Energy News Digest for October 7, 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)

- Fall storm blows into Washington
- Blustery night leads to chilly day – Includes wind speeds
- Port Townsend council hints at city electric utility if voters disenfranchise PSE
- Clallam County PUD commissioner argues against 3% electricity rate increase
- AP Enterprise: In bad economy, power cutoffs soar
- Energy Department warns of higher heating costs
- Real estate roundup: BPA leases Vancouver space
- Edmonds neighbors pitch fit over new metal pole
- Texas – Reliant Energy says it may look for a buyer
- Michigan Governor signs energy package into law: more renewables
- United Kingdom – UK to run out of electricity this winter
- What the Heck Is "Clean Coal"? It depends whom you ask
- Nashville Electric Service‘s bill “round up” charitable program under fire
- Fall Is the Ideal Time for Planting: Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place
- Canada – Report blames Ottawa for British Columbia sockeye peril
- Ten Best and Worst Fish to Eat For the Environment
- 315 miles of Idaho rivers up for protection – Major hurdle is water rights
- Geothermal energy development gathers steam
- A New Flexibility with Thin Solar Cells
- Oregon Celebrates the State's Newest Wind Power Projects
- New Jersey – We'll become a world leader in wind power
- Olympia retiree builds solar bike
- UN calls for review on biofuel subsidies
- Washington State energy policies score well – State ranked No. 6 in national report
- A Gift from the ’70s: Energy Lessons
- ComEd: Fight Global Warming One Pledge, One Light Bulb at a Time
- 'Green-tech' industry could create local jobs, report says
- Wholesale Internet Bandwidth Prices Keep Falling
- The candidates click on broadband
- Philly network build out continues, Portland’s Wi-Fi access points face cold winter
- Illinois – Highland fiber-optic system viable
- Pennsylvania – High speed Internet service slow in coming to rural areas
- Washington State starts 4-day work weeks
- Skokomish Tribe Proposing a Marina in Potlatch
- City of Shelton considers transportation impact fees for new developments
- Digging (Six Feet Under) For Scrap Metal
- Experts Urge Homeowners to Protect Trees from Wind

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Puissant • \PWISS-unt\ • adjective – Of great force or vigor: strong, powerful

Alfred staggered away from the door, gasping for air. His neighbor, Gomer, had just come from the local garlic festival, where he had enjoyed the pungent herb in all its many permutations. Unfortunately, Gomer’s pores had begun emitting puissant waves of garlic odor, miasma-like throughout the neighborhood. Weeks later, Alfred still experienced faint, wafting odors that made him shudder in remembrance of that fateful day.

WEATHER
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

Fall storm blows into Washington (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_100708WXB_wind_washington_LJ.ec32f670.html?npc

Blustery night leads to chilly day – Includes wind speeds (KOMO-TV, Seatle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/30560249.html

Port Townsend council hints at city electric utility if voters disenfranchise PSE (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081007/NEWS/810070305

Clallam County PUD commissioner argues against 3% electricity rate increase (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20081007/NEWS/810070307

AP Enterprise: In bad economy, power cutoffs soar (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxa6CESVTg4kMwjUstZFvjd1VKzAD93L5MV00

Energy Department warns of higher heating costs (The Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008235093_apwinterheating.html?syndication=rss

Real estate roundup: BPA leases Vancouver space (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/10/06/daily2.html?ana=from_rss

Edmonds neighbors pitch fit over new metal pole – Displeased by pole's aesthetics, some residents say their opinions weren't considered (The Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081007/NEWS01/710079894/-1/rss02

Texas – Reliant Energy says it may look for a buyer (Dallas Morning News, TX)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-reliant_07bus.ART0.State.Edition1.39949d4.html

Michigan – Governor signs energy package into law: Includes greater use of renewable sources (The Associated Press)
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081007/mi_energy_granholm.html?.v=1

United Kingdom – UK to run out of electricity this winter (The Inquirer, UK)
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/10/07/uk-run-electricity-winter

What the Heck Is "Clean Coal"? It depends whom you ask. (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2201661/?from=rss

Nashville Electric Service‘s bill “round up” charitable program under fire (The Consumerist)
http://consumerist.com/5059692/nashville-electric-service-donates-to-charity-with-customers-money-but-not-their-permission

News Release – Fall Is the Ideal Time for Planting: PECO Says Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place (BusinessWire)
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/081007/20081007005888.html?.v=1

FISH & WILDLIFE

Canada – Report blames Ottawa for British Columbia sockeye peril (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=4029d241-bb61-44f1-8812-c16d5a858cca

