Energy News Digest for February 13, 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)

* For a few brief moments the other day, Grays Harbor Energy flipped the switch on its 650-megawatt power plant at the Satsop Development Park
* Nuclear Power Revival Faces Old and New Economic Realities
* Coal's future not in Carolinas
* Shock horror for would-be power cable thief
* Daily Astorian Editorial – Lower Columbia River fishing deserves equity
* Better numbers for steelhead, but weather bringing mixed results
* Lake Mead Could Be Within a Few Years of Going Dry, Study Finds
* Survey: Health of SW Washington waterways deteriorating
* Longview Water plant suffers costly breakdown
* Olympian Editorial – Fraser can help cities, tribe get water rights
* Weyerhaeuser December 1-4, 2007 Storm Event Summary
* Daily News Editorial – Drawbacks shouldn't stop development of alternative fuels
* San Francisco Chronicle Editorial – Better biofuels before more biofuels
* Editorial: Give wind power fighting chance
* The best-kept secret to home-heating savings
* Washington View: Natural disasters being used to push agendas
* 'Massive carbon tax' pitched
* NY Company Buys First Californian Forest Carbon Credits
* Iowa tries to land Microsoft data center site
* Comcast defends curbs on file sharing – Keeps Web traffic moving, it says
* Flawed Software Upgrade Caused BlackBerry Malfunction
* A Year Out, Digital TV Picture Still Far from Sharp
* Google Hijacking 404 Pages?
* Salary Controversy Surrounds New Mason County H-R Director
* Washington State Auditor’s records stand riles Thurston County Treasurer

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Atavistic • \at-uh-VIS-stick\ • adjective – 1a: recurrence in an organism of a trait or character typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination b: recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity 2: one that manifests atavism: throwback

Beauregard was horrified by the greeting he received from his new houseguest. Unfortunately, the wretch who had been rescued from ten long years living among the apes of Africa showed his happy salutation in an atavistic ritual of looking for nits on the thinning scalp of the squirming southern gentleman. “Nope, you’re clean,” beamed the neo-Tarzan to his host.

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

Power should flow off Fuller Hill soon – For a few brief moments the other day, Grays Harbor Energy flipped the switch on its 650-megawatt power plant at the Satsop Development Park and actually produced power. (Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/02/12/local_news/03news.txt

Nuclear Power Revival Faces Old and New Economic Realities (Power Marketing Association Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpq%5F%5CikpsssoSTgdy30qbfen%5Fv

Constellation still mulling locations for new nuclear reactors (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/02/11/daily14.html?ana=from_rss

Coal's future not in Carolinas – At a global warming conference Monday, Duke Energy chief executive Jim Rogers said he wouldn't build another coal-fired power plant in the Carolinas because of its geology. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CikprmprTTgdy30qbfen%5Fv

Shock horror for would-be power cable thief (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1283190120080212?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Daily Astorian Editorial – Lower Columbia River fishing deserves equity – It’s unfair to preserve upriver sports fishing and penalize gillnetters here
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=49026&TM=19411.68

Better numbers for steelhead, but weather bringing mixed results (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/outdoors/story/281960.html

Lake Mead Could Be Within a Few Years of Going Dry, Study Finds (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/us/13mead.html?ei=5088&en=1ce1de8f1a27cccf&ex=1360558800&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1202922076-e1Pb8Inhd8ACJK5EJh38Gg

Survey: Health of SW Washington waterways deteriorating – Nearly 70 new spots exceed standards for water quality (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/02/02122008_Survey-Health-of-area-waterways-deteriorating.cfm

Longview Water plant suffers costly breakdown – City faces $150,000 bill to keep aging plant running (Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/02/13//area_news/10107736.txt

Olympian Editorial – Fraser can help cities, tribe get water rights. Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Thurston County, is perfectly positioned to help her constituents and the communities in the 22nd Legislative District.
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/357403.html

Weyerhaeuser December 1-4, 2007 Storm Event Summary (Weyerhaeuser, Opens as a PDF File)
http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/pdfs/company/media/December2007StormEventSummary.pdf

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Daily News Editorial – Drawbacks shouldn't stop development of alternative fuels – Two new studies published last week in the journal Science call into question government mandates aimed at quickly increasing the use of biofuels for environmental reasons.
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/02/13/editorial/10107101.txt

San Francisco Chronicle Editorial – Better biofuels before more biofuels. It's all about the land, not the crops. While California and the nation pursue biofuels for energy security and climate change, we must ensure that cleaner technologies are the result, not irreversible damages.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/13/EDGEV10VF.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

