Energy News Digest for July 22, 2009

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.

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TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• News Release - BPA Announces Rate Changes
• BizJournal - BPA Announces Increased Rates
• BPA Rate Impacts - Seattle City Light
• Rate Increases Coming From BPA - Tacoma Power
• BPA To Raise Rates To Utilities - Clark Public Utilities
• Washington State Pushed To Limit TransAlta Emissions
• Class Action Suit Filed Against Jefferson PUD Over Port Townsend Taxes
• Portland General Electric Lowers Earnings Outlook for 2009
• San Diego Power Will Be Cut During Wildfire Threat
• Alaska - Golden Valley Electric Association to Work on Coal Plant
• A Nuclear Power Plant with a View
• Iowa Approves Controversial Electrical Service Limiters
• New Mexico – Utility Spokesman: Birds Caused Outage
• California - 'dual status' is an issue at Lassen Municipal Utility District
• Idaho Poised For another Big Sockeye Run
• Meetings Focus On Lamprey Recovery
• Editorial - Swift Resolution Needed In Shellfish Flap
• Eco-Trendy Sienna Ray & Co. Creates Salmon Skin Handbags
• Demand for Costly Easement Appraisal Angers Jefferson PUD
• Haven Lake - Differences Set Aside, Weeds Pulled at North Mason Lake
• Kittitas County Seeks Repeal of Water Rule
• In Sumas River, Asbestos Flows Freely
• Wind Power Throws a Curve at the BPA
• Bonneville Power Administration Institutes Lower Wind Integration Rate
• Gregoire: Clean Energy Key to 'Living Wage Jobs'
• Texas Wind Power - In the Line of Ire
• Solar Air Conditioners to Chill California Utility
• Vehicle-To-Grid Technology Gains Some Traction
• NOVEC Adds Apogee Interactive HomeEnergySuite to Website
• NY Times Editorial - Climate Loopholes
• Talking Renewable Energy: a Cognitive Dissonance
• U.S. Green Jobs Seen Taking Years of Planning
• The State of Wireless Broadband: 225M Subscribers & Growing
• FCC: Your Broadband Comments Weren't Helpful
• Yahoo Sees Boost in Q2 Profit to $143M
• Yahoo Eyeing Sale of Hotjobs, Yahoo Small Business
• Chinese Worker Commits Suicide over Missing iPhone Prototype
• $6,000 Reward for Info on Missing McCleary Girl
• Standout Summer to Bring More Heat
• Heat Killed Dogs Left in Olympia Car for 5 Hours
• Asia Darkens Under Longest Solar Eclipse of Century

WORD OF THE DAY

Whirling Dervish • \WHIR-ling DERR-vish\ • noun – A member of a Turkish order of dervishes, or Sufis, whose ritual consists in part of a highly stylized whirling dance.

A fraternity of Sufis (Muslim mystics) founded in Konya (Qonya), Anatolia, by the Persian Sufi poet Rumi (d. 1273), whose popular title mawlana (Arabic: "our master") gave the order its name. The order, propagated throughout Anatolia, controlled Konya and environs by the 15th century and in the 17th century appeared in Constantinople (Istanbul). European travelers identified the Mawlawiyah as dancing (or whirling) dervishes, based on their observations of the order's ritual prayer (dhikr), performed spinning on the right foot to the accompaniment of musical instruments.

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

BPA Announces Rate Changes - Keeping Rates Low And Facilitating Wind Development Remain Top Priorities (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/292435/

BPA Announces Increased Rates “…first power rate increase since 2002 - Ed Note: leaving out Cost Recovery Adjustment Clauses, of course…” (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/07/20/daily25.html

BPA Rate Impacts - Seattle City Light Bills to Rise 2.3 Percent (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009512906_bpa22m.html

Rate Increases Coming From BPA - None will immediately affect customers of Tacoma Power, but might affect customers of Puget Sound Energy (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/818170.html

BPA To Raise Rates To Utilities - Clark Public Utilities uncertain if customers will see bills increase (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090722/BIZ01/707229956/-1/BIZ

Washington State Pushed To Limit TransAlta Emissions - Clean air agency says it doesn't have legal authority to act (Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090722/NEWS02/707229944/

Class Action Suit Filed Against Jefferson PUD Over Port Townsend Taxes (Port Townsend Leader, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55&ArticleID=24741&TM=42825.95

Portland General Electric Lowers Earnings Outlook for 2009 (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/07/20/daily32.html?ana=from_rss

San Diego Power Will Be Cut During Wildfire Threat (Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2130746~San_Diego_power_will_be_cut_during_wildfire_threat.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