Ten Eco Worst Fish to Eat – Six: Atlantic Farmed Salmon
http://green.msn.com/Articles/article.aspx?aid=650&GT1=45002&page=6

Ten Eco Best Fish to Eat – Five: Oysters (Farmed)
http://green.msn.com/Articles/article.aspx?aid=649&GT1=45002&page=5

Ten Eco Best Fish to Eat – Seven: Salmon, Wild (Alaska)
http://green.msn.com/Articles/article.aspx?aid=649&GT1=45002&page=7

Ten Eco Best Fish to Eat – Nine: Trout, Rainbow (Farmed)
http://green.msn.com/Articles/article.aspx?aid=649&GT1=45002&page=9

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

315 miles of Idaho rivers are up for protection – The major hurdle to designating Wild and Scenic Rivers is water rights “…Senator Church began his river conservation efforts in the 1950s after he saw thousands of salmon die when Idaho Power erected its Hells Canyon dams...” (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/524588.html

Hells Canyon Dam (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hells_Canyon_Dam

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Geothermal energy development gathers steam (The Associated Press)
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081007/wst_geothermal_conference.html?.v=1

A New Flexibility with Thin Solar Cells (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/science/07obsola.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

News Release –Oregon Elected Officials and Sherman County Community Celebrate the State's Newest Wind Power Projects (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/renewable-energy-leaders-oregon-elected/story.aspx?guid=%7B06B164A6-3628-495A-BE79-294795D27926%7D&dist=hppr

New Jersey – We'll become a world leader in wind power: New Jersey is powering up an ambitious plan to become a world leader in the use of wind-generated energy “Ed Note: NJ and every other state in the union…” (The Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008234842_apwindpower.html?syndication=rss

Olympia retiree builds solar bike (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008234411_solarbike07.html?syndication=rss

UN calls for review on biofuel subsidies (The Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/10/07/financial/f020729D21.DTL&feed=rss.business

CONSERVATION

Washington State energy policies score well – State ranked No. 6 in national report (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/environment/story/610086.html

Here’s a link to the conservation report (Links to PDF File at American Council for Energy Efficiency Economy)
http://www.aceee.org/pubs/e086_es.pdf

A Gift from the ’70s: Energy Lessons (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/science/07tier.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

News Release – ComEd Urges Customers to Fight Global Warming One Pledge, One Light Bulb at a Time (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/IndustryNews.asp?m=1&id=98359

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

'Green-tech' industry could create local jobs, report says (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/382038_energy07.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Wholesale Internet Bandwidth Prices Keep Falling (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/10/07/wholesale-internet-bandwidth-prices-keep-falling/

The candidates click on broadband – The US needs to boost fast Internet access. Fortunately, both presidential candidates agree (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1006/p08s01-comv.html

Updates: Philly network build out continues, Portland’s Wi-Fi access points face cold winter (MuniWIreless)
http://www.muniwireless.com/2008/10/05/philly-network-buildout-continues-portland-stalled/

Illinois – Highland fiber-optic system viable: Startup costs put at $15.7 million (Belleville News Democrat, IL)
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/492510.html

Pennsylvania – High speed Internet service slow in coming to rural areas (Clarion County News, PA)
http://www2.theclarionnews.com/General_News/74915.shtml

GENERAL NEWS

Washington State starts 4-day work weeks – Several agencies try out schedule in cost-saving effort (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/610085.html

Skokomish Tribe Proposing a Marina in Potlatch (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/oct/06/potlatch-marina-floated-as-idea/?partner=RSS

City of Shelton considers transportation impact fees for new developments (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/5222/reftab/1896/Default.aspx

Digging (Six Feet Under) For Scrap Metal – The scrap metal crime wave that has been gripping much of the country is getting worse and a little weird (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95440401

Experts Urge Homeowners to Protect Trees from Wind (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/30497204.html

DIVERSIONS

Fla. Fairgoers Catch Toddler Dropped From Ride
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/17634510/detail.html

Skydivers make unprecedented jump over Everest
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081005/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_nepal_everest_skydive;_ylt=Alt_7bB1jPgjW65wstk5wJ7tiBIF

Farmer carves out Calif. record with huge pumpkin
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081005/ap_on_fe_st/odd_giant_pumpkin;_ylt=Ai_kZuV4QZTtnG8a.yQX70LtiBIF

English judges' wigs get the chop
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081003/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_wigs;_ylt=Ahagup.y3kzOlZa8zsd2aNbtiBIF