Florida – Treasure Coast Palm Editorial – Editorial: Give wind power fighting chance. Clean, renewable opportunity another good step in need for additional, inexpensive power
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/feb/12/give-wind-power-fighting-chance/

Miami County Republic – Harnessing electricity could be an answer for energy-bill woes
http://www.kccommunitynews.com/articles/2008/02/13/miami_county_republic/opinion/doc47b20d29135a3833845934.txt

CONSERVATION

New Year's resolution! Save Energy (Lake Superior News)
http://lakesuperiornews.info/Environment/SaveEnergy/tabid/224/Default.aspx

The best-kept secret to home-heating savings – Using this green geothermal technology can cut your utility bills in half. So why aren't more homeowners taking advantage of it? (Because of $$$$ - MSN Real Estate)
http://realestate.msn.com/Improve/Green/Article_usnews.aspx?cp-documentid=6131060&GT1=10931

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

The Columbian Op/Ed – Washington View: Natural disasters being used to push agendas
http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2008/02/02122008_Washington-View-Natural-disasters-being-used-to-push-agendas.cfm?newsletter=1

'Massive carbon tax' pitched – New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman told a crowd today that the country needs a "massive carbon tax" so energy companies would be forced to look to alternative and green energy to survive. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CikpnospUTgdy30qbfen%5Fv

NY Company Buys First Californian Forest Carbon Credits (Planet Ark)
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46902/story.htm

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Iowa tries to land Microsoft site – Microsoft Corp. is considering Iowa for a data center that would offer high wages and employ more than 100 people, state lawmakers said Tuesday. (Des Moines Register)
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080213/NEWS10/802130380/-1/LIFE04

Comcast defends curbs on file sharing – Keeps Web traffic moving, it says (Associated Press, via the Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/351080_comcast13.html

Flawed Software Upgrade Caused BlackBerry Malfunction (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/business/13rim.html?_r=1&ex=1360645200&en=ebce2fbce0f26cd3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

A Year Out, Digital TV Picture Still Far from Sharp (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18919378&ft=1&f=2

Google Hijacking 404 Pages? There's money in them thar 404s... (Broadband Reports – Note: comment section may include PG-13 language)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Google-Hijacking-404-Pages-91794

GENERAL NEWS

SALARY CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS NEW MASON COUNTY H-R DIRECTOR – Mason County has a new Human Resources Director: T.J. Martin. Martin has worked for the County for the past two and a half years as the County's Land-Use Attorney. He has two Mater Degrees - Master of Taxation from the University of Washington and a Master of Arts from the University of San Diego - and a Juris Doctorate from the Gonzaga School of Law. According to a news release from Mason County, Martin has extensive experience in contract negotiations and labor union representation. His hiring, however, generated some controversy, not over Martin being appointed to the position but over his salary. Tuesday, the Mason County Commission amended the non-union salary range alignment table to increase the H-R Director from a range 35 to a range 45, which is the top of the county's pay scale. This action did not sit well with some elected officials who told the Commissioners Tuesday that they have employees who have not seen salary changes in years. The Commissioners explained that the Human Resources Director is a vital position and it needed to be filled. They also believe Martin is the right person for the job based on his experience and background. The Commission did say they would take a look at the County's pay scale. Martin also stated he plans to make changes in the HR Department and his goal is to work with department heads and elected officials to "recruit the best and retain the best." He also said that there is a problem with the County's pay scale and that he plans on correcting that problem. T.J. Martin's appointment as Mason County's Human Resources Director is effective February 1st. The County Prosecutor's Office will be looking to fill Martin's former position as Land-Use Attorney. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

Washington State Auditor’s records stand riles Thurston County Treasurer – A second Thurston County official is at odds with state Auditor Brian Sonntag over a state performance audit on public-records disclosures. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/357639.html

DIVERSIONS

Britons Sound Off Against Anti-Child Device – Device Meant To Drive Away Misbehaving Kids
http://www.kirotv.com/family/15279713/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_nots&tmi=sea_nots_1_01000202122008&ts=H

Pilot captures incredible photo near Wash. Coast
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/15583137.html

Mich. lottery winner makes great mistake
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080213/ap_on_fe_st/odd_surprised_lottery_winner;_ylt=Ahzrj8Na.xOR8PG6CcANanHtiBIF

Japan's Obama city cheers U.S. Democrat contender
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080213/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_usa_politics_japan;_ylt=AvyUWiFk1r55LVDnZCWjXPjtiBIF

Ghost-like white stag spotted in Scotland
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080213/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_stag;_ylt=An1c3v3VUlDan2JKSDem.vHtiBIF