Energy News Digest for September 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)

- Two Arrests Made in Connection With TransAlta Bomb
- PSE-financed Jefferson PUD power opposition surfaces
- PUD Study: PUD rates will be cheaper
- Utility study says PUD will be costly, risky
- The Whidbey Examiner Op/Ed – Public Power in Washington
- No rate hikes budgeted for Douglas PUD customers
- Minnesota Power to phase out electricity contract to buy coal-generated electricity
- Wild Salmon Center wants to direct money to healthy rivers
- Northwest sea lions teach humans the folly of fighting Mother Nature
- Salmon homecoming: Our urban nature
- Yakima selling surplus land to state: BPA Grant to help in purchase
- EPA erred in Spokane River pollution limits
- Lacey to submit its water plan to pump more drinking water
- Allocation of Wastewater Treatment Assistance: Formula and Other Changes
- Water Infrastructure Financing: History of EPA Appropriations
- Study: California farmers can profit by saving water
- Gregoire plans more active role in stalled Cosmopolis pulp mill talks
- Congress faces energy, funding in dash to finish
- MONTANA – Hot Springs man sees energy in all that water
- Energy Innovators: 4 creative solutions to energy problems
- Duke Energy wants solar to go through the roof
- Manure "Smells Like Money" As Energy Costs Rise
- Confusion led to homes mislabeled as 'green'
- Slow climate change not by eating less meat, but by feeding livestock on grass
- Australian Op/Ed – Climate case built on thin foundation
- Latest Enron Broadband Trials Rescheduled
- Google reigns as the world's most powerful 10-year-old
- Congress Still Needs to Deal With I.S.P. Snooping
- $40 Billion To Wire the UK With FTTH
- Wireless Technology and Spectrum Demand: Advanced Wireless Services
- Brush Fire under BPA Lines Closes Lake Cushman Road
- Boeing Machinists On Strike
- Copper Thieves Leave Landlord's House All Wet
- In Rescue to Stabilize Lending, U.S. Takes Over Mortgage Finance Titans
- Meanwhile…Washington Mutual ousts CEO Kerry Killinger
- Race for 35th district tops list of most costly for 2008
- Yakima Valley mosquitoes worst in decade
- Scooter Popularity Raises Questions About Pollution
- Cool Spring And Fall Could Jeopardize ’08 Wine Vintage
- UC Berkeley grove cleared of most trees

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Bumptious • \BUMP-shus\ • adjective – Presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive: obtrusive

“Will you just SHUT UP,” screamed Alice at the bumptious insect that had somehow snuck into her studio apartment. Every five minutes the cricket interrupted her slumber with its insistent song. Unknown to Alice, the insect was channeling the ghost of J.P. Morgan and sending secret investment advice. Alas, Alice, not understanding “cricket” ended the sure-fire wealth session by locating and squashing the bug before she headed for work cleaning up offal at the Eastside Rendering Plant.

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

Anticlimactic – Two Arrests Made in Connection With TransAlta Bomb (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/rss/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1220685182&archive=

PSE-financed Jefferson PUD power opposition surfaces (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080906/NEWS/809060303

PUD Study: PUD rates will be cheaper (The Whidbey Examiner, Coupeville, WA)
http://www.stpns.net/view_article.html?articleId=109510854521354310525

Utility study says PUD will be costly, risky (The Whidbey Examiner, Coupeville, WA)
http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=1691&TM=57079.14

The Whidbey Examiner Op/Ed – Public Power in Washington (Coupeville, WA)
http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=1692&TM=57079.14

No rate hikes budgeted for Douglas PUD customers (The Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080906/NEWS04/709069870

Minnesota Power to phase out electricity contract to buy coal-generated electricity as it develops wind energy to meet state requirements for renewable energy (Associated Press)
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080908/minnesota_power_wind_energy.html?.v=1

FISH & WILDLIFE

Wild Salmon Center wants to direct money to healthy rivers (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/wild_salmon_center_wants_to_di.html

Northwest sea lions teach humans the folly of fighting Mother Nature (Seattle Times – Check out the pictures!)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2008162539_pacificplions07.html?syndication=rss

Post-Intelligencer Editorial – Salmon homecoming: Our urban nature (Seattle, WA)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/378138_salmoned.html?source=rss

