Energy News Digest for August 6, 2008 - the "Hi, Guy" edition

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)

- State attorney still opposes sale of Puget Energy to international investors
- Another public utility district takeover of Puget Sound Energy?
- 10th District legislative race focuses on healthcare, ferries, PUD
- Covington
- Mossyrock Dam turbine gets heart transplant to improve efficiency
- Grays Harbor County PUD move surprises Rayonier
- Overhead lines going underground in historic downtown Port Townsend
- North Texans feeling little relief from electricity deregulation
- Spurred by bills, Texans search for ways to cut electricity use
- Home Energy Prices Are Expected to Soar
- McCain, Obama promote nuclear energy plans
- Yucca Mountain Price Tag Up, Hanford Affected?
- IDAHO – Sockeye surge materializes in upper Salmon
- Sockeye Complete Epic Journey to Central Idaho
- Sockeye season starts Wednesday for Lake Wenatchee
- Salmon fishing opens in the upper Okanogan River and lower Similkameen River
- CANADA – Salmon becoming a rarity on Yukoners' tables
- Ocean salmon fishing getting better, lake trout might do the same
- The Olympian Editorial – Puget Sound assets total at least $243 billion
- Water, land values, development – Eastern Oregon vineyard owners, wheat growers clash over land use
- Sequim water, sewer rates might rise as much as 20% next year
- Wind and wave energy project for coastal Grays Harbor County gets fed approval
- The wind blows less when wind power is needed most
- Pickens bringing case for more wind energy to Nebraska
- L.A. Times Editorial – A boon for Pickens, not for America
- Kohl's expanding solar power program to Oregon
- Oregon Tech Looks to Be World's First Fully-Geothermal Campus
- Energy crops key to biofuels growth
- Seattle P-I Columnist – Conserving energy isn't sexy
- Johnson Controls taps new heating and electricity sources for existing buildings
- An Energy Diet for Power-Hungry Household PCs
- Scientists focus anew on livestock's role in climate change
- San Francisco on course for emissions reduction goal
- San Francisco to Vote on Clean Energy City Charter on November Ballot
- Vancouver Sun Op/Ed – British Columbia's carbon tax doesn't let 'polluters' off
- E-Mail Hacking Case Could Redefine Online Privacy
- 300 million votes at Yahoo miscalculated
- HughesNet Offers New 5Mbps Satellite Broadband Service
- In-Flight Broadband Cheat Sheet
- Giant online security hole getting fixed, slowly
- California cities explore fiber options
- Massachusetts Signs New Broadband Law
- Smog alert as local temperatures climb toward 90
- 11 charged in data theft of 41 million credit and debit cards
- Alaska Air says customers' credit cards misused
- Mason County – Attendance & Revenues Up At 2008 Fair & Rodeo
- City (of Tumwater) up against 7-figure shortfall
- Bush designates I-5 Bridge replacement as high priority
- HP pledges strong Vancouver, WA presence despite Oregon inkjet layoffs
- Four Tons Worth – Two arrested in Woodland metal-theft investigation

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Visage • \VIZ-zedge\ • noun – 1: the face, countenance, or appearance of a person or sometimes an animal 2: aspect, appearance

Sidney hummed absently while brushing his teeth, unaware until it was too late that the medicine cabinet had swung open to reveal the jolly visage of his next door neighbor, Chuck McCann. “Hi guy!” exclaimed Chuck, “fancy meeting you here after all these years.” MONA!

No. 94 on Drew Babb's 100 Greatest TV Spots of All Time – Right Guard/"Mona": God knows why we love this sad sack Sidney, standing at his bathroom sink crying out for his wife, Mona! (Wouldn't you cry out too if your medicine cabinet opened into your neighbor's bathroom?) Love the hail-fellow-well-met neighbor, played by Chuck McCann, who greets our schmoe with, Hi, Guy! This campaign pooled into a series in which we get to know Sidney's wife and kid. And the neighbor's kid, too.

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

State attorney still opposes sale of Puget Energy to international investors – Too much debt to allow sale, says state AG's Public Counsel (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008094442_puget060.html?syndication=rss

Another public utility district takeover of Puget Sound Energy? As in 1941, so in 2008 (Examiner.com – You gotta see the photo!)
http://www.examiner.com/x-479-Seattle-History-Examiner~y2008m8d4-PSE

10th District legislative race focuses on healthcare, ferries, PUD (South Whidbey Record, Coupeville, WA)
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/news/26318319.html

BPA transmission lines threatened – Wood debris pile burning in Covington (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_080608WAB_covington_fire_LJ.1d5c3d2d.html?npc

Mossyrock Dam turbine gets heart transplant to improve efficiency (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/435491.html

Grays Harbor County PUD move surprises Rayonier (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/08/05/local_news/02news.txt

Overhead lines going underground in historic downtown Port Townsend (The Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080806/NEWS/808060303

North Texans feeling little relief from electricity deregulation (Dallas Morning News, TX)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-summerbills_06met.ART.State.Edition2.4dd3e56.html

Spurred by bills, Texans search for ways to cut electricity use (Dallas Morning News, TX)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/080608dnbusefficiency.40f4d3e.html

Home Energy Prices Are Expected to Soar (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/business/06fuel.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

McCain, Obama promote nuclear energy plans (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-05-mccain-nuclear_N.htm?csp=34

Yucca Mountain Price Tag Up, Hanford Affected? (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4163

FISH & WILDLIFE

IDAHO – Sockeye surge materializes in upper Salmon – Sixty-three sockeye salmon made it to the Redfish Lake area by Monday (Idaho Mountain Express, Sun Valley, ID)
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005121978

Sockeye Complete Epic Journey to Central Idaho (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4161

