Energy News Digest for Setpember 29, 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)

- Oregonian Editorial – Settle the dispute over Bonneville's benefits
- Many Pacific Power customers eagerly await credit, blast BPA
- Idaho regulators oppose power credit reduction
- Seattle Mayor Nickels: No change in '09 electricity rates
- Public electricity issue
- CANADA – Too costly to hook up to northern B.C. power line: Yukon Energy
- CANADA – Streams go to work for green power sector
- Cowlitz PUD to enlarge storage yard
- NEWS RELEASE – BPA's strategic planning efforts get big boost
- NEWS RELEASE – Detroit Edison Boosts Rewards for Copper Theft Info
- Oregon biologists want public views on plans to save Columbia steelhead
- B.C.'s fish-farm authority petitioned in court: Fish control should return to federal hands
- OREGON – Logs in streams help fish
- More water for Odessa – First new water released in 20 years
- State grants funds for new North Central Washington water storage
- Boise water project gets big boost
- IDAHO – Exploring options for Minnidoka Dam near Rupert
- Boil-Water Advisory Lifted for Lake Symington System's Users in Kitsap County
- Filtration system would clean up polluted runoff
- Bottled Water at Issue in Great Lakes – Conservation and Commerce Clash
- Editorial – California took on energy crisis, now it faces water crisis
- Seeing flaws in California’s green initiatives
- OREGON – Solar-cell factory to bring 200 jobs
- Advancing Biomass in California
- UNITED KINGDOM – Major plans for tidal energy farm
- Demonstration homes to use zero net energy
- 'Turn homes green' to cut bills
- 5 Startups Putting Wireless To Work for Energy
- Administration Official Talks Stewardship, Carbon Markets
- VoIP system users can be targeted in attacks
- Google Goes to Washington, Gearing Up to Put Its Stamp on Government
- Net Neutrality: An American Problem
- Company offers stipend for workers to buy computers
- Newborn left on Federal Way church steps
- No driveway carwashes, Washington State says
- Metal thieves strike Oregon military cemetery
- E-mail, Internet get mixed reviews in work study
- Shelton Highclimber Band Takes First Place In Silverdale
- Converted shipping containers touted as ideal low-income homes

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Hirsute • \HER-soot\ • adjective – 1: hairy 2: covered with coarse stiff hairs

To “Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy,” the dramatic drop-off in attendance to his spectacular vaudeville shows was inexplicable. However, to his admirers the cause of disinterest was as clear as the nose on the performer’s formerly hirsute face. They could now see it, especially after his unfortunate corporate sponsorship by “Nair”.

WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Oregonian Editorial – Settle the dispute over Bonneville's benefits (Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/09/settle_the_dispute_over_bonnev.html

Many Pacific Power customers eagerly await credit – The heartburn for Pacific Power is a provision in the BPA plan that requires investor-owned utilities like Pacific, Avista in Spokane and Puget Sound Energy to repay what the agency sees as excess credits over the past seven years. (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/8000

Idaho regulators oppose power credit reduction – The Idaho Public Utilities Commission: “it will pursue all available legal remedies to address ‘this punitive and egregious error.’” (Idaho Business Review – Must…avoid…kneejerk…reaction…to this story…)
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2008/09/26/Idaho-regulators-oppose-power-credit-reduction

Seattle Mayor Nickels: No change in '09 electricity rates – While the City Council considers steep increases for water and garbage rates, Seattle customers will not see a change (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008208260_electric27m.html

Public electricity issue (KAPS Radio, Mount Vernon)
http://www.kapsradio.com/2008/09/25/public-electricity-issue/

CANADA – Too costly to hook up to northern B.C. power line: Yukon Energy (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2008/09/29/yukon-bcline.html?ref=rss

CANADA – Streams go to work for green power sector: Run-of-river hydroelectric facilities currently provide about 10% to 15% of BC Hydro's electricity (Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=b0088e08-f4cd-469f-b863-bc1ba517aa0a

Cowlitz PUD to enlarge storage yard (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/09/28//area_news/10437694.txt

NEWS RELEASE – BPA's strategic planning efforts get big boost: Elliot Mainzer is the new BPA executive vice president for Corporate Strategy (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/230076/

NEWS RELEASE – Detroit Edison Boosts Rewards for Copper Theft Info: Tips needed to thwart safety, service reliability problems (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/IndustryNews.asp?m=1&id=97805

