Energy News Digest for August 4, 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)

- Locals are in revolt against Puget Sound Energy
- Puget Sound Energy faces votes in three counties on whether residents want to take over the utility's power operations
- Grant County PUD industrial rates could rise by 3 percent
- Copper wire theft costly, but not enough to raise Cowlitz PUD rates
- TransAlta Mostly Silent On Buyout Offer
- MARYLAND – Little Outcry on Nuclear Reactor Proposal
- A Push to Wrest More Oil From Land, but Most New Wells Are for Natural Gas
- In Strait of Georgia – Fishermen find slime, not sockeye, in latest Sockeye salmon run
- Independent scientists may get involved in salmon review
- It's pelican vs. trout in Idaho predator conflict
- Skokomish River brims with eager anglers
- Oregonian Op/Ed – Empty Oceans
- Marbled salmon may be the next "it" fish
- Taking (Out) the High Roads to Save the Skokomish
- Lake water suspected of sullying Tualatin River
- Seattle could face utility-rate increases in '09
- Senate Passes Bill That Would Protect Great Lakes
- Snohomish County PUD looks for energy underfoot
- High fuel costs have more homeowners eying geothermal heat
- Nobody jumps at offer of money to pay for cleaner wood stoves, fireplaces
- This Land: In the Hills of Nebraska, Change Is on the Horizon
- Editorial – Federal Renewable Energy Mandates Make Good Ad Copy But Lousy Policy
- Sun setting on solar energy affordability?
- Wave Energy Development: What are the impacts to fish and other marine life?
- Oregon rancher sees biodiesel where some see weeds
- TEXAS – Public Utility Commission sends out yellow conservation alert for week
- COLORADO – City asks for help in curbing utility bill
- Climate activists converge in Oregon
- FCC Tries to Avert Threatened internet Satellite Cutoff
- OREGON – HP tells staff in Corvallis ink business is 'broken'
- NBC Warns Metered Broadband Could Hinder Olympics Viewing
- Warning Sign: Metered Broadband Already a Hassle
- How Comcast keeps its network humming
- AOL: One Step Closer To Dying
- AT&T May Expand Rural WiMax Use
- Potential WiFi on Alaska Airlines
- Wi-Fi *Hotspots* Not Always Secure
- Woman killed in NW Washington was mistaken for bear
- Sixth foot washes up on shore
- Weyerhaeuser completes $6 billion sale
- First Dirt to Be Turned on Belfair Medical Clinic
- Another day, another marijuana raid in a vineyard
- Up Retirement Age To Save Social Security?
- All the pretty horses of Vantage are only half done
- Will 835% tax increase drain life from Seattle's last working farm?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Cicerone • \siss-uh-ROE-nee\ • noun – 1: a guide who conducts sightseers *2: mentor, tutor

“And if you look to your left, you’ll see an actual copy of the replica of a Halloween costume of Elvis’ jumpsuit from the later stage of his career,” droned the ponderous cicerone who was leading a rag-tag group of tourists at the low-budget Elvis impersonator museum in Las Vegas. “This is the worst fifty bucks I’ve ever spent on something,” muttered Ambrose to his impeccably coifed companion.

WORD HISTORY FROM MERRIAM-WEBSTER – Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 - 43 B.C.) was renowned in Rome as a statesman, lawyer, and writer, and he is remembered today for his skills as an orator and rhetorician. The Ciceronian style of rhetoric placed special emphasis on the rhythms and cadences of phrases and sentences and their ability to appeal to the speaker's audience. It is believed that Cicero's eloquence and learning influenced the use of his Italian name, "Cicerone," to refer to sightseeing guides, themselves known for their talkativeness and eloquence, and later, to persons who serve as mentors or tutors to others.

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

Locals are in revolt against Puget Sound Energy (Crosscut Seattle)
http://www.crosscut.com/energy-utilities/16478/Locals+are+in+revolt+against+Puget+Sound+Energy/

The Seattle P-I Insider: “…Puget Sound Energy now faces November votes in three counties on whether residents want to take over the utility's power operations…” (Scroll down the page to the sub-head “And Then There Were Three”)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/373373_theinsider04.html?source=rss

Grant County PUD industrial rates could rise by 3 percent – No decisions made, PUD continues talks (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/08/01/news/news03.txt

Copper wire theft costly, but not enough to raise Cowlitz PUD rates (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/08/04//area_news/doc4896b058dc140901978243.txt

TransAlta Mostly Silent On Buyout Offer (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews/?TransAlta-Mostly-Silent-On-Buyout-Offer=1&blockID=11563&feedID=410

MARYLAND – Little Outcry on Nuclear Reactor Proposal (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/03/AR2008080301642.html

A Push to Wrest More Oil From Land, but Most New Wells Are for Natural Gas (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/us/03drill.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

In Strait of Georgia – Fishermen find slime, not sockeye, in latest Sockeye salmon run (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/529407.html

Independent scientists may get involved in salmon review (KGW-TV, Portland)
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_080208_environment_salmon_bi-op.981355e.html?npc

It's pelican vs. trout in Idaho predator conflict (The Associated Press)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080804/ap_on_re_us/pelicans_vs_trout_1

Skokomish River brims with eager anglers (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/528490.html

Oregonian Op/Ed – Empty Oceans: This year's McCormick & Schmick's media tasting of its new salmon dishes was a dramatic display of the range of the Pacific's poster fish…Except, of course, that none of the fish was from around here (Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/david_sarasohn/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1217636708161060.xml&coll=7

