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)
- Powerful Storm Blowing Into Washington
- Eugene Water & Electric Board, California department settle power dispute
- Thieves leave Evergreen Parkway dark
- At Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant, Pennsylvania – Video of Sleeping Guards Shakes Nuclear Industry
- Is the Coal Line at Risk?
- Connecticut – Utilities Have Plan To Fight Electricity Prices
- Virginia distributor rejoins TVA network
- News Release – Tougher Truck Idling Regulations Sweep Nation
- Closure near on Columbia fish plan
- Fishing Steelhead numbers are mixed
- Summit seeks ways to curb Columbia River pollution
- Canada – Low salmon returns could lower Brackendale eagle count
- Cowlitz dredging halfway done
- California – Low snowpack to get boost
- Portland General Electric Completes Biglow Canyon Wind Farm
- Montana – NorthWestern expects to double wind capacity in 7 years
- Idaho Power wants to invest in wind power – Your rates could go up
- Massachusetts – Wind-turbine paperwork bewilders permit applicants
- For silicon plant – Hoku to pay nearly $15 million for Idaho power substation
- Seattle Times Opinion – Sitting on a hot energy source
- Canadian run-of-river power projects concealed by a green curtain
- Imperium Renewables drops IPO plan, cites “unfavorable market conditions”
- Burning biofuels may be worse than coal and oil, say experts
- Researchers Create Biodiesel from Chicken Fat
- Seattle area a new hub for "clean" technology
- Powering up: The greening of consumer electronics
- Washington State joins suit against EPA over emissions
- California – Climate change's effect on state air detailed
- Canadian warming forests sop up less greenhouse gases than thought
- Carbon Offsets: Government Warns of Fraud Risk
- UTOPIA: Could high-speed fiber optic end up a cyber-paradise lost?
- East Wenatchee – T-Mobile to be first tenant at Eastside data center
- Computer Storage Projects Rise in Importance
- Feds aid viewers' move to digital
- On Radio: What listeners can expect in 2008
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Rorschach Test • \ROAR-shack - test\ • noun – a personality and intelligence test in which a subject interprets inkblot designs in terms that reveal intellectual and emotional factors —called also Rorschach, Rorschach inkblot test. Etymology: Hermann Rorschach died 1922 Swiss psychiatrist
Bartholomew had befuddled his psychiatrists. Every time they gave him Rorschach Test, the ink blots elicited mainly silence. That is, until Bart started an odd, braying laugh at unusual times during which the most elaborate ink blots were portrayed. Unbeknownst to the psychiatrists, Bartholomew had misunderstood the test instructions and through that he was taking a Horshack test.
See Arnold Horshack information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Palillo
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Powerful Storm Blowing Into Washington – A powerful storm blows into Washington, bringing high winds and rain to the coast and parts of Western Washington and snow in the mountains. (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/13042202.html
Anger and Blame After Deadly Flood in Northwest (NY Times – includes infamous clearcut photo)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/us/03flood.html?ei=5088&en=c56e32d5d7efc0d7&ex=1357016400&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1199383410-CjA3EWONyaMk7S9IdVvaEA
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Eugene Water & Electric Board, California department settle power dispute (Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1136696~Oregon_utility__California_department_settle_power_dispute.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines
Oil at $100 a barrel – Home heating will feel sting before drivers do (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/119933431067470.xml&coll=7
Thieves leave Evergreen Parkway dark – A 2-mile stretch of Evergreen Parkway will be unlit because thieves took an estimated "several thousand feet" of copper wire from the bases of light poles, Evergreen's police chief said. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/315835.html
At Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant, Pennsylvania – Video of Sleeping Guards Shakes Nuclear Industry (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010304442.html?nav=rss_nation
Is the Coal Line at Risk? Half of the nation's electrical power comes from coal. The majority of that coal comes from Wyoming on a single rail network. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17781681&ft=1&f=17
Connecticut – Utilities Have Plan To Fight Electricity Prices – State Must Act Decisively As High Costs Are Likely To Continue, Report Says (The Day)
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=1122c9fd-cae3-4c2d-bc40-9204dd5d7b7b
Virginia distributor rejoins TVA network – A decade after splitting from the Tennessee Valley Authority to get less expensive power elsewhere, Bristol Virginia Utilities rejoined the TVA fold today. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketing Association Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChksphktZSfd%7D38%7Dbfen%5Fv
The Invisible Ingredient in Every Kitchen – Every cook relies every day on the power of heat to transform food — but most don’t understand it. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/dining/02curi.html?_r=1&ex=1357102800&en=08a1481804430a04&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
News Release – Tougher Truck Idling Regulations Sweep Nation; Drivers Must Seek Alternative Power Sources – Reduced diesel fuel use, cleaner air, less noise are goals of new regulations (Firefly Energy, via Yahoo! Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080102/20080102005661.html?.v=1
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Closure near on Columbia fish plan – After a decade of negotiations, officials are anticipated to sign in March a 10-year plan governing the catch of salmon in the Columbia River between the four tribes with treaty fishing rights and non-Indians. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2008/01/01032008_Closure-near-on-Columbia-fish-plan.cfm
Fishing Steelhead numbers are mixed – With each rainfall, more winter steelhead move up local Puget Sound rivers. But reports along the northern Olympic coast remain downright pitiful. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2004104867_fish03.html?syndication=rss
Summit seeks ways to curb Columbia River pollution (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/01/01032008_Summit-seeks-ways-to-curb-Columbia-River-pollution.cfm/
Canada – Low salmon returns could lower Brackendale eagle count (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/01/03/bc-brackendaleeaglecount.html
Cowlitz dredging halfway done – The dredge Oregon has reached the halfway point under a contract to clear volcanic sediment from the mouth of the Cowlitz River (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/01/03//area_news/doc477c9cda1e188385405563.txt
City of Port Angeles trying to find "lost" water – The city of Port Angeles is trying to find lost water. (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3332
California – Low snowpack to get boost (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7880202?nclick_check=1
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
PGE Completes Biglow Canyon Wind Farm – The last of the 76 turbines in the first-phase of development at Portland General Electric Company's (PGE) Biglow Canyon Wind Farm in Sherman County, Oregon are online. (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=51000&src=rss
Montana – NorthWestern expects to double wind capacity in 7 years (The Missoulian)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/01/01/business/biz96.txt
Idaho Power wants to invest in wind power – Your rates could go up initially, the company says about a plan that would invest money from selling sulfur dioxide emission allowances. (Idaho Statesman)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/253651.html
Massachusetts – Wind-turbine paperwork bewilders permit applicants (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChlnijprVSge%7D38%7Dbfen%5Fv
For silicon plant – Hoku to pay nearly $15 million for Idaho power substation (Pacific Business News)
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2007/12/31/daily9.html?ana=from_rss
Solar Energy Push Needs To Convince Consumers (The Chief Engineer)
http://www.chiefengineer.org/content/content_display.cfm/seqnumber_content/3239.htm
Seattle Times Opinion – Sitting on a hot energy source – The United States is frequently embarrassed over its energy policy. The most recent occurrence was in the area of geothermal energy.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004106208_geothermal04.html?syndication=rss
Canadian run-of-river power projects concealed by a green curtain (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=15454928-8b87-48cc-ba29-fc0e98aba37e
Imperium Renewables drops IPO plan, cites “unfavorable market conditions” (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/12/31/daily9.html?ana=from_rss
Burning biofuels may be worse than coal and oil, say experts (The Guardian, United Kingdom)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jan/04/sciencenews.biofuels
Researchers Create Biodiesel from Chicken Fat (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50972&src=rss
Seattle area a new hub for "clean" technology (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004103449_cleantech02.html
CONSERVATION
Alternative Energy Could Save You Money – With oil prices now approaching $100 dollars per barrel, many people are looking at the alternative energy industry as a way to save money. (KNDO/KNDU – TV, Tri Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=7569764
Powering up: The greening of consumer electronics – Consumer electronics aren’t exactly easy on the environment – they consume electricity and toxins leach out of them when they end up in landfills. (Associated Press, via the News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/245497.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Washington State joins suit against EPA over emissions – Tougher limits sought to meet greenhouse goals (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/345807_epa03.html
California – Climate change's effect on state air detailed. Stanford research estimates warming's role in California pollution levels. (Sacramento Bee, may require free registration)
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/606193.html
Canadian warming forests sop up less greenhouse gases than thought (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=7db30aea-db09-4bd6-8224-cc5fc447742f&k=24603
Carbon Offsets: Government Warns of Fraud Risk – There is something new to feel guilty about: carbon. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17814838&ft=1&f=2
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
UTOPIA: Could high-speed fiber optic end up a cyber-paradise lost? (Salt Lake Tribune, tipped via Baller/Herbst)
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7846408?source=rss
East Wenatchee – T-Mobile to be first tenant at Eastside data center. Cellular telephone and wireless-services company T-Mobile will be the first tenant of Sabey Corporation’s proposed data center complex near Pangborn Memorial Airport. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080102/NEWS04/749449869/1001/rss1001
Storage Projects Rise in Importance – private-sector archive capacity will hit an eye-popping 27,000 petabytes by 2010. Skyrocketing rates of e-mail growth account for much of this figure. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E18002573C4006C6ACA.html?ex=1357016400&en=2a004cd7dfb55fc7&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
California – Mountain View's Meraki proposes free Wi-Fi network for San Francisco (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/01/04/MNCDU8UKU.DTL
Intel leaves the OLPC after dispute – Well, that was short: Intel has announced it is leaving the One Laptop Per Child project. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9839806-37.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e703
Feds aid viewers' move to digital – Agency will start taking requests for discounts on converter boxes Tuesday. In 2009, analog will be history. (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-digital31dec31,0,701354.story?coll=la-home-center
On Radio: What listeners can expect in 2008: Some insider soundings (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/345803_radiobeat03.html?source=rss
GENERAL NEWS
South Sound finishes first in security survey – The Olympia area ranks as the nation's most secure community in the mid-sized category, according to data released by an Oregon-based research firm. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/business/story/315766.html
Olympian Opinion – New shelter will be well received. Construction began last week on a sorely-needed domestic violence shelter in Mason County.
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/315514.html
DIVERSIONS
Here’s a fascinating web site that features “news whiz” as well as some offbeat stories, even manufactured news stories for slow news days. BEWARE: some of our seasonal “save-energy-this-winter-season” stories may well be represented here.
http://www.fark.com/
'Hearty Eaters' Say Buffet Banned Them
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8TU02B00&show_article=1
Couple banned for life from shopping centre and branded 'terrorists' - for taking photos of their grandchildren (I love the Daily Mail!)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=505649&in_page_id=1770&ito=newsnow
Mysterious Object Captured On Camera
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14972942/detail.html
Students Sniff Livestock Odors For Science – Purdue University Professor Conducting Odor Experiment
http://www.kirotv.com/education/14960431/detail.html
A neo Rorschach test – New Yakima street banners cause a stir – Some Yakima residents are complaining that new street banners meant to emulate rays of sunlight instead seem to depict firearms.
