Energy News Digest for June 26, 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)

- U.S. Supreme Court rules against Snohomish PUD
- Jefferson County public power: Petitions arrive; study approved; talk set
- Port Townsend Leader Letters – PUD: service before profit
- Puget Energy merger: 'What's in it for me?'
- Seattle Times Opinion – More light at City Light
- Power Plant Sale Ends Lewis County Tax Fight
- DOE says natural gas supplies rose last week
- AUSTRALIA – Two shocks for electricity price
- “No Worries, Mate” – Oh, the Irony: FERC Chair Joe Kelliher in Sydney, Australia: Energy Competition And Regulation: The U.S. Experience”
- Duke Energy Ohio asks for electric delivery rate hike
- Go, fish! Yakamas hope to re-establish self-sustaining salmon runs in Yakima River Basin
- Angler's paradise: Chinook, Sockeye and Shad — oh my!
- Sockeye return in surprising numbers
- Ocean Coho season to open Sunday
- Jefferson County wastewater treatment to cost at least $50 million
- Wind Power Scouted On Lewis County Hilltops
- Delaware wind farm power project gets green light
- Kill Your Air Conditioner
- California unveils ambitious climate plan
- Environmentalists to sue EPA over park haze
- Grant County PUD eyes increase in wholesale fiber optic rates
- Proposed Grant County PUD fiber rates may stall sheriff's project
- Kirkland's new "Googleplex" unveiled to the public
- Internet panel explores sweeping new domain rules
- The new geek chic: Data centers
- Why Deploy Fiber To The Home When You Can Pretend You Do?
- Latinos and low-income residents fall behind in growing digital divide
- Summer finally evident in heat forecast this weekend
- Thieves target farm diesel supplies as prices soar
- Oregon Reviews Response to Winter Storms
- CANADA – Wire thieves halt railway freight service on Vancouver Island
- Washington 28th in amount of taxes paid among states
- Olympia woman sentenced in "Nigerian check scam"

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Nocebo • \\noh-SEE-boh\ • noun – A harmless substance that when taken by a patient is associated with harmful effects due to negative expectations or the psychological condition of the patient

Eyore’s trembling hoof reached for the unlabeled pill. He had expected the drug trial to include the REAL remedy and a placebo, either of which he thought would make him feel, or at least THINK he felt better. What he didn’t expect was the likelihood of a third option: a nacebo, which would actually make him think he felt worse. “Woe is me,” whined the downcast donkey.

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

U.S. Supreme Court rules against Snohomish PUD (Associated Press, via KPAX-TV, Missoula, MT)
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=8559585&nav=menu227_7

Here’s the ruling from the Supreme Court in Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. v. Public Util. Dist. No. 1 of Snohomish County (SCOTUS – Links to PDF File)
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/06-1457.pdf

Jefferson County public power: Petitions arrive; study approved; talk set – It's likely that the question of whether Jefferson County's power system should be public or private will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot (Port Townsend Leader, Port Townsend, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55&ArticleID=21226&TM=58028.7

Port Townsend Leader Letters – PUD: service before profit (Port Townsend, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=21240&TM=53877.66

Puget Energy merger: 'What's in it for me?' (Seattle Post-Intelligencer Columnist, Bill Virgin)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/368376_virgin26.html?source=rss

Seattle Times Opinion – More light at City Light – The Seattle City Council's recent confirmation of the City Light superintendent seemed interminable at times, but in the end, a unanimous vote puts a solid check mark on the performance of Jorge Carrasco (Seattle, WA)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008017532_confirmed26.html

POWER PLANT SALE ENDS LEWIS COUNTY TAX FIGHT – Lewis County is claiming victory in a $6.5 million tax battle with Chehalis Power. The owners of the natural gas fired plant south of Chehalis had challenged the tax assessments. Lewis County Assessor, Dianne Dorey, reports the court fight was dropped was after the announcement of the plant’s sale to Pacific Corp. (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

DOE says natural gas supplies rose last week (The Associated Press)
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080626/natural_gas_storage.html?.v=1

AUSTRALIA – Two shocks for electricity price (Sydney Morning Herald)
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/two-shocks-for-electricity-price/2008/06/26/1214472673419.html

