Energy News Digest for September 24, 2008

The news digest will be in transit on Thursday, September 25. It will return Friday, September 26.

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)

- BPA's plan to allot power comes under fire
- BPA restarts Residential Exchange Program
- NEWS RELEASE – BPA restarts Residential Exchange Program
- Grays Harbor County PUD should see $5 million check from power agency
- Regional power gurus say there's enough electricity to run Pacific Northwest
- Whidbey PUD plan up for debate
- Chelan PUD gets FERC approval for Alcoa Power sales
- Clallam County PUD offers to buy former Carlsborg Costco site
- Cashmere power grid sale postponed a month
- Financial Confusion Might Help Prevent TransAlta Buyout
- NEW MEXICO – New higher electricity rates needed to prepare for energy future
- BPA Power Rates to Increase to Support Fish Habitat
- Snake River fall Chinook fishery may open Thursday
- California legislation would measure how much water is bottled
- Senate Passes Renewable Energy Tax Credits, Bill Moves Back to House
- Snohomish County PUD tidal energy plan gets $1.2 million boost
- Clallam County PUD to host segment of National Solar Tour
- Northwest companies keeping close eye on energy tax credits
- Snohomish Co. churns out homegrown, homemade fuel
- Oregon gets filling stations for electrical cars
- Solar Panels Are Vanishing – Stolen – Only to Reappear on the Internet
- MICHIGAN – Debate continues over effectiveness of new renewable energy mandates
- NEW YORK – Wind Farm Site Considered 10 Miles from Queens Shore
- PENNSYLVANIA – Time is running out on conservation measures
- Western cap and trade initiative faces obstacles
- Sun's wind and output on extended dimmer switch
- IDAHO – Boise takes steps to trim its carbon footprint
- BP scientist: To cut oil use, make carbon expensive
- NASA Launches Rubber Ducks to Research Glacier Interior
- Cisco Tries to Break Out of the Data Center Role
- T-Mobile to sell Google phone for $179 on Oct. 22
- Verizon Has No Plans To Cap, Throttle – Fiber gives them breathing room
- Family of boy hit by shrapnel seeks $47 million
- Scoring mistake by state agency: Vancouver loses $12.5 million
- Hiker summons help with ham radio

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Interloper • \in-ter-LOH-per\ • noun – One that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity

Fran and Fred’s elopement was going well, until an unexpected interloper showed up: Fran’s mother.

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

BPA's plan to allot power comes under fire – Ratepayer advocates call the plans a massive transfer of wealth from Oregon to Washington (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1222226720206720.xml&coll=7

BPA restarts Residential Exchange Program (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/09/22/daily24.html?ana=from_rss

NEWS RELEASE – BPA restarts Residential Exchange Program (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/229024/

Grays Harbor County PUD should see $5 million check from power agency – Officials say the payment is a fraction of what the utility has coming and they may still sue to get the rest (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/09/23/local_news/03news.txt

Regional power gurus say there's enough electricity to run Pacific Northwest for short term, but long term is less certain (The Missoulian, MT)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/09/23/bnews//br13.txt

Whidbey PUD plan up for debate (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080924/NEWS01/709249784

Chelan PUD gets FERC approval for Alcoa Power sales (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee)
http://www.kpq.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=242

Clallam County PUD offers to buy former Carlsborg Costco site (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.konp.com/local/4034

Cashmere power grid sale postponed a month (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/NEWS04/709239970/1001

Financial Confusion Might Help Prevent TransAlta Buyout (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews/?Financial-Confusion-Might-Help-Prevent-T=1&blockID=14332&feedID=410

NEW MEXICO – New higher electricity rates needed to prepare for energy future: higher costs to meet future demand and the need for cleaner energy sources (Canadian Business)
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D93CFT800

FISH & WILDLIFE

BPA Power Rates to Increase to Support Fish Habitat (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=4351

Snake River fall Chinook fishery may open Thursday (The Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1603438~Snake_River_fall_chinook_fishery_may_open_Thursday.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

California legislation would measure how much water is bottled (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/23/ED1U133LLP.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Senate Passes Renewable Energy Tax Credits, Bill Moves Back to House (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53660&src=rss

Snohomish County PUD tidal energy plan gets $1.2 million boost (Stanwood Camano News, WA)
http://www.scnews.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=87&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=131&wpage=&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2790&hn=scnews&he=.com

Clallam County PUD to host segment of National Solar Tour (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.konp.com/local-events/4029

Northwest companies keeping close eye on energy tax credits – Bill could be lifeline for those investing in renewable sources (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/380267_renewables24.html

Snohomish Co. churns out homegrown, homemade fuel (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/29662129.html

Oregon gets filling stations for electrical cars (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1601825~Ore__gets_filling_stations_for_electrical_cars.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Solar Panels Are Vanishing – Stolen – Only to Reappear on the Internet (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/technology/24solar.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

MICHIGAN – Debate continues over effectiveness of new renewable energy mandates (Ann Arbor Business Review)
http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/annarbor/index.ssf/2008/09/debate_continues_over_new_rene.html

NEW YORK – Wind Farm Site Considered 10 Miles from Queens Shore (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/nyregion/24wind.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

CONSERVATION

PENNSYLVANIA – Time is running out on conservation measures (News of Delaware County, PA)
http://www.newsofdelawarecounty.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/SingleWeekly;!-147845757?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_wk_article&r21.pgpath=%2FNDC%2FOpinion&r21.content=%2FNDC%2FOpinion%2FHeadlineList_Story_2470305

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Western cap and trade initiative faces obstacles (The Examiner)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1603519~Western_cap_and_trade_initiative_faces_obstacles.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Sun's wind and output on extended dimmer switch (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008198074_apsciweaksun.html?syndication=rss

IDAHO – Boise takes steps to trim its carbon footprint – The city has an 'anti-idling' policy and is expanding geothermal utilities. More ambitious ideas remain on the horizon (Idaho Statesman)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/eyepiece/story/512358.html

BP scientist: To cut oil use, make carbon expensive (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10047746-54.html?tag=nl.e703

NASA Launches Rubber Ducks to Research Glacier Interior (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/September-October/NASA-Launches-Rubber-Ducks-to-Research-Glacier-Interior.html

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Cisco Tries to Break Out of the Data Center Role (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/technology/24cisco.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

T-Mobile to sell Google phone for $179 on Oct. 22 (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008197394_webgooglephone23.html?syndication=rss

Verizon Has No Plans To Cap, Throttle – Fiber gives them breathing room -- For the moment (Brfoadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Has-No-Plans-To-Cap-Throttle-97950

GENERAL NEWS

Family of boy hit by shrapnel seeks $47 million – not from cannon owner, but from rescue crews and 911 dispatchers (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/29532769.html

Scoring mistake by state agency: Vancouver loses $12.5 million (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1603047~Scoring_mistake__Vancouver_loses__12_5_million.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Hiker summons help with ham radio – 'It's just a stroke of luck that turned out great' (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/380213_hamradio24.html?source=rss

DIVERSIONS

Personalities – Washingtonians open to new ideas
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=90197

Mill Creek librarian keeps word, eats worms – Be careful what you promise.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080923/NEWS01/709239908/-1/RSS02

NJ farm flings pumpkins with giant catapult
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080924/ap_on_fe_st/odd_pumpkin_catapult;_ylt=AoXj69CiV8ZvlfeWO5jZ9_ftiBIF

15 train robbers killed by poison gas
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE48M2VX20080923?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews