Energy News Digest for February 20, 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)

* Supreme Court hears Snohomish County PUD case
* Sierra Club to pressure Dynegy over coal-fired plants
* News Release – According to the California Municipal Utilities Association, PUC Proposal Risks California Consumers Again
* Spring salmon bag limit cut in half
* Willamette to get fewer Chinook
* Montana – Agencies resume tussle over Libby dam spill
* Columbian Op/Ed – Sea lion story may have unhappy ending for fish
* Judge throws out part of Makah whaling case
* Olympian Opinion – We must act now to save Puget Sound
* Black Rock Reservoir: Global Warming Solution, or Boondoggle?
* Oregonian Editorial – Going with the flow: Oregon Legislature deserves a shot at securing a statewide water supply
* Idaho – Court denies Pocatello's bid for historic water right on tribal land
* Cantwell touts wind power
* Columbian Editorial – Breezy Solution: Vancouver plays big role in wind energy
* Denmark – Lessons from an Emerging Wind Power
* Kitsap Sun Op/Ed – Yes, Solar Power Works DOES Work Here
* Oregon House approves renewable energy tax credit
* With Oil Prices Rising, Wood Makes a Comeback
* Biofuel doubts hit Dutch renewable energy output
* US Department of Energy wants builders to improve energy efficiency
* N. Idaho utility sees energy conservation
* Washington State bill orders firm steps to make state 'greener'
* House OKs climate blueprint to set limits on greenhouse gases
* British Columbia introduces carbon tax
* California – Groups vow to fight carbon emissions cap-and-trade plan
* San Francisco mayor's climate aide gets $160,000 a yea
* Ask.com headlines Grant County economic council event
* Sea cable snappage was sabotage – Middle Eastern cables destroyed deliberately
* Google & Its 99 Broadband Balloons
* Mason County School Levies Passing
* New Washington State budget forecast shows state coming up $2.4B short
* Action on Washington State’s paid family leave program put aside
* Shelton City Commission Moving Towards An August Vote On Streets
* Evergreen bans concerts until security methods are reviewed
* No Drag Racing At Sanderson Field This Summer
* Total lunar eclipse can be seen tonight
* Lights at Night Are Linked to Breast Cancer
* Mariners voice Dave Niehaus finally receives cherished call to Cooperstown

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Contumely • \kahn-TOO-muh-lee\ • noun – Harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt; also: an instance of such language or treatment

For the rest of his life, Alberto had an unnatural fear of salad. It started innocently enough at a grade school play, where he starred in the role of a tasty stalk of celery. Unfortunately, his method acting and the upstaging of the “lesser vegetables” were overbearing. So much so, that all the other children dressed as vegetables took part in a contumely that had to be broken up by the teachers, who were dressed as salad spoons.

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

Supreme Court hears Snohomish County PUD case – The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared to side with power suppliers in a series of contract disputes with electric utilities stemming from the 2000-2001 California energy crisis. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080219/NEWS01/280030648/-1/RSS01

Sierra Club to pressure Dynegy over coal-fired plants (Houston Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/02/18/daily17.html?ana=from_rss

News Release – According to the California Municipal Utilities Association, PUC Proposal Risks California Consumers Again (California Municipal Utilities Association, via Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/IndustryNews.asp?m=1&id=83631

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Spring salmon bag limit cut in half – One and done. That will be the story this season for spring Chinook salmon anglers in the Columbia and Willamette rivers. (Eugene Register Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=66244&sid=40&fid=1

Willamette to get fewer Chinook (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/364582.html

Montana – Agencies resume tussle over Libby dam spill. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is renewing its insistence on a test spill of water from Libby Dam to see if the higher flows have any biological benefits for the threatened Kootenai River white sturgeon (Daily Interlake, Kalispell)
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2008/02/20/news/news03.txt

Columbian Op/Ed – Sea lion story may have unhappy ending for fish
http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2008/02/02192008_Washington-View-Sea-lion-story-may-have-unhappy-ending-for-fish.cfm/

Judge throws out part of Makah whaling case (The Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP02192008news280677.cfm

Olympian Opinion – We must act now to save Puget Sound
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/364590.html

Black Rock Reservoir: Global Warming Solution, or Boondoggle? (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Blackrock.aspx

Oregonian Editorial – Going with the flow: Oregon Legislature deserves a shot at securing a statewide water supply
http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1203468904157080.xml&coll=7

