Energy News Digest for July 23, 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)

- Alcoa finalizes WA hydro deal for smelter, BPA talks next
- Puget Energy's stock soars 10% on settlement news
- Grand Coulee Dam's immensity dominates Columbia River Basin
- Oregon says plan for dams lacks salmon protection
- Salmon regaining place in tribe's culture
- OREGON – Another fish pest found in Diamond Lake, Ore
- State to check public beach used by Taylor United Shellfish
- Higher rates likely for many Chelan PUD water and sewer customer
- OREGON – Renewable energy investors aren't suppliers
- Wheat residue too valuable for biofuels
- E.P.A. Ponders Cut in Ethanol Level
- Uprising Against the Ethanol Mandate
- Register Guard Opinion – Make way for wind powe
- Oregon solar industry approaching solstice
- Alternative energy a popular stop in U.S. campaign
- (NY Times Op/Ed – Harvest the Sun — From Space
- MINI electric cars to hit U.S. roads next summer
- Home sales drop hurts sales of “green” homes
- The path to efficiency - the U.S. is already on it
- California Pursues Ambitious Electricity Conservation Plan
- Swapping Smokestacks for Stores, Startups Market CO2 as Green
- Climate change protester glues himself to British Prime Minister
- The EPA Climate Change Page for Kids
- Is Broadband A Civil Right?
- AT&T To Create Tiered Internet Access For Subscribers
- Comcast Clarifies Its Network Management Efforts Again
- 'Spam King' Sentenced To Nearly 4 Years
- Servers in the home remain scarce
- Cost of wire thefts in 7-county area reaches more than $500,000
- Philadelphia Streets Unsafe for Manhole Covers
- Mariner radio broadcasts are moving from KOMO to KIRO

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

Alcoa finalizes WA hydro deal for smelter, BPA talks next (International Hydropower & Dam Construction)
http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?sectioncode=130&storyCode=2050281

Puget Energy's stock soars 10% on settlement news – Puget Energy's stock surged 10 percent today, a day after announcing it had reached a settlement with some critics of its proposed takeover (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008066294_webpugetstox22.html?syndication=rss

Grand Coulee Dam's immensity dominates Columbia River Basin (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2008067443_onlywa23coulee.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Oregon says plan for dams lacks salmon protection (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/371852_salmon23.html

Salmon regaining place in tribe's culture – Dams decimated significant fish populations (The Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=15833

OREGON – Another fish pest found in Diamond Lake, Ore. (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1499369~Another_fish_pest_found_in_Diamond_Lake__Ore_.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

State to check public beach used by Taylor United Shellfish (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/516145.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Higher rates likely for many Chelan PUD water and sewer customers – Proposal aims to simplify billing; revenues will jump 6.5-7 percent Higher rates likely for many Chelan PUD water and sewer customers (The Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS04/866819474

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

OREGON – Renewable energy investors aren't suppliers – The Oregon Attorney General has determined that third-party renewable energy investors aren’t classified as electricity suppliers under state law (The Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, OR)
http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2008/07/22/Meyers-says-investors-arent-suppliers

Wheat residue too valuable for biofuels (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1499886~Wheat_residue_too_valuable_for_biofuels.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

E.P.A. Ponders Cut in Ethanol Level – The ethanol industry, until recently a golden child that got favorable treatment from Washington, is facing a critical decision on its future (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/business/23ethanol.html?_r=2&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Uprising Against the Ethanol Mandate (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/business/23ethanol.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Register Guard Opinion – Make way for wind power: The new source will require some accommodations (Eugene Oregon)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=124765&sid=5&fid=1

Oregon solar industry approaching solstice – No one's talking, but potential deals could bring thousands of $50,000-a-year positions (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/121669891554050.xml&coll=7

Alternative energy a popular stop in U.S. campaign (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2143903020080722?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

(NY Times Op/Ed – Harvest the Sun — From Space
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/opinion/23smith.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

MINI electric cars to hit U.S. roads next summer (The San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9959273?source=rss

CONSERVATION

Home sales drop hurts sales of “green” homes (Ashland Daily Tidings, OR)
http://www.dailytidings.com/2008/0721/stories/0721_econ_realestate.php

The path to efficiency - the U.S. is already on it (The Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080723.REYNOLDS23/TPStory/Business

California Pursues Ambitious Electricity Conservation Plan (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200807221852DOWJONESDJONLINE000685_FORTUNE5.htm

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Swapping Smokestacks for Stores, Startups Market CO2 as Green – "Carbon transformation" sounds like a no-brainer: Take waste carbon dioxide, add some basic chemistry, and turn a profit. (Popular Mechanics)
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4274541.html

Climate change protester glues himself to British Prime Minister (Adelaide Now)
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24069156-5006301,00.html

The EPA Climate Change Page for Kids (The Environmental Protection Agency)
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Is Broadband A Civil Right? FCC meeting heavy on rhetoric, light on usefulness (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Is-Broadband-A-Civil-Right-96285

AT&T To Create Tiered Internet Access For Subscribers (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200807220750DOWJONESDJONLINE000309_FORTUNE5.htm

Comcast Clarifies Its Network Management Efforts Again (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/07/22/comcast-clarifies-its-network-management-efforts-again/

'Spam King' Sentenced To Nearly 4 Years (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/technology/16956805/detail.html

Servers in the home remain scarce – Microsoft has to find an answer to the bigger problem--many consumers have no idea what a server is and fewer still have any reason to think they would want one in their home. (CNET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-9995868-56.html

GENERAL NEWS

Cost of wire thefts in 7-county area reaches more than $500,000 – More wire has been stolen from the state Department of Transportation and replacement costs for all the stolen wire has reached more than a half-million dollars this year (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008065928_webwiretheft22m.html?syndication=rss

Philadelphia Streets Unsafe for Manhole Covers – Thieves have so thoroughly stripped some neighborhoods on the city’s north and southwest sides that some blocks look like slalom courses (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/us/23manholes.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Mariner radio broadcasts are moving from KOMO to KIRO (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/07/21/daily10.html?ana=from_rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Bystanders Rush To Gather Man's Cash Scattered In Wind – He gets nearly all of it back!
http://www.kirotv.com/news/16955611/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=irresistible

Charter sends family 2 TVs after prize debacle
http://www.enewscourier.com/local/local_story_190215931.html

Rhode Island police say man had 0.491 blood alcohol level – the highest ever recorded in Rhode Island for someone who wasn't dead.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080723/ap_on_fe_st/odd_extremely_drunk;_ylt=Ar6U7Nq1FwtVrFVi4qBxFn3tiBIF

Woman runs sword into foot during Wiccan “good luck” ceremony
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_wiccan_injured;_ylt=Aq1spZkfV5Q27VHxx.hdN_btiBIF