Energy News Digest for March 21, 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)

- Puget Sound Energy threatens lawsuit if Jefferson voters, PUD opt to take over electrical service
- BPA Agreement – Oregon May Get Lower Electric Rates
- $5 billion power line proposed – Project might tie California, B.C.
- Inland Power & Light’s net margins rise sharply
- Higher electric bills are on the way – A once-rosy outlook for Texas electricity customers has turned thorny
- Massachusetts – Cape Cod Electric Rates Among Highest In U.S.
- Department of Labor proposes new heat rules for Washington workers
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s 2007 State of the Markets Report
- News Release – FERC orders hearing to address Ninth Circuit Remand in California’s 2000-2001 energy market
- News Release – FERC accepts settlement in PJM Market monitor case
- Energy Pulse Commentary – The Case for Expanding Pumped Hydroelectric Storage
- Washington governor signs bill providing more water for Columbia Basin
- Ore. governor seeks to speed up salmon disaster aid
- Limits likely for fall chinook fishing on Oregon's rivers
- Two rivers to open for spring Chinook
- Oregon – Ask Fish and Game: Pikeminnow season
- Idaho – Lawmakers have their eye on new dams, higher dams
- Lake Tapps residents reassured over levels for recreation
- Burrowing rodents blamed for Nevada irrigation canal flood
- Ocean Shores Water testing good news for residents
- Hanford waste: 53 million gallons in danger of leaking
- Michigan – Alternative energy ideas fuel discussion
- Newsweek Magazine’s Project Green – Energy Goes Up In Smoke
- Home Depot, Habitat for Humanity strike first formal U.S. partnership
- Despite another cold winter in Oregon, global warming hasn't gone away, experts say
- Montana – Business groups campaign against climate change bill
- Perennial Arctic Ice Cover Diminishing, Officials Say
- Privately owned broadband for City of Seattle is moving ahead
- Wyoming – Powell gets funds for city fiber-optic network
- Police pick up final suspect in phone line metal thefts
- Airwaves Auction Winners Named – AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless
- Google's wireless-auction loss called possible win
- FCC Asked to Probe Auction
- Proposed Maryland bill would make intentional theft of wireless Internet access a crime
- BitTorrent to Comcast: Let's be friends
- Suspect confesses in theft of 20,000 gallons of gas along 1-5 in Washington, Oregon
- Mason County jury rules school district wasn't negligent in pitcher's lawsuit
- Property values rise by nearly $1 billion in Chelan County
- Demand for Heating and Cooling Installation is on the Rise
- Inspector Arrested in NYC Crane Collapse
- Judge orders Starbucks to pay more than $100 million in back tips

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Estoppel • \ess-TOP-pull\ • noun – A legal bar to alleging or denying a fact because of one's own previous actions or words to the contrary

The oily mannered politician’s estoppel was at once admirable and maddening to the citizens who attended his town hall meeting. “While I’d love to change my position on that topic,” he oozed, “I must hold true to my previous statements for now.”

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

Puget Sound Energy threatens lawsuit if Jefferson voters, PUD opt to take over electrical service (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080321/NEWS/803210302

Oregon May Get Lower Electric Rates – Portland General Electric to Sign Deal With BPA to Reduce Electric Rates for Residents (CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/4a0da6589bef83508b3b2779854b4bd7.htm

$5 billion power line proposed – Project might tie California, B.C., provide Avista a link (Spokane Journal of Business)
http://www.spokanejournal.com/spokane_id=article&sub=3518

Inland Power & Light’s net margins rise sharply – Co-op expects to begin work on big West Plains project late next month (Spokane Journal of Business)
http://www.spokanejournal.com/spokane_id=article&sub=3526

Higher electric bills are on the way – A once-rosy outlook for Texas electricity customers has turned thorny as electric rates follow a surge in the price of natural gas, the fuel used by nearly half the state's generators. (Houston Chronicle – Woo hoo! Deregulation…um…works?)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5637569.html

Massachusetts – Cape Cod Electric Rates Among Highest In U.S. – Natural Gas Dependence, Location Drive Up Energy Costs (WCVB-TV, Boston)
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/money/15664395/detail.html

Department of Labor proposes new heat rules for Washington workers (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/03/17/daily25.html?ana=from_rss

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s 2007 State of the Markets Report (Links to PDF file)
http://www.ferc.gov/market-oversight/st-mkt-ovr/som-rpt-2007.pdf

News Release – FERC orders hearing to address Ninth Circuit Remand into whether any individual public utility sellers’ violations of market-based rate reporting requirements led to unjust and unreasonable rates for buyers in California’s 2000-2001 energy market. (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
http://www.ferc.gov/news/news-releases/2008/2008-1/03-20-08-E-5.asp

