Energy News Digest for June 11, 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)

- Fitch issues ratings on $209 million in Energy Northwest revenue bonds
- Chelan County PUD favors low, gradual rate increases
- Security hole exposes utilities to Internet attack
- CALIFORNIA – Pacific Gas & Electric to raise electric rates starting in October
- New euphemism for deregulation – Former Michigan Public Service Commissioners oppose sections of energy “re-monopolization” bills
- United Kingdom – Climate change: Carbon capture from power stations must start soon, say scientists
- Seattle Times Fishing Outlook – Summer salmon opportunities abound
- Canada – Speaker shoots down emergency Pacific Northwest salmon debate
- North Mason Residents Still Say Belfair Sewer Too Expensive
- Officials pledge international cooperation on Columbia River management
- After years of waiting, Columbia River water may finally flow
- Seattle Times Op/Ed – Jay Manning: Charting a new course toward a healthy Puget Sound
- Old law lets developers use old rules, thwarting Puget Sound protection, critics charge
- Oregon board says public has right to access the banks of the Rogue River
- Dam Fails, Homes Wiped Out in Wisconsin Flooding
- Lewis County PUD Finalizes Renewable Energy Purchase Requirement
- Wind power companies target Clark County in Washington State
- Reversing Winds: America's Rediscovery of Manufacturing
- San Jose Mercury News Editorial: Companies' creativity lifts cloud from solar power
- San Francisco Okays rebates for solar power systems
- IDAHO – More Money to Center for Advanced Energy Studies
- Forbes Op/Ed – Electric Cars: They Need Gas
- New York – Mayor Urges Energy Conservation as Teachers File Complaint over Heat
- Efficient energy for your home
- Strong Action Urged to Curb Warming
- WiFi Coming Soon in Chehalis – City Council Moves Forward With Plans to Offer Free Wireless Internet
- Chelan County PUD – What about fiber? Service not included in cost analysis
- TV-converter cards expiring before use – Coupon deadline extension urged
- Corn farmers take anti-Google fight to Washington
- Reports examine causes, victims of data breaches
- Living in the Clouds – Is computer software becoming obsolete?
- Manke Lumber Company – Indictments handed down in $2.5M Tacoma lumber mill embezzlement
- Thurston County asks departments to make cuts to relieve budget
- Woman secretly lives in other people's homes

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Corvée • \KOR-vay\ • noun – *1: unpaid labor (as toward constructing roads) due from a feudal vassal to his lord 2: labor exacted in lieu of taxes by public authorities especially for highway construction or repair

“You may, of course, avoid any costs we may charge for digging a trench for your underground service by your corvee,” sniffed the imperious gas company executive. “What? You mean I can get service installed cheaper if I dig my own ditch,” responded the exasperated customer. “Isn’t that what I just said,” responded the executive, peering down at his new victim customer over his half-moon pince nez glasses.

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

Fitch issues ratings on $209 million in Energy Northwest revenue bonds (BusinessWire)
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080610006629&newsLang=en

Chelan County PUD favors low, gradual rate increases (The Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080610/NEWS04/408025602/1005

Security hole exposes utilities to Internet attack (The Associated Press)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080611/ap_on_hi_te/hacking_utilities_2

CALIFORNIA – Pacific Gas & Electric to raise electric rates starting in October (East Bay Business Times)
http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2008/06/09/daily37.html?ana=from_rss

New euphemism for deregulation – Former Michigan Public Service Commissioners oppose sections of energy “re-monopolization” bills (Utility Automation & Engineering – with a bow to Samuel Insull)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=331308&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

United Kingdom – Climate change: Carbon capture from power stations must start soon, say scientists (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/10/carboncapturestorage.carbonemissions

FISH & WILDLIFE

Seattle Times Fishing Outlook – Summer salmon opportunities abound
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2004469924_salmon11.html?syndication=rss

Canada – Speaker shoots down emergency Pacific Northwest salmon debate (The Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080610.BCFISH10/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

North Mason Residents Still Say Belfair Sewer Too Expensive (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/196/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Officials pledge international cooperation on Columbia River management (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=15259

After years of waiting, water may finally flow – By next spring, the state Department of Ecology hopes to begin issuing new water rights from the Columbia River for the first time since the early 1990s (The Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080610/NEWS04/219884120/1008

Seattle Times Op/Ed – Jay Manning: Charting a new course toward a healthy Puget Sound
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004470219_mannop11.html?syndication=rss

Old law lets developers use old rules, thwarting Puget Sound protection, critics charge (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004470172_vesting11m.html?syndication=rss

Oregon board says public has right to access the banks of the Rogue River (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1434825~Oregon_board_says_public_has_right_to_Rogue_River_banks.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Dam Fails, Homes Wiped Out in Wisconsin Flooding (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91372096&ft=1&f=3

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Lewis County PUD Finalizes Renewable Energy Purchase Requirement (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1213118872&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1

Wind power companies target Clark County in Washington State – The Larch Mountain turbine plan signals a shift from rural areas (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1213160103142250.xml&coll=7

Reversing Winds: America's Rediscovery of Manufacturing – Wind energy has already started to spur manufacturing growth in the U.S., but it can do much more (Renewable Energy World Online)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52729&src=rss

San Jose Mercury News Editorial: Companies' creativity lifts cloud from solar power (San Jose, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9548825?source=rss

San Francisco Okays rebates for solar power systems (San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/11/BAJQ117AO1.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

IDAHO – More Money to Center for Advanced Energy Studies (NW Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=3960

Forbes Op/Ed – Electric Cars: They Need Gas
http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/06/10/gm-nissan-toyota-oped-cx_jf_0610flint.html

CONSERVATION

New York – Mayor Urges Energy Conservation as Teachers File Complaint over Heat (WNYC-FM, New York City)
http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/101031

Efficient energy for your home – If you’re looking to increase the energy efficiency of your home there are some simple things to consider (WEAN-TV, Austin, TX)
http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=211087

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Strong Action Urged to Curb Warming (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/world/11climate.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

WiFi Coming Soon in Chehalis – City Council Moves Forward With Plans to Offer Free Wireless Internet (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1213119382&archive=

Chelan County PUD – What about fiber? Service not included in cost analysis (The Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080610/NEWS04/998782380

TV-converter cards expiring before use – Coupon deadline extension urged (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/366569_tvcoupons11.html?source=rss

Corn farmers take anti-Google fight to Washington (CNET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-9965555-38.html

Reports examine causes, victims of data breaches (CNET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9965670-57.html

Living in the Clouds – Is computer software becoming obsolete? (Newsweek Magazine)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/140864?from=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Manke Lumber Company – Indictments handed down in $2.5M Tacoma lumber mill embezzlement (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/06/09/daily17.html?ana=from_rss

Thurston County asks departments to make cuts to relieve budget (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/474811.html

Woman secretly lives in other people's homes (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_061008WAB_real_estate_burglar_KC.1e08ca67.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Politician ordered to anger counseling – Said that a pregnant rival’s baby could be born a demon
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1144086120080611?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Women Flock To Bird Poop Facials – Excrement Sterilized With UV Light
http://www.kirotv.com/health/16571537/detail.html

Man Gets DWI After Riding Motorized Cooler – 'Cruzin Cooler' Can Go Up To 13 MPH
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/16559492/detail.html