Articles by Carol Winkel

The Council will be holding a webinar to give stakeholders and the public an overview of the process we use to develop our regional energy plan.

Salmon are returning from the Pacific Ocean to the Columbia River in big numbers this year.

The Council has begun work on its Seventh Power Plan, which provides guidance to the region on resource development. The Northwest Power Act requires that the Council include in the power plan a method for determining the quantifiable environmental costs

The Council's power plans give the region guidance on resource acquisition so we'll have the energy we need without sacrificing our natural resources.

The Council has contracted the Northwest Hydroelectric Association to conduct a scoping study on the region's hydropower potential. The study is scheduled to be completed by the end of September.

At the Council's July meeting, the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee presented background information on carbon emissions and the Northwest power sector. Some key points included: transportation is the largest contributor of carbon in the region; our level of carbon

The Council monitors its power planning assumptions on a regular basis to identify any significant changes that would affect its power plan. It recently released its revised forecast for fuel prices, which will be used to develop its Seventh Power

The Council's last major assessment of hydropower potential in the region was undertaken as part of its Fourth Power Plan, released in 1998. Recently, a number of high-profile studies have identified a significant amount of potential in the Pacific Northwest.

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions has a nice interactive map of the proposed state emission rate targets.