State of Northwest Utilities in 2019
- January 03, 2021
- Carol Winkel
Flat load growth continues and on site solar takes off.
News
Clean air, affordable power and environmental mitigation: Northwest Power Act turns 40
- December 16, 2020
Four decades ago, legislators and policymakers in the Pacific Northwest took a revolutionary leap of faith, writing a law that changed the direction of the region's energy future and made fish and wildlife co-equal with other purposes of hydropower dams in the Columbia River Basin.
Wholesale Electricity Prices Come Into Focus
- December 04, 2020
- Carol Winkel
Throughout the West, retiring coal plants and a plethora of clean energy policies in states, municipalities, and utilities have changed how electricity markets function, adding even more uncertainty to an already challenging enterprise: forecasting the future.
Innovative Water Agreement Is Helping Restore Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout In The Teton River
- November 23, 2020
- John Harrison
An unusual partnership among conservationists, farmers, and government agencies that allows irrigation diversions to leak into the ground for several months of the year is having a positive benefit for the iconic species.
2020 Wildfires Burned Fish Hatcheries, Wildlife Areas as Well as Forests
- November 19, 2020
- John Harrison
Wildfires blackened 2.2 million acres of forest in the Northwest this fall, destroying or damaging homes, businesses, infrastructure and also fish and wildlife projects including wildlife areas and fish hatcheries.
Science Panel Finds Annual Salmon Survival Report Dense But Useful, Recommends Report of Key Messages
- November 09, 2020
- John Harrison
ISAB says draft 2020 Comparative Survival Study is a wealth of information, but policymakers would benefit from a condensation of its conclusions.
Letter of support for continued funding of marine mammal predation
- October 30, 2020
This October the Council sent a letter to NOAA Fisheries urging permanent federal funding for ongoing, critical research into the impact of marine mammals – sea lions and seals – on adult spring Chinook salmon and other species in the Columbia River.
Could California’s Summer Rolling Blackouts Happen in the Northwest?
- October 20, 2020
- Carol Winkel
Could the Northwest experience rolling blackouts? “Yes,” says John Fazio, senior power systems analyst. “And it almost happened in 2001.”
Modelling Shows Upper Columbia Spring Chinook Remain Among Most “At-Risk”
- October 19, 2020
- John Harrison
Life cycle modelling using PIT tag data shows the fish remain at critically low numbers despite recovery effort.
Partnership Identifies Goals for Columbia River Basin Salmon Recovery
- October 19, 2020
- John Harrison
The 31 Partnership Task Force members included tribes; conservation groups, river users, hydropower interests, and representatives of the four Northwest states.