Energy News Digest for August 8, 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)

- TransAlta Rejects Buyout Offer
- Mason County PUD No. 1 Holding Rate Hearing Next Tuesday
- Pacific Power may boost rates by up to 8.5 percent
- Tennessee Valley Authority to hike rates 10%-20%
- Oregon Rural Electric Cooperatives warned of higher power prices
- First female Journeyman Meterman at Franklin PUD
- BPA lines damaged by firearms; repairs could cost up to $40,000
- MONTANA – Crow Tribe strikes deal for $7B coal project
- Inside Look at a McNary Dam Turbine
- PENNSYLVANIA – PPL Electric Utilities to Offer Rate Phase-In Option to Customers
- Rising energy prices stoke natural gas proposals
- Texas competitiveness council urges staying with deregulated power market
- WISCONSIN – Utilities, opponents reach $105 million deal over power plant
- AUSTRALIA – Electricity sparks talks
- Tri-City Herald Editorial – Sockeye get past their dam problem
- Anglers swarm to Lake Wenatchee sockeye fishery
- Washington State outlines changes for hatcheries on Columbia River tributaries
- Mossyrock Hatchery Faces Closure
- Tribes in long effort to restore Noocksack Chinook
- Sewer Progress Focus of Healthy Hood Canal Celebration
- New Watermaster Assigned to the Columbia River Basin
- Private Dams in Washington State Under Scrutiny
- Understaffed Oregon is behind in green project approvals
- EPA Rejects Texas' Call To Cut Ethanol Mandate
- South Idaho ethanol plant tries to rein in smell
- Geothermal Could Boost Oregon's Energy Business
- Solar Highway Tested in Oregon
- CONNECTICUT – The sun supplies this couple's electricity
- Researchers Harness Wind Energy with Kites
- Save a Buck: Free showerhead can help cut your water bill
- CONNECTICUT – Energy-saving effort runs out of steam
- VIRGINIA – 'Smart' Climate Controls Would Heat Up Energy Conservation
- CANADA – Consider increasing carbon tax, B.C. urged
- Seattle Times Op/Ed – Hot and bothered by global warming
- Study: Global warming to bring more rain
- Data center plans on hold during wait for Grant County PUD dark fiber
- Clearwire posts loss despite revenue increase
- Reporters booted from hacker conference for hacking
- Google believes $1 billion investment in AOL is crumbling
- New Report Says Tiered Broadband Bad, Unlikely
- Vonage Subscriber Growth At A Standstill
- Man Arrested After Standoff in Timberlakes
- Bremerton coffee operator labeled purveyor of smut
- How Bremerton's ‘Pastiegate' Flap Got Too Big for Its Britches
- Taste of Hood Canal Returns to Belfair
- Suspects in Vancouver cemetery brass thefts arrested
- Oregon Debates Why Counties Are Hurting For Cash
- Survey: Public divided on in-flight cell phone use

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Vexillology • vecks-sill-AHL-u-jee\ • noun – The study of flags

Barney’s head exploded. Investigators could only surmise that upon being confronted with the enormity of seeing all 193 flags in front of the United Nations building that the amateur vexillologist was overwhelmed by the sight.

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

TransAlta Rejects Buyout Offer – No Thanks: Canadian Power Giant Says Proposal Undervalues Company’s Worth (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1218130376&archive=

Mason County PUD No. 1 Holding Rate Hearing Next Tuesday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/740/reftab/1632/Default.aspx

Pacific Power may boost rates by up to 8.5 percent (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/bizbeat/story/264796.html

Tennessee Valley Authority to hike rates 10%-20% (Memphis Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/08/04/daily37.html?ana=from_rss

OREGON – Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association official warns of higher power prices (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=7077

First female Journeyman Meterman at Franklin PUD (Tri-City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/bizbeat/story/265995.html

BPA lines damaged by firearms; repairs could cost up to $40,000 (The Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/219995/

MONTANA – Crow Tribe strikes deal for $7B coal project (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1527311~Crow_Tribe_strikes_deal_for__7B_coal_project.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines

Inside Look at a McNary Dam Turbine (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=8801946

PENNSYLVANIA – PPL Electric Utilities to Offer Rate Phase-In Option to Customers – advance payments would offset future rate hikes (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/ppl-electric-utilities-offer-rate/story.aspx?guid=%7B234D7584-0047-437D-B0A3-E12180789184%7D&dist=hppr

Rising energy prices stoke natural gas proposals – Despite a political debate over terminal projects, there's no guarantee consumers will get a break (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/121808130758960.xml&coll=7

Texas competitiveness council urges staying with deregulated power market (McClatchy Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5Ckqnllis%5BSkit%3EEvbfen%5Fv

WISCONSIN – Utilities, opponents reach $105 million deal over power plant (McClatchy Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CkqnlmmrWSkit%3EEvbfen%5Fv

AUSTRALIA – Electricity sparks talks – Government says it will save $15 billion under its plan to lease its power stations and sell all but the poles and wire assets (The Canberra Times, Australia)
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/electricity-sparks-talks/1238724.aspx

FISH & WILDLIFE

Tri-City Herald Editorial – Sockeye get past their dam problem – Apparently, sockeye salmon don't know about the dams. They are back in record numbers this year.
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/962/story/266557.html

