Energy News Digest for July 31, 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)

- Jefferson PUD board discounts numbers in Puget Sound Energy-backed study
- Skagit County PUD electricity vote
- Pacific Power seeks rate hike
- Puget Sound Energy Eyeing Three New Sources of Long-Term Power Supply
- BPA in the Spotlight – Energy: Upgrading the grid
- IDAHO – Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative grows with the upper valley
- Heating Oil Costs Are Rising
- Heating-oil customers facing difficult choices are eyeing other energy sources
- American Electric Power Company asks for 15% rate hike each of next three years
- Los Angeles OKs tiered rate system for summer electricity use
- CALIFORNIA – Special inspection scheduled for San Onofre nuclear plant
- Tennessee Valley Authority’s CEO says trust the agency
- FERC Chairman testifies on state of nation’s transmission grid
- Taylor Shellfish, neighbors, state will talk about remedy
- Lake Wenatchee getting closer to sockeye season
- Feds to study effect of pesticides on NW salmon
- ALASKA – Warming waters pose threats to Alaska salmon
- Water bottling company makes its pitch to Orting
- Duckabush, Dosewallips flood plan advisory meeting
- OREGON – Complications delay Lake Oswego sewer project
- CANADA – Warming means more raw sewage in local water
- A 'Dead Zone' in The Gulf of Mexico
- New Tools Emerge in Global Fight for Clean Water
- Are The Enhanced Bottled Waters Worth It?
- Renewable Energy Tax Credit Legislation Voted Down
- Wind overtakes water in Britain's green energy mix
- Renewing Urban Communities through Renewable Energy
- NORTH CAROLINA – As critics scowl, Duke praises Save-a-Watt
- Maryland Residents Asked To Cut Energy Use
- Trying to Curb Global Heat, U.N. to Turn Up Its Own
- Oregon Joins With Four Other States: Threaten to Sue E.P.A.
- Statesman-Journal Editorial – How's your lawn's carbon footprint?
- CenturyTel posts lower second quarter profit
- DSL Takes A Beating – Telcos post worst quarterly additions in DSL history
- CANADA – Bell Outlines Plan To Cap Wholesalers
- Yo FCC! Are You Doing Anything About Metered Broadband?
- NYC Trying To Fill Broadband Black Holes
- Exxon Mobil second quarter profit sets US record
- Price tag set for former Olympia brewery
- Copper thief targets radiation equipment
- Fungus Could Help Stem Worldwide Threat to Bees
- Bonneville turning off KBSG, will simulcast KIRO signal at 97.3 FM
- Racy Espresso Stand Planned For Belfair Tops Commission Meeting
- Tech firm pays $10,000 in fines for dumping hundreds of rebate requests

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

WORD OF THE DAY

Pusillanimous • \pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-muhs \ • adjective – Lacking in courage and resolution; contemptibly fearful; cowardly.

Unbeknownst to many Frank L. Baum scholars, the idea of the “Cowardly Lion” was not the author’s first choice for his book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. For many weeks, much to the displeasure of his editor, Baum insisted that the third companion for Dorothy be called the “Pusillanimous Penguin”. The editor won out, and the rest is history.

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

Jefferson PUD board discounts numbers in Puget Sound Energy-backed study (The Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080731/NEWS/807310305

Skagit County PUD electricity vote (KAPS Radio, Mount Vernon, WA)http://www.kapsradio.com/2008/07/30/pud-electricity-vote/

Pacific Power seeks rate hike – The utility wants to raise rates 15 percent for more than 125,000 customers (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA)
http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2008/07/30/local_news/080730local02ratehike.txt

Puget Sound Energy Eyeing Three New Sources of Long-Term Power Supply – 'Short List' from Request-for-Proposals Process Features More Wind Energy (Centre DailyTimes)
http://www.centredaily.com/business/story/745575.html

BPA in the Spotlight – Energy: Upgrading the grid – Electricity grids must cope with rising demand and complexity in a changing world (Nature News Online)
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080730/full/454570a.html

IDAHO – Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative grows with the upper valley (The Standard Journal, Rexburg, ID)
http://rexburgstandardjournal.com/articles/2008/07/30/news/32.txt

Heating Oil Costs Are Rising (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews/?Heating-Oil-Costs-Are-Rising=1&blockID=11352&feedID=410

Heating-oil customers facing difficult choices are eyeing other energy sources (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008082735_heatingoil31m.html?syndication=rss

OHIO – American Electric Power Company asks for 15% rate hike each of next three years (Business First of Columbus)
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/07/28/daily25.html?ana=from_rss

CALIFORNIA – Los Angeles OKs tiered rate system for summer electricity use (The Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-electric31-2008jul31,0,2179926.story

CALIFORNIA – Special inspection scheduled for San Onofre nuclear plant (The Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1514492~Special_inspection_scheduled_for_San_Onofre_plant.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Tennessee Valley Authority’s CEO says trust the agency (The Tennessean, Nashville, TN)
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080729/NEWS02/80729175/1009/NEWS02