FISH & WILDLIFE

Oregon biologists want public views on plans to save Columbia steelhead (Wallowa County Chieftain, Enterprise, OR)
http://www.wallowacountychieftain.info/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=61&ArticleID=17015&TM=51201.88

CANADA – B.C.'s fish-farm authority petitioned in court: Fish control should return to federal hands, group says (The Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080929.wbcfish28/BNStory/National/home

OREGON – Logs in streams help fish (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1611416~Logs_in_streams_help_fish.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

More water for Odessa – First new water released in 20 years (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2008/09/28/news/news06.txt

State grants funds for new North Central Washington water storage – $10.94 million to go for reservoirs (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080926/NEWS04/709269898/1025/rss1025

Boise water project gets big boost – A state Department of Ecology grant will help pay for a system that will store cold water in winter for use in summertime cooling (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA)
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/09/28/local_news/0809281boise%20water.txt

IDAHO – Exploring options for Minnidoka Dam near Rupert (Ag Weekly)
http://www.agweekly.com/articles/2008/09/28/news/ag_news/news01.txt

Boil-Water Advisory Lifted for Lake Symington System's Users in Kitsap County (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/sep/28/boil-water-advisory-lifted-for-lake-symington/?partner=RSS

Filtration system would clean up polluted runoff – Project designed to protect Sound (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/380927_stormwater29.html

Bottled Water at Issue in Great Lakes – Conservation and Commerce Clash (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/28/AR2008092802997.html?nav=rss_business

San Francisco Chronicle Editorial – California took on energy crisis, now it faces water crisis
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/28/EDTI136772.DTL

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Seeing flaws in green initiatives – California has 2 ballot measures that don't get everyone onboard (The Houston Chronicle, TX)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/energy/6026289.html

OREGON – Solar-cell factory to bring 200 jobs – Salem officials hope Sanyo plant will attract others (Salem Statesman-Journal)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080926/NEWS/809260348/1001

Advancing Biomass in California (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/reinsider/story?id=53644&src=rss

UNITED KINGDOM – Major plans for tidal energy farm – A major tidal energy project is being planned for waters off the coast of Northern Ireland and Scotland (British Broadcasting Corporation)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7640842.stm

CONSERVATION

Demonstration homes to use zero net energy – Innovations will boost prices for Issaquah townhouses 5 to 10 percent (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/380972_energy29.html

'Turn homes green' to cut bills (The Press Association, United Kingdom)
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g8x_O8Zs4jP-7mGVBcM9Dr8vXjbA

5 Startups Putting Wireless To Work for Energy (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/09/25/5-startups-putting-wireless-to-work-for-energy/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Administration Official Talks Stewardship, Carbon Markets (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/3162-administration-official-talks-stewardship-carbon-markets/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

VoIP system users can be targeted in attacks (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10052393-83.html?tag=nl.e703

Google Goes to Washington, Gearing Up to Put Its Stamp on Government (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/28/AR2008092802216.html?nav=rss_technology

Net Neutrality: An American Problem – Australian ISPs say America needs to learn from them (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Net-Neutrality-An-American-Problem-98048

Company offers stipend for workers to buy computers – Maintenance becomes employees' responsibility (Associated Press)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/380871_byocomputer29.html?source=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Newborn left on Federal Way church steps (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008212040_baby29m.html

No driveway carwashes, Washington State says (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-09-28-car-wash_N.htm?csp=34

Metal thieves strike Oregon military cemetery (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1610685~Metal_thieves_strike_Ore__military_cemetery.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

E-mail, Internet get mixed reviews in work study (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/494544.html

Shelton Highclimber Band Takes First Place In Silverdale (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5163/reftab/1896/Default.aspx

Converted shipping containers touted as ideal low-income homes (Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080928/BIZ/709289946/-1/RSS03

DIVERSIONS

Twins who swapped roles charged with fraud
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE48P66N20080926?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Oregon Hospital Tells Grandfather He's Pregnant – Hospital Administrator Blames Errant Keystroke
http://www.kirotv.com/family/17568295/detail.html

Driver with $2 million speeding fines nabbed
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE48P68F20080926?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

This is wrong on so many levels: Clowns take it all off -- except the nose --for 2009 Naked Clown Calendar
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10578489?source=rss