The Skagit County board of commissioners told the Seattle City Council and Mayor Bruce Harrell it cannot support relicensing three Skagit River dams unless the city commits to recovery objectives outlined by the Skagit Treaty Tribes, which have been pushing for fish passage.

The Idaho PUC has seen the turnover of two of its three commissioners announced in the span of a few weeks.

Kieran Connolly, BPA's VP of generation asset management, is retiring at the end of January after working for the agency more than 30 years.

The Washington UTC on Jan. 13 approved a four-day filing extension, to Jan. 18, for Avista's revised all-source request for proposals.

Some hatcheries in the Columbia Basin are preparing for water shortages and increases in water temperature resulting from climate change, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council's Fish and Wildlife Committee learned during a Jan. 11 presentation.

A decision in early January by the British Columbia Supreme Court found that operation of the Kenney Dam on the Nechako River in northwestern B.C. to power Australia-based Rio Tinto's aluminum smelter in Kitimat is harming the waterway and its historic Indigenous fisheries.

John Harrison plans to retire from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council at the end of January after more than 30 years as its spokesman. Harrison was a newspaperman around the Northwest before joining the Council in 1990. He has written two books—a biography of Mona Bell, whose house…

Robert Cromwell has joined Umatilla Electric Cooperative as VP of power supply for the Hermiston-based utility, effective Jan. 3.

NW Natural has asked the Oregon PUC for a 9.9 percent rate increase, which would increase annual revenues by $73.5 million.

BPA on Jan. 12 and 26 will hold its next workshops on updating its financial plan, following on from prior monthly meetings in September, October and November.

A federal judge has ruled that Washington state has failed for years to protect aquatic species from toxins in its waters and ordered EPA to reconsider its denial of a petition from Northwest Environmental Advocates asking the federal agency to step in.

NOAA Fisheries has determined that southern resident killer whales (SRKW) remain in danger of extinction and should continue to be classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

A TransAlta coal transition grant of more than $228,600 will support weatherization and energy efficiency improvements at the Roxy Theater in Morton, Wash., an effort led by the Fire Mountain Arts Council. Work is already underway to make improvements and repairs to the theater roof, HVAC sy…

After two years of advisory committee meetings, gathering input and rewriting drafts, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted a nonnative game fish and fisheries policy on Dec. 3 that attempts to balance popular sport fishing for nonnative species with conservation needs of nativ…

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a site certification agreement Dec. 20 for the proposed 80 MW Goose Prairie Solar facility east of Moxee, Wash., in Yakima County.

The U.S. and Canada will meet for a 12th round of Columbia River Treaty negotiations Jan. 10, the U.S. Department of State announced. Both countries released statements after Dec. 9 negotiations. "During this round, the United States and Canada discussed ecosystem priorities, post-2024 flood…

BPA Administrator John Hairston has opted to reduce power rates using the $13.7 million available from a fiscal year 2021 Power Reserves Distribution Clause trigger.

The Western Resource Adequacy Program has moved into the first stage of program implementation with 26 utility participants, the Northwest Power Pool announced Dec. 9.

The drought situation since October has improved throughout much of the Northwest. And despite below normal snowpack for mid-December, it's likely to get even better, climate experts said during a drought webinar Dec. 13.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a description of the alternatives being evaluated in its Willamette Valley System EIS, and has provided a virtual room with videos, digital poster boards, maps and slides to help the public understand the process.

NuScale Power plans to go public in 2022 by merging with Spring Valley Acquisition—a publicly traded, special purpose acquisition company—to form NuScale Power Corp.

The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded more than $1.7 million from its Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funds to two Washington agencies.

Fred Koontz, a commissioner on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission since Jan. 5, resigned from his six-year term on Dec. 13. Koontz was a commissioner from King County and did not indicate his reason for leaving. His departure leaves two vacant positions on the nine-member commission…

Facing fast-approaching capacity deficits, Idaho Power is getting ready to go shopping for new resources that can come on line no later than 2025.

Commercial demand in Seattle is forecast to be the biggest source of energy savings in the next two decades, according to Seattle City Light's 2022 Conservation Potential Assessment, which the City Council approved Dec. 6 [Res 32030].