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/13023642.html
State Patrol: Man digs a hole to avoid troopers – A Maple Valley man dug himself deeper into trouble this week after state troopers tried to stop him for speeding, the State Patrol reported Thursday.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/346010_hole4.html?source=rss
Friday, January 4, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Energy News Digest for January 2, 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)
- For Tahuya Residents, Best Gifts Come Unwrapped
- Part of Bonneville Power residential exchange program credit could return
- Clallam County PUD power rates going up
- Oregon – Local power bills to rise this month
- E. Idaho power rates to increase Jan. 1
- 'Decoupling' splits electricity rates and use
- State-by-State Fact Sheets; Details on Winter Heating Costs
- Climate change reheats interest in nuclear power
- Thurston County Public Utility District Lands A New Manager
- Spring Chinook predictions for Columbia River looking rosy
- Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission invites comments on sport vs. commercial allocations
- California – The Deadly Toll Of Wind Power
- Wind-power politics -- locals push for land-use control
- New Zealand – Energy strategy risks power shortages
- Idaho – US Geothermal Completes Raft River Project
- Lacey urges customers to buy green power
- Marysville air worse than Seattle's thanks to wood stoves
- Can We Turn Garbage Into Energy?
- New Energy Uses for Asphalt
- Cold causes some biodiesel problems for Clark County buses
- Washington State Team Looking at Ways to Address Climate Change
- A greener Oregon landscape in 2008
- Montanans ready to slow global warming
- Marketing firm issues `green' buyer beware warning
- Lawsuit against Grant County PUD over fiber network dismissed
- Thanks to Kitsap County PUD – Fiber Optics Network Will Be Used for Emergency Communications
- Americans are more wired, new-media survey finds
- AOL Pulls Plug on Netscape Web Browser
- Data Breaches, Thefts on the Rise
- Tahuya State Forest Sustains $1M in Damage
- Los Angeles – Out on a limb over trimming fiasco
- Don’t expect gasoline prices to drop this year
- L&I rules no violation in death of one of its workers
- Batteries Included in New Travel Restrictions
- Fund Frozen, Florida Towns Feel the Pinch – Florida’s state-run investment pool hammered by sub-prime loan crisis
- Off-Roading Stirs Dust and Debate in the West
- Lapdogs could land hefty fine
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Akrasia • \uh-KRAY-zhuh\ • noun – Weakness of will: weakness of will, especially a failure to act according to a sense of moral obligation
Alfonse was ridden with akrasia. On one hand, he knew that the double cheeseburger with jalapenos, blue cheese, thick bacon and avocados was bad for him. On the other hand, he knew that his head would explode if he could not take just one tasty bite of this forbidden fruit. “I know just as Ulysses felt as he had his crew tie him to the mast as they passed by the sirens,” he pondered. In the end, his vegetarian friends came to the rescue, tying him to the bumper of their hybrid vehicle as they slowly glided past the burger joint on their way to the organic “Humus Hut” down on south 43rd Avenue.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
For Tahuya Residents, Best Gifts Come Unwrapped (Look! It’s PUD 3 employee Nick Earsley on a very narrow footbridge – Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/24/for-tahuya-residents-best-gifts-come-unwrapped/
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Part of Bonneville Power residential exchange program credit could return (Idaho Business Review)
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2007/12/31/Part-of-Bonneville-Power-residential-exchange-program-credit-could-return
Clallam County PUD power rates going up (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3327
Oregon – Local power bills to rise this month – Cost of fuel and materials drive rates up 4 percent in Forest Grove. Other utilities also boosting rates. (The News Times)
http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=119912457496505600
E. Idaho power rates to increase Jan. 1 – The price of electricity in Eastern Idaho is about to get a little more expensive. (The Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/313744.html
'Decoupling' splits electricity rates and use (Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology)
http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2007/12/31/story13.html?ana=from_rss
State-by-State Fact Sheets; Details on Winter Heating Costs, Plus Energy-Efficiency Tips
Provided by the Alliance to Save Energy (Kansas City Info-Zine)
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/26272/
Winter State Fact Sheets – Click on a state below to get energy cost estimates and savings measures for each state. Information is available for the U.S. as a whole. (Alliance to Save Energy)
http://www.ase.org/extensions/state_facts/
Climate change reheats interest in nuclear power – In the nation's Capitol, nuclear is being seriously considered, though foes remain in the Northwest (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1198913116293600.xml&coll=7
THURSTON COUNTY PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT LANDS A NEW MANAGER – John Weidenfeller is the Thurston Public Utility District's new general manager. He was business and finance manager for King County International Airport/Boeing Field. He also has worked for Snohomish and Pierce counties and for Bonney Lake. He has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Montana and a master's degree in business administration from Embry-Riddle University. The PUD provides water planning and utility services to Thurston County and also owns and operates water systems in Pierce, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Mason counties. Formed in 1938 by a vote of the people, the PUD has about 155 water systems with about 3,000 connections. (The Olympian)
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Spring Chinook predictions for Columbia River looking rosy – It’s winter, but many salmon anglers already have spring on their minds. (Yakima Herald-Republic – OK, some media say that it’s going to be a dismal year for salmon…others say it’s gonna be great. No wonder the public’s confused)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/page/dis/303712752767457
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission invites comments on sport vs. commercial allocations (The Astorian)
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=47987&TM=37318.47
Ellensberg – Agreement brings water foes together – Conflicting desires rarely form a confluence, but an agreement blending the divergent flows of fisheries, farming and ranching interests along Manastash Creek is being hailed as a win-win situation for all. (Capital Press)
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=94&SubSectionID=801&ArticleID=38062&TM=65804.91
Late Rains Save Atlanta From Record for Drought (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/us/31drought.html?ex=1356757200&en=8250dd2d9f0b9cd8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
China – Concerns Rise with Water of Three Gorges Dam (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17723829&ft=1&f=3
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
California – The Deadly Toll Of Wind Power. Despite yearlong effort to curb bird deaths by turbines on the Altamont Pass, many still have perished (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/02/MNITTM9FA.DTL&feed=rss.news
Wind-power politics -- locals push for land-use control (Puget Sound Business Journal, partial story…the rest is for subscribers only)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/12/31/focus7.html?ana=from_rss
New Zealand – Energy strategy risks power shortages. There is a significant risk of power shortages from the Government's aim for 90 per cent renewable power and prices will rise, according to former Electricity Commission chairman Roy Hemmingway. (Stuff, New Zealand)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4342184a13.html
Idaho – US Geothermal Completes Raft River Project (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50986&src=rss
Lacey urges customers to buy green power – The city and Puget Sound Energy are challenging residents, businesses and public agencies to buy "green power." (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/314778.html
Air worse than Seattle's – The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is paying up to $750 to Marysville residents who own pre-1995 wood stoves and fireplace inserts to replace them with newer stoves or other cleaner ways of heating their homes. (Everett Herald – Biomass takes another hit…ouch!)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071231/NEWS01/488016856/-1/RSS01
Can We Turn Garbage Into Energy? The pros and cons of plasma incineration. (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2181083/fr/rss/
New Energy Uses for Asphalt – If you've ever blistered your bare feet on a hot road you know that asphalt absorbs the sun's energy. A Dutch company is now siphoning heat from roads and parking lots to heat homes and offices. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/31/financial/f111431S18.DTL&feed=rss.business
Cold causes some biodiesel problems for Clark County buses (The Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP01022008news256020.cfm
CONSERVATION
Intelligent plugs will tackle the energy-guzzlers inside your home (London Times Online)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3118713.ece
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Washington State Team Looking at Ways to Address Climate Change (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/30/state-team-looking-at-ways-to-address-climate/
A greener Oregon landscape in 2008 – The broadest array of new environmental laws in years sets standards for fuel, for renewable power generation and for appliance efficiency…mandates may cause spikes in renewable costs and impacts (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/11990715088480.xml&coll=7
Montanans ready to slow global warming (Billings Gazette)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/31/news/state/18-polls.txt
A green future may take green (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online – You asked for it, now comes the bill)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChkprqljSSec%7D38%7Dbfen%5Fv
All About: Cities and energy consumption – “…the world's cities emit almost 80 percent of global carbon dioxide as well as ‘significant amounts of other greenhouse gases.’ Put simply, if you want to tackle climate change, tackle the cities.” (CNN International)
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/12/31/eco.cities/
Marketing firm issues `green' buyer beware warning – A prominent Canadian eco-marketing firm is issuing a "buyer beware" warning to consumers after a recent survey found an overwhelming number of empty boasts on the labels of products claiming some sort of environmental benefit. (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=7abb7be5-db6a-48b6-9940-519666af86ae
How Green is Your Neighborhood? (Time Magazine)
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1696857,00.html
Don't print that e-mail! Businesses watch the green line, too (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2004097406_greenemail31.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Lawsuit against Grant PUD dismissed – PUD accused of driving down Internet prices. A federal lawsuit filed in June against Grant County PUD by three Internet service providers was dismissed earlier this month. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/12/31/news/news02.txt
Thanks to Kitsap County PUD – Fiber Optics Network Will Be Used for Emergency Communications – Local governments, schools and taxing districts throughout Kitsap County could soon be communicating across a high-speed intranet with almost unlimited capacity (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/31/fiber-optics-network-will-be-used-for-emergency/
Tennessee – Clarksville Department of Electricity new name launches new era: Department getting ready for Internet, phone services (Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle)
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080101/NEWS01/801010314
Americans are more wired, new-media survey finds – About 38 percent of U.S. consumers are watching TV shows online (Reuters)
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6224146.html
AOL Pulls Plug on Netscape Web Browser – Netscape Navigator, the world's first commercial Web browser and the launch pad of the Internet boom, will be pulled off life support Feb. 1 after a 13-year run. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/28/financial/f133102S87.DTL&feed=rss.business
Clearwire shows wireless promise (Associated Press, via the Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1198913114293600.xml&coll=7
Who's Ready for the Digital (television) Transition? (E-Marketer)
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1005758
Data Breaches, Thefts on the Rise – Wireless Transmissions Seen as Vulnerable to Hackers (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/01/AR2008010101714.html?nav=rss_business
Internet Access Is Only Prerequisite For More and More College Classes (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/30/AR2007123002796.html?nav=rss_technology
Ridicule That's Getting On Our Nerds – Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them, book review (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/31/AR2007123101929.html?nav=rss_technology
GENERAL NEWS
Tahuya State Forest Sustains $1M in Damage (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/28/tahuya-state-forest-sustains-1m-in-damage/
Out on a limb over trimming fiasco – Everybody's got a horror story about a bureaucratic nightmare, but if you can top this one, call me collect at your earliest convenience. (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez28nov28,0,7375819,full.column?coll=la-home-center
Don’t expect gasoline prices to drop this year – Retail gasoline broke all of the usual seasonal patterns in 2007 and the past week was no exception, the Energy Department figures showed Monday, as pump prices rose nationally. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/242790.html
L&I rules no violation in death of one of its workers (The Olympian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12312007news255264.cfm?newsletter=10
Batteries Included in New Travel Restrictions (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/business/01memo.html?ex=1356930000&en=4c813cb84f92c217&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Fund Frozen, Florida Towns Feel the Pinch – Florida’s state-run investment pool hammered by sub-prime loan crisis (didn’t invest in them itself)…municipalities unable to withdraw money without paying penalties. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/us/01pool.html?_r=1&ex=1356930000&en=5bc7bc0adefd085d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Off-Roading Stirs Dust and Debate in the West (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/us/30lands.html?ex=1356670800&en=0d2984ddf653f8f0&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Lapdogs could land hefty fine – Question: You see them all the time – folks driving cars with pooches perched in their laps. A Gig Harbor reader wants to know if it’s legal. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/241975.html
DIVERSIONS
Man tells cops pterodactyl caused car crash
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071228/NEWS04/696205505/1001/rss1001
Bremerton Woman Objects To Dog In Bathroom – Fight over canine affection breaks out with boyfriend
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14944987/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news
Newlyweds caught in drag race – Australian newlyweds kissing on the backseat of their hired car were unaware their chauffeur was street drag racing, until a police siren broke their romantic bliss and ended the race.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0157786120080101?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
`Surge' makes the banned-words list – Resist the urge to say you will "wordsmith" your list of New Year's resolutions rather than write one. And don't utter, "It is what it is" when you fail to meet your first goal.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071231/ap_on_re_us/banned_words
Under the Hood, a Cozy Rat Retreat – As if New York City car owners don’t already endure enough indignities — $500-a-month garages, alternate-side parking, the B.Q.E. — it turns out that rats, of which the city has an ample supply, love to cozy up inside car engines this time of year. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/29/nyregion/29rats.html?ex=1356670800&en=46ae3e3ff53da18b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- For Tahuya Residents, Best Gifts Come Unwrapped
- Part of Bonneville Power residential exchange program credit could return
- Clallam County PUD power rates going up
- Oregon – Local power bills to rise this month
- E. Idaho power rates to increase Jan. 1
- 'Decoupling' splits electricity rates and use
- State-by-State Fact Sheets; Details on Winter Heating Costs
- Climate change reheats interest in nuclear power
- Thurston County Public Utility District Lands A New Manager
- Spring Chinook predictions for Columbia River looking rosy
- Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission invites comments on sport vs. commercial allocations
- California – The Deadly Toll Of Wind Power
- Wind-power politics -- locals push for land-use control
- New Zealand – Energy strategy risks power shortages
- Idaho – US Geothermal Completes Raft River Project
- Lacey urges customers to buy green power
- Marysville air worse than Seattle's thanks to wood stoves
- Can We Turn Garbage Into Energy?
- New Energy Uses for Asphalt
- Cold causes some biodiesel problems for Clark County buses
- Washington State Team Looking at Ways to Address Climate Change
- A greener Oregon landscape in 2008
- Montanans ready to slow global warming
- Marketing firm issues `green' buyer beware warning
- Lawsuit against Grant County PUD over fiber network dismissed
- Thanks to Kitsap County PUD – Fiber Optics Network Will Be Used for Emergency Communications
- Americans are more wired, new-media survey finds
- AOL Pulls Plug on Netscape Web Browser
- Data Breaches, Thefts on the Rise
- Tahuya State Forest Sustains $1M in Damage
- Los Angeles – Out on a limb over trimming fiasco
- Don’t expect gasoline prices to drop this year
- L&I rules no violation in death of one of its workers
- Batteries Included in New Travel Restrictions
- Fund Frozen, Florida Towns Feel the Pinch – Florida’s state-run investment pool hammered by sub-prime loan crisis
- Off-Roading Stirs Dust and Debate in the West
- Lapdogs could land hefty fine
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Akrasia • \uh-KRAY-zhuh\ • noun – Weakness of will: weakness of will, especially a failure to act according to a sense of moral obligation
Alfonse was ridden with akrasia. On one hand, he knew that the double cheeseburger with jalapenos, blue cheese, thick bacon and avocados was bad for him. On the other hand, he knew that his head would explode if he could not take just one tasty bite of this forbidden fruit. “I know just as Ulysses felt as he had his crew tie him to the mast as they passed by the sirens,” he pondered. In the end, his vegetarian friends came to the rescue, tying him to the bumper of their hybrid vehicle as they slowly glided past the burger joint on their way to the organic “Humus Hut” down on south 43rd Avenue.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
For Tahuya Residents, Best Gifts Come Unwrapped (Look! It’s PUD 3 employee Nick Earsley on a very narrow footbridge – Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/24/for-tahuya-residents-best-gifts-come-unwrapped/
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Part of Bonneville Power residential exchange program credit could return (Idaho Business Review)
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2007/12/31/Part-of-Bonneville-Power-residential-exchange-program-credit-could-return
Clallam County PUD power rates going up (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3327
Oregon – Local power bills to rise this month – Cost of fuel and materials drive rates up 4 percent in Forest Grove. Other utilities also boosting rates. (The News Times)
http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=119912457496505600
E. Idaho power rates to increase Jan. 1 – The price of electricity in Eastern Idaho is about to get a little more expensive. (The Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/313744.html
'Decoupling' splits electricity rates and use (Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology)
http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2007/12/31/story13.html?ana=from_rss
State-by-State Fact Sheets; Details on Winter Heating Costs, Plus Energy-Efficiency Tips
Provided by the Alliance to Save Energy (Kansas City Info-Zine)
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/26272/
Winter State Fact Sheets – Click on a state below to get energy cost estimates and savings measures for each state. Information is available for the U.S. as a whole. (Alliance to Save Energy)
http://www.ase.org/extensions/state_facts/
Climate change reheats interest in nuclear power – In the nation's Capitol, nuclear is being seriously considered, though foes remain in the Northwest (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1198913116293600.xml&coll=7
THURSTON COUNTY PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT LANDS A NEW MANAGER – John Weidenfeller is the Thurston Public Utility District's new general manager. He was business and finance manager for King County International Airport/Boeing Field. He also has worked for Snohomish and Pierce counties and for Bonney Lake. He has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Montana and a master's degree in business administration from Embry-Riddle University. The PUD provides water planning and utility services to Thurston County and also owns and operates water systems in Pierce, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Mason counties. Formed in 1938 by a vote of the people, the PUD has about 155 water systems with about 3,000 connections. (The Olympian)
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Spring Chinook predictions for Columbia River looking rosy – It’s winter, but many salmon anglers already have spring on their minds. (Yakima Herald-Republic – OK, some media say that it’s going to be a dismal year for salmon…others say it’s gonna be great. No wonder the public’s confused)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/page/dis/303712752767457
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission invites comments on sport vs. commercial allocations (The Astorian)
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=47987&TM=37318.47
Ellensberg – Agreement brings water foes together – Conflicting desires rarely form a confluence, but an agreement blending the divergent flows of fisheries, farming and ranching interests along Manastash Creek is being hailed as a win-win situation for all. (Capital Press)
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=94&SubSectionID=801&ArticleID=38062&TM=65804.91
Late Rains Save Atlanta From Record for Drought (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/us/31drought.html?ex=1356757200&en=8250dd2d9f0b9cd8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
China – Concerns Rise with Water of Three Gorges Dam (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17723829&ft=1&f=3
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
California – The Deadly Toll Of Wind Power. Despite yearlong effort to curb bird deaths by turbines on the Altamont Pass, many still have perished (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/02/MNITTM9FA.DTL&feed=rss.news
Wind-power politics -- locals push for land-use control (Puget Sound Business Journal, partial story…the rest is for subscribers only)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/12/31/focus7.html?ana=from_rss
New Zealand – Energy strategy risks power shortages. There is a significant risk of power shortages from the Government's aim for 90 per cent renewable power and prices will rise, according to former Electricity Commission chairman Roy Hemmingway. (Stuff, New Zealand)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4342184a13.html
Idaho – US Geothermal Completes Raft River Project (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50986&src=rss
Lacey urges customers to buy green power – The city and Puget Sound Energy are challenging residents, businesses and public agencies to buy "green power." (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/314778.html
Air worse than Seattle's – The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is paying up to $750 to Marysville residents who own pre-1995 wood stoves and fireplace inserts to replace them with newer stoves or other cleaner ways of heating their homes. (Everett Herald – Biomass takes another hit…ouch!)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071231/NEWS01/488016856/-1/RSS01
Can We Turn Garbage Into Energy? The pros and cons of plasma incineration. (Slate Magazine)
http://www.slate.com/id/2181083/fr/rss/
New Energy Uses for Asphalt – If you've ever blistered your bare feet on a hot road you know that asphalt absorbs the sun's energy. A Dutch company is now siphoning heat from roads and parking lots to heat homes and offices. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/31/financial/f111431S18.DTL&feed=rss.business
Cold causes some biodiesel problems for Clark County buses (The Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP01022008news256020.cfm
CONSERVATION
Intelligent plugs will tackle the energy-guzzlers inside your home (London Times Online)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3118713.ece
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Washington State Team Looking at Ways to Address Climate Change (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/30/state-team-looking-at-ways-to-address-climate/
A greener Oregon landscape in 2008 – The broadest array of new environmental laws in years sets standards for fuel, for renewable power generation and for appliance efficiency…mandates may cause spikes in renewable costs and impacts (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/11990715088480.xml&coll=7
Montanans ready to slow global warming (Billings Gazette)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/31/news/state/18-polls.txt
A green future may take green (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online – You asked for it, now comes the bill)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChkprqljSSec%7D38%7Dbfen%5Fv
All About: Cities and energy consumption – “…the world's cities emit almost 80 percent of global carbon dioxide as well as ‘significant amounts of other greenhouse gases.’ Put simply, if you want to tackle climate change, tackle the cities.” (CNN International)
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/12/31/eco.cities/
Marketing firm issues `green' buyer beware warning – A prominent Canadian eco-marketing firm is issuing a "buyer beware" warning to consumers after a recent survey found an overwhelming number of empty boasts on the labels of products claiming some sort of environmental benefit. (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=7abb7be5-db6a-48b6-9940-519666af86ae
How Green is Your Neighborhood? (Time Magazine)
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1696857,00.html
Don't print that e-mail! Businesses watch the green line, too (The Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2004097406_greenemail31.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Lawsuit against Grant PUD dismissed – PUD accused of driving down Internet prices. A federal lawsuit filed in June against Grant County PUD by three Internet service providers was dismissed earlier this month. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/12/31/news/news02.txt
Thanks to Kitsap County PUD – Fiber Optics Network Will Be Used for Emergency Communications – Local governments, schools and taxing districts throughout Kitsap County could soon be communicating across a high-speed intranet with almost unlimited capacity (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/31/fiber-optics-network-will-be-used-for-emergency/
Tennessee – Clarksville Department of Electricity new name launches new era: Department getting ready for Internet, phone services (Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle)
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080101/NEWS01/801010314
Americans are more wired, new-media survey finds – About 38 percent of U.S. consumers are watching TV shows online (Reuters)
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6224146.html
AOL Pulls Plug on Netscape Web Browser – Netscape Navigator, the world's first commercial Web browser and the launch pad of the Internet boom, will be pulled off life support Feb. 1 after a 13-year run. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/28/financial/f133102S87.DTL&feed=rss.business
Clearwire shows wireless promise (Associated Press, via the Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1198913114293600.xml&coll=7
Who's Ready for the Digital (television) Transition? (E-Marketer)
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1005758
Data Breaches, Thefts on the Rise – Wireless Transmissions Seen as Vulnerable to Hackers (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/01/AR2008010101714.html?nav=rss_business
Internet Access Is Only Prerequisite For More and More College Classes (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/30/AR2007123002796.html?nav=rss_technology
Ridicule That's Getting On Our Nerds – Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them, book review (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/31/AR2007123101929.html?nav=rss_technology
GENERAL NEWS
Tahuya State Forest Sustains $1M in Damage (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/28/tahuya-state-forest-sustains-1m-in-damage/
Out on a limb over trimming fiasco – Everybody's got a horror story about a bureaucratic nightmare, but if you can top this one, call me collect at your earliest convenience. (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez28nov28,0,7375819,full.column?coll=la-home-center
Don’t expect gasoline prices to drop this year – Retail gasoline broke all of the usual seasonal patterns in 2007 and the past week was no exception, the Energy Department figures showed Monday, as pump prices rose nationally. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/242790.html
L&I rules no violation in death of one of its workers (The Olympian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12312007news255264.cfm?newsletter=10
Batteries Included in New Travel Restrictions (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/business/01memo.html?ex=1356930000&en=4c813cb84f92c217&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Fund Frozen, Florida Towns Feel the Pinch – Florida’s state-run investment pool hammered by sub-prime loan crisis (didn’t invest in them itself)…municipalities unable to withdraw money without paying penalties. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/us/01pool.html?_r=1&ex=1356930000&en=5bc7bc0adefd085d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Off-Roading Stirs Dust and Debate in the West (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/us/30lands.html?ex=1356670800&en=0d2984ddf653f8f0&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Lapdogs could land hefty fine – Question: You see them all the time – folks driving cars with pooches perched in their laps. A Gig Harbor reader wants to know if it’s legal. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/241975.html
DIVERSIONS
Man tells cops pterodactyl caused car crash
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071228/NEWS04/696205505/1001/rss1001
Bremerton Woman Objects To Dog In Bathroom – Fight over canine affection breaks out with boyfriend
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14944987/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news
Newlyweds caught in drag race – Australian newlyweds kissing on the backseat of their hired car were unaware their chauffeur was street drag racing, until a police siren broke their romantic bliss and ended the race.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0157786120080101?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
`Surge' makes the banned-words list – Resist the urge to say you will "wordsmith" your list of New Year's resolutions rather than write one. And don't utter, "It is what it is" when you fail to meet your first goal.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071231/ap_on_re_us/banned_words
Under the Hood, a Cozy Rat Retreat – As if New York City car owners don’t already endure enough indignities — $500-a-month garages, alternate-side parking, the B.Q.E. — it turns out that rats, of which the city has an ample supply, love to cozy up inside car engines this time of year. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/29/nyregion/29rats.html?ex=1356670800&en=46ae3e3ff53da18b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Friday, December 28, 2007
Energy News Digest for December 28, 2007
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)
- Columbian Editorial – In Our View: Energy's Invasion
- Earth2Tech Maps: Coal Power Plant Deathwatch
- Texas Nuclear Plant Shenanigans
- Maryland – Reality shorts out electricity goal
- Smart Grid Provisions in H.R. 6, 110th Congress
- Australia – Power price shock losers
- Bremerton woman says generator fumes killed her cat
- Seattle – Fixed city creeks are still foul
- Big projections for Cowlitz River in 2008
- Outlook not pretty for Coho in 2008
- Interior Dept. sued over information about endangered species
- Lacey Issues Green Power Challenge
- Geothermal energy could meet half of British Columbia’s electricity needs
- Kansas – New fortunes in the wind
- Wisconsin – Wind farm plans worry neighbors
- Tapping into trash to find a new energy source
- Hotels: Energy Star Earns Its Keep
- The city of blinding lights is starting to see 'green'
- Tankless Water Heaters – Let the debate begin!
- E.P.A. to Comply in Waiver Inquiry
- Tracking Carbon Trail To Find Why So Much Fills the Atmosphere
- IPTV may go the Hong Kong way or head towards American tragedy
- Barack Obama's Technology Policy Position Paper
- Just How Neutral is the Net?
- Fake FEMA agent targeting flood victims
- WA Minimum Wage Increases On Jan. 1
- Air agency proposes burn bans
- Ruling allows benefit cut at 65 in retiree plans
- Seattle no longer nation's most literate city
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Opprobrium • \uh-PROH-bree-um\ • noun – 1: something that brings disgrace 2a: public disgrace or ill fame that follows from conduct considered grossly wrong or vicious*b: contempt, reproach
Enron’s multitudinous financial shenanigans brought well-deserved opprobrium to the company and those who actively rolled the dice on risky ventures with other people’s money.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Columbian Editorial – In Our View: Energy's Invasion. Columbia River estuary is the last place to launch a petrochemical empire
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12272007_In-Our-View-Energys-Invasion.cfm
Earth2Tech Maps: Coal Power Plant Deathwatch (project also includes ethanol plant deathwatch)
http://earth2tech.com/2007/12/27/earth2tech-maps-coal-power-plant-deathwatch/
Texas Nuclear Plant Shenanigans – Trial is postponed in Davis-Besse case: Engineer is 3rd accused of cover-up (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChkjmpnoTUmiw11rbfem%5Ev
Maryland – Reality shorts out electricity goal. Utilities are submitting conservation proposals, but customers will pay (Baltimore Sun)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.bz.conserve28dec28,0,2027175.story?coll=bal-topemailed-headlines
Smart Grid Provisions in H.R. 6, 110th Congress (Congressional Research Service)
http://opencrs.com/document/RL34288
Australia – Power price shock losers. There is widespread concern that everyone will be a loser when electricity prices substantially rise on Tuesday. (The Mercury, Tasmania)
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22979633-5007221,00.html
Bremerton woman says generator fumes killed her cat (Kitsap Sun, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1125768~Bremerton_woman_says_generator_fumes_killed_her_cat.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Seattle – Fixed city creeks are still foul. Salmon are back, but the water is far from pristine, report says (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/345125_streams28.html
Big projections for Cowlitz River in 2008 (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/310363.html
Outlook not pretty for coho in 2008 (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/12/12272007_Outlook-not-pretty-for-coho-in-2008.cfm
Interior Dept. sued over information about endangered species – A conservation group sued the Interior Department on Thursday seeking documents about decisions on endangered species the group alleges were tainted by political pressure (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12272007news253941.cfm
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
LACEY ISSUES GREEN POWER CHALLENGE – City of Lacey and Puget Sound Energy are challenging businesses, community residents and public agencies to join in the effort to support development of long-term renewable energy solutions by signing up for green power in their homes and places of business. Puget Sound Energy's Green Power Program allows subscribers to select from several levels of participation. The minimum enrollment is $4 per month, which supports generation of 320 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy. Additional green power increments are available at $2 each. A typical energy-efficient household using about 800 kilowatt-hours of electrical energy per month would pay an additional $10 monthly to go 100 percent green. The Lacey Green Power Challenge officially begins Jan. 1. The goal of the six-month campaign is to increase green power usage to a total of 1,000 residential and business customers in the city. If the effort is successful, Puget Sound Energy, with support from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, will fund a $20,000 solar energy demonstration project on behalf of the community. The project will be installed on public property and provide an opportunity to highlight the increasingly-effective use of solar energy in Western Washington.
Geothermal energy could meet half of British Columbia’s electricity needs, researcher says – No greenhouse gases would result from tapping underground magma-heated water (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=cfbbf32d-4a3f-48d5-9b69-7ec6a82a3d5a
Kansas – New fortunes in the wind: Economics advance state's new energy resource (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChjptsllVUmiw11rbfem%5Ev
Wisconsin – Wind farm plans worry neighbors (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChkjnuqtZUmiw11rbfem%5Ev
Tapping into trash to find a new energy source (Boston Globe)
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/12/28/tapping_into_trash_to_find_a_new_energy_source/
A Light Bulb Goes On – Willett Kempton sees cars--and the electric grid--as a solution to America's energy problem, not the source of it. (Forbes)
http://www.forbes.com/global/2008/0107/036.html
CONSERVATION
Kansas Town's Green Dreams Could Save Its Future (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17643060
Hotels: Energy Star Earns Its Keep (Environmental News Network)
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/28245
Civil servants to dress casual for energy conservation (China Daily)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-12/25/content_6344708.htm
The city of blinding lights is starting to see 'green' – The first thermal plant in 16 years opened this summer in southern Nevada. And America's most expensive private development – a new hotel and casino complex on the Strip – is getting LEED certified. (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1228/p01s02-wogi.html
Tankless Water Heaters – Let the debate begin! Heat only the water you need in 2008 (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071227/BLOG15/775574349
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
E.P.A. to Comply in Waiver Inquiry – The Environmental Protection Agency signaled that it was prepared to comply with a Congressional request for all documents concerning its decision to block California from imposing limits on heat-trapping gases. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/washington/28epa.html?_r=1&ei=5088&en=172b7331977bf1a2&ex=1356584400&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1198861935-rC0z2nletYMpwJFpeDyDfQ
Tracking Carbon Trail To Find Why So Much Fills the Atmosphere (Wall Street Journal – fascinating graphic)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119880485275254475.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
India – IPTV may go the Hong Kong way or head towards American tragedy (Daily News & Analysis)
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1141823
Barack Obama's Technology Policy Position Paper: Part 1 of 5 (TMC Net)
http://blog.tmcnet.com/regulations/tech-politics-2008/barack-obamas-technology-policy-position-paper-part-1-of-5.asp
Just How Neutral is the Net? Not Very (B mighty.com)
http://www.bmighty.com/network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205204270
GENERAL NEWS
Fake FEMA agent targeting flood victims (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122707WAB_fakefema_KC.5ba01126.html
WA Minimum Wage Increases On Jan. 1 (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/jobs/14938294/detail.html
Air agency proposes burn bans – Plan would prohibit land-clearing fires in rural areas of Pierce County (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/239876.html
Ruling allows benefit cut at 65 in retiree plans – Employers can reduce their health-insurance expenses for retired workers once they turn 65 and qualify for Medicare, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has affirmed. (Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004095776_retire28.html?syndication=rss
Seattle no longer nation's most literate city, says study (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/12/24/daily12.html?ana=from_rss
DIVERSIONS
Rare 'Inverted Jenny' Stamp Purchased For $825,000
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14931995/detail.html
Infamous potatoes: Tater Tots start blaze in Idaho firehouse kitchen while crew out on a call
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7828032?nclick_check=1
Hello Kitty turns attention to young men – The cute cuddly white cat from Japan's Sanrio Co., usually seen on toys and jewelry for girls and young women, will soon don T-shirts, bags, watches and other products targeting young men
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071228/ap_on_fe_st/japan_hello_kitty_for_men;_ylt=AgP7rX_KynewpDChauBiXkrtiBIF
A far from cracking surprise - a dead mouse
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071227/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_newzealand_cracker;_ylt=Ahxt2JSCumt5WNDK4dvyR.DtiBIF
W.Va. cop says woman wiped nose on him
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071227/ap_on_fe_st/odd_officer_nose_wipe;_ylt=ArH31zwhzIIC1x5OydlFbaLtiBIF
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Columbian Editorial – In Our View: Energy's Invasion
- Earth2Tech Maps: Coal Power Plant Deathwatch
- Texas Nuclear Plant Shenanigans
- Maryland – Reality shorts out electricity goal
- Smart Grid Provisions in H.R. 6, 110th Congress
- Australia – Power price shock losers
- Bremerton woman says generator fumes killed her cat
- Seattle – Fixed city creeks are still foul
- Big projections for Cowlitz River in 2008
- Outlook not pretty for Coho in 2008
- Interior Dept. sued over information about endangered species
- Lacey Issues Green Power Challenge
- Geothermal energy could meet half of British Columbia’s electricity needs
- Kansas – New fortunes in the wind
- Wisconsin – Wind farm plans worry neighbors
- Tapping into trash to find a new energy source
- Hotels: Energy Star Earns Its Keep
- The city of blinding lights is starting to see 'green'
- Tankless Water Heaters – Let the debate begin!
- E.P.A. to Comply in Waiver Inquiry
- Tracking Carbon Trail To Find Why So Much Fills the Atmosphere
- IPTV may go the Hong Kong way or head towards American tragedy
- Barack Obama's Technology Policy Position Paper
- Just How Neutral is the Net?
- Fake FEMA agent targeting flood victims
- WA Minimum Wage Increases On Jan. 1
- Air agency proposes burn bans
- Ruling allows benefit cut at 65 in retiree plans
- Seattle no longer nation's most literate city
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Opprobrium • \uh-PROH-bree-um\ • noun – 1: something that brings disgrace 2a: public disgrace or ill fame that follows from conduct considered grossly wrong or vicious*b: contempt, reproach
Enron’s multitudinous financial shenanigans brought well-deserved opprobrium to the company and those who actively rolled the dice on risky ventures with other people’s money.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Columbian Editorial – In Our View: Energy's Invasion. Columbia River estuary is the last place to launch a petrochemical empire
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12272007_In-Our-View-Energys-Invasion.cfm
Earth2Tech Maps: Coal Power Plant Deathwatch (project also includes ethanol plant deathwatch)
http://earth2tech.com/2007/12/27/earth2tech-maps-coal-power-plant-deathwatch/
Texas Nuclear Plant Shenanigans – Trial is postponed in Davis-Besse case: Engineer is 3rd accused of cover-up (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChkjmpnoTUmiw11rbfem%5Ev
Maryland – Reality shorts out electricity goal. Utilities are submitting conservation proposals, but customers will pay (Baltimore Sun)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.bz.conserve28dec28,0,2027175.story?coll=bal-topemailed-headlines
Smart Grid Provisions in H.R. 6, 110th Congress (Congressional Research Service)
http://opencrs.com/document/RL34288
Australia – Power price shock losers. There is widespread concern that everyone will be a loser when electricity prices substantially rise on Tuesday. (The Mercury, Tasmania)
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22979633-5007221,00.html
Bremerton woman says generator fumes killed her cat (Kitsap Sun, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1125768~Bremerton_woman_says_generator_fumes_killed_her_cat.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Seattle – Fixed city creeks are still foul. Salmon are back, but the water is far from pristine, report says (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/345125_streams28.html
Big projections for Cowlitz River in 2008 (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/story/310363.html
Outlook not pretty for coho in 2008 (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/12/12272007_Outlook-not-pretty-for-coho-in-2008.cfm
Interior Dept. sued over information about endangered species – A conservation group sued the Interior Department on Thursday seeking documents about decisions on endangered species the group alleges were tainted by political pressure (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12272007news253941.cfm
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
LACEY ISSUES GREEN POWER CHALLENGE – City of Lacey and Puget Sound Energy are challenging businesses, community residents and public agencies to join in the effort to support development of long-term renewable energy solutions by signing up for green power in their homes and places of business. Puget Sound Energy's Green Power Program allows subscribers to select from several levels of participation. The minimum enrollment is $4 per month, which supports generation of 320 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy. Additional green power increments are available at $2 each. A typical energy-efficient household using about 800 kilowatt-hours of electrical energy per month would pay an additional $10 monthly to go 100 percent green. The Lacey Green Power Challenge officially begins Jan. 1. The goal of the six-month campaign is to increase green power usage to a total of 1,000 residential and business customers in the city. If the effort is successful, Puget Sound Energy, with support from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, will fund a $20,000 solar energy demonstration project on behalf of the community. The project will be installed on public property and provide an opportunity to highlight the increasingly-effective use of solar energy in Western Washington.
Geothermal energy could meet half of British Columbia’s electricity needs, researcher says – No greenhouse gases would result from tapping underground magma-heated water (Vancouver Sun)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=cfbbf32d-4a3f-48d5-9b69-7ec6a82a3d5a
Kansas – New fortunes in the wind: Economics advance state's new energy resource (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChjptsllVUmiw11rbfem%5Ev
Wisconsin – Wind farm plans worry neighbors (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5ChkjnuqtZUmiw11rbfem%5Ev
Tapping into trash to find a new energy source (Boston Globe)
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/12/28/tapping_into_trash_to_find_a_new_energy_source/
A Light Bulb Goes On – Willett Kempton sees cars--and the electric grid--as a solution to America's energy problem, not the source of it. (Forbes)
http://www.forbes.com/global/2008/0107/036.html
CONSERVATION
Kansas Town's Green Dreams Could Save Its Future (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17643060
Hotels: Energy Star Earns Its Keep (Environmental News Network)
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/28245
Civil servants to dress casual for energy conservation (China Daily)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-12/25/content_6344708.htm
The city of blinding lights is starting to see 'green' – The first thermal plant in 16 years opened this summer in southern Nevada. And America's most expensive private development – a new hotel and casino complex on the Strip – is getting LEED certified. (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1228/p01s02-wogi.html
Tankless Water Heaters – Let the debate begin! Heat only the water you need in 2008 (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071227/BLOG15/775574349
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
E.P.A. to Comply in Waiver Inquiry – The Environmental Protection Agency signaled that it was prepared to comply with a Congressional request for all documents concerning its decision to block California from imposing limits on heat-trapping gases. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/washington/28epa.html?_r=1&ei=5088&en=172b7331977bf1a2&ex=1356584400&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1198861935-rC0z2nletYMpwJFpeDyDfQ
Tracking Carbon Trail To Find Why So Much Fills the Atmosphere (Wall Street Journal – fascinating graphic)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119880485275254475.html
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
India – IPTV may go the Hong Kong way or head towards American tragedy (Daily News & Analysis)
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1141823
Barack Obama's Technology Policy Position Paper: Part 1 of 5 (TMC Net)
http://blog.tmcnet.com/regulations/tech-politics-2008/barack-obamas-technology-policy-position-paper-part-1-of-5.asp
Just How Neutral is the Net? Not Very (B mighty.com)
http://www.bmighty.com/network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205204270
GENERAL NEWS
Fake FEMA agent targeting flood victims (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122707WAB_fakefema_KC.5ba01126.html
WA Minimum Wage Increases On Jan. 1 (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/jobs/14938294/detail.html
Air agency proposes burn bans – Plan would prohibit land-clearing fires in rural areas of Pierce County (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/239876.html
Ruling allows benefit cut at 65 in retiree plans – Employers can reduce their health-insurance expenses for retired workers once they turn 65 and qualify for Medicare, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has affirmed. (Associated Press, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004095776_retire28.html?syndication=rss
Seattle no longer nation's most literate city, says study (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/12/24/daily12.html?ana=from_rss
DIVERSIONS
Rare 'Inverted Jenny' Stamp Purchased For $825,000
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14931995/detail.html
Infamous potatoes: Tater Tots start blaze in Idaho firehouse kitchen while crew out on a call
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7828032?nclick_check=1
Hello Kitty turns attention to young men – The cute cuddly white cat from Japan's Sanrio Co., usually seen on toys and jewelry for girls and young women, will soon don T-shirts, bags, watches and other products targeting young men
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071228/ap_on_fe_st/japan_hello_kitty_for_men;_ylt=AgP7rX_KynewpDChauBiXkrtiBIF
A far from cracking surprise - a dead mouse
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071227/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_newzealand_cracker;_ylt=Ahxt2JSCumt5WNDK4dvyR.DtiBIF
W.Va. cop says woman wiped nose on him
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071227/ap_on_fe_st/odd_officer_nose_wipe;_ylt=ArH31zwhzIIC1x5OydlFbaLtiBIF
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Energy News Digest for December 27, 2007
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)
- Eugene Register Guard Opinion – Sharing BPA’s benefits
- Most utilities behind BPA rebate proposal
- Energy Northwest ditches project to bury emissions
- Nuclear ‘Renaissance’ Takes Root in Idaho
- Okanogan PUD comes to aid of flooded towns
- Grant County PUD plans for retiring workers
- California – Sacramento County to offer utility-tax rebate to major users
- Sport anglers in N. Idaho irked about gillnetting season
- Stillaguamish Tribe hoping grant money will save Chinook salmon
- Canadian salmon facing another poor year, report predicts
- Calif. Faces Water Limits over Threatened Smelt
- Global Warming Jeopardizes Norway's Fish Farms
- Can wind be groomed to become a dependable source of electricity?