Anglers swarm to Lake Wenatchee sockeye fishery (The Associated Press, via the Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP08082008news350211.cfm

Washington State outlines changes for local hatcheries on lower Columbia River tributaries (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/08/08/this_day/doc489bba820d931215601063.txt

Mossyrock Hatchery Faces Closure – Friends of the Cowlitz Protesting to Department of Fish and Wildlife (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1218049459&archive=

Tribes in long effort to restore Noocksack Chinook (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008098060_apwanooksackchinook.html?syndication=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Sewer Progress Focus of Healthy Hood Canal Celebration (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/aug/06/sewer-progress-focus-healthy-hood-canal-celebratio/

New Watermaster Assigned to the Columbia River Basin (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=8802678

PRIVATE DAMS UNDER SCRUTINY – Owners of small reservoirs built without Department of Ecology permits have until September first to schedule a state safety inspection of their dams. Dam safety supervisor Doug Johnson says dam owners who report by the September first deadline won't face fines. Johnson says Grant County is the leading county in Washington for dams without permits, with more than 70. The department scanned aerial photos from around the state to identify such dams and found more than 370 hazardous dams. Johnson says 22 of the dams are high risk — meaning there is at least one home located downstream. The leading county for potentially hazardous dams is Yakima, with 48. Johnson says dam owners who schedule inspections with Ecology this month can avoid fines of up to five thousand dollars a day. For more information, contact the D.O.E. at (360) 407-6623. (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Understaffed Oregon is behind in green project approvals – Time is running out for companies to earn tax breaks for energy-efficient works (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1218077727303660.xml&coll=7

EPA Rejects Texas' Call To Cut Ethanol Mandate (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93408965&ft=1&f=3

South Idaho ethanol plant tries to rein in smell (The Associated Press, via the Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/535288.html

Geothermal Could Boost Oregon's Energy Business (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/2781-geothermal-could-boost-oregons-energy-business/

Solar Highway Tested in Oregon (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4171

CONNECTICUT – The sun supplies this couple's electricity (The Ridgefield Press, CT)
http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6345:the-sun-supplies-this-couples-electricity&catid=46:rfd-local&Itemid=25

Researchers Harness Wind Energy with Kites (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/July-August/Researchers-Harness-Wind-Energy-With-Kites.html

CONSERVATION

Save a Buck: Free showerhead can help cut your water bill (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080808/NEWS01/199722374/-1/rss02

CONNECTICUT – Energy-saving effort runs out of steam (The Advocate, Norwalk, CT)
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/norwalkadvocate/ci_10135012

VIRGINIA – 'Smart' Climate Controls Would Heat Up Energy Conservation (University of Virginia Today)
http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=6019

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

CANADA – Consider increasing carbon tax, B.C. urged – Houses for sale should carry ratings of energy efficiency: advisory group (The Victoria Times-Colonist, BC)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=c175b233-68ff-45bf-b42c-21b0dab48b55

Seattle Times Op/Ed – Hot and bothered by global warming
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008096354_climateop07.html?syndication=rss

Study: Global warming to bring more rain (Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_10131535?source=rss

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Data center plans on hold during wait for Grant County PUD dark fiber (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/08/07/news/news03.txt

Clearwire posts loss despite revenue increase (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/374080_localearns08.html?source=rss

Reporters booted from hacker conference for hacking (The Associated Press via the San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10136747?source=rss

Google believes $1 billion investment in AOL is crumbling (The Associated Press via the San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10136758?source=rss

New Report Says Tiered Broadband Bad, Unlikely (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/08/07/new-report-says-tiered-broadband-bad-but-unlikely/

Vonage Subscriber Growth At A Standstill – But they aren't losing so many customers either (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Vonage-Subscriber-Growth-At-A-Standstill-96802

GENERAL NEWS

Man Arrested After Standoff in Timberlakes (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/746/reftab/1896/Default.aspx

Bremerton coffee operator labeled purveyor of smut (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=79859

How Bremerton's ‘Pastiegate' Flap Got Too Big for Its Britches (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/aug/07/how-the-145pastiegate-scandal-got-too-big-for/

Taste of Hood Canal Returns to Belfair (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/aug/06/taste-hood-canal-returns-belfair/

Suspects in Vancouver cemetery brass thefts arrested (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/08/08072008_Suspects-in-brass-thefts-arrested.cfm?newsletter=2

Oregon Debates Why Counties Are Hurting For Cash (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93389830&ft=1&f=2

Survey: Public divided on in-flight cell phone use – The friendly skies are not so affable when it comes to using cell phones on commercial airliners (The Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008083969_apairplanescellphones.html?syndication=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Landlord Drives Hummer Into Home To Get Rent
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/17119696/detail.html

Huge chicken sculpture crosses the road, then abandoned by thief
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008099793_apwabrieflystolenrooster.html?syndication=rss

Urine bottles: Another result of high fuel prices?
http://www.examiner.com/a-1526794~Urine_bottles__Another_result_of_high_fuel_prices_.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Preacher, 71, Convicted For Road Rage – Man Waved Gun, Cursed At Another Driver
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/17120347/detail.html

The Schrammie: Mason County Bureaucrats vs. 'erotic' baristas
http://www.komonews.com/news/26346684.html