Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
It's Spring in Shelton - Mama and Her Ducklings Take a Stroll at Mason PUD 3's Operations Center
(SHELTON, WA) -- The duck family took a stroll today at the Mason PUD 3 Johns Prairie operations center in Shelton. A quick crossing to check out the building, and then it's right back home: the stormwater collection pond at the center of the parking area. Very Cute!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Washington State's Lowland Lakes Fishing Season Opens Saturday (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
(CENTRALIA, WA) -- Thousands of anglers will be out this
weekend for the beginning of the lowland lakes fishing season which
starts tomorrow (Saturday.) The Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife has stocked several hundred lowland lakes across the state with
nearly 16.5 million trout and kokanee. WDFW director Phil Anderson
says the lowland lakes season opener is the biggest fishing day of the
year. He says lakes in every county are well stocked, so there should
be good opportunities close to home. To participate, anglers must have a
current Washington freshwater fishing license valid through March 31,
2015. Licenses can be purchased at hundreds of license dealers across
the state or online at the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Growing Support for Hydropower as Renewable, Most Practical Energy Resource for the Pacific Northwest (Northwest RiverPartners, Portland, OR)
(PORTLAND, OR) -- On Earth Day especially, it’s important to
recognize that the Northwest is a unique region where hydropower provides 90
percent of our renewable energy and keeps the air clean. New poll results show
a growing awareness of hydro’s benefits to the region’s environment and
economy.
When asked, 3 out of 4 Northwest residents identified
hydropower as a clean, renewable energy resource. Moreover, a majority of
residents (54 percent) consider hydropower to be the region’s most practical
energy resource right now. Wind energy comes in at a distant second at 15
percent, with solar energy finishing third at 6 percent, according to the poll
conducted by Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall (DHM Research) for Northwest
RiverPartners.
“Wind and solar
energy tend to get more attention, but Northwest residents need to know that
hydro is what keeps the lights on,” said Terry Flores, executive director of
Northwest RiverPartners. “Earth Day reminds us that clean, renewable hydropower
is the Northwest’s special legacy and the reason our carbon footprint is half
that of other parts of the nation.”
The 75 percent of Northwest residents who identify
hydropower as clean, renewable energy is a slight increase from early 2013,
when DHM conducted a similar poll. The percentage who views hydropower as the
most practical resource also increased, from 47 to 54 percent of respondents.
And 7 in 10 Northwest residents continue to believe that their state
legislatures and Congress should declare hydro as a renewable energy source.
Flores credited her organization’s “CleanHydro” (cleanhydro.com)
awareness effort, now in its second year, for helping to increase public
support for and understanding of hydropower and the multiple benefits of the
Columbia and Snake river system. Despite progress, there is more work to be
done, especially among younger people and transplants to the Northwest who are
less familiar with hydro’s benefits, Flores said.
“Many people simply have not grown up with the dams and may
not have a complete understanding of the rich resources our rivers provide,”
Flores says. “The goal of CleanHydro is to educate them about the Columbia and
Snake rivers and the benefits of the clean, renewable energy they generate.”
DHM conducted the online poll of 1,200 residents of Idaho,
Oregon and Washington State in late February. Additional findings in the poll
show an appreciation for dams beyond the benefits of hydroelectric power. 74
percent of Pacific Northwest residents believe dams provide vital flood control
that protects lives, private property and the economy of local communities. 78
percent say irrigation for farms that feed the Northwest and beyond is another
fundamental asset provided by dams.
When it comes to the Snake River dams, specifically, the
poll shows that a majority of residents agree they are critical to the
Northwest. 60 percent of residents consider the four federal dams critical to
the region and agree that removing them is an extreme measure that would do
more harm than good. Only 11 percent indicated support for removing the dams. 29
percent of respondents answered, “don’t know” when asked about the issue.
“These poll results demonstrate significant public support
for the Snake River dams and for hydropower in general,” Flores said. “But they
also show us that we can and should do more to spread awareness about the
multiple benefits of hydropower to the Northwest, not just on Earth Day, but
all year-round.”
Monday, April 21, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Lewis County PUD Safety Coordinator Wins Award (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
(CHEHALIS, WA) -- Lewis County PUD’s Safety Coordinator
Jim Womble has received the Northwest Public Power Association’s
prestigious Career Commitment to Safety Award. The award focuses on the
importance of safety in the utility industry. It recognizes one person
each year that has outstanding proficiency in safety, demonstrated
leadership in safety in his or her utility and has made a significant
contribution to safety within the industry during their career. Lewis
County PUD says Womble was presented with the award at the recent NWPPA
Engineering and Operation’s Conference.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
Construction of Central Ferry-Lower Monumental Transmission Line begins in May - New line will bring more renewable wind energy west (Bonneville Power Administration)
(PORTLAND, OR) -- The
Bonneville Power Administration will begin construction of the Central
Ferry-Lower Monumental Transmission Line Project in May. The new line is
expected to carry over 800 additional megawatts of renewable wind energy,
enough to power about half a million Northwest homes when the wind is blowing.
BPA will hold two “Meet the Builder” open houses in late April.
The 38-mile, 500-kilovolt line in Washington will connect the
new Central Ferry Substation in Garfield County to the existing Lower
Monumental Substation in Walla Walla County. It is expected to be energized in
December 2015.
“Building the right facilities in the right place at the right
time is a key principle of our long-term transmission services planning
process,” said Richard Shaheen, BPA vice president for Engineering and
Technical Services. “Specifically, this project will add critical transmission
grid capacity, support new transmission requests from generators in the Snake
River area and be a welcome boost to local and regional economies.”
Over the past several years, numerous power generation
projects, including large wind projects, have requested interconnection with
the BPA system in the Snake River area. After studying the transmission system
and identifying where capacity is available, BPA determined that there is not
enough available transmission capacity to accommodate the requests. Building
the Central Ferry-Lower Monumental project will allow BPA to meet the requests
for transmission and allow additional power to flow between areas east of the
Cascade Mountains to heavily populated areas in the west.
In August 2011, the Central Ferry-Lower Monumental
Transmission Line Project was put on hold because of uncertainties regarding
the need for the new line. However, in August 2013, BPA notified customers,
landowners and stakeholders that it was moving forward with construction of the
line. Existing customer need coupled with an agreement for Portland General
Electric to acquire Phase 2 of Puget Sound Energy’s Lower Snake River Wind
Project, which PGE renamed the Tucannon River Wind Farm, required construction
activities to begin this spring.
The Tucannon River Wind Farm is a key infrastructure
investment that supports PGE’s balanced energy portfolio. Tucannon River will
help PGE satisfy Oregon’s renewable energy standard, which requires the utility
to supply 15 percent of the electricity its customers use from renewable
resources by 2015 and 25