Idaho – Court denies Pocatello's bid for historic water right on tribal land (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/364179.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Cantwell touts wind power (The Columbian)
http://columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/02/02192008_Cantwell-touts-wind-power.cfm

Columbian Editorial – Breezy Solution: Vancouver plays big role in wind energy
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2008/02/02202008_Breezy-Solution-Vancouver-plays-big-role-in-wind-energy.cfm/

Denmark – Lessons from an Emerging Wind Power (Renewable Energy Access – story points out Denmark’s access to hydroelectricity in other countries as well as “…and to Germany, which has ‘diverse generation resources’…”)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=51395&src=rss

Kitsap Sun Op/Ed – Yes, Solar Power Works DOES Work Here
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/feb/20/my-turn-yes-solar-power-works-does-work-here/

Oregon House approves renewable energy tax credit (The Oregonian, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1229033~Oregon_House_approves_renewable_energy_tax_credit.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Renewable Energy: Desert Dreams (Times Magazine)
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1712863_1712864,00.html

With Oil Prices Rising, Wood Makes a Comeback (NY Times – “…average particulate emissions from one outdoor wood boiler equaled that of 22 wood stoves, 205 oil furnaces or as many as 8,000 natural gas furnaces…”)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/us/19woodstove.html?ex=1361163600&en=4b90352744cc58a8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Biofuel doubts hit Dutch renewable energy output (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSL2090558020080220

CONSERVATION

US Department of Energy wants builders to improve energy efficiency (Orlando Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/02/18/daily17.html?ana=from_rss

N. Idaho utility sees energy conservation – Officials with Avista Utilities say their "Every Little Bit" campaign to get northern Idaho customers to consume less energy is working. (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/364015.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Washington State bill orders firm steps to make state 'greener' – It targets miles driven, gases emitted, boosts earth-friendly jobs. After last-minute, closed-door deal-making that included arm-twisting by Gov. Chris Gregoire, the state House took a step Tuesday toward ushering in what some are calling the "sustainable revolution." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/351926_climate20.html

House OKs climate blueprint to set limits on greenhouse gases (Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004191123_globalwarming20m.html?syndication=rss

British Columbia introduces carbon tax – Province is first jurisdiction in North America to have consumer-based carbon tax (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ecea1487-507c-43ef-ab88-5a972898e0b7&k=38130

California – Groups vow to fight carbon emissions cap-and-trade plan (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-envirojust20feb20,1,168040.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

San Francisco mayor's climate aide gets $160,000 a year – In his quest to make San Francisco the greenest city in the nation, Mayor Gavin Newsom recently created a $160,000-a-year job for a senior aide and gave him the ambitious-sounding title of director of climate protection initiatives. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/20/MNMMUT8U5.DTL&feed=rss.news

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Ask.com headlines Grant County economic council event – A data center locating in Moses Lake and a state economic developer address Grant County audiences this week. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/02/19/news/news05.txt

Sea cable snappage was sabotage – Middle Eastern cables destroyed deliberately (The Inquirer)
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/19/sea-cable-snappage-sabotage

Google & Its 99 Broadband Balloons (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/02/20/google-its-99-broadband-balloons/

FCC must study bird-tower collisions – Birds and wireless towers are a deadly mix - a fact that preservationists and policy makers agree to. But the role of the regulators in keeping the two apart has been up in the air. (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/991/story/95028.html

GENERAL NEWS

MASON COUNTY SCHOOL LEVIES PASSING – All the School District Levies on the February 19th Ballot were passing after election results were released Tuesday night. Nearly 56% (55.96%) of the voters in the Shelton School District said "yes" to the three-year replacement maintenance and operations levy of $3.37 per thousand of assessed value. That's 2,281 voting in favor and 1,795 voting against. Just under 55% (54.85%) of the Pioneer School District voters supported their three-year replacement M&O levy. 1,465 voted "yes" for the measure that will charge $1.18 per thousand for 2009, 2010, and 2011 while 1,206 voted "no". In the Grapeview School District, 56.56% of the voters supported that District's two year replacement M&O Levy that charges nearly 69 cents per thousand. The specific numbers in Grapeview have 474 voting "yes" and 364 voting "no". There is an 18-vote difference for the Southside School District's three-year, $2.61 per thousand maintenance and operations replacement levy. 218 or 52.15% voted for the measure while 200 or 47.85% voted against. And in the Mary M. Knight School District 56.2% supported their two-year replacement levy. 154 voted "yes" for the measure that charges $3.07 per thousand in 2009 and $3.23 per thousand in 2010 while 120 voted "no". (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

