Energy News Digest for April 9, 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)

- Lakeview Light shares $1 million BPA refund with customers
- Cowlitz PUD to offer bill credits as part of settlement
- POWER: Benton PUD mulls temporary rate relief
- Portland General Electric customers to see rates decrease
- Clark Public Utilities affirms end to repair work
- Uh Oh – Breaking into a power station in three easy steps
- San Diego Gas & Electric defends power transmission line as hearings begin
- West Virginia – Vast Power Line Project Irks Monastery and More
- Utah – Utility to ask for another rate hike
- Deal reached for Georgia Power nuclear reactors
- Business consultant: U.S. should embrace nuclear power
- United Kingdom – Energy regulator launches probe into Scottish suppliers
- United Kingdom – Sales team suspended for dodgy practices
- Funding for hatchery included in $900 million fish agreement
- Seattle Times Editorial – Salmon recovery: working in unison
- News Tribune Editorial – Dam breaching or not, fish recovery will be pricey
- Restrictions tightening on Columbia – Snake River dams again in cross hairs
- Pacific Coast salmon fishing will be all but off-limits this summer
- Wild salmon at $40 a pound? Blame the sharply curtailed harvests in Oregon, California
- Scientists Hope to Breathe New Life Into Study of Hood Canal Oxygen Problem
- Tenino Gets Pumped for New Sewer System
- NW Power Providers Join Resources to Speed Up Energy Project Siting Process
- An ocean of energy: A Thousand Oaks company wants to harvest wave power
- On the Irish Coast, Reconsidering Energy From the Town Up
- Solar balloons to power remote areas?
- Missouri – Energy activists want wind, sun, trash
- Standard Biodiesel turns frying-pan grease into fuel
- Can You Afford -Not to Save Energy?
- Smart grid investment heats up
- White House hopefuls woo Gore; focus on climate
- News Release – Fiber To The Home Connections Jump To Nearly Three Million
- Study Gives High Marks to U.S. Internet
- Vermont – Board nixes network funding
- Mideast Cable Cut Culprits Caught?
- Five Second Movie Downloads
- Energy Department says gas prices could peak at $4 a gallon this spring
- Truckers plan to protest diesel prices at Chehalis
- Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct on top 10 list for dangerous structures
- Spokane residents slogging through second snowiest winter
- House Staffers Livid Over Web Site – Financial Information Being Posted Is Too Personal
- Lake Tahoe resident could face prison over tree removal

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Stygian • \STIJ-ee-un\ • adjective – 1: of or relating to the river Styx 2: extremely dark, gloomy, or forbidding

“You want me to find you some trinkets to give away at your event?” queried Joel. He took a gulp and slowly trod to the storage room off his office. The stygian gloom that met him as the door creaked open was enhanced, not lessened by the feeble lighting that came from the one insufficient compact fluorescent light bulb in the far corner of the room.

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

Lakeview Light shares $1 million BPA refund with customers (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/330370.html

Cowlitz PUD to offer bill credits as part of settlement (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/04/09//area_news/doc47fc16102b5dd222920524.txt

POWER: Benton PUD mulls temporary rate relief (Tri-City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/150500.html

Portland General Electric customers to see rates decrease – Ordered to accept small farm and residential exchange agreement (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1207713364113800.xml&coll=7

Clark Public Utilities affirms end to repair work (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2008/04/04092008_Utility-affirms-end-to-repair-work.cfm/

Uh Oh – Breaking into a power station in three easy steps – "I will tell (you) how to break into a nuclear reactor," Ira Winkler, president of security firm ISAG said as he launched into his presentation on "How to Take Down the Power Grid" at RSA 2008 on Tuesday night (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9914896-7.html?tag=nl.e703

San Diego Gas & Electric defends power transmission line as hearings begin (Associated Press, via the San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/04/07/state/n200428D56.DTL&feed=rss.business

West Virginia – Vast Power Line Project Irks Monastery and More (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/us/09powerline.html?_r=1&ex=1365480000&en=bdc342a672970b74&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Utah – Utility to ask for another rate hike – Rocky Mountain was forced to scale back its last increase request (Salt Lake Tribune)
http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_8846457

Deal reached for Georgia Power nuclear reactors (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/business/stories/2008/04/08/nuke_0409.html

Business consultant: U.S. should embrace nuclear power (Jacksonville Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2008/04/07/daily9.html?ana=from_rss

United Kingdom – Energy regulator launches probe into Scottish suppliers (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/display_article/325254/6/ARTCL/Display/none/1/UK-energy-regulator-launches-probe-into-Scottish-suppliers/

United Kingdom – Sales team suspended for dodgy practices (Worcester News)
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/display.var.2177948.0.sales_team_suspended_for_dodgy_practices.php

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Funding for hatchery included in $900 million fish agreement (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/NEWS04/580307889

