Energy News Digest for February 15, 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)

* California pulp company and Grays Harbor County PUD set to buy mill in Cosmopolis
* Utilities need help in effort to stop theft of copper wire
* Electricity prices likely to rise, experts say
* TVA reports loss in First Quarter
* New York – Spitzer Utilities Nominee Started Job While Still an Industry Lobbyist
* New Zealand – Labour in denial as electricity crisis looms large
* Ocean dead zones off Oregon coast "not normal," scientists find
* Scientists fear 'tipping point' in Pacific Ocean
* Seattle Times Guest columnist – Sea lions vs. salmon
* Decision on salmon seasons due today
* Outdoors Report: Smelt signs rousing dip netters on the Cowlitz
* Oregon energy headed to Southern California
* Oregon – Douglas County advances plan to use landfill methane for power
* Geothermal to help Pacific Gas and Electric meet renewable goal
* Oceans Eyed As New Energy Source
* Cool Earth Solar generates power with 'solar balloons'
* City of Longview OKs $20,000 for LED holiday lights
* From the Master of the Obvious Department: Study notes ways to save on energy bills
* Metering & Data Management – Getting a Handle on Energy Usage
* Changing climate brings change to DNR's management of state forests
* California – Bill would require California's science curriculum to cover climate change
* Greening US likely to create huge carbon market
* California – Climate change funding jumps
* How Serious is Climate Change in Alaska?
* NY Times Opinion – Good Climate Policy, Bad Politics
* Satellite lobbying push could mean higher cable bills
* Energy Star servers coming real (sic) soon now
* Court upholds decision to throw out Enron broadband unit executive's conviction
* At Evergreen State College – Crowd destroys deputy's cruiser
* Flood's Hit on NM Roads, Repair Budget Will Be Long-Lasting
* Belfair Fire Destroys Office at Car Dealership Owned by Randy Neatherlin
* Mission Creek Corrections Center is Hoping for a Flood of Applicants
* This year's heavy snowfall tests state parks resources

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Truckle • \TRUCK-ul\ • verb – To act in a subservient manner: submit

“I will not truckle to your demands, Sir Richard,” bellowed Mortimer’s video-game avatar, just before he was crushed by the front hoof of a third-level hellbeast summoned by his imaginary foe.

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

California pulp company and Grays Harbor County PUD set to buy mill in Cosmopolis (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP02152008news278665.cfm

Utilities need help in effort to stop theft of copper wire (Eugene Register-Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=63296&sid=47&fid=1

Electricity prices likely to rise, experts say – Energy Future Holdings Chairman Donald Evans agreed with power experts on Thursday that electricity prices are bound to rise. (Dallas Morning News)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/021508dnbusceraelectricity.c038312f.html?npc

TVA reports loss in First Quarter – (Memphis Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/02/11/daily20.html?ana=from_rss

New York – Spitzer Utilities Nominee Started Job While Still an Industry Lobbyist, Report Finds (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/nyregion/15lobbyist.html?ex=1360818000&en=41709c58e240b0b4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

New Zealand – Labour in denial as electricity crisis looms large. National Party Energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee says the latest lake level data shows that the threat of an electricity crisis this winter is looming ever larger. (Scoop)
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0802/S00240.htm

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Ocean dead zones off Oregon coast "not normal," scientists find (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004183652_deadzone15m.html

Scientists fear 'tipping point' in Pacific Ocean – Coast has seen deadly drop-off in oxygen levels for sea life (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/351374_oceans15.html

Seattle Times Guest columnist – Sea lions vs. salmon: Restore balance and common sense
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004183016_sealions15.html

Decision on salmon seasons due today – Hopefully by the end of the day, Oregon and Washington fish managers will have agreed on a spring Chinook fishing season for the Columbia River. (Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/02/15/this_day/10111173.txt

Outdoors Report: Smelt signs rousing dip netters on the Cowlitz – Action unpredictable, but conditions are just right for weekend score (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/351202_out15.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon energy headed to Southern California (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/02/11/daily34.html?ana=from_rss

