Energy News Digest for October 27, 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)

- Rate weight: Clark Public Utilities faces upward pressure on electricity costs
- Seattle Times Editorial – Public Power, Yes: keep local control
- Whidbey Examiner – General election endorsements
- Jefferson PUD power drive generates $250,000 in both sides' campaign spending
- Thurston County PUD candidates educate while on campaign trail
- Mason County PUD No. 3 to Discuss Identity Theft Prevention
- Idaho – Salmon River Electric decides not to sign PNGC power supply contract
- Weyco, Evergreen still talking about fate of Cosmopolis pulp mill
- Oregon – Troutdale metal thefts continue despite arrests
- Texas – Falling natural gas prices pull electric rates with them
- Commerce Energy Sells Texas Retail Electric Business for $14.8 Million
- Alcoa to slash production at Texas plant
- Damaged Sequim banner structure may cost $30,000 to fix
- Are the Orcas starving?
- Canada – Fishy business at B.C. fish farms
- Groups appeal draw down of Lake Roosevelt
- Oregon – Public buildings could use wood heat
- One man's garbage becomes another's power plant
- Missouri – Utilities offer stances on clean-energy initiative
- Houston Chronicle Op/Ed – After oil: The future of energy
- Editorial – No miracles coming in Pennsylvania conservation bill
- Canada – Cap-trade or carbon tax alone not adequate: Study
- Scientists worried over rise in two more greenhouse gases
- Bandwidth brouhaha-- You get what you pay for, or do you?
- Should Cable Operators Just Run Fiber To The Home?
- CenturyTel to Buy Rival for $5.8 Billion in Stock
- Comcast Revs Broadband Engine
- DSL Still Dominates The Globe
- Broadband Caps Affecting One Million Brits
- Microsoft’s Vista Problem, by the Numbers
- Details about Microsoft's cloud computing expected at conference
- Teenager, 4-year-old identified in fatal Belfair house fire

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Wherewithal • \WAIR-with-awl\ • noun – Means, resources; specifically: money

Amber let the canoe drift lazily along the river, oblivious to the distant sound of crashing water plummeting over 800 feet to the base of Reichenbach Falls. Even if her companion, Frederic had the interest in guiding the craft to shore, he lacked the wherewithal to do so. The gaily painted canoe paddles had been left on the dock, almost two miles upstream from the impending site of the two boaters’ doom. “At least we’ll depart in good company, my dear Holmes,” joked Freddy.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast and Weather Alerts
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?textField1=47.213805&textField2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=Shelton%2C%20WA%2C%20USA

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Rate weight: Clark Public Utilities faces upward pressure on electricity costs (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20081026/BIZ01/710269998/-1/biz

Seattle Times Editorial – Public Power, Yes: keep local control: Voters in Skagit County, eastern Jefferson County and Whidbey Island have a historic choice Nov. 4: Whether to buy out Puget Sound Energy
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008308444_edit27puds.html

Whidbey Examiner – General election endorsements: Scroll down to see this paper’s endorsement of the Whidbey PUD proposal
http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=1856&TM=74561.48

Jefferson PUD power drive generates $250,000 in both sides' campaign spending (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081026/news/310269990

Thurston County PUD candidates educate while on campaign trail (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/635863.html

Mason County PUD No. 3 to Discuss Identity Theft Prevention (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5393/reftab/1896/Default.aspx?title=P.U.D._3_TO_DISCUSS_IDENTITY_THEFT_PREVENTION

Idaho – Salmon River Electric decides not to sign PNGC power supply contract (Challis Messenger, ID)
http://www.challismessenger.com/index.php?accnum=story-9-20081023

Weyco, Evergreen still talking about fate of Cosmopolis pulp mill (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/10/25/local_news/03news.txt

Oregon – Troutdale metal thefts continue despite arrests: Construction company suffered numerous losses (Gresham Outlook, OR)
http://www.theoutlookonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=122489185365992900

