Energy News Digest for July 29, 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)

- Jefferson County PUD commissioners meet with PSE reps today
- East Jefferson voters to decide on electricity future: PSE or PUD
- Puget Sound Energy Sounds off – Seattle Times Editorial
- Expect heat over utility bill increases
- Energy Northwest nuclear task force dissolved
- Court dismisses Klamath farmers’ bid for cheap power
- CONNECTICUT – Nuclear Power Key To Containing Energy Costs
- NEW YORK – Long Island Power Authority 's program energy project tests has mixed results
- The Columbian Editorial – Oceans in Jeopardy
- Oakland Bay Study Continued
- Seattle Times Editorial – What price Puget Sound?
- CANADA – Stormwater is fouling our beaches
- Reality Check for Plug-In Disciples
- MICHIGAN – Paying the power bill: Utilities seek tax breaks alternative-energy
- NEWS RELEASE – Solar Power Helps Protect PSE's Natural Gas System
- Biofuels driving world food prices: World Bank
- NORTH CAROLINA – Critics of 'Save-a-Watt' says it's all about profit
- WEST VIRGINIA – Energy conservation should be priority
- Climate Experts Tussle Over Details
- Utah Broadband – Locals Try To Keep Utopia Afloat:
- 'Data deluge' is coming, academics warned
- The Brookings Plan for Rural Broadband
- Washington Post Op/Ed – Who Should Solve This Internet Crisis?
- FCC's McDowell: The Internet Will Stop If You Regulate Comcast
- FCC works to settle debate over new Web technology
- Latest get-rich dream: flipping Web sites
- Brush Fire Reported In Timberlakes
- North Mason School Board Opts for Costlier Bond
- Renaissance Faire canceled after illegal logging
- City of Seattle OKs 20-cent fee on plastic, paper bags
- Oregon Statewide Recycling Program Causing Concern
- Judge allows plane-hopping Tacoma boy to go home
- Spokane newspaper posts names of those it says bought degrees
- Hoquiam Woman Accused Of Stealing $80K Of Church Money

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Impecunious • \im-pih-KYOO-nee-uss\ • adjective – Having very little or no money usually habitually: penniless

Albert shuddered when his boss invited the impecunious accountant to join the group for lunch. Al knew that at the end of the meal, the interloper would display a dismayed look and bemoan the fact that his wallet “must be in his other pants”.

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

Jefferson County PUD commissioners meet with PSE reps on Wednesday (Port Townsend Leader, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/Main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=21454

East Jefferson voters to decide on electricity future: PSE or PUD (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080729/NEWS/807290303

Puget Sound Energy Sounds off – Seattle Times Editorial – New investors will help PSE meet region's growing energy needs
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008078287_pseop29.html

Expect heat over utility bill increases (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/372520_virgin29.html

Energy Northwest nuclear task force dissolved – ENW has ended the work of a committee studying new nuclear power technologies and cut off its funding at the request of the Bonneville Power Administration (The Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/901/story/255078.html

Court dismisses Klamath farmers’ bid for cheap power (The Associated Press, via Ag Weekly)
http://www.agweekly.com/articles/2008/07/28/news/ag_news/news40.txt

CONNECTICUT – Nuclear Power Key To Containing Energy Costs (The Hartford Courant, CT)
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-perry0729.artjul29,0,5033942.story

NEW YORK – Long Island Power Authority 's program energy project tests has mixed results – LIPA has kept up a lively program of testing a bizarrely diverse, and sometimes costly, range of energy projects (NewsDay, NY)
http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/monday/longisland/ny-lilipa205771316jul21,0,87078.story

FISH & WILDLIFE

The Columbian Editorial – Oceans in Jeopardy (Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2008/07/07292008_In-our-view-Oceans-in-Jeopardy.cfm/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

OAKLAND BAY STUDY CONTINUED – The Washington Department of Ecology has extended the time frame for public input on its planned study of possible contamination in Mason County's Oakland Bay. The comment period will now end Aug. 11. The study examines test sites to look for potential contamination sites. It follows prior sampling results that identified the presence of wood waste and several chemical contaminants in Shelton Harbor. Ecology proposes taking sediment and wood waste samples in various locations in Oakland Bay, Shelton Harbor and Hammersley Inlet. Part of the study involves analyzing shellfish tissue samples from Oakland Bay. Ecology will issue a report of the study's findings in mid 2009. (South Sound Business Examiner)

