Energy News Digest for September 22, 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)

- Energy Northwest turns to natural gas
- Power resources topic of meeting – Grant County PUD plans to push for power conservation
- Pacific Power rates going up?
- Avista rate increases challenged
- Joe Kelliher’s forecast is for electricity rates to keep on rising
- Whidbey Island public power debate set
- Fluid debate over gas supply
- Building nuclear plants may push Tennessee Valley Authority debt limit
- State to honor Wenatchee Valley workers for heroic acts
- Nisqually Tribe helps to restore 300 acres for juvenile salmon
- City of Tacoma looks to plot long-term strategy for afflicted Wapato Lake
- Scientists monitor growing Lake Erie algae bloom
- University of California hits tree-sitters with expensive surprise
- Simpson's evolution – Company moves from pulp and paper to lumber and energy
- Growing Number of Wind Farms Demand Labor
- Kitsap Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Project Wins $2.5 Million Federal Grant
- Richland net metering project – Going green pays for homeowner
- California Public Utilities Commission says no to renewable energy measure
- N.Y. Tests Turbines to Produce Power – City Taps Current Of the East River
- Human Waste Used As Manure For Switchgrass Crops Turned To Biofuel
- Are tankless (natural gas) water heaters worth the cost?
- NEW HAMPSHIRE – Church’s energy forum offers homeowners’ advice
- Oklahoma residents kill their lights to save energy
- First US greenhouse gas auction set for Thursday
- Environmentalists see flaws in pollution credit program
- Help offered to replace wood stoves
- OREGON – Redmond couple told Qwest tech cut phone line
- Google browser's tracking feature alarms developers, privacy advocates
- Another Small Citywide Wi-Fi Network Fades Out
- Connect Maine: 90% Broadband Penetration by 2010
- Comcast to Install Speed Bumps for Bandwidth Hogs
- Two dead in crash in Shelton, drinking suspected
- Cache found on Olympic Peninsula shooter, including slain officer's service weapon
- Mistake stalls Washington State development grants

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Magus • \MAY-guss\ • noun – 1a: a member of a hereditary priestly class among the ancient Medes and Persians often capitalized: one of the traditionally three wise men from the East paying homage to the infant Jesus 2: magician, sorcerer

“Do not refer to us as the information technology staff any longer,” announced the Elbonian computer technician. “We are now the Microsoft Magus (Or is it Magi), protectors of data; and miracle workers with software.”

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

Energy Northwest turns to natural gas – ENW is expected to unveil a plan within the next two months for a natural gas plant at the Port of Kalama, according to a state energy official (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/09/22//area_news/10427264.txt

Power resources topic of meeting – Grant County PUD plans to push for power conservation by supporting a state incentive in January to pay for solar water heaters in homes and businesses (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/09/19/news/news04.txt

Pacific Power rates going up? (Yakima Herald-Republic)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/7817

Avista rate increases challenged (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1596762~Avista_rate_increases_challenged.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Joe Kelliher’s forecast is for electricity rates to keep on rising (The Telegram and Gazette, Worcester, MA)
http://www.telegram.com/article/20080920/NEWS/809200345/1116

Whidbey Island public power debate set (Whidbey Examiner, Coupeville, WA)
http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=1729&TM=59588.92

Fluid debate over gas supply – A look at the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas terminal planned for the Columbia River. What's the project (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1221792914291940.xml&coll=7

Building nuclear plants may push Tennessee Valley Authority debt limit (The Associated Press)
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080918/BUSINESS/809180340/1003/business

State to honor Wenatchee Valley workers for heroic acts – Two Chelan PUD employees rescued a man from drowning… (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080920/NEWS04/709209868

FISH & WILDLIFE

Nisqually Tribe helps to restore 300 acres for juvenile salmon (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/590189.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

City of Tacoma looks to plot long-term strategy for afflicted Wapato Lake (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/487452.html

Scientists monitor growing Lake Erie algae bloom – Giant floating fields of algae are back in strength this year on Lake Erie and scientists are trying to figure out why (The Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008192142_apboomingalgaebloom.html?syndication=rss

University of California hits tree-sitters with expensive surprise (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/22/BAUB131HLG.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Simpson's evolution – Company moves from pulp and paper to lumber and energy (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/488148.html

Growing Number of Wind Farms Demand Labor (KEPR-TV, Pasco, WA)
http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/28675034.html

Kitsap Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Project Wins $2.5 Million Federal Grant (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/sep/19/seed-project-wins-25-million-federal-grant/?partner=RSS

Richland net metering project – Going green pays for homeowner (Tri City Herald, WA)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/322775.html

California Public Utilities Commission says no to renewable energy measure (Sacramento Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/09/15/daily86.html?ana=from_rss

N.Y. Tests Turbines to Produce Power – City Taps Current Of the East River (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091903729.html?nav=rss_nation

Human Waste Used As Manure For Switchgrass Crops Turned To Biofuel (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9043139

CONSERVATION

Are tankless (natural gas) water heaters worth the cost? (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/consumer/28449824.html

NEW HAMPSHIRE – Church’s energy forum offers homeowners’ advice (The Cabinet, Milford, NH)
http://www.cabinet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080920/MILFORD01/809199909

Oklahoma residents kill their lights to save energy (Oklahoma University Daily)
http://www.oudaily.com/news/2008/sep/22/residents-kill-their-lights-save-energy/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

First US greenhouse gas auction set for Thursday (Associated Press)
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080921/carbon_auction.html?.v=1

Environmentalists see flaws in pollution credit program – Western states: Advocates say credit auctions would raise money for needed work (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1221787512166630.xml&coll=7

Help offered to replace wood stoves – A state agency has $160,000 available to coax people out of their old, smoke-spewing heaters (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080920/NEWS01/709209918/-1/RSS02

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

OREGON – Redmond couple told Qwest tech cut phone line – Phone utility investigating report of disgruntled worker (KTVZ-TV, Bend OR)
http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=9043160&ClientType=Printable

Google browser's tracking feature alarms developers, privacy advocates – But web surfers can opt out, sort of (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10510989?source=rss

Another Small Citywide Wi-Fi Network Fades Out – Boynton Beach throws in the towel (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Another-Small-Citywide-WiFi-Network-Fades-Out-97877

Connect Maine: 90% Broadband Penetration by 2010 – Can the state of Maine meet its broadband goals? (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Connect-ME-90-Broadband-Penetration-by-2010-97898

Comcast to Install Speed Bumps for Bandwidth Hogs (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/09/19/comcast-installs-speed-bumps-for-bandwidth-hogs/

GENERAL NEWS

Two dead in crash in Shelton, drinking suspected (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1599679~2_dead_in_crash_in_Shelton__drinking_suspected.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Cache found on Olympic Peninsula shooter, including slain forest officer's service weapon (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080922/NEWS/809220307

Mistake stalls Washington State development grants – It was big money for Vancouver, Mount Vernon, Yakima and Whitman County: millions of dollars to help with redevelopment efforts (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/379918_waterfront20.html?source=rss

DIVERSIONS

Woman named Bacon wins Idaho hog-calling title
http://www.examiner.com/a-1599544~Woman_named_Bacon_wins_Idaho_hog_calling_title.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Wis. man convicted of robbing toddler's piggy bank
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080919/ap_on_fe_st/odd_piggy_bank_robbery;_ylt=Aox60sI4_uTYkyevY5Y4KCPtiBIF

SoCal officials to pave over music-making asphalt
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_musical_road;_ylt=AorFacB3lI4QPhzqX2bMIdvtiBIF