Alaska - Golden Valley Electric Association to Work on Coal Plant (Fairbanks Daily News Miner, AK)
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/jul/21/gvea-aidea-work-coal-plant/

A Nuclear Power Plant with a View - How do energy companies decide where to build new reactors? (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2223291/?from=rss

Iowa Approves Controversial Electrical Service Limiters (Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA)
http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090721/BUSINESS/707219926/1007

New Mexico – Utility Spokesman: Birds Caused Outage (Quay County Sun, Tucumcari, NM)
http://www.qcsunonline.com/news/birds-7406-utility-blame.html

California - Commission seeks an answer to 'dual status' issue at Lassen Municipal Utility District: Living in one district, but purchasing electricity from another supplier (Lassen County News, CA)
http://www.lassennews.com/News_Story.edi?sid=5668

FISH & WILDLIFE

Idaho Poised For another Big Sockeye Run (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/916798.html

Meetings Focus On Lamprey Recovery (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009517945_apwapacificlamprey.html?syndication=rss

Olympian Editorial - Swift Resolution Needed In Shellfish Flap
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/917429.html

Eco-Trendy Sienna Ray & Co. Creates Salmon Skin Handbags (NewsWire)
http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/54377/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Demand for Costly Easement Appraisal Angers Jefferson PUD (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090722/NEWS/307229992

Haven Lake - Differences Set Aside, Weeds Pulled at North Mason Lake (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jul/21/differences-set-aside-weeds-pulled-at-north-lake/?partner=RSS

Kittitas County Seeks Repeal of Water Rule (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10765822

In Sumas River, Asbestos Flows Freely (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/51362132.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wind Power Throws a Curve at the BPA (Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/07/wind_power_throws_a_curve_at_t.html

Bonneville Power Administration Institutes Lower Wind Integration Rate (North American Wind Power)
http://www.nawindpower.com/e107_plugins/content/content_lt.php?content.4332

Gregoire: Clean Energy Key to 'Living Wage Jobs' (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/174190.asp?source=pimail

Texas - In the Line of Ire: Wind Power Wanted, But Getting Here from There Proves Touchy (Wind Watch)
http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2009/07/22/in-the-line-of-ire-wind-power-wanted-but-getting-here-from-there-proves-touchy/

Solar Air Conditioners to Chill California Utility (C/NET News)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10292069-54.html

Vehicle-To-Grid Technology Gains Some Traction (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/07/22/22climatewire-vehicle-to-grid-technology-gains-some-tracti-50378.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

NOVEC Adds Apogee Interactive HomeEnergySuite to Website (Earth Times)
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/novec-adds-apogee-interactive-homeenergysuite-to-website,900056.shtml

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

NY Times Editorial - Climate Loopholes
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/opinion/22wed11.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Talking Renewable Energy: a Cognitive Dissonance (New West)
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/talking_renewable_energy_a_cognitive_dissonance/C37/L37/

U.S. Green Jobs Seen Taking Years of Planning (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE56K5YY20090721

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The State of Wireless Broadband: 225M Subscribers & Growing (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/07/21/for-now-hspa-rules-the-wireless-broadband/

FCC: Your Broadband Comments Weren't Helpful - Broadband plan leader complains of sloppy, vague suggestions... (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Levin-Your-Broadband-Comments-Werent-Helpful-103555

Yahoo Sees Boost in Q2 Profit to $143M (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2009/07/20/daily38.html?ana=from_rss

Yahoo Eyeing Sale of Hotjobs, Yahoo Small Business (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE56L0ZC20090722?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

Chinese Worker Commits Suicide over Missing iPhone Prototype (Associated Press)
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/22/technology/AP-AS-China-iPhone-Suicide.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

GENERAL NEWS

$6,000 Reward for Info on Missing McCleary Girl (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=191455

Standout Summer to Bring More Heat (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009512798_weather22m.html?syndication=rss

Heat Killed Dogs Left in Olympia Car for 5 Hours – owner was using store’s free internet service (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20136284/detail.html

Asia Darkens Under Longest Solar Eclipse of Century (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE56L08420090722?feedType=nl&feedName=usmorningdigest

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Study: Barking Dogs Aren't Saying Much
http://www.kirotv.com/family/20126530/detail.html

New York – State Workers Accused of Creating Secret ‘Party Lounge’
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/nyregion/22lounge.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Brawl Breaks Out in South Korean Parliament
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/22/world/AP-AS-SKorea-Brawling-Lawmakers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Workers Lock up Execs in New French 'Bossnappings'
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/22/financial/f064727D71.DTL&feed=rss.business#ixzz0M0KuMIEb

SONG OF THE DAY

Three Dog Night - Out in the Country
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq8gjqKIzuI