Oregon – Douglas County advances plan to use landfill methane for power (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1222588~Douglas_County_advances_plan_to_use_landfill_methane_for_power.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Geothermal to help Pacific Gas and Electric meet renewable goal – PG&E will turn to Earth's own energy to meet a looming state deadline for using more renewable power. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/15/BU21V2S7J.DTL

Oceans Eyed As New Energy Source (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hA5dUTyeCiSKpIJVm2VyDegLPQiQD8UQ9R5O0

Cool Earth Solar generates power with 'solar balloons' (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9872345-54.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e433

CONSERVATION

Texas – Seeing a shift in power: To reduce electricity demand, the industry is being urged to focus on helping customers help themselves (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/energy/5543924.html

City of Longview OKs $20,000 for LED holiday lights (Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/02/15//area_news/10112440.txt

From the Master of the Obvious Department: Study notes ways to save on energy bills (Baltimore Sun)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-energy0215,0,5629021.story?track=rss

Metering & Data Management – Getting a Handle on Energy Usage
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1668

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Changing climate brings change to DNR's management of state forests (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080214/NEWS04/112007349/1025/rss1025

California – Bill would require California's science curriculum to cover climate change (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/healthandscience/ci_8269190

Greening US likely to create huge carbon market – The new US president will most likely see in the emergence of a colossal carbon trading market, worth $1 trillion a year by 2020, according to a report released on Thursday. (New Scientist)
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn13325-greening-us-likely-to-create-huge-carbon-market.html

California – Climate change funding jumps. Coalition led by state's pension funds pledges $10 billion for clean technology (Sacramento Bee, may require free registration)
http://www.sacbee.com/378/story/714260.html

How Serious is Climate Change in Alaska? Scientists, politicians and community leaders are meeting this week in Anchorage to discuss the impact of climate change on Alaska. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18991463&ft=1&f=17

NY Times Opinion – Good Climate Policy, Bad Politics. A new report from the Congressional Budget Office confirms one of the most depressing facts about climate change: The best policy is the one that’s going nowhere in Washington.
http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/good-climate-policy-bad-politics/index.html?ex=1360818000&en=9b6758b7cb90b795&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Satellite lobbying push could mean higher cable bills (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9872657-7.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e703

Energy Star servers coming real (sic) soon now (The Inquirer)
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/15/energy-star-servers-coming-real

Court upholds decision to throw out Enron broadband unit executive's conviction (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8262947?source=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Crowd destroys deputy's cruiser – A hip-hop concert at The Evergreen State College ended in a riot early Friday in which a Thurston County sheriff’s patrol car was overturned and looted. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/360206.html

Flood's Hit on NM Roads, Repair Budget Will Be Long-Lasting (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2008/feb/14/floods-hit-on-nm-roads-repair-budget-will-be/

Belfair Fire Destroys Office at Car Dealership Owned by Randy Neatherlin (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2008/feb/14/friendly-fire-destroys-office/

Mission Creek Corrections Center is Hoping for a Flood of Applicants (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2008/feb/14/mission-creek-hoping-flood-applicants/

This year's heavy snowfall tests state parks resources – Road to Paradise could reopen by Sunday (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/360016.html

Scarce parking plagues business – Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and 44 guests came to Olympia's Heritage Room last week for a two-day staff retreat with catered meals, but their experience parking downtown might have left a bitter taste in their mouths. (The Olympian – How ironic, the mayor of Seattle came to Olympia and had problems finding a parking spot…)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/360019.html

Municipalities Feel Pinch as Another Debt Market Falters (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/business/15muni.html?_r=1&ex=1360818000&en=6b7ba4faaf9a14ea&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

DIVERSIONS

Police arrest man they say called 911 thousands of times
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_8270243?source=rss

Driver abandons bus with Texas parolees – A driver who apparently took her work rules very seriously abandoned a bus full of former prisoners along a highway because her hours for the day were over
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080215/ap_on_fe_st/odd_bus_parolees;_ylt=At4F8NFnbwd0d5yAnmYg1LTtiBIF

Nude Venus poster banned on Tube
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080214/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_venus;_ylt=AgskminKq4NpZbrV8e5zdMvtiBIF

Third-graders give NYC Mayor Bloomberg a grilling
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_fe_st/odd_bloomberg_third_graders;_ylt=Ags_BjciWlOVfsqw23Jt..PtiBIF