“No Worries, Mate” – Oh, the Irony: FERC Chair Joe Kelliher in Sydney, Australia: Energy Competition And Regulation: The U.S. Experience” “…U.S. experience: competition policy has been a success – assured security of electricity and gas supply at reasonable cost for 25 years…” (Links to PDF File – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/Files/20080626085138-australia-6-26-08.pdf

Duke Energy Ohio asks for electric delivery rate hike (Business Courier of Cincinnati)
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/06/23/daily31.html?ana=from_rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Go, fish! Yakamas hope to re-establish self-sustaining salmon runs in Yakima River Basin (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/5215

Angler's paradise: Chinook, Sockeye and Shad — oh my! (Seattle Times, WA)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2008017841_fish26.html

Sockeye return in surprising numbers (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2008/06/06262008_Sockeye-return-in-surprising-numbers.cfm/

Ocean Coho season to open Sunday (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2008/06/06262008_Ocean-coho-season-to-open-Sunday.cfm/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Jefferson County wastewater teatment related to Tri-Area sewer project to cost at least $50 million (The Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080626/NEWS/806260303

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

WIND POWER SCOUTED ON LEWIS COUNTY HILLTOPS – Lewis County ’s hilltops are being scouted by companies for possible wind farms. An east coast based firm is now working to place test equipment on Weyerhaeuser land near Pe Ell, and Morton. Everpower Renewables says they generally use wind turbines that are 260-feet high. The turbines could be stationed on logged off hilltops. The company says they have agreements with landowners in several Southwest Washington counties including Grays Harbor, and Pacific. (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

Delaware wind farm power project gets green light – Legislation to allow an offshore wind farm breezed through the Delaware legislature Wednesday and was quickly signed into law (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008017870_apwindpower.html?syndication=rss

CONSERVATION

Kill Your Air Conditioner (Time Magazine)
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1818028,00.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California unveils ambitious climate plan (Reuters)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080626/ts_nm/california_climate_dc_3

Environmentalists to sue EPA over park haze – Environmentalists took steps on Wednesday to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to compel states to clean up the haze plaguing the nation's parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008017458_apepaparkhaze.html?syndication=rss

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Grant County PUD eyes increase in wholesale fiber optic rates (The Star of Grand Coulee, Coulee City. WA)
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1013&dept_id=387713&newsid=19802493&PAG=461&rfi=9

Proposed Grant County PUD fiber rates may stall sheriff's project (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/06/25/news/news04.txt

Kirkland's new "Googleplex" unveiled to the public (Seattle Times, WA)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008017965_google26m.html?syndication=rss

Internet panel explores sweeping new domain rules (The Associated Press, via the San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9697908?source=rss

The new geek chic: Data centers (CNET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13953_3-9977049-80.html

Why Deploy Fiber To The Home When You Can Pretend You Do? Cable operators pretend that having fiber in a network is the same as FTTH (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Why-Deploy-Fiber-To-The-Home-When-You-Can-Pretend-You-Do-95578?nocomment=1

Latinos and low-income residents fall behind in growing digital divide (Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_9695591?source=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Summer finally evident in heat forecast this weekend (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/489418.html

Thieves target farm diesel supplies as prices soar (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Times, WA)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008018387_apfarmscenedieseltheft.html?syndication=rss

Oregon Reviews Response to Winter Storms (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4022

CANADA – Wire thieves halt railway freight service on Vancouver Island – Electrical cables were stripped from both locomotives in Nanaimo (Victoria Times-Colonist, BC)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=1ed5536d-2381-49cf-a2ec-5d59e9843a37

Washington 28th in amount of taxes paid among states – Number 1 taxer: Wyoming (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/bizbeat/story/221214.html

Olympia woman sentenced in "Nigerian check scam" (Seattle Times, WA)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008018089_fedbankscam26m.html?syndication=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Pigeon hernias – Drugs, phones wing their way to prisoners
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2537507920080625?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Pigeons and PETA Pose Problems for Wimbledon
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/sports/May-June-08/Pigeons-and-PETA-Pose-Problems-for-Wimbledon.html

Police: Boy, 7, Drove Grandma's Car to Mall – Motorist Follows Boy, Takes Keys Away
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/16707040/detail.html

Teen Averages 15,000 Text Messages A Month – Texting May Be Reason For Cell Phone's Damage
http://www.kirotv.com/family/16706346/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=irresistible