NEWS RELEASE – FERC Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher testifies on the state of our nation’s transmission grid before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – Links to PDF File)
http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/Files/20080731102123-Chairmantestimony.pdf

FISH & WILDLIFE

Taylor Shellfish, neighbors, state will talk about remedy (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/525838.html

Lake Wenatchee getting closer to sockeye season (The Yakima Herald-Republic , WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/6318

Feds to study effect of pesticides on NW salmon (The Associated Press, via the Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP07312008news346966.cfm

ALASKA – Warming waters pose threats to Alaska salmon, could reorder marine ecosystems (Anchorage News Miner)
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/jul/31/warming-waters-pose-threats-alaska-salmon-could-re/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Water bottling company makes its pitch to Orting – Orting City Council members are continuing talks with a Nestle subsidiary about building a bottled-water plant in town – less than a month after Enumclaw officials sent the company packing (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/429342.html

Duckabush, Dosewallips flood plan advisory meeting is Thursday in Brinnon (Port Townsend Leader, WA)http://www.ptleader.com/Main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=21481

OREGON – Complications delay Lake Oswego sewer project – The contractor pulls out and the city, facing a lawsuit threat, eyes a private property (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1217388378194540.xml&coll=7

CANADA – Warming means more raw sewage in local water (The Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=e7f6720b-210e-4162-8582-0c996099e5fd

A 'Dead Zone' in The Gulf of Mexico – Scientists Say Area That Cannot Support Some Marine Life Is Near Record Size (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002943.html?nav=rss_nation

New Tools Emerge in Global Fight for Clean Water (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/international/July-08/New-Tools-Emerge-in-Global-Fight-for-Clean-Water.html

Are The Enhanced Bottled Waters Worth It? (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/money/17044255/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Renewable Energy Tax Credit Legislation Voted Down in U.S. Senate (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53210&src=rss

UNITED KINGDOM – Wind overtakes water in Britain's green energy mix (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL152895220080731

Renewing Urban Communities through Renewable Energy – Solar Living Institute trains urban youth in solar installation (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/story?id=53212&src=rss

CONSERVATION

NORTH CAROLINA – As critics scowl, Duke praises Save-a-Watt (McClatchy Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5Ckpqqomu%5BVgb%7DGJ%7Bbfen%5Fv

Maryland Residents Asked To Cut Energy Use (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93032462&ft=1&f=3

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Trying to Curb Global Heat, U.N. to Turn Up Its Own (The NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/world/31nations.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Oregon Joins With Four Other States and New York City Threaten to Sue E.P.A. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-EPA-Emissions-Challenge.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Statesman-Journal Editorial – How's your lawn's carbon footprint? (Salem, OR – and while we’re at it, what about natural gas water heaters, natural gas central heating, breathing, flatulence….)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/OPINION/807310347/1049

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

CenturyTel posts lower second quarter profit – CenturyTel posts lower 2nd-quarter profit as settlement gain boosts year-ago results (The Associated Press)
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080731/earns_centurytel.html?.v=1

DSL Takes A Beating – Telcos post worst quarterly additions in DSL history (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/DSL-Takes-A-Beating-96580

CANADA – Bell Outlines Plan To Cap Wholesalers – Just in case regulators don't allow them to throttle (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Bell-Outlines-Plan-To-Cap-Wholesalers-96589

Yo FCC! Are You Doing Anything About Metered Broadband? (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2008/07/30/fcc-metered-broadban/

NYC Trying To Fill Broadband Black Holes – City committee still talking about options, nearly three years later (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/NYC-Trying-To-Fill-Broadband-Black-Holes-96572

GENERAL NEWS

Exxon Mobil second quarter profit sets US record, shares fall – Even though the earnings set a record, the results fell short of expectations (The Associated Press)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_bi_ge/earns_exxon_mobil_18

Price tag set for former Olympia brewery (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/526395.html

Copper thief targets radiation equipment (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1514431~Copper_thief_targets_radiation_equipment.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Fungus Could Help Stem Worldwide Threat to Bees (Finding Dulcinea)
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/environment/July-August-08/Fungus-Could-Help-Stem-Worldwide-Threat-to-Bees.html

Bonneville turning off KBSG, will simulcast KIRO signal at 97.3 FM (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/07/28/daily19.html?ana=from_rss

Racy Espresso Stand Planned For Belfair Tops Mason County's Fifth Tuesday Meeting (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/selectmoduleid/3468/ArticleID/683/reftab/1896/Default.aspx

Tech firm pays $10,000 in fines for dumping hundreds of rebate requests (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10044432?source=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Portland cop fired for lying about weight-loss surgery – said she was having gall bladder surgery
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/372819_copsurgery31.html?source=rss

The Great Vegan Honey Debate – Is honey the dairy of the insect world?
http://www.slate.com/id/2196205/?from=rss

Lost Letter Makes Its Way Back Home 60 Years Later
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17038582/detail.html

44-Pound Cat Needs A New Home In New Jersey
http://www.kirotv.com/news/17038563/detail.html

For pictures of this cat, go here:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24107945-2,00.html

Hidden Van Gogh revealed in color by scientists
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSKUA05713520080730?feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology