Energy News Digest for July 17, 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)

- What would it cost Jefferson County PUD to get into power business?
- Proposed Whidbey Island Public Utility District seeks commissioners
- OREGON – Natural gas price increases could chill budgets
- OHIO – Vectren lobbies Congress over rising energy costs
- OREGON – Eugene Water & Electric Board sees rise in rates in future
- Coal firms sue Missouri utility over garnishments
- Satisfaction with Electric Utility Companies Increases – Clark Public Utilities and Tacoma Power leaders in the West
- Owl causes power outage in Shoreline
- CALIFORNIA – Nuclear plants, offshore drilling gain support
- FERC Okays California ISO's First Step in Clearing Backlog of Renewable Energy Power Plant Requests
- NORTH CAROLINA – Environmentalists sue Duke Energy
- MASSACHUSETTS – Utility’s "decoupling" designed to save energy
- WEST VIRGINIA – Eastern Panhandle needs more electric power
- News Release – Keep Metallic Balloons Away From Power Lines
- OREGON – Klamath River Dam Debate Gets Murkier
- ROGUE RIVER – Blasting begins of Oregon dam that hampered salmon
- Save salmon by eating it, shoppers told
- Salmon in sneakers? Salmon-Safe is latest green emblem
- CALIFORNIA – Lost Harvest: On land and at sea
- ALASKA – Dipping for red gold “here fishy, fishy!”
- Visitors urged to avoid oil in Diablo Lake
- Growing controversy over Haven Lake near Belfair
- Sewer Design Unveiling Part of Hood Canal Celebration
- Port Townsend Leader Opinion – Apparently no end to poisonous lakes
- Study: Future snowmelt in West twice as early as expected
- A history of the quest to find water on Mars
- OREGON – Shadow falls on sun power
- Gore sets energy goal for next president
- Waste Management launches CFL recycling program
- Montana Public Service Commission evaluating Northwestern Energy programs
- Seattle Times – Efficiency will help Northwest thrive in a carbon-constrained world
- ALASKA – Turning the Power Back on in Juneau
- Strategy 101 for greenhouse-gas deniers
- Audit finds Oregon's new $64 million data center lacking
- Lynnwood OKs fiber-optic TV from Verizon
- OREGON – Limited free WiFi returns to downtown Portland
- Congress asks about firm selling data on Web users
- Start-up thinks 'thin client' can span digital divide
- Little Interest in Buying AOL as the Unit Is Shopped Again
- Qwest: Things Are Just So Darn Competitive, We Must Raise Prices
- How Realistic Is BT’s Fiber Broadband Plan?
- State lands chief says he’s sorry
- Moving Too Fast to Drive 55
- Wireless microphones flap causing static

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Superannuated • \soo-per-AN-yuh-wait-tud\ • adjective – 1: outmoded, old-fashioned 2a: incapacitated or disqualified for active duty by advanced age *b: older than the typical member of a specified group

Sam’s superannuated hearse rolled silently to the curb in front of the PUD building, its size reminiscent of an impressive luxury yacht warping into port. Passersby stopped and stared as the two Toyota Yaris tugboats eased the huge, vintage vehicle into its two parking spots.

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

What would it cost Jefferson County PUD to get into power business? Try at least $30 million (The Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080717/NEWS/807170309

Proposed Whidbey Island Public Utility District seeks commissioners (The Whidbey Examiner, Coupeville, WA)
http://www.stpns.net/view_article.html?articleId=97249725369769959

OREGON – Natural gas price increases could chill budgets – PUC briefing says customers might see hikes of between 15 percent and 40 percent (Portland Tribune, OR)
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121616606620737100

OHIO – Vectren lobbies Congress over rising energy costs – Soaring temperatures this summer could lead to rising heating costs this winter (Dayton Business Journal, OH)
http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2008/07/14/daily21.html?ana=from_rss

OREGON – Eugene Water & Electric Board sees rise in rates in future – Commissioners gazed into a 10-year crystal ball on Tuesday night and saw a decade of steady rate increases for water and electricity (The Register-Guard, Eugene, OR)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=124227&sid=4&fid=1

Coal firms sue Missouri utility over garnishments – Five firms, workers union say pressure to collect $25M forced mine into bankruptcy (Salt Lake Tribune, UT)
http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_9893601

News Release – J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Satisfaction with Electric Utility Companies Increases despite Volatile Energy Prices and Sluggish Economy “…Clark Public Utilities leads among midsize utility companies in the West region, followed by Colorado Springs Utilities and Tacoma Power…” (PR Newswire, via CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/200807170915PR_NEWS_USPR_____LATH047.htm

Owl causes power outage in Shoreline (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/370980_citylight17.html?source=rss

CALIFORNIA – Nuclear plants, offshore drilling gain support (The San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/17/MN0511QA3H.DTL&feed=rss.business

News Release – FERC Okays California ISO's First Step in Clearing Backlog of Renewable Energy Power Plant Requests to Hook Up to Grid (California ISO)
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080715/20080715006473.html?.v=1

NORTH CAROLINA – Environmentalists sue Duke Energy (Charlotte Business Journal, NC)
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2008/07/14/daily37.html?ana=from_rss

MASSACHUSETTS – Utility’s "decoupling" designed to save energy – The state has issued an order to begin the process of separating rates from sales volume for all electric and natural gas distribution utilities (The Associated Press, via the Boston Herald, MA)
http://news.bostonherald.com/business/general/view/2008_07_16_Mass__utility__decoupling__designed_to_save_energy/srvc=home&position=recent

WEST VIRGINIA – Eastern Panhandle needs more electric power, experts say at energy forum (The Herald-Mail, WV)
http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=198842&format=html

News Release – Keep Metallic Balloons Away From Power Lines – Mylar balloons cause power outages to nearly 20,000 ComEd customers in 2008 (Commonwealth Edison, via PR Newswire)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080717/aqth070.html?.v=50

FISH & WILDLIFE

OREGON – Klamath River Dam Debate Gets Murkier (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/2607-klamath-river-dam-debate-gets-murkier/

ROGUE RIVER – Blasting begins of Oregon dam that hampered salmon (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/371002_dam17.html?source=rss

Save salmon by eating it, shoppers told – New Seasons campaign aims to protect Alaska’s threatened fishery (The Portland Tribune, OR)
http://www.portlandtribune.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=121607440420503100

Salmon in sneakers? Salmon-Safe is latest green emblem (The Oregonian, Portland OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1215642324118530.xml&coll=7

CALIFORNIA – Lost Harvest: On land and at sea, two men grapple with a cursed summer (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9905961?nclick_check=1

ALASKA – Dipping for red gold – Anchorage woman looks to fill her freezer with 75 red salmon (Anchorage Daily News, AK)
http://www.adn.com/fishing/story/466990.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Visitors urged to avoid oil in Diablo Lake – Boaters are being warned to steer clear of oil slicks in Diablo Lake following a leak of PCBs from Ross Dam (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/371060_pcb17.html

Growing controversy over Haven Lake near Belfair (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_071608ENB_lake_poisoning_SW.60df7ecc.html?npc

Sewer Design Unveiling Part of Hood Canal Celebration – Mason County will host a Healthy Hood Canal Celebration on July 19 (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/jul/16/sewer-design-unveiling-part-hood-canal-celebration/

Port Townsend Leader Opinion – Apparently no end to poisonous lakes – It now appears to be routine that our lakes are closed to most forms of recreation because of potentially toxic blue-green algae blooms (Port Townsend, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/Main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=35&ArticleID=21395

Study: Future snowmelt in West twice as early as expected; threatens ecosystems and water reserves (Physorg)
http://www.physorg.com/news135357885.html

A history of the quest to find water on Mars (The San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/16/MN0M11Q5E7.DTL&feed=rss.news

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

OREGON – Shadow falls on sun power – PacificCorp’s petition darkens outlook for Oregon’s nascent solar industry (The Portland Tribune)
http://portlandtribune.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=121607457160690500

Gore sets energy goal for next president – He is challenging the nation to produce every kilowatt of electricity through wind, sun and other Earth-friendly energy sources within 10 years (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-07-17-energy_N.htm?csp=34

CONSERVATION

Waste Management launches CFL recycling program (Houston Business Journal, TX)
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/07/14/daily29.html?ana=from_rss

Montana Public Service Commission evaluating Northwestern Energy programs (KPAX-TV, Missoula, MT)
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=8688419

Seattle Times Op/Ed – Efficiency will help Northwest thrive in a carbon-constrained world (Seattle, WA)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008055277_craigop17.html?syndication=rss

ALASKA – Turning the Power Back on in Juneau (The Associated Press, via the NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/us/17briefs-TURNINGTHEPO_BRF.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Strategy 101 for greenhouse-gas deniers – Using doubt to compete with a scientific body of fact (Grist Online)
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/7/14/15314/9459

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Audit finds Oregon's new $64 million data center lacking – It isn't saving money, increasing security, or managing state agencies' computer operations more efficiently (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1216266909190370.xml&coll=7

Lynnwood OKs fiber-optic TV from Verizon (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080717/BIZ/45598568/-1/rss03

OREGON – Limited free WiFi returns to downtown Portland (Portland Business Journal, OR)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/07/14/daily25.html?ana=from_rss

Congress asks about firm selling data on Web users – part of growing concern about Internet privacy. (The Associated Press, via the San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/17/BUKE11Q7D9.DTL&feed=rss.business

Start-up thinks 'thin client' can span digital divide – Ncomputing Links Many Workstations to 1 Computer (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9906113?source=rss

Little Interest in Buying AOL as the Unit Is Shopped Again (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/technology/17soft.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Qwest: Things Are Just So Darn Competitive, We Must Raise Prices – Lawyers pushing hard to eliminate price controls, grandfathered linesharing (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Qwest-Things-Are-Just-So-Darn-Competitive-We-Must-Raise-Prices-96183

How Realistic Is BT’s Fiber Broadband Plan? (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/07/15/how-realistic-is-bts-fiber-broadband-plan/

GENERAL NEWS

State lands chief says he’s sorry – Sutherland violated harassment policy (The Associated Press, via the News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/414816.html

Moving Too Fast to Drive 55 “…you might have thought an idea that could cut people’s gasoline costs by 15 percent or more as soon as they pulled out of the lot might have some appeal….” (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/nyregion/17towns.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Wireless microphones flap causing static (The Associated Press, via the San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9905919?source=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Boy Checks Drivers' Speed With Toy Radar Gun
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/16910773/detail.html

Woman Finds Python In Washing Machine – Load Of Laundry Turns Into Much More
http://www.kirotv.com/family/16909388/detail.html

Nightmare food: Lifelike dolls repel and attract
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080717/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_dolls_reborn;_ylt=AofKWXT8ZsBSw1btSVGMIXrtiBIF

South Korea's new high tech product: cloned dogs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080717/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_korea_clones_dogs_life;_ylt=AujnugQWcVzhrM9VSlc820jtiBIF