- How Electric Cars Could Save the Grid
- Tumwater area green building in works
- Conservation by Fiat – Portland slows down on green rules
- Flat-screen TVs devour electricity, jack up energy bills
- NFL Plans to Offset Super Bowl's Carbon Footprint
- Analysts find Qwest's Montana profits excessive
- For a Price: Bremerton Ferry Riders Get Access to Wi-Fi
- Texting while driving illegal Jan. 1
- Voters may settle family leave
- Deputies Spread Thin in the Thick of North Mason
- Olympia area house fire uncovers large drug operation
- Dicks played role as backer of Wilson's crusade
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Rescind • \rih-SIND\ • verb – 1: to take away: remove *2: take back: cancel 3: to make void (as an act) by action of the enacting authority or a superior authority: repeal
“Getting toothpaste back into the tube,” expounded the physics teacher, “is probably easier than rescinding an uncontrolled nuclear reactor. But for extra credit, write a 2,000 word essay on which of these is the more annoying of the two.” He said. “You have ten minutes.”
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Eugene Register Guard Opinion – Sharing BPA’s benefits. The Northwest’s investor-owned utilities and their publicly owned counterparts have long argued over access to low-cost electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration.
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=40477&sid=5&fid=1
Most utilities behind BPA rebate proposal – Tri-City utilities are mostly supporting a Bonneville Power Administration plan to offer short-term rebates while working on a resolution to a long-running dispute between public and private utilities over federal benefits. (Tri-Cities Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/9536593p-9447596c.html
Energy Northwest ditches project to bury emissions – Energy Northwest is abandoning plans to consider injecting some carbon dioxide emissions underground at its proposed Pacific Mountain Energy Center near Kalama. (Tri City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/9540855p-9452083c.html
Nuclear ‘Renaissance’ Takes Root in Idaho (NW Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=3435
Okanogan PUD comes to aid of flooded towns (Omak Chronicle)
http://www.omakchronicle.com/nws/n071225b.shtml
Grant County PUD plans for retiring workers – Thirteen PUD workers are participating in a special 18-month-long employee development program launched last summer for the first time. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/12/26/news/news02.txt
Tiny drop in power bills for Pacific Gas & Electric residential customers (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/27/MN7MU503D.DTL&feed=rss.news
From Southwest to Northeast: Electricity supplier gets PSC approval – A California company has been certified to become the fourth electricity supplier to residents in the Delmarva Power service area. (The News Journal, Wilmington, Delaware)
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/BUSINESS/712270345
California – Sacramento County to offer utility-tax rebate to major users: Program is tied to expansion or capital improvement projects. Sacramento County hopes to lure manufacturers and other businesses by offering utility-tax rebates to big electricity users. (Sacramento Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2007/12/24/story7.html?ana=from_rss
New Zealand – More energy please, but keep it clean (Stuff.com)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4337210a13.html
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Sport anglers in N. Idaho irked about gillnetting season (Lewiston Tribune, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1120063~Sport_anglers_in_N__Idaho_irked_about_gillnetting_season.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines
Stillaguamish Tribe hoping grant money will save Chinook salmon –Few of the Northwest's struggling salmon runs are as close to extinction as the Chinook that spawn in the south fork of the Stillaguamish River. (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12252007news252874.cfm?newsletter=10
Canadian salmon facing another poor year, report predicts – There's a vast ocean and many months stretching between now and when salmon runs start to return to the British Columbia coast in 2008. (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071226.BCSALMON26/TPStory/National
Calif. Faces Water Limits over Threatened Smelt (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17625090&ft=1&f=1001
Look out lutefisk – Global Warming Jeopardizes Norway's Fish Farms (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17638050&ft=1&f=3
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Grooming Wind – Can wind be groomed to become a dependable source of electricity? (Energy Pulse Commentary)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1632
How Electric Cars Could Save the Grid (Discovery Channel News)
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/12/27/electric-car-grid.html?dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000
CONSERVATION
Green-built building in works – A South Sound developer plans a second green-built office building in Tumwater (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/business/story/310207.html
Conservation by Fiat – Portland slows down on green rules – It was a bombshell to Portland homebuilders when city officials announced at a Chicago conference last month that every new building in the city would be taxed unless it reached a higher level of energy efficiency. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119872771684060.xml&coll=7
Flat-screen TVs devour electricity, jack up energy bills – Most consumers aren't aware of the added costs before they trade in their old sets for plasma ones (Salt Lake Tribune)
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7803524?source=rss
Hillsborough Schools Given Assignment: Save Energy – With an electric bill expected to top $40 million this year, the Hillsborough County School District has turned to a team of five men and a few posses of students. (The Tampa Tribune)
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/dec/26/me-patrols-help-knock-down-energy-use/
Electricity Costs Attacked Through XML – A power consortium that distributes a mix of "green" and conventional electricity is implementing an XML-based settlements system that drives costs out of power distribution. (InformationWeek)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20071227/tc_cmp/205203201
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
NFL Plans to Offset Super Bowl's Carbon Footprint (National Public Radio – OK, so what about CO2 from fans, flatulence from those chili-nacho-cheese concoctions-and the hot air from bloviating sports “experts” leading up to the actual game)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17625113&ft=1&f=2
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Analysts find Qwest's Montana profits excessive (Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1121276~Analysts_find_Qwest_s_Montana_profits_excessive.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines
For a Price: Bremerton Ferry Riders Get Access to Wi-Fi (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/26/bremerton-ferry-riders-get-access-to-wi-fi/
Cisco Green Plan Looks Beyond Routers – Cisco Systems wants to turn the enterprise data network into an electricity meter. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E18002573B700743F90.html?ex=1356238800&en=6386c8c2fe79d2b6&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
GENERAL NEWS
Texting while driving illegal Jan. 1 – A law making it illegal to send text messages while driving in Washington goes into effect Jan. 1, and state troopers plan to vigorously enforce the rule. (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122607WAB_texting_driver_KS.54291df9.html
Voters may settle family leave – A state lawmaker says she is open to sending a tax package to voters that would create a long-term means to pay for the state's new paid-family leave program. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/310239.html
Deputies Spread Thin in the Thick of North Mason (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/26/deputies-spread-thin-in-north-masons-thick/
Olympia area house fire uncovers large drug operation (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/310260.html
Dicks played role as backer of Wilson's crusade – U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks never served in the military. But he was a bona fide lieutenant in "Charlie Wilson's War." (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004091397_dickscharlie25m.html
KGY, port in lease renewal talks (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/business/story/309076.html
DIVERSIONS
Man, 60, sues boy, 8, over ski collision – A 60-year-old man is taking an 8-year-old boy and his dad to court, claiming the boy caused a ski-slope collision that left the older man with a shoulder injury.
http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2007/12/20/man_60_sues_boy_8_over_ski_collision/
Soccer referee pulls out red card, then a gun
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2635269520071226?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Kyrgyzstan touted as ideal delivery hub for Santa
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC47011920071224?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Man spends Christmas Eve stuck in septic tank
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071227/NEWS02/92748209/-1/RSS01
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Eugene Register Guard Opinion – Sharing BPA’s benefits
- Most utilities behind BPA rebate proposal
- Energy Northwest ditches project to bury emissions
- Nuclear ‘Renaissance’ Takes Root in Idaho
- Okanogan PUD comes to aid of flooded towns
- Grant County PUD plans for retiring workers
- California – Sacramento County to offer utility-tax rebate to major users
- Sport anglers in N. Idaho irked about gillnetting season
- Stillaguamish Tribe hoping grant money will save Chinook salmon
- Canadian salmon facing another poor year, report predicts
- Calif. Faces Water Limits over Threatened Smelt
- Global Warming Jeopardizes Norway's Fish Farms
- Can wind be groomed to become a dependable source of electricity?
- How Electric Cars Could Save the Grid
- Tumwater area green building in works
- Conservation by Fiat – Portland slows down on green rules
- Flat-screen TVs devour electricity, jack up energy bills
- NFL Plans to Offset Super Bowl's Carbon Footprint
- Analysts find Qwest's Montana profits excessive
- For a Price: Bremerton Ferry Riders Get Access to Wi-Fi
- Texting while driving illegal Jan. 1
- Voters may settle family leave
- Deputies Spread Thin in the Thick of North Mason
- Olympia area house fire uncovers large drug operation
- Dicks played role as backer of Wilson's crusade
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Rescind • \rih-SIND\ • verb – 1: to take away: remove *2: take back: cancel 3: to make void (as an act) by action of the enacting authority or a superior authority: repeal
“Getting toothpaste back into the tube,” expounded the physics teacher, “is probably easier than rescinding an uncontrolled nuclear reactor. But for extra credit, write a 2,000 word essay on which of these is the more annoying of the two.” He said. “You have ten minutes.”
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Eugene Register Guard Opinion – Sharing BPA’s benefits. The Northwest’s investor-owned utilities and their publicly owned counterparts have long argued over access to low-cost electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration.