New Washington State budget forecast shows state coming up $2.4B short (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004191110_budget20m.html?syndication=rss

Action on Washington State’s paid family leave program put aside (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/351959_familyleave20.html?source=rss

Deadline passes for legislation to advance (Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/02/20/area_news/10118563.txt

SHELTON CITY COMMISSION MOVING TOWARDS AN AUGUST VOTE ON STREETS – The Shelton City Commission is moving forward with asking voters in August to increase property taxes to repair residential streets. Tuesday night, the commission directed staff to prepare the proper documentation to place this "Show Me" tax on the Primary Election Ballot. The City plans to ask for $500,000 to fix about 40 blocks of streets in an effort to show residents their intent to repair that failing infrastructure. If approved, the City's regular property tax levy would be increased to $3.45 per thousand of assessed value for collection in 2009 only. The City would then go back to voters for the same tax the following year with the hope that voters liked what the City did and would support the tax for streets again. The Commission is expected to approve the resolution reserving a spot on the August ballot at their next meeting. City staff is working on which streets will be repaired with these funds and the initial indication is that an area around Lake Boulevard would be the focus of this funding. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

Evergreen bans concerts until security methods are reviewed (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/364671.html

NO DRAG RACING AT SANDERSON FIELD THIS SUMMER – The Port of Shelton Commission has denied the Shelton Drag Strip Association's request to hold drag racing events at Sanderson Field this summer. Earlier this month, the Association presented the Port with their request to hold four weekend events as they are acquiring property away from the airport and plan to develop that into a racetrack for future events. During their Tuesday meeting, the Port Commissioners approved a letter to the Association's President Tom Casey denying that request. In the letter, the Commissioners recognized the positive benefits drag racing has on the community's economy but spelled out the reasons for their denial. One reason is that the Port is working through the Airport Master Plan updating process which is not scheduled for completion until late this year or early next year. The other reason has to do with the current construction work on the sewer and reclaimed water lines for the Shelton Area Regional Water and Wastewater project. The north end of the runway where drag races are held is under lease for secure storage of equipment and materials. That project is expected to run well into 2009 interfering with any drag racing event. The Port Commissioners' letter also states “we believe the safety of the public comes first.” The letter concludes “Having reviewed all of the circumstances in consideration of your request and until we can update the Airport Master Plan and finish construction of the Regional Sewer and Water Construction Project, we regret that we must deny your request for having drag racing events at the Port of Shelton this summer.” (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

Total lunar eclipse can be seen tonight (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/288035.html

Lights at Night Are Linked to Breast Cancer – Study Bolsters Theory About Interference With Production of Key Hormone (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/19/AR2008021902398.html?nav=rss_technology

Mariners voice Dave Niehaus finally receives cherished call to Cooperstown (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/351946_niehaus20.html

DIVERSIONS

Arborist upsets UC Berkeley tree-sitters
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/20/BA4BV52CK.DTL

Officials: Bank goof led to loss of cash – A man was charged with withdrawing $2 million from an account after a bank confused him with a man who has the same name.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080220/ap_on_fe_st/odd_bank_error_arrest;_ylt=AsK1yj0T3NZQco91a86SH1btiBIF

Dad, son create Lincoln penny portrait – Finally, a way to get rid of some of those pennies! Jeff Haber and his teen son Danny used $24 worth to make a portrait of — who else? — Abraham Lincoln.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080220/ap_on_fe_st/odd_penny_portrait;_ylt=Auf4dzIgkVmKp9czf91ItcLtiBIF

Your tacos or your life! – A hunger for carnitas nearly led to some carnage after a Fontana man was robbed of a bag of tacos at gunpoint.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080219/ap_on_fe_st/taco_thief;_ylt=Ap_XOwD_cszt.k18J3VWulrtiBIF

Shoot. There goes our trade-in honey – A 1987 truck that was being traded in by an Auburn couple on a 2007 model was destroyed by fire in Durham as it was being driven to the dealership.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080219/ap_on_fe_st/flaming_trade_in;_ylt=AuUDpDkY7mTV6VAQXL2DqH_tiBIF