Energy News Digest for July 30, 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)

- East Jefferson pocketbook shock seen by PSE-funded study
- Supporters of PUD electrical service say they don't believe PSE study
- Avista requests increase in electric power cost adjustment surcharge
- Workers recovering after explosion at natural gas well near Bickleton, WA
- Squirrel to blame for downtown Kennewick blackout
- Chehalis woman arrested for theft of copper wire
- Cosmopolis mill a step closer to reopening
- TEXAS – Sierra Club to sue Energy Future Holdings over Mercury
- Ex-Enron Official to Pay Millions to Settle charges
- CANADA – Decline in Fraser River sockeye run pits First Nations against sport fishery
- CANADA – Showdown set over declining sockeye stocks
- Salmon fishing heats up near Pateros
- OREGON – Groups jockey for ocean-issue leverage
- Oregon's Sandy River successfully reinvents itself after dam removal
- IDAHO – State starts study of key aquifer
- Western governors urge federal Pacific plan – No Drilling
- Public Encouraged To Comment on Geothermal Energy Development
- Portland General Electric reveals electric charging stations
- Florida energy regulators pull plug on renewables program
- Florida Looks to the Sea for Energy
- Can We Run The World Off The Sun?
- Vermont's Unique Approach to Curbing Energy Use
- MONTANA – Report outlines warming in region
- 7-square-mile ice sheet breaks loose in Canada
- Comcast Illegally Interfered With Web File-Sharing Traffic
- Oregon data center touts savings that don't add up
- Comcast Earnings Prove Broadband Growth Slowing
- IOC admits Internet censorship deal with China
- Frontier Imposes 5 GB Cap For DSL
- With Security at Risk, a Push to Patch the Web
- San Francisco Techie Accused of Holding Network Hostage
- Welcome to the PS3 Data Center
- Asphalt shortage cuts paving in WA counties
- Probe: Fed employees may have bought fake degrees
- Aluminum company might bring 900 jobs to Vancouver
- Utah man electrocuted at Idaho hospital
- Found in vineyards – Yakima Valley pot problem keeps growing
- Seattle Times Op/Ed – Why Seattle's bag tax is a bad idea
- IDAHO – Officials investigating source of mercury found at apartment
- Delta To Double Baggage Fees

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Asperse • \uh-SPURSS\ • verb – 1: to sprinkle; especially: to sprinkle with holy water *2: to attack with evil reports or false or injurious charges

“Take that…and THAT,” shouted Bradford at his tiddlywinks opponent. Along with his constant bumping of the table, Bradford aspersed his opponent’s manicure; his sunglasses…even the cloud of his adversary’s AXE body spray that enveloped the playing area like a miasmatic cloud of musk-scented fog.

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

East Jefferson pocketbook shock seen by PSE-funded study if PUD takes over electricity service (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080730/NEWS/807300306

Supporters of PUD electrical service say they don't believe PSE study (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080730/NEWS/807300307

Avista requests increase in electric power cost adjustment surcharge (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA via MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25887631/

Workers recovering after explosion at natural gas well near Bickleton, WA (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/256309.html

Squirrel to blame for downtown Kennewick blackout (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/256366.html

Chehalis woman arrested for theft of copper wire (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/07/30/area_news/doc48900d6bd5560980543778.txt

Cosmopolis mill a step closer to reopening (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/07/29/local_news/02news.txt

TEXAS – Sierra Club to sue Energy Future Holdings over Mercury Emissions (Dallas Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2008/07/28/daily22.html?ana=from_rss

Ex-Enron Official to Pay Millions to Settle charges that he used inside information to profit illegally from sales of thousands of shares of company stock (The Associated Press, via the NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/business/30enron.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

FISH & WILDLIFE

CANADA – Decline in Fraser River sockeye run pits First Nations against sport fishery (The Canadian Press)
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jfGVfEpl6uy6AawZax2Phcc9QnwA

CANADA – Showdown set over declining sockeye stocks (The Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080729.wsockeye_fight0729/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080729.wsockeye_fight0729

Salmon fishing heats up near Pateros – Chinook fishing has picked up on the main stem Columbia River above Wells Dam (The Omak Chronicle, WA)
http://www.omakchronicle.com/spt/s080729h.shtml

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

OREGON – Groups jockey for ocean-issue leverage (Tillamook Headlight-Herald, OR)
http://tillamookheadlightherald.com/Main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=8&ArticleID=9946