Sockeye season starts Wednesday for Lake Wenatchee (The Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/NEWS04/767775786/1006/NEWS03

Salmon fishing opens in the upper Okanogan River and lower Similkameen River (The Omak Chronicle, WA)
http://www.omakchronicle.com/spt/s080805j.shtml

CANADA – Salmon becoming a rarity on Yukoners' tables (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2008/08/05/yukon-fish.html?ref=rss

Ocean salmon fishing getting better, lake trout might do the same (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/outdoors/story/435526.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

The Olympian Editorial – Puget Sound assets total at least $243 billion (Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/532407.html

Water, land values, development – Eastern Oregon vineyard owners, wheat growers clash over land use (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/08/eastern_oregon_vineyard_owners.html

Sequim water, sewer rates might rise as much as 20% next year (The Peninsual Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080806/NEWS/808060305

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wind and wave energy project for coastal Grays Harbor County gets fed approval (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/08/05/local_news/06news.txt

The wind blows less when wind power is needed most (McClatchy Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CkptuuqmTSigt%3EEvbfen%5Fv

Pickens bringing case for more wind energy to Nebraska (The Associated Press)
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080806/ne_pickens_nebraska.html?.v=1

L.A. Times Editorial – A boon for Pickens, not for America – T. Boone Pickens' proposals to wean the country off foreign oil could provide more benefit to Iran than to the U.S.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-luft6-2008aug06,0,3336586.story

Kohl's expanding solar power program to Oregon (The Business Journal of Milwaukee, OR)
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/08/04/daily31.html?ana=from_rss

Oregon Tech Looks to Be World's First Fully-Geothermal Campus (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/2760-oregon-tech-would-be-worlds-first-fully-geothermal-campus/

Energy crops key to biofuels growth (CNET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10005414-54.html?tag=nl.e433

CONSERVATION

Seattle P-I Columnist – Conserving energy isn't sexy
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/373621_herbertonline06.html?source=rss

OHIO – Energy alternatives – Johnson Controls taps new heating and electricity sources for existing buildings (The Columbus Dispatch, OH)
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/08/06/solar_power.ART_ART_08-06-08_C8_IAAUP7H.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101

An Energy Diet for Power-Hungry Household PCs (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/technology/06green.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Scientists focus anew on livestock's role in climate change (The Chicago Tribune, via the Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/FOOD/280098011/-1/FEA

San Francisco on course for emissions reduction goal (The San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/05/BAIB125JQO.DTL&feed=rss.news

San Francisco to Vote on Clean Energy City Charter on November Ballot: Why is "Green" Mayor Gavin Newsom Opposed? (Environmental News Network)
http://www.enn.com/energy/article/37837

Vancouver Sun Op/Ed – British Columbia's carbon tax doesn't let 'polluters' off (Canada)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=e8f3ea1b-1ce4-4820-862e-76317ce7f0ab&k=14954

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

E-Mail Hacking Case Could Redefine Online Privacy – A federal appeals court in California is reviewing a lower court's definition of "interception" in the digital age (The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080503421.html?nav=rss_technology

300 million votes at Yahoo miscalculated – Outcome of election unchanged as revised count cements disdain (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/373741_yahoo06.html?source=rss

HughesNet Offers New 5Mbps Service – Fastest satellite broadband tier ever offered (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/HughesNet-Offers-New-5Mbps-Service-96755

In-Flight Broadband Cheat Sheet (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/08/05/in-flight-broadband-cheat-sheet/

Giant online security hole getting fixed, slowly (The Associated Press)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080805/ap_on_hi_te/tec_internet_security_hole_2

California cities explore fiber options – Loma Linda may share system with GT to help it win business (San Bernardino Sun, CA)
http://www.sbsun.com/ci_10109656?source=rss

Massachusetts Signs New Broadband Law – Aimed at helping 95 communities with little or no broadband (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Massachusetts-Signs-New-Broadband-Law-96737

GENERAL NEWS

Smog alert as local temperatures climb toward 90 (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/373614_weather06.html

11 charged in data theft of 41 million credit and debit cards – retailers' wireless networks hacked into (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10112727?source=rss

Alaska Air says customers' credit cards misused – About 1,500 people who bought tickets from Alaska or Horizon airlines have been notified their credit cards were misused. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008095135_apalaskaaircreditcards.html?syndication=rss

Mason County – Attendance & Revenues Up At 2008 Fair & Rodeo (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/732/reftab/1896/Default.aspx

City (of Tumwater) up against 7-figure shortfall (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/533083.html

Bush designates I-5 Bridge replacement as high priority (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/08/08052008_Bush-designates-I5-Bridge-replacement-as-high-priority.cfm

HP pledges strong Vancouver, WA presence despite Oregon inkjet layoffs (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2008/08/08052008_HP-pledges-strong-local-presence.cfm?newsletter=1

Four Tons Worth – Two arrested in Woodland metal-theft investigation (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/08/06//area_news/doc489943a255e3d625540009.txt

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Man Dials 911, Complains His Sub Had No Sauce
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17099847/detail.html

Dying for a salad? Try a dash of this – Chef accidentally recommends a potentially deadly plant in organic salads
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080804/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_poison;_ylt=AkVK8QpZOVaLI4uADR9pzwztiBIF

Inflatable church looks to lure Italian beachgoers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080805/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_italy_beach_church;_ylt=AoD6eA2idy8PhMzXkHUYD8jtiBIF

For developers of Bend’s Shire, ‘dream’ is over – The village-themed concept in southeast Bend patterned after J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” series
http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/BIZ0102/807310374/1041&nav_category=

Man Presumed Dead In 1976 Colo. Flood Found Alive
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17099899/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=irresistible