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=40477&sid=5&fid=1
Most utilities behind BPA rebate proposal – Tri-City utilities are mostly supporting a Bonneville Power Administration plan to offer short-term rebates while working on a resolution to a long-running dispute between public and private utilities over federal benefits. (Tri-Cities Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/9536593p-9447596c.html
Energy Northwest ditches project to bury emissions – Energy Northwest is abandoning plans to consider injecting some carbon dioxide emissions underground at its proposed Pacific Mountain Energy Center near Kalama. (Tri City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/9540855p-9452083c.html
Nuclear ‘Renaissance’ Takes Root in Idaho (NW Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=3435
Okanogan PUD comes to aid of flooded towns (Omak Chronicle)
http://www.omakchronicle.com/nws/n071225b.shtml
Grant County PUD plans for retiring workers – Thirteen PUD workers are participating in a special 18-month-long employee development program launched last summer for the first time. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/12/26/news/news02.txt
Tiny drop in power bills for Pacific Gas & Electric residential customers (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/27/MN7MU503D.DTL&feed=rss.news
From Southwest to Northeast: Electricity supplier gets PSC approval – A California company has been certified to become the fourth electricity supplier to residents in the Delmarva Power service area. (The News Journal, Wilmington, Delaware)
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/BUSINESS/712270345
California – Sacramento County to offer utility-tax rebate to major users: Program is tied to expansion or capital improvement projects. Sacramento County hopes to lure manufacturers and other businesses by offering utility-tax rebates to big electricity users. (Sacramento Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2007/12/24/story7.html?ana=from_rss
New Zealand – More energy please, but keep it clean (Stuff.com)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4337210a13.html
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Sport anglers in N. Idaho irked about gillnetting season (Lewiston Tribune, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1120063~Sport_anglers_in_N__Idaho_irked_about_gillnetting_season.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines
Stillaguamish Tribe hoping grant money will save Chinook salmon –Few of the Northwest's struggling salmon runs are as close to extinction as the Chinook that spawn in the south fork of the Stillaguamish River. (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP12252007news252874.cfm?newsletter=10
Canadian salmon facing another poor year, report predicts – There's a vast ocean and many months stretching between now and when salmon runs start to return to the British Columbia coast in 2008. (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071226.BCSALMON26/TPStory/National
Calif. Faces Water Limits over Threatened Smelt (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17625090&ft=1&f=1001
Look out lutefisk – Global Warming Jeopardizes Norway's Fish Farms (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17638050&ft=1&f=3
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Grooming Wind – Can wind be groomed to become a dependable source of electricity? (Energy Pulse Commentary)
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1632
How Electric Cars Could Save the Grid (Discovery Channel News)
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/12/27/electric-car-grid.html?dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000
CONSERVATION
Green-built building in works – A South Sound developer plans a second green-built office building in Tumwater (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/business/story/310207.html
Conservation by Fiat – Portland slows down on green rules – It was a bombshell to Portland homebuilders when city officials announced at a Chicago conference last month that every new building in the city would be taxed unless it reached a higher level of energy efficiency. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119872771684060.xml&coll=7
Flat-screen TVs devour electricity, jack up energy bills – Most consumers aren't aware of the added costs before they trade in their old sets for plasma ones (Salt Lake Tribune)
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7803524?source=rss
Hillsborough Schools Given Assignment: Save Energy – With an electric bill expected to top $40 million this year, the Hillsborough County School District has turned to a team of five men and a few posses of students. (The Tampa Tribune)
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/dec/26/me-patrols-help-knock-down-energy-use/
Electricity Costs Attacked Through XML – A power consortium that distributes a mix of "green" and conventional electricity is implementing an XML-based settlements system that drives costs out of power distribution. (InformationWeek)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20071227/tc_cmp/205203201
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
NFL Plans to Offset Super Bowl's Carbon Footprint (National Public Radio – OK, so what about CO2 from fans, flatulence from those chili-nacho-cheese concoctions-and the hot air from bloviating sports “experts” leading up to the actual game)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17625113&ft=1&f=2
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Analysts find Qwest's Montana profits excessive (Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1121276~Analysts_find_Qwest_s_Montana_profits_excessive.html?cid=rss-Montana_Headlines
For a Price: Bremerton Ferry Riders Get Access to Wi-Fi (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/26/bremerton-ferry-riders-get-access-to-wi-fi/
Cisco Green Plan Looks Beyond Routers – Cisco Systems wants to turn the enterprise data network into an electricity meter. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E18002573B700743F90.html?ex=1356238800&en=6386c8c2fe79d2b6&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
GENERAL NEWS
Texting while driving illegal Jan. 1 – A law making it illegal to send text messages while driving in Washington goes into effect Jan. 1, and state troopers plan to vigorously enforce the rule. (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122607WAB_texting_driver_KS.54291df9.html
Voters may settle family leave – A state lawmaker says she is open to sending a tax package to voters that would create a long-term means to pay for the state's new paid-family leave program. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/310239.html
Deputies Spread Thin in the Thick of North Mason (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/dec/26/deputies-spread-thin-in-north-masons-thick/
Olympia area house fire uncovers large drug operation (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/310260.html
Dicks played role as backer of Wilson's crusade – U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks never served in the military. But he was a bona fide lieutenant in "Charlie Wilson's War." (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004091397_dickscharlie25m.html
KGY, port in lease renewal talks (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/business/story/309076.html
DIVERSIONS
Man, 60, sues boy, 8, over ski collision – A 60-year-old man is taking an 8-year-old boy and his dad to court, claiming the boy caused a ski-slope collision that left the older man with a shoulder injury.
http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2007/12/20/man_60_sues_boy_8_over_ski_collision/
Soccer referee pulls out red card, then a gun
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2635269520071226?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Kyrgyzstan touted as ideal delivery hub for Santa
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC47011920071224?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Man spends Christmas Eve stuck in septic tank
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071227/NEWS02/92748209/-1/RSS01
Friday, December 21, 2007
Energy News Digest for December 21, 2007
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)
- Goodbye wet fall; hello wet winter
- Chelan County PUD – Rock Island Dam gets a new turbine
- Broken bearing halts McNary
- The Astorian Editorial – Selling out the river for California
- Baltimore Sun Columnist – Electricity honey pot is starting to stink
- Electricity Planning: Disband the Ontario Power Authority
- On Salmon flow rider: Craig Thwarted by Senate Democrats
- Monster Drano Lake spring Chinook run forecast
- Birds dying from lead poisoning in Western Washington
- Study shows hunting and fishing have huge impact on state economy
- Pacific Grove's low-tech seal proposal: Pot-banging
- Columbian Editorial – In our view: Puget Sound cleanup – This won't be easy
- Grant could mean lower water costs for Monitor residents
- Idaho – Twin Fall farmers reduce sediment in canals
- The answer is not blowin' in the wind this time
- Powerful conservation motivation: Electric-bill elevation
- Washington State will sue EPA over emission decision
- Oregon Governor promises legal fight over auto emissions
- Denial of State Emissions Plan Was Foreshadowed
- Staff at EPA supported California's attempt to reduce car emission
- News Tribune Opinion – An indefensible veto of state clean air rules
- Eco-friendly Portland State University plans to hire 'green' professors
- World's next outsourcing hub: Kenya?
- Nearly $100 million wasted by Port of Seattle
- Tissue mill's closing ends era for Bellingham
- US Senator Cantwell losing top two staffers
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Passel • \PASS-ul\ • noun – A large number or amount
A passel of presents pummeled the palace on the peninsula. “Golly Santa,” exclaimed Comet, “think that your package ejection system has a few bugs in it.” You’d better stick to the chimney delivery system for now.”
Merry Christmas to all. The Energy News Digest will be enjoying a few hot toddies on the 24th and 26th. It will return, bleary-eyed and jolly on the 27th.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Goodbye wet fall; hello wet winter – Love it or hate it, it's here. Winter. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/306054.html
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Chelan County PUD – Rock Island Dam gets a new turbine. Rock Island Dam got an early holiday gift Tuesday afternoon in the form of a shiny new runner turbine complete with never-before-used blades that give off that new electron smell. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/NEWS04/499252110/1002
Broken bearing halts McNary – Replacement power costs Northern Wasco PUD $8,000 per day. A broken thrust bearing has kept the PUD’s hydropower plant at McNary Dam shut down since mid-November, forcing the utility to buy higher priced power elsewhere. (The Dalles Chronicle)
http://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/2007/12/news12-20-07-01.shtml
The Astorian Editorial – Selling out the river for California. Gov. Kulongoski protects our world while Commissioners give it away
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=47767
Baltimore Sun Columnist – Electricity honey pot is starting to stink
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.hancock21dec21,0,7741295.column
Canada – Electricity Planning: Disband the Ontario Power Authority; panel urges (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071221.POWER21/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Craig Thwarted by Senate Democrats – Senate Democrats thwarted Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's bid to use a federal spending bill to dictate water flow for Northwest salmon. (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gnfp00LWLPx-wi2HGIDsFIuBkbNgD8TLE2980
Monster Drano Lake spring Chinook run forecast – No matter which forecasting methodology the state biologists use, the result is the same: a record-high 36,800 spring Chinook salmon are predicted to enter the Columbia River headed for Drano Lake in Skamania County. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/12/12202007_Monster-Drano-Lake-spring-chinook-run-forecast.cfm?newsletter=1
Birds dying from lead poisoning in Western Washington – Several swans have shown up dead of lead poisoning in Western Washington, and researchers think it's being caused by Judson Lake in Whatcom County. (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122007WAB_swan_dead_lead_TP.364992d5.html
Study shows hunting and fishing have huge impact on state economy – A new study says people who hunt and fish have a $1.4 billion dollar annual impact on the Washington economy. (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=7526470
California – Pacific Grove's low-tech seal proposal: Pot-banging (The Examiner.com – now I’ve got a mental image that I can’t get out of my head, thanks a lot pal…)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1117942~Pacific_Grove_s_low_tech_seal_proposal__Pot_banging.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines
Columbian Editorial – In our view: This won't be easy. Puget Sound cleanup effort is under way, but Chesapeake example is discouraging
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12202007_In-our-view-This-wont-be-easy.cfm?newsletter=5
Grant could mean lower water costs for Monitor residents – The Chelan County PUD on Wednesday received a federal grant that could lead to lower costs for residents who will be served by its Monitor water project. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/NEWS04/310052217/1001/rss1001
Idaho – Twin Fall farmers reduce sediment in canals – Less sediment has improved water quality for endangered species, spared farmers from having to repair clogged irrigation equipment and saved the company from pricey cleanup bills, canal officials said. (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/305747.html
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Maryland – Cumberland Times-News Op/Ed – The answer is not blowin' in the wind this time “…a critical analysis of the workings of our region's electricity grid reveals that industrial wind energy development within Appalachia belies its "green" reputation…” (And another 25 cents to Robert Zimmerman)
http://www.times-news.com/opinion/local_story_355120115.html?keyword=secondarystory
Introducing the Solar Tree – The streets of Europe could soon be lit by solar energy due to the fact that a solar tree prototype recently passed a key test phase. (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50934&src=rss
CONSERVATION
Charleston Post & Courier Commentary – Powerful conservation motivation: Electric-bill elevation
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/dec/09/powerful_conservation_motivation_electri24488/
Japan's Energy Demand to Fall in 2008 on Conservation (Bloomberg News)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=akllffkwduh0
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Washington State will sue EPA over emission decision – Several others joining against federal agency (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/344414_epa21.html?source=rss
Oregon Governor promises legal fight over auto emissions (Ashland Daily Tidings)
http://www.dailytidings.com/2007/1220/stories/1220_greenhouse.php
Denial of State Emissions Plan Was Foreshadowed – The Bush administration’s decision to deny California the right to regulate greenhouse gases from vehicles exploded like a grenade here and in California. But it was hiding in plain sight for weeks. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/washington/21emissions.html?ei=5088&en=27a467e0e2987243&ex=1355893200&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1198260160-fM6ATg+iqaRw7UmozbeX9w
Staff at EPA supported California's attempt to reduce car emission – Administrator reportedly overruled the unanimous opinion of his legal and technical staff in blocking California's effort to cut greenhouse gases from vehicles - a new revelation that California officials say shows his decision was based on politics, not the law. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/21/MNOUU26JN.DTL&tsp=1
News Tribune Opinion – An indefensible veto of state clean air rules. Is it the Environmental Protection Agency – or the Emissions Protection Agency?