Yakima selling out-of-town surplus land to state Department of Fish and Wildlife – Price is $1.3 million, including grant funds from the Bonneville Power Administration (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/7353

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

EPA erred in Spokane River pollution limits (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1572289~EPA_erred_in_Spokane_River_pollution_limits.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Lacey to submit its water plan – Crucial to its effort to receive state approval to pump more drinking water (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/577294.html

Congressional Research Service – Allocation of Wastewater Treatment Assistance: Formula and Other Changes
http://opencrs.com/document/RS20993

Congressional Research Service – Water Infrastructure Financing: History of EPA Appropriations
http://opencrs.com/document/96-647

Study: California farmers can profit by saving water (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1575767~Study__Calif__farmers_can_profit_by_saving_water.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Gregoire plans more active role in stalled Cosmopolis pulp mill talks – Grays Harbor PUD would benefit in co-generation plant (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/09/07/local_news/03news.txt

Congress faces energy, funding in dash to finish (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/475394.html

MONTANA – Hot Springs man sees energy in all that water (The Missoulian, MT)
http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/09/08/news/local/news03.txt

Energy Innovators: 4 creative solutions to energy problems (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/environment/2008-09-08-energy-innovations-environment_N.htm

Duke Energy wants solar to go through the roof: It's taking bids to build a network based on power from roof top solar panels (McClatchy Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ClmjjrupUSig%27%40%3E%20bfen%5Fv

Manure "Smells Like Money" As Energy Costs Rise (Cattle Network)
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=250619

CONSERVATION

Confusion led to homes mislabeled as 'green' (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080908/BIZ/709089976/-1/rss03

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Steaks are high – We can slow climate change not by eating less meat, but by feeding our livestock on grass, not grain (The Guardian, United Kingdom)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/08/food.unitednations?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

Australian Op/Ed – Climate case built on thin foundation
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24315169-7583,00.html

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Latest Enron Broadband Trials Rescheduled – Appeals continue for three Enron execs (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Latest-Enron-Broadband-Trials-Rescheduled-97522

Google reigns as the world's most powerful 10-year-old (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/378032_google06.html?source=rss

Congress Still Needs to Deal With I.S.P. Snooping (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/congress-still-needs-to-deal-with-isp-snooping/?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

$40 Billion To Wire the UK With FTTH (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/40-Billion-To-Wire-the-UK-With-FTTH-97556

Congressional Research Service – Wireless Technology and Spectrum Demand: Advanced Wireless Services
http://opencrs.com/document/RS20993

GENERAL NEWS

Brush Fire under BPA Lines Closes Lake Cushman Road (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/4973/reftab/1896/Default.aspx

Boeing Machinists On Strike (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17403231/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_7am&tmi=sea_7am_1_09000209082008&ts=H

Copper Thieves Leave Landlord's House All Wet (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/sep/07/copper-thieves-leave-landlords-house-all-wet/?partner=RSS

In Rescue to Stabilize Lending, U.S. Takes Over Mortgage Finance Titans (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/business/08fannie.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Meanwhile…Washington Mutual ousts CEO Kerry Killinger (The Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/577527.html

Race for 35th district tops list of most costly for 2008 (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/576147.html

Yakima Valley mosquitoes worst in decade (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1575395~Yakima_Valley_mosquitoes_worst_in_decade.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

What’s an environmentalist to do? Scooter Popularity Raises Questions About Pollution (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/2991-scooter-popularity-raises-questions-about-pollution/

Cool Spring And Fall Could Jeopardize ’08 Wine Vintage (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/2990-cool-spring-and-fall-could-jeopardize-08-wine-vintage/

UC Berkeley grove cleared of most trees – Arborists nearly finished clearing an embattled UC Berkeley grove Saturday, leaving a stripped, lone redwood occupied by four protesters (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/06/BAJH12PDUE.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

DIVERSIONS-ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER

With homeowner in doghouse, bobcats move in
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bobcats5-2008sep05,0,2286826.story

Smelly, destructive elk move in on Longview
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/27974899.html

Vet Removes 13 Golf Balls from Dog’s Stomach
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/health/September-October-08/Vet-Removes-13-Golf-Balls-from-Dog-s-Stomach.html

6-foot lizard captured in Oregon
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/378217_lizard09.html?source=rss

Ramtha versus “WhiteWind Weaver” lawsuit beginning in Olympia
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/378218_ramtha09.html?source=rss