprint said to resume WiMax joint venture talks (Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1188299~Clearwire__Sprint_said_to_resume_WiMax_joint_venture_talks.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

GENERAL NEWS

Shelton Man, Jason French, Killed In Wrong-Way Freeway Crash (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/15164411/detail.html

$5,000 worth of electrical wire stolen from Thurston County development (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/342948.html

Tips helped nab metal thieves – Citizens' tips were invaluable in leading sheriff's deputies to arrest two women suspected of being involved in a recent rash of metal theft, Cowlitz County Sheriff Bill Mahoney said Tuesday. (Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/01/30/area_news/10083246.txt

Kidney Thefts Shock India (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/world/asia/30kidney.html?ex=1359349200&en=b4c62469af7d7c0f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Walla Walla County in running for $1.2 billion silicon chip plant – A potential development in Wallula would be the single largest economic development project in county history and could bring 300 jobs with it. (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/01/29/local_news/local02.txt

Congressional Research Reports – What is a Recession, Who Decides When It Starts, and When Do They Decide?
http://opencrs.cdt.org/document/RS22793

DIVERSIONS

Japanese firm offers "heartache leave" for staff – Lovelorn staff at a Japanese marketing company can take paid time off after a bad break-up with a partner, with more "heartache leave" on offer as they get older.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080128/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_japan_leave;_ylt=AhprdsAJ8w8pTcNDsUN5LgTtiBIF

Boy Parks Bike In Wrong Place, Goodwill Store Sells It
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/15176575/detail.html

Nose means new Thai PM in sign language – Sign language interpreters in Thailand have run afoul of some ruling party supporters by holding their noses to refer to the new prime minister.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080130/ap_on_fe_st/thailand_prime_minister_nose;_ylt=Aqg2yolmlyFYG5dVc8mN8VDtiBIF

Pot Clinics Add Vending Machines – Medical Marijuana Clinics Lower Costs, Add Safety
http://www.kirotv.com/health/15173267/detail.html