Spring Salmon or Blackmouth – Marbled salmon may be the next "it" fish (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2008079690_pacificptaste03.html?syndication=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Taking (Out) the High Roads to Save the Skokomish – The Skokomish River is sick, experts say, and intensive care is needed for any hope of recovery (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/aug/02/taking-out-the-high-roads-to-save-the-skokomish/

Lake water suspected of sullying Tualatin River – Contamination in Wapato Lake may have led to the algae bloom in the nearby Tualatin River (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/121764750783310.xml&coll=7

Seattle could face utility-rate increases in '09 (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008087464_seattlerates02m0.html

Senate Passes Bill That Would Protect Great Lakes – Environmental Issues, Not Just Conservation Efforts, Should Also Be Addressed, Activists Contend “…Total restoration and cleanup costs for the Great Lakes are estimated at $15 billion to $20 billion…” (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/02/AR2008080201389.html?nav=rss_nation

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Geothermal Energy – Snohomish County PUD looks for energy underfoot (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://heraldnet.com/article/20080804/NEWS01/72932694

High fuel costs have more homeowners eying geothermal heat (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008090070_heat04m.html?syndication=rss

Nobody jumps at offer of money to pay for cleaner wood stoves, fireplaces – Agency is looking for homeowners willing to take $1,500 to $3,000 to replace old wood stoves and fireplaces (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/08/08032008_Nobody-jumps-at-offer-of-money-to-pay-for-cleaner-wood-stoves-fireplaces.cfm?newsletter=1

This Land: In the Hills of Nebraska, Change Is on the Horizon – you can’t miss its newest crop: wind turbines, three dozen of them, sprouting improbably from the sand hills of north-central Nebraska. (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/us/04land.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Post-Chronicle Editorial – Federal Renewable Energy Mandates Make Good Ad Copy But Lousy Policy (Denville, NJ)
http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary/article_212161847.shtml

Sun setting on solar energy affordability? (Orlando Business Journal, FL)
http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/08/04/story12.html?ana=from_rss

CALIFORNIA – Wave Energy Development: What are the impacts to fish and other marine life? (Bay Area Independent Media)
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/03/18522428.php

Oregon rancher sees biodiesel where some see weeds (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1519756~Ore__rancher_sees_biodiesel_where_some_see_weeds.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

CONSERVATION

TEXAS – Public Utility Commission sends out yellow conservation alert for week (The Waco Tribune, TX)
http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/breakingnews/entries/2008/08/04/puc_sends_out_yellow_conservat.html

COLORADO – City asks for help in curbing utility bill (The Coloradan, Fort Collins, CO)
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080804/NEWS01/808040317/1002/CUSTOMERSERVICE02

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate activists converge in Oregon (The Eugene Register-Guard, OR)
http://www.registerguard.com/rg/CityRegion/story.csp?cid=125947&sid=4&fid=2

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

FCC Tries to Avert Threatened Satellite Cutoff by SES Americom (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080103283.html?nav=rss_technology

OREGON – HP tells staff in Corvallis ink business is 'broken' – Internal memos show the inkjet printer division is in worse straits than the company has revealed publicly (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1217811312223840.xml&coll=7

NBC Warns Metered Broadband Could Hinder Olympics Viewing – Access to content is beginning to be restricted (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/NBC-Warns-Metered-Broadband-Could-Hinder-Olympics-Viewing-96690

Warning Sign: Metered Broadband Already a Hassle – “We’ve talked before that metered access is a boneheaded idea…” (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/08/02/warning-sign-metered-broadband-already-a-hassle/

How Comcast keeps its network humming – A specialized team in the company's operations center in south Everett constantly monitors a 5,200-mile network (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080804/BIZ/371689994/-1/rss03

AOL: One Step Closer To Dying – Dial-up, Ad business splintered, sale imminent (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/AOL-One-Step-Closer-To-Dying-96706

AT&T May Expand Rural WiMax Use – A few southern states sometime this year (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-May-Expand-Rural-WiMax-Use-96704

Potential WiFi on Alaska Airlines (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4150

Wi-Fi *Hotspots* Not Always Secure (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=8777248

GENERAL NEWS

Woman killed near Rockport in NW Washington was mistaken for bear (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1520091~Woman_killed_near_Rockport_was_mistaken_for_bear.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Sixth foot washes up on shore (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=1e912a70-9c06-4542-82d4-1674d5924f29

Weyerhaeuser completes $6 billion sale (The Associated Press, via the Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/530978.html

First Dirt to Be Turned on Belfair Medical Clinic (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/aug/04/first-dirt-to-be-turned-on-belfair-medical/

Another day, another marijuana raid in a vineyard (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008089378_apwamarijuanaraid.html?syndication=rss

Up Retirement Age To Save Social Security? Group Proposes Way To Save Social Security System (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/money/17064232/detail.html

All the pretty horses of Vantage are only half done – Officials are having trouble funding its completion (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008089992_horseart04m.html?syndication=rss

Seattle Times Columnist – Will 835% tax increase drain life from Seattle's last working farm?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannywestneat/2008088812_danny03.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Pickup thief loses truck to carjacker
http://www.examiner.com/a-1519947~Pickup_thief_loses_truck_to_carjacker.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Trucker stops to relieve himself, loses load
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/26222534.html

Parents Fly To Paris, Leave Child Behind – Family Unaware Until Officials Find Child
http://www.kirotv.com/family/17086216/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=irresistible

Town Spends $1M To Buy, Shut Down Strip Club
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17063961/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=irresistible