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/235354.html
Eco-friendly Portland State University plans to hire 'green' professors – Half of a $2 million boost in funding will pay for the new faculty (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1198166106294430.xml&coll=7
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
U.K. gov't urged to adopt codes for broadband service – users concerned that they are being short-changed over broadband speeds. (Network World)
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/121907-uk-govt-urged-to-adopt.html
World's next outsourcing hub: Kenya? (Christian Science Monitor)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20071221/ts_csm/ocallcenter_1
Colorado – Glenwood city council looks into expanding broadband (Glenwood Springs Post-Independent)
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20071221/VALLEYNEWS/448683357
GENERAL NEWS
Nearly $100 million wasted by Port of Seattle, state says – A state audit Thursday blasted the Port of Seattle for shoddy management of construction contracts, which auditors say wasted $97 million in public money, violated competitive-bidding laws, and left the Port "vulnerable to fraud, waste and abuse." (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004085652_portaudit21m.html?syndication=rss
Tissue mill's closing ends era for Bellingham “…in December 2000, electricity prices spiked to $3,500 a megawatt hour, and Georgia-Pacific shut down its Bellingham mills for three days. The company ended up closing its pulp mill for good the following March…” (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004085609_mill21m.html?syndication=rss
US Senator Cantwell losing top two staffers – Chief of staff Michael Meehan and Katharine Lister, the deputy staff chief, are both leaving; a year after Cantwell won a convincing re-election. (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122107WAB_cantwell_staff_leaving_LJ.39a94fee.html
Stewart and Colbert to Return without Writers – Comedy Central’s pair of popular news satirists, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, will return to their television shows on Jan. 7, two months after production was suspended because of a writers’ strike. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/business/media/21strike.html?_r=1&ex=1355979600&en=e55d8d03b14dce21&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
DIVERSIONS
Blue Man Seeks Acceptance
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=5843725
Revealed: The seven great "medical myths"
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSARM15505420071221?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
Passport office in need of spellcheck spell check
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2017925520071220?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Chocolate fuels a carbon-negative voyage from England to Timbuktu – While others eat their way through advent calendars this Christmas season, two Britons are doing something quite different with their chocolate: using it to drive across the Sahara.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20071221/ts_csm/obiotruck
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Goodbye wet fall; hello wet winter
- Chelan County PUD – Rock Island Dam gets a new turbine
- Broken bearing halts McNary
- The Astorian Editorial – Selling out the river for California
- Baltimore Sun Columnist – Electricity honey pot is starting to stink
- Electricity Planning: Disband the Ontario Power Authority
- On Salmon flow rider: Craig Thwarted by Senate Democrats
- Monster Drano Lake spring Chinook run forecast
- Birds dying from lead poisoning in Western Washington
- Study shows hunting and fishing have huge impact on state economy
- Pacific Grove's low-tech seal proposal: Pot-banging
- Columbian Editorial – In our view: Puget Sound cleanup – This won't be easy
- Grant could mean lower water costs for Monitor residents
- Idaho – Twin Fall farmers reduce sediment in canals
- The answer is not blowin' in the wind this time
- Powerful conservation motivation: Electric-bill elevation
- Washington State will sue EPA over emission decision
- Oregon Governor promises legal fight over auto emissions
- Denial of State Emissions Plan Was Foreshadowed
- Staff at EPA supported California's attempt to reduce car emission
- News Tribune Opinion – An indefensible veto of state clean air rules
- Eco-friendly Portland State University plans to hire 'green' professors
- World's next outsourcing hub: Kenya?
- Nearly $100 million wasted by Port of Seattle
- Tissue mill's closing ends era for Bellingham
- US Senator Cantwell losing top two staffers
These and links to more stories in today’s Energy News Digest
WORD OF THE DAY
Passel • \PASS-ul\ • noun – A large number or amount
A passel of presents pummeled the palace on the peninsula. “Golly Santa,” exclaimed Comet, “think that your package ejection system has a few bugs in it.” You’d better stick to the chimney delivery system for now.”
Merry Christmas to all. The Energy News Digest will be enjoying a few hot toddies on the 24th and 26th. It will return, bleary-eyed and jolly on the 27th.
WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944
Goodbye wet fall; hello wet winter – Love it or hate it, it's here. Winter. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/306054.html
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Chelan County PUD – Rock Island Dam gets a new turbine. Rock Island Dam got an early holiday gift Tuesday afternoon in the form of a shiny new runner turbine complete with never-before-used blades that give off that new electron smell. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/NEWS04/499252110/1002
Broken bearing halts McNary – Replacement power costs Northern Wasco PUD $8,000 per day. A broken thrust bearing has kept the PUD’s hydropower plant at McNary Dam shut down since mid-November, forcing the utility to buy higher priced power elsewhere. (The Dalles Chronicle)
http://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/2007/12/news12-20-07-01.shtml
The Astorian Editorial – Selling out the river for California. Gov. Kulongoski protects our world while Commissioners give it away
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=47767
Baltimore Sun Columnist – Electricity honey pot is starting to stink
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.hancock21dec21,0,7741295.column
Canada – Electricity Planning: Disband the Ontario Power Authority; panel urges (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071221.POWER21/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/
WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT
Craig Thwarted by Senate Democrats – Senate Democrats thwarted Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's bid to use a federal spending bill to dictate water flow for Northwest salmon. (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gnfp00LWLPx-wi2HGIDsFIuBkbNgD8TLE2980
Monster Drano Lake spring Chinook run forecast – No matter which forecasting methodology the state biologists use, the result is the same: a record-high 36,800 spring Chinook salmon are predicted to enter the Columbia River headed for Drano Lake in Skamania County. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNews/2007/12/12202007_Monster-Drano-Lake-spring-chinook-run-forecast.cfm?newsletter=1
Birds dying from lead poisoning in Western Washington – Several swans have shown up dead of lead poisoning in Western Washington, and researchers think it's being caused by Judson Lake in Whatcom County. (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122007WAB_swan_dead_lead_TP.364992d5.html
Study shows hunting and fishing have huge impact on state economy – A new study says people who hunt and fish have a $1.4 billion dollar annual impact on the Washington economy. (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=7526470
California – Pacific Grove's low-tech seal proposal: Pot-banging (The Examiner.com – now I’ve got a mental image that I can’t get out of my head, thanks a lot pal…)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1117942~Pacific_Grove_s_low_tech_seal_proposal__Pot_banging.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines
Columbian Editorial – In our view: This won't be easy. Puget Sound cleanup effort is under way, but Chesapeake example is discouraging
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/12/12202007_In-our-view-This-wont-be-easy.cfm?newsletter=5
Grant could mean lower water costs for Monitor residents – The Chelan County PUD on Wednesday received a federal grant that could lead to lower costs for residents who will be served by its Monitor water project. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/NEWS04/310052217/1001/rss1001
Idaho – Twin Fall farmers reduce sediment in canals – Less sediment has improved water quality for endangered species, spared farmers from having to repair clogged irrigation equipment and saved the company from pricey cleanup bills, canal officials said. (Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/305747.html
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Maryland – Cumberland Times-News Op/Ed – The answer is not blowin' in the wind this time “…a critical analysis of the workings of our region's electricity grid reveals that industrial wind energy development within Appalachia belies its "green" reputation…” (And another 25 cents to Robert Zimmerman)
http://www.times-news.com/opinion/local_story_355120115.html?keyword=secondarystory
Introducing the Solar Tree – The streets of Europe could soon be lit by solar energy due to the fact that a solar tree prototype recently passed a key test phase. (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50934&src=rss
CONSERVATION
Charleston Post & Courier Commentary – Powerful conservation motivation: Electric-bill elevation
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/dec/09/powerful_conservation_motivation_electri24488/
Japan's Energy Demand to Fall in 2008 on Conservation (Bloomberg News)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=akllffkwduh0
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Washington State will sue EPA over emission decision – Several others joining against federal agency (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/344414_epa21.html?source=rss
Oregon Governor promises legal fight over auto emissions (Ashland Daily Tidings)
http://www.dailytidings.com/2007/1220/stories/1220_greenhouse.php
Denial of State Emissions Plan Was Foreshadowed – The Bush administration’s decision to deny California the right to regulate greenhouse gases from vehicles exploded like a grenade here and in California. But it was hiding in plain sight for weeks. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/washington/21emissions.html?ei=5088&en=27a467e0e2987243&ex=1355893200&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1198260160-fM6ATg+iqaRw7UmozbeX9w
Staff at EPA supported California's attempt to reduce car emission – Administrator reportedly overruled the unanimous opinion of his legal and technical staff in blocking California's effort to cut greenhouse gases from vehicles - a new revelation that California officials say shows his decision was based on politics, not the law. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/21/MNOUU26JN.DTL&tsp=1
News Tribune Opinion – An indefensible veto of state clean air rules. Is it the Environmental Protection Agency – or the Emissions Protection Agency?
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/235354.html
Eco-friendly Portland State University plans to hire 'green' professors – Half of a $2 million boost in funding will pay for the new faculty (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1198166106294430.xml&coll=7
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
U.K. gov't urged to adopt codes for broadband service – users concerned that they are being short-changed over broadband speeds. (Network World)
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/121907-uk-govt-urged-to-adopt.html
World's next outsourcing hub: Kenya? (Christian Science Monitor)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20071221/ts_csm/ocallcenter_1
Colorado – Glenwood city council looks into expanding broadband (Glenwood Springs Post-Independent)
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20071221/VALLEYNEWS/448683357
GENERAL NEWS
Nearly $100 million wasted by Port of Seattle, state says – A state audit Thursday blasted the Port of Seattle for shoddy management of construction contracts, which auditors say wasted $97 million in public money, violated competitive-bidding laws, and left the Port "vulnerable to fraud, waste and abuse." (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004085652_portaudit21m.html?syndication=rss
Tissue mill's closing ends era for Bellingham “…in December 2000, electricity prices spiked to $3,500 a megawatt hour, and Georgia-Pacific shut down its Bellingham mills for three days. The company ended up closing its pulp mill for good the following March…” (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004085609_mill21m.html?syndication=rss
US Senator Cantwell losing top two staffers – Chief of staff Michael Meehan and Katharine Lister, the deputy staff chief, are both leaving; a year after Cantwell won a convincing re-election. (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_122107WAB_cantwell_staff_leaving_LJ.39a94fee.html
Stewart and Colbert to Return without Writers – Comedy Central’s pair of popular news satirists, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, will return to their television shows on Jan. 7, two months after production was suspended because of a writers’ strike. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/business/media/21strike.html?_r=1&ex=1355979600&en=e55d8d03b14dce21&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
DIVERSIONS
Blue Man Seeks Acceptance
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=5843725
Revealed: The seven great "medical myths"
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSARM15505420071221?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
Passport office in need of spellcheck spell check
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2017925520071220?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews
Chocolate fuels a carbon-negative voyage from England to Timbuktu – While others eat their way through advent calendars this Christmas season, two Britons are doing something quite different with their chocolate: using it to drive across the Sahara.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20071221/ts_csm/obiotruck
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