Energy News Digest for September 23, 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)

- Douglas County PUD launches $151 million rehab of Wells Dam
- Columbian Guest Columnist –We’re buying power; let us shop for renewable bargains
- Houston customers may have to help cover electricity grid repairs from Hurricane Ike
- TEXAS – Dallas-Fort Worth residents likely to see higher winter heating bills
- Winter may worsen energy costs
- MidAmerican Energy Reaches Agreement to Purchase Constellation Energy for $4.7B
- NEW YORK – On its 10th anniversary, Long Island Power Authority faces shadow of debt
- FROM BPA TOWER – COPPER WIRE WORTH $6,000 IS STOLEN
- FLORIDA – Power 'Police' On The Hunt For Electricity Thieves
- ALASKA – No kings encountered during weekly survey: Coho fishing worsens
- California tribe fears losing land if Shasta Dam is raised
- OREGON – Kellogg-for-Coho Initiative planned for Milwaukie
- Ban Near on Diverting Water From Great Lakes
- Three plead guilty to cutting down cedars in Olympic National Forest
- Green energy projects face heightened scrutiny as U.S. cleans up credit mess
- Even With $2.5 Million Grant, The Kitsap Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Project Must Pass More Hurdles
- Off Oregon's coast, wave power makes a splash
- Power From the Restless Sea Stirs the Imagination
- Senate to vote on extending energy tax credits
- DOE Announces First Marine Energy Grants – Some PNW utilities and organizations to benefit
- B.C. study to help bats survive wind farms
- Could a plan to use wind to produce a third of the power for New York City affect weather
- OREGON – Ashland changes solar power policy
- State-Level Policies Work; Utilities and States Issue RFPs for Renewable Energy
- Now it's easier to recycle fluorescent bulbs in the Puget Sound area
- On The First Day Of Fall, PECO Reminds Customers To Prepare For Winter Bills
- Carbon Cap And Trade Framework Unveiled
- CANADA – Rural schools call for carbon-tax rebate
- Utilities shrink the role of coal on global-warming worries
- Portland Again Tops a Sustainable Cities List
- Microsoft data 'nerve center' opens in Texas
- Verizon Slowly Revisiting FiOS Installs For Grounding Issues
- The Real Reason Wireless Broadband Costs More, for Less
- Microsoft says it will buy back $40 billion in stock, raise dividend
- Mason County courts twice spurned warrants for Olympic Peninsula gunman
- New/Old Federalism – Feds might ask states for money
- Poore vs. Simpson Paper (9th Circuit Court of Appeals, links to PDF)

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Bon mot • \bone-MOE\ • noun – Etymology: French, literally, good word – A clever remark: witticism

Donatello was the company clown. One could always count on him to toss out bon mots like so much candy thrown to children from Kiwanis floats in so many local parades. Unfortunately, his humor was his ultimate undoing, as he joked one to many times with the safety officer about who was brave (or dumb) enough to stick their tongue into a light socket.

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

Douglas County PUD launches $151 million rehab of Wells Dam (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080922/NEWS04/709239998

Columbian Guest Columnist –We’re buying power; let us shop for bargains – lI-937 proponents told voters their goal was to replace carbon-based electricity with renewable energy But the fine print of I-937 makes it virtually impossible to meet that goal. (Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20080923/BIZ01/809229977/-1/biz

TEXAS – Ike could increase power bills for years to come: Houston customers may have to help cover electricity grid repairs (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hurricane/ike/6014950.html

TEXAS – Dallas-Fort Worth residents likely to see higher winter heating bills (Dallas Morning News)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/092208dnbusgasprices.195f42a.html

Winter may worsen energy costs (McClatchy Washington News Bureau)
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/200/story/52936.html

MidAmerican Energy Reaches Agreement to Purchase Constellation Energy for $4.7B (Street Insider)
http://www.streetinsider.com/Mergers+and+Acquisitions/MidAmerican+Energy+Reaches+Agreement+to+Purchase+Constellation+Energy+%28CEG%29+for+%244.7B/4006061.html

NEW YORK – On its 10th anniversary, Long Island Power Authority faces shadow of debt – As it marks a decade of existence, the faces a sobering reality: Its costly past is crimping its future ambitious (Newsday)
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-lilipa0923,0,3002966.story

FROM BPA TOWER – COPPER WIRE WORTH $6,000 IS STOLEN – Thieves stole 100 feet of copper wire used to ground a radio tower on Capitol Peak, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office reported Monday. The theft occurred between Sept. 16 and Thursday, Lt. Chris Mealy said. The estimated value of the wire was $6,000. The thieves cut two holes in the chain-link fence that secured the tower, causing another $500 in damage. The tower was located off Forest Service Road B2000 in Capitol State Forest. The owner is the Bonneville Power Administration. Anyone with information can call Thurston County Crime Stoppers at 360-493-2222 or the Sheriff's Office at 360-786-5500.