Drafts of a cleanup plan and remediation study needed to acquire contaminated land have been filed with the Washington Department of Ecology by the developers of the proposed 1,200 MW Goldendale pumped-storage project.

Researchers found evidence of gas bubble trauma (GBT) in resident fish at federal dams in the Snake and Columbia rivers during spring spill this year, but not enough to trigger operational changes, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist told the Columbia River Technical Management Team on Dec. 1.

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit asking the court to order Seattle City Light to install fish passage at Gorge Dam.

Five energy and climate bills have been prefiled as of Dec. 9 for the Washington Legislature's 60-day regular session, which convenes Jan. 10.

Avista on Dec. 3 asked the Idaho PUC for a $3.3 million, 8.1 percent increase of its natural gas revenues effective Feb. 1, 2022, to cover wholesale natural gas costs that have increased more than expected.

NW Natural Holdings' water subsidiary NW Natural Water is set to nearly double its customer base with the purchase of Far West Water and Sewer's utilities, which is expected to close in the second half of 2022.

Forth Mobility received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to design an electric vehicle car-sharing program for affordable housing residents.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality awarded four grants totaling $1 million to add 14 electric vehicle fast chargers along major highways across the state, tripling the number of fast chargers currently in the state, according to a Dec. 6 announcement by the department.

CleanTech Alliance recently presented its four annual Energy Leadership Achievement Awards recognizing contributions to the fields of energy policy, innovation and business.

John Harrison, information officer for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, is the author of a new History Press book titled "The Columbia River," a part of the Images of America series. The book features 200 photos from historical archives, government agencies and personal collecti…

Kevin Nordt is stepping down as Grant County PUD GM and CEO on Dec. 6, due to ongoing treatment for prostate cancer. The 56-year-old will instead become the PUD's inaugural chief resource officer.

Chelan County PUD GM and former BPA Administrator Steve Wright received the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance's Chairperson's Award for his years-long commitment to advancing the alliance's work.

NuScale has branded its small modular nuclear reactor plants VOYGR—pronounced "voyager"—the company announced Dec. 2.

REC Silicon President and CEO Tore Torvund is stepping down, the company said Nov. 30 in a statement. Torvund, nearly 70, has led the company for 12 years. REC CFO James May will act as CEO while the board of directors recruits a replacement; the company's corporate controller Douglas Moore …

BPA will hold a public meeting Nov. 30 to consider Clark Public Utilities' request to partially discontinue the use of its River Road generating plant, a 248 MW natural gas-fired combined-cycle combustion turbine within Clark's service territory near Vancouver, Wash.

NW Natural has entered a 21-year fixed-fee agreement with Houston-based Archea Holdings for the annual purchase of up to 1 million MMBtu of renewable natural gas thermal certificates from their portfolio of RNG projects.

Idaho Power and Whooshh Innovations were each recognized Nov. 17 with the National Hydropower Association's 2021 Outstanding Stewards of America's Waters award, both in the category of recreational, environmental or historical enhancement.

Salmon advocates gathered in six Northwest cities on Nov. 20 to mark the 30th anniversary of the initial listing of a salmon species as endangered anywhere in the United States.

The Oregon PUC on Nov. 18 granted Portland General Electric an extension on filing its next integrated resource plan until March 31, 2023.

Microsoft's data center in Quincy, Wash., will be the site of a three-year demonstration project to test large-format hydrogen fuel cells as a sustainable backup power source.

Following discussions with Idaho PUC staff, Idaho Power has asked commissioners to reduce the two components of its fixed-cost adjustment mechanism (FCA) for new residential and small general service customers starting in 2022.

Vlad Gutman-Britten is leaving his post as Climate Solutions' Washington director to join the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority as assistant director for policy and markets. During Gutman-Britten's seven-year stint at Climate Solutions, he led the group's strategy and …

The Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board issued a ruling Nov. 3 granting a partial summary judgment for respondents in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. State of Washington, Department of Ecology [P20-043c].

Lewis Pitt, director of government affairs and planning for the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, was confirmed by the Oregon Senate on Nov. 15 to serve on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council beginning Nov. 19. Pitt was nominated by Gov. Kate Brown to serve throug…