U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson's (R-Idaho) $33.5 billion proposal to breach four lower Snake River dams and compensate those who rely on them became a significant topic at the first public organizational meeting for a new Columbia Basin Collaborative—a draft name for the group initiated by four Nort…
Jaime Pinkham, executive director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and a citizen of the Nez Perce Tribe, has been offered a top position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Read More
Looming resource adequacy concerns and state restrictions on thermal resources have driven up the value of hydropower in Chelan County PUD annual slice auctions due to its carbon-free generation and capacity, a trend the utility's officials expect to continue in this year's auction, set to s… Read More
An open letter from 68 scientists to Northwest governors, members of Congress and policymakers says the Federal Columbia River Power System's dams and reservoirs are impeding recovery of ESA-listed salmon, and calls for removal of the four lower Snake River dams. Read More
Filings in a long-running lawsuit over fish impacts from Columbia River System Operations are picking up after a hiatus during the 2019-2020 flexible spill agreement, and follow an initial volley on Jan. 20—the eighth complaint in the case—from 10 environmental and fishing groups. Read More
A new watercraft check station for aquatic invasive species will open near Cle Elum in mid-March, courtesy of a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Read More
Douglas County PUD commissioners on Feb. 22 awarded the first contract for site work on the utility's renewable hydrogen project, to be located outside of East Wenatchee, Wash. The commissioners also approved a call for bids to supply hydrogen storage tanks. Douglas PUD awarded a contract in… Read More
Smart water heaters are part of the solution to the last remaining hurdle standing in the way of a major expansion of renewable energy: What to do with surplus power when it's windy and sunny and what to do about power shortfalls when it's not. The life-cycle cost of new wind and solar gener… Read More
Weather-inflated Western energy prices continued to moderate this week. While power prices plunged sharply in trading, without the demand support or supply constraints of the prior week, regional natural gas prices leveled off. Read More
The Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act (better known as the Northwest Power Act) turned 40 years old in December. Read more
For your convenience, NewsData has compiled a list of the acronyms we utilize throughout the Clearing Up Publication. Read more
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Portland General Electric continued to recover from the Valentine's Day weekend storms that impacted nearly half of its customers and by Feb. 26 had only about 920 customers still without power. Read More
Washington and Oregon regulators have extended the moratorium on disconnections for electric and natural gas customers of investor-owned utilities experiencing financial hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More
U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson's (R-Idaho) $33.5 billion proposal to breach four lower Snake River dams and compensate those who rely on them became a significant topic at the first public organizational meeting for a new Columbia Basin Collaborative—a draft name for the group initiated by four Nort… Read More
State and federal climate officials offered some good news for this year's Columbia Basin water supply, and released a report documenting last year's climate statistics in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and the impacts of droughts and floods that occurred. Read More
Nearing the halfway point of the current 105-day Washington legislative session, several bills promoting Gov. Jay Inslee's ambitious climate agenda are still in play, most having been passed out of policy and fiscal committees by the Feb. 22 deadline and onto the floor for debate and votes. Read More
Portland General Electric closed the books on a wild year that featured a pandemic, civil unrest, a historic wildfire season and mammoth energy trading losses. Read More
Idaho Power parent IDACORP posted strong earnings in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More
Avista on Feb. 24 reported earnings for 2020's fourth quarter of 85 cents per diluted share, compared to 76 cents for the same period in 2019. Read More
Jennifer Granholm was sworn in as secretary of energy Feb. 25 after the Senate confirmed her nomination earlier in the day on a 64-35 vote, with all but three Western senators voting to confirm. Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Commit… Read More