Seattle Times Editorial – What price Puget Sound? The value Earth Economics places on Puget Sound, but we are not sure what to make of it, nor of the eco-accounting behind it.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008073512_notebookbr28.html

CANADA – Stormwater is fouling our beaches: Road runoff contains chemicals and human waste (The Victoria Times Colonist)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=34f8a3a6-b6c2-4c7e-a9bd-4402f8332084

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Reality Check for Plug-In Disciples – Common Use of the Hybrids Is Years Away (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10005390?source=rss

MICHIGAN – Paying the power bill: Utilities seek tax breaks as state looks to flip the switch for alternative-energy systems (Crain’s Detroit Business)
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20080728/SUB/807280303/1068

NEWS RELEASE – Solar Power Helps Protect PSE's Natural Gas System (Puget Sound Energy, via ElectricNet)
http://www.electricnet.com/article.mvc/Solar-Power-Helps-Protect-PSEs-Natural-Gas-0001?atc~c=771+s=773+r=001+l=a&VNETCOOKIE=NO

Biofuels driving world food prices: World Bank (Reuters)
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=290bd326-728c-40e3-b6d1-0178f9544f68

CONSERVATION

NORTH CAROLINA – Critics of 'Save-a-Watt' says it's all about profit: Duke Energy sees energy program as a national model (Trading Markets)
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1784881/

WEST VIRGINIA – Energy conservation should be priority, W.Va. lawmakers told (Charleston Gazette, WV)
http://wvgazette.com/News/200807280622

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Experts Tussle Over Details. Public Gets Whiplash. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/science/earth/29clim.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Utah Broadband – Locals Try To Keep Utopia Afloat: New citizen-advisory board (U-CAN) formed (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Locals-Try-To-Keep-Utopia-Afloat-96515

'Data deluge' is coming, academics warned – Microsoft raises subject at annual Faculty Summit (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/372525_msftresearch29.html

The Brookings Plan for Rural Broadband (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/07/28/the-brookings-plan-for-rural-broadband/

Washington Post Op/Ed – Who Should Solve This Internet Crisis?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701172.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

FCC's McDowell: The Internet Will Stop If You Regulate Comcast – Guess we know which way he's going to vote on Friday (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCCs-McDowell-The-Internet-Will-Stop-If-You-Regulate-Comcast-96484

FCC works to settle debate over new Web technology – Companies hope to convince the FCC that it can use these unlicensed airwaves, but broadcasters are fearful of interference (The Washington Post, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008076709_whitespaces28.html

Latest get-rich dream: flipping Web sites (The NY Times, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008078932_webflippers290.html

GENERAL NEWS

Brush Fire Reported In Timberlakes (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/663/reftab/1896/Default.aspx

North Mason School Board Opts for Costlier Bond (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/jul/28/north-mason-opts-for-costlier-bond-to-fund-new/

Renaissance Faire canceled after illegal logging at Key (actually, Tahuya) Peninsula site (the News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/426921.html

City of Seattle OKs 20-cent fee on plastic, paper bags – Council also outlaws foam food and drink containers (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/372566_bags29.html

Oregon Statewide Recycling Program Causing Concern (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=8752568

Judge allows plane-hopping Tacoma boy to go home (The Associated Press, via the Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP07292008news346195.cfm?newsletter=10

Spokane newspaper posts names of those it says bought degrees (The Associated Press, via the Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP07292008news346121.cfm?newsletter=10

Hoquiam Woman Accused Of Stealing $80K Of Church Money (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17019959/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_7am&tmi=sea_7am_1_09000207292008&ts=H

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Unwitting gardener tends marijuana plants
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL567319920080728?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

Friday's remote solar eclipse will be on Internet
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008077498_apsolareclipse.html?syndication=rss

Illinois – Misspellings, grammar errors put Cook County “Good News” magazine on ice
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/1076365,CST-NWS-mag27.article

In defense of ukuleles
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-defenseukelele27-2008jul27,0,6312266.story

Women Lift Car off Pinned Mechanic – Man Pinned By Volkswagen Beetle
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/17014119/detail.html

House Sold Out From Under Owner for $500 – City Sells Man's House for $500, Claims It Was Mistake
http://www.kirotv.com/money/17024620/detail.html