Seattle Times Editorial – Salmon recovery: working in unison – Four tribes and three federal agencies use the word historic to describe their 10-year, $900 million agreement on how to proceed with Columbia River salmon restoration
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2004335610_tribed09.html?syndication=rss

News Tribune Editorial – Dam breaching or not, fish recovery will be pricey “…it does represent progress, because it does two things: It implicitly recognizes that four controversial dams on the Snake River are not going away anytime soon, and it spends ratepayer money on action instead of lawyers…”
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/330430.html

Restrictions tightening on Columbia – Snake River dams again in cross hairs (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/358286_columbia09.html

Pacific Coast salmon fishing will be all but off-limits this summer – With Sacramento River Chinook stocks failing, Oregon fishing interests face near-total season closures (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/120771153663650.xml&coll=7

Wild salmon at $40 a pound? Blame the sharply curtailed harvests in Oregon, California (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/358287_salmon09.html?source=rss

Scientists Hope to Breathe New Life Into Study of Hood Canal Oxygen Problem (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/apr/08/researchers-hone-in-on-hood-canal-problems/

Tenino Gets Pumped for New Sewer System – Officials Break Ground in Ceremonial Kickoff for Wastewater Treatment Facility and Sewage System (The Chronicle, Centralia)
http://www.chronline.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1207676451&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

NW Power Providers Join Resources to Speed Up Energy Project Siting Process – Utilities have been rushing to site power projects after the recent passage of renewable energy standards in Oregon and Washington. But a pile-up of transmission requests has led to delays in siting and construction of new projects (RedOrbit)
http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1333649/nw_power_providers_join_resources_to_speed_up_energy_project/

An ocean of energy: A Thousand Oaks company wants to harvest wave power (San Louis Obispo Tribune)
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/327403.html

On the Irish Coast, Reconsidering Energy From the Town Up (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/technology/techspecial/09town.html?ex=1365480000&en=b4e5117cc203c2cb&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Solar balloons to power remote areas? (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL03913641

Missouri – Energy activists want wind, sun, trash (Southside Journal)
http://southsidejournal.stltoday.com/articles/2008/04/08/news/sj2tn20080408-0409hil-renew0.ii1.txt

Standard Biodiesel turns frying-pan grease into fuel (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004336049_standardbiodiesel09.html?syndication=rss

CONSERVATION

Can You Afford -Not to Save Energy? The economic benefits of alternative energy. (Mother Earth News)
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/1984-07-01/Can-You-Afford-Not-To-Save-Energy.aspx

Smart grid investment heats up – A handful of smart grid start-ups have announced expansion funding (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9914265-54.html?tag=nl.e433

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

White House hopefuls woo Gore, focus on climate (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0843090920080409?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

News Release – Fiber To The Home Connections Jump To Nearly Three Million As Next-Generation Broadband Deployment Continues (Fiber to the Home Council)
http://www.ftthcouncil.org/?t=284

Study Gives High Marks to U.S. Internet – Contradicting earlier studies, conventional wisdom and politicians’ rhetoric, European researchers say that the Internet infrastructure of the United States is one of the world’s best and getting better (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/technology/09internet.html?ex=1365480000&en=f1375bbc49332b03&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Vermont – Board nixes network funding – A plan to build a multimillion-dollar fiber optic network and hub in Rutland received a major blow on Monday (Rutland Herald)
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080409/NEWS01/804090390

Mideast Cable Cut Culprits Caught? Authorities have impounded two ships believed to be responsible for damage to undersea cables (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/04/08/cable-cut-culprits-caught/

Five Second Movie Downloads (Audioholics Online)
http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/5-second-movie-downloads?date=090620080407

GENERAL NEWS

Energy Department says gas prices could peak at $4 a gallon this spring (Associated Press, via San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8851391?source=rss

Truckers plan to protest diesel prices at Chehalis (KELA Radio, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1329373~Truckers_plan_to_protest_diesel_prices_at_Chehalis.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct on top 10 list for dangerous structures (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_040908WAB_viaduct_danger_list_SW.489f334c.html

Spokane residents slogging through second snowiest winter (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP04092008news302158.cfm

House Staffers Livid Over Web Site – Financial Information Being Posted Is Too Personal, Aides Say (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/08/AR2008040803034.html?nav=rss_technology

Lake Tahoe resident could face prison over tree removal – Environmental cops at Lake Tahoe say Patricia Vincent deserves a prison sentence and a huge fine (Sacramento Bee, may require free registration)
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/847682.html

DIVERSIONS

Seattle Tree house Man has Ten Days to Get Out
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=43806

Cow pie tossing, milk chugging highlight Ag Olympics
http://www.examiner.com/a-1328243~Cow_pie_tossing__milk_chugging_highlight_Ag_Olympics.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Postal Workers Attacked by Wild Turkeys
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004333085_apoddpostalturkeys.html?syndication=rss

The physics of baseball – a primer on why the curveball--one of the most important pitches in baseball—curves
http://www.news.com/8301-13772_3-9914179-52.html?tag=nl.e703