Avista requested the approval of Idaho [AVU-G-22-01] and Oregon [ADV 1378] regulators for a voluntary renewable natural gas tariff in those states, modeled after one implemented in November in Washington. Read MoreAvista Works to Extend Voluntary RNG Offering to Idaho, Oregon
Top Stories
Idaho Power has asked the Idaho PUC to cut residential and small general service customer revenues by nearly $5 million to true up its fixed-cost revenue, effective June 1. Read MoreIdaho Power Asks IPUC to Lower Fixed Cost Adjustment by $5 Million
Developer LS Power on March 14 announced plans for an 800 MW wind farm on federal land southwest of Twin Falls, Idaho. Read MoreLS Power to Build Second Idaho Wind Project; NextEra Solar Project Advances
A highly effective passage route at Bonneville Dam for juvenile salmon will be kept open until March 20 to aid 10.8 million juvenile fall Chinook released a few weeks early under emergency conditions at the Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery. Read MoreColumbia River TMT Agrees to Ease Passage for Early Released Chinook
Significant strides have been made to recover Idaho's endangered white sturgeon and at-risk burbot populations, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council heard during presentations at its March 14 meeting. Read MoreIdaho Fish Managers Outline Burbot, Sturgeon Successes
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council released a draft of its annual report to Northwest governors on costs of the Fish and Wildlife Program incurred by BPA in fiscal year 2021. The Council voted to release the draft on March 15, which is open to public comment through April 15. Read MoreCouncil Releases Annual Report on BPA Fish and Wildlife Costs
Three small hydroelectric projects on the North Fork of the Snoqualmie River east of Seattle have been off line since early February and are not expected to be back on line before April. Read MoreFailed Switch Takes Hydroelectric Projects Off Line
The Environmental Protection Agency added a hazardous waste site on the Columbia River's Bradford Island to its National Priorities List, the agency announced March 17. Read MoreHazardous Waste Site at Bonneville Dam Added to Superfund List
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council expressed appreciation for Public Affairs Director Mark Walker, who is retiring after 26 years in that position. Council Chair Guy Norman said Walker came to the Council from Washington, D.C., in 1996, where he had worked for Sen. Mark Hatfield (R… Read MoreBrief Mentions: News Roundup
Westwide collaboration and coordination, particularly on wholesale markets and transmission, are crucial for a cost-effective, reliable decarbonized future for the regional power system, according to the closing panel at a recent virtual conference. The panelists discussed governance as a ce… Read MorePanelists Call for Collaboration on Markets, Transmission
Western power prices were mixed again this week as temperatures ticked up a few degrees compared with the previous week; however, regional natural gas values dropped across the board. Read MoreCalifornia Power Prices Up, Although Western Natural Gas Values Drop
For your convenience, NewsData has compiled a list of the acronyms we utilize throughout the Clearing Up publication. Read moreWestern Energy Acronyms
In the latest Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the latest twist in the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant saga and more. Read moreEnergy West: Feb. 1, 2023
BPA is pushing back against calls to enter a "sweetheart deal" for power prices that an investment firm says it needs to acquire and reopen the Intalco aluminum smelter in Ferndale, Wash. Read MoreBPA, PPC Resist Pressure to Make 'Sweetheart' Intalco Power Deal
As fishery managers go through the annual process of allocating salmon harvests, both in the ocean and throughout the Columbia Basin, they're predicting that much improved Pacific Ocean conditions will offer up somewhat better returns for many salmon and steelhead runs this year compared to … Read MoreAnother Great Year for Columbia Basin Coho Predicted
Although it's just a preliminary forecast, the news this year looks good for adult salmon and steelhead predicted to return to the mouth of the Columbia River. Read MoreNOAA: Forecast for Improved 2022 Salmon Runs Are 'Temporary Respite'
As the Northwest Power and Conservation Council ponders undertaking an extensive study of breaching the lower Snake River dams, the fate of the hydropower projects is drawing renewed attention from the White House and several Congressional Republicans from the Northwest. Read MoreLower Snake Dams Draw New White House, Congressional Attention
A projected increase in electricity load, along with large amounts of renewables, will guide transmission planning for the California ISO, which gave its stamp of approval to a two-year, $3 billion transmission plan. Read MoreCAISO OKs Transmission Plan to Integrate Renewables, Meet Load
A federal appeals court on March 16 stayed a lower court order that had blocked the Biden administration from using its social cost of carbon figures in regulatory actions, including rulemakings. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed revising a downwind emissions rule, incl… Read MorePOTOMAC: Appeals Court Stays Carbon-Cost Injunction