Oregon's Sandy River successfully reinvents itself after dam removal – Scientists are impressed how fast the river is digesting Marmot Dam sediment (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1217390121239080.xml&coll=7

IDAHO – State starts study of key aquifer (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1511102~State_starts_study_of_key_N__Idaho_aquifer.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Western governors urge federal Pacific plan – want to keep new oil drilling rigs out of their waters and spend more money on programs to restore the health of the Pacific Ocean (Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_10037231?source=rss

Public Encouraged To Comment on Geothermal Energy Development on Federal Lands (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/2695-public-encouraged-comment-geothermal-energy-development-federal-lands/

Portland General Electric reveals electric charging stations (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/07/28/daily22.html?ana=from_rss

Florida energy regulators pull plug on renewables program – Customers who enrolled in Florida Power & Light's Sunshine Energy Program to help develop renewable energy apparently were getting a lot less than what they bargained for (Tampa Bay Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2008/07/28/daily26.html?ana=from_rss

Florida Looks to the Sea for Energy – Undersea Turbines May Convert Powerful Current to Electricity (ABC News)
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/story?id=5473958&page=1

Can We Run The World Off The Sun? (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93029434&ft=1&f=17

CONSERVATION

Vermont's Unique Approach to Curbing Energy Use (National Public Radio – To Pacific Northwesterners, is this really new?)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92987505&ft=1&f=3

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

MONTANA – Report outlines warming in region (The Missoulian, MT)
http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/07/30/news/mtregional/news09.txt

7-square-mile ice sheet breaks loose in Canada (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008079735_apcanadaarcticiceshelf.html?syndication=rss

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Comcast Illegally Interfered With Web File-Sharing Traffic, FCC Says (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902077.html?nav=rss_business

Oregon data center touts savings that don't add up – The state's new data center is either an award-winning innovation that is saving Oregon taxpayers millions or it's a multimillion-dollar mistake (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1217301959122300.xml&coll=7

Comcast Earnings Prove Broadband Growth Slowing (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/07/30/comcast-earnings-prove-broadband-growth-slowing/

IOC admits Internet censorship deal with China (Reuters)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080730/ts_nm/olympics_dc_8

Frontier Imposes 5 GB Cap For DSL – Declares anything more 'unreasonable' (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Frontier-Imposes-5-GB-Cap-For-DSL-96546

With Security at Risk, a Push to Patch the Web (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/technology/30flaw.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

San Francisco Techie Accused of Holding Network Hostage (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93041374&ft=1&f=2

Welcome to the PS3 Data Center (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/07/29/welcome-to-the-ps3-data-center/

GENERAL NEWS

Asphalt shortage cuts paving in WA counties (The Associated Press, via the Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP07302008news346600.cfm

Probe: Fed employees may have bought fake degrees (Associated Press, via the Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP07302008news346629.cfm?newsletter=10

Aluminum company might bring 900 jobs to Vancouver (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/07/07302008_Aluminum-company-might-bring-900-jobs-to-Vancouver.cfm/

Utah man electrocuted at Idaho hospital (The Associated Press, via the Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/525048.html

Yakima Valley pot problem keeps growing – Once again, thousands of plants seized in Lower Valley vineyards (The Yakima Herald-Republic)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/6291

Seattle Times Op/Ed – Why Seattle's bag tax is a bad idea
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008080185_bagtaxop30.html

IDAHO – Officials still investigating source of mercury found at apartment (The Associated Press, via the Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/525004.html

Delta To Double Baggage Fees – Charge Applies To Second Bag Checked In (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/money/17036342/detail.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

B.O. in bars only slightly less smelly than swine production site, study says
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/bizbeat/story/255486.html

Lacey mail carrier lobbies for kilt equality
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008080654_kiltman30m.html?syndication=rss

Muscle cars, cosmetic surgery, vacations and a kitchen countertop – Company card abuser pleads guilty to fraud
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/30/BAIB121VDU.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Eating Bugs Keeps Lost Exterminator Alive – Man Survives 4 Days On Termites, Other Insects
http://www.kirotv.com/health/17036279/detail.html

'Extreme Makeover' Home Faces Foreclosure – $450,000 House Used As Collateral For Business Loan
http://www.kirotv.com/entertainment/17036879/detail.html