Texas – Falling natural gas prices pull electric rates with them (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, TX)
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/996872.html

Commerce Energy Sells Texas Retail Electric Business for $14.8 Million (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/commerce-energy-sells-texas-retail/story.aspx?guid=%7B60D54AFF-0EFD-4862-B24E-385BAAE06423%7D&dist=hppr

Alcoa to slash production at Texas plant – Cuts at another plant blamed on citing uncompetitive power supply and general market conditions (Pittsburgh Business Times)
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/10/20/daily52.html?ana=from_rss

Damaged Sequim banner structure may cost $30,000 to fix – publicity sites now down to one (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081024/news/310249992

FISH & WILDLIFE

Are the Orcas starving? As salmon runs decline (except in the Columbia), killer whale numbers take hardest hit since 1990s (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/384854_orcas25.html

Canada – Fishy business at B.C. fish farms – Widespread environmental degradation accompanies growing industry (McGill Daily)
http://www.mcgilldaily.com/article/5378-fishy-business-at-b-c-fish

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Groups appeal draw down of Lake Roosevelt (The Associated Press)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/384984_columbia25.html?source=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon – Public buildings could use wood heat (Eugene Register-Guard)
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/1535909-35/story.csp

One man's garbage becomes another's power plant (Associated Press)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/26/AR2008102600871.html?nav=rss_technology

Missouri – Utilities offer stances on clean-energy initiative (The Missourian, Columbia, MO)
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/10/26/utilities-offer-stances-clean-energy-initiative/

Houston Chronicle Op/Ed – After oil: The future of energy: Is there a 'silver bullet' that will take the place of petroleum as America's primary fuel source?
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6078864.html

CONSERVATION

Reading, PA Eagle Editorial – No miracles coming in Pennsylvania conservation bill
http://www.readingeagle.com/blog.aspx?bid=4&id=18238&t=No-miracles-coming-in-conservation-bill

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Canada – Cap-trade or carbon tax alone not adequate: Study (The Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=8f0f1d67-2007-45d0-bdf3-64d1399fbd50

Scientists worried over rise in two more greenhouse gases (Associated Press)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081025/NEWS02/710259839/1025/rss1025

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Bandwidth brouhaha-- You get what you pay for, or do you? (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2008/10/26/bandwidth-brouhaha-you-get-what-you-pay-for-or-do-you

Should Cable Operators Just Run Fiber To The Home? (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Should-Cable-Operators-Just-Run-Fiber-To-The-Home-98676

CenturyTel to Buy Rival for $5.8 Billion in Stock (NY Times)
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/27/centurytel-is-said-to-be-near-deal-to-buy-rival/index.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Comcast Revs Broadband Engine (TechNewsWorld)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Comcast-Revs-Broadband-Engine-64922.html

DSL Still Dominates The Globe – Though fiber is on the march, particularly in Japan, South Korea (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/DSL-Still-Dominates-The-Globe-98673

Broadband Caps Affecting One Million Brits (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/10/23/broadband-caps-affecting-one-million-brits/

Microsoft’s Vista Problem, by the Numbers (NY Times)
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/microsofts-vista-problem-by-the-numbers/?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Details about Microsoft's cloud computing expected at conference (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008314759_windows27.html?syndication=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Teenager, 4-year-old identified in fatal Belfair house fire (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/oct/26/one-child-died-trying-to-save-the-other/?partner=RSS

DIVERSIONS

From a Strip of Scotch Tape, X-Rays
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/science/28xray.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

A Record in Making Guinness Annoyed at You
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/27/business/media/27guinness.html?adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1225079575-eFm9yOaUEjSq5e9q0Xmo+A

Sand snatchers shrink Caribbean beaches
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/10/26/international/i081813D33.DTL&feed=rss.news

Nike Customers Angry After Woman with Fastest Time Doesn't "Win" Marathon
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/22/MNCI13MDH0.DTL