News Release – FERC accepts settlement in PJM Market monitor case (Federal Energy Regulatory Commision)
http://www.ferc.gov/news/news-releases/2008/2008-1/03-21-08.asp

Energy Pulse Commentary – The Case for Expanding Pumped Hydroelectric Storage
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1693

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Washington governor signs bill providing more water for Columbia Basin (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004295782_apwacolumbiawater1stldwritethru.html

Ore. governor seeks to speed up salmon disaster aid (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/16864056.html

Limits likely for fall chinook fishing on Oregon's rivers – Declining salmon returns force officials to warn of restricted seasons, catches (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1205987108115330.xml&coll=7

Two rivers to open for spring Chinook (Salem Statesman Journal)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080321/OUTDOORS/803210332/1034

Oregon – Ask Fish and Game: Pikeminnow season (Argus Observer, Ontario, OR)
http://www.argusobserver.com/articles/2008/03/20/sports/doc47e2a9b671eee165098343.txt

Idaho – Lawmakers have their eye on new dams, higher dams – 1976 Teton Dam disaster is just one hurdle facing any project to store more water and make more electricity (The Idaho Statesman)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/328597.html

Lake Tapps residents reassured – State says that maintaining sufficient water in the lake for recreation during the summer is a state priority. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/314635.html

Burrowing rodents blamed for Nevada irrigation canal flood (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8650984?source=rss

Ocean Shores Water testing good news for residents (The Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2008/03/20/local_news/07news.txt

Hanford waste: 53 million gallons in danger of leaking – Transfer of waste to safer containers is lagging (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/355909_tanks21.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Michigan – Alternative energy ideas fuel discussion (Michigan Live)
http://blog.mlive.com/cns/2008/03/alternative_energy_ideas_fuel.html

CONSERVATION

Newsweek Magazine’s Project Green – Energy Goes Up In Smoke – Our old house leaks heat (and money) like a sieve.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/120053

Home Depot, Habitat for Humanity strike first formal U.S. partnership (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/03/17/daily46.html?ana=from_rss

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Despite another cold winter in Oregon, global warming hasn't gone away, experts say – Temperatures over the long term suggest the planet is continuing to get hotter, not cooler (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1205987105115330.xml&coll=7

Montana – Business groups campaign against climate change bill (The Missoulian)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/03/20/bnews/br68.txt

Perennial Arctic Ice Cover Diminishing, Officials Say (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/18/AR2008031802903.html?nav=rss_nation

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Privately owned broadband for City of Seattle is moving ahead (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004293823_brier20.html

Wyoming – Powell gets funds for city fiber-optic network (Billings Gazette)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/03/20/news/wyoming/28-fiberoptic.txt

Police pick up final suspect in phone line metal thefts (Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/03/21//area_news/10167873.txt

Airwaves Auction Winners Named – AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless combined to account for $16 billion of the $19.6 billion bid (Associated Press, via Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004295086_apairwavesauctionwinners.html?syndication=rss

Google's wireless-auction loss called possible win (Reuters, via Yahoo! News)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080321/wr_nm/wireless_auction_google_dc_2

FCC Asked to Probe Auction – Failure of Public Safety Band to Draw Bids Raises Suspicion (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/19/AR2008031903668.html?nav=rss_nation

Proposed Maryland bill would make intentional theft of wireless Internet access a crime (The Herald Mail)
http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=188912&format=html

BitTorrent to Comcast: Let's be friends – BitTorrent's CEO says Comcast would have more success managing its network if the two companies worked together. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9899677-7.html?tag=nl.e433

GENERAL NEWS

Suspect confesses in theft of 20,000 gallons of gas along 1-5 in Washington, Oregon (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080321/NEWS03/981890147/-1/RSS01

Mason County jury rules school district wasn't negligent in pitcher's lawsuit (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP03202008news294373.cfm?newsletter=10

Property values rise by nearly $1 billion in Chelan County (Wenatchee World)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080320/NEWS04/353337220

Demand for Heating and Cooling Installation is on the Rise (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=8050218

Inspector Arrested in NYC Crane Collapse – A city inspector has been charged with lying about checking on a construction crane that collapsed 11 days later, killing seven people (Associated Press, via the San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/03/20/national/a122823D70.DTL&feed=rss.news

Judge orders Starbucks to pay more than $100 million in back tips (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP03212008news294747.cfm

DIVERSIONS

Police: Woman, 66, Captures Armed Robber – 22-Year-Old Suspect Arrested
http://www.kirotv.com/news/15653011/detail.html

ATM gives shoppers double-money windfall
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2041413420080320?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Fleeing shoplifter forgets son
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL2022411420080320?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Plans for anti-terror unit found in garbage
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2039890220080320?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

32 aliases. Doctored fingerprints. Who is this guy?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004296459_johndoe21m.html

Creating Roget's Thesaurus: The story of a man obsessed
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2004293634_roget23.html