FLORIDA – Power 'Police' On The Hunt For Electricity Thieves (The Tampa Tribune)
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/sep/22/power-police-hunt-electricity-thieves-tampa-area/

FISH & WILDLIFE

ALASKA – No kings encountered during weekly survey: Coho fishing worsens, halibut improves (The Juneau Empire, AK)
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/092308/spo_335887644.shtml

California tribe fears losing land if Shasta Dam is raised (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g0LnGTCL1_UxZ8fy8dHxPR4_uGkgD93CF3TG0

OREGON – Kellogg-for-Coho Initiative planned for Milwaukie (Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, OR)
http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2008/09/23/Kellogg-Creek-revitalization-planned-for-Milwaukie

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Ban Near on Diverting Water From Great Lakes (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/us/23lakes.html?adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1222149602-dEzhV9v2nt99ZULVurdsSA

Three plead guilty to cutting down cedars in Olympic National Forest – some of the trees were over 600 years old (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/29513439.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Green energy projects face heightened scrutiny as U.S. cleans up credit mess (Environmental News Network)
http://www.enn.com/business/article/38245

Even With $2.5 Million Grant, The Kitsap Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Project Must Pass More Hurdles (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/sep/22/even-with-25-million-grant-seed-must-pass-more/?partner=RSS

Off Oregon's coast, wave power makes a splash (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/off_oregons_coast_wave_power_m.html

Power From the Restless Sea Stirs the Imagination (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/business/23tidal.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Senate to vote on extending energy tax credits (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE48M0QI20080923

DOE Announces First Marine Energy Grants – Some PNW utilities and organizations to benefit (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53648&src=rss

B.C. study to help bats survive wind farms (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008197125_apwstcanadawindfarmsbats.html?syndication=rss

Q & A: Wind Power – Could a plan being explored to use wind to produce a third of the power for New York City affect weather systems? (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/science/23qna.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

OREGON – Ashland changes solar power policy (Associated Press)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OR_SOLAR_ASHLAND_OROL-?SITE=ORKLA&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

State-Level Policies Work; Utilities and States Issue RFPs for Renewable Energy (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53608&src=rss

CONSERVATION

Now it's easier to recycle fluorescent bulbs in the Puget Sound area (Everett Herald, WA)
http://heraldnet.com/article/20080923/NEWS01/709239922

On The First Day Of Fall, PECO Reminds Customers To Prepare For Winter Bills (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/first-day-fall-peco-reminds/story.aspx?guid=%7B46AAC112-B75A-469E-BFA6-0D48AC225EBD%7D&dist=hppr

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Carbon Cap And Trade Framework Unveiled (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/3112-carbon-cap-and-trade-framework-unveiled/

CANADA – Rural schools call for carbon-tax rebate – Says the new toll is bleeding money from classrooms and undermining the province's lofty education goals (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080922.BCCARBON22/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/

Utilities shrink the role of coal on global-warming worries (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2008-09-21-coal_N.htm?csp=34

Portland Again Tops a Sustainable Cities List (NY Times)
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/portland-again-tops-a-sustainable-cities-list/?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft data 'nerve center' opens in Texas – Servers help company compete with Google (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/380091_msftdata23.html?source=rss

Verizon Slowly Revisiting FiOS Installs For Grounding Issues – Of 15% of NY installs, 59% failed to meet code (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Slowly-Revisiting-FiOS-Installs-For-Grounding-Issues-97907

The Real Reason Wireless Broadband Costs More, for Less (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/the-real-reason-wireless-broadband-costs-more-for-less/

Microsoft says it will buy back $40 billion in stock, raise dividend – Low interest rates persuade company to take on debt (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/380063_msftbuyback23.html?source=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Mason County courts twice spurned warrants for Olympic Peninsula gunman (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080923/NEWS/809230305

New/Old Federalism – Feds might ask states for money (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/488734.html

Poore vs. Simpson Paper (9th Circuit Court of Appeals, links to PDF) Former employees of Simpson Paper Company, which owned and operated the Evergreen Mill in West Linn, Oregon until it was closed for economic reasons in 1996.
http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/42CF02DCA0A38F55882574CC00572D84/$file/0536060.pdf?openelement

DIVERSIONS

Penny's look to change for first time in 50 years
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008196768_penny23.html

Colleges to "heliparents": Welcome! Now go home – Universities Say Too Much Involvement Bad for Kids
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10531792?source=rss

New Zealand's election campaign goes to the dogs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080923/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_newzealand_election_dog;_ylt=AgV.UzqKULFKgZ1yKC323BjtiBIF

Elvis Is Alive Museum up for sale again on eBay
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080922/ap_on_fe_st/odd_elvis_museum;_ylt=AkILnM41wHXK3NT2tsWAEqLtiBIF

Chinese go online with food safety jokes
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080923/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_china_milk_internet;_ylt=AiORM.0VtWME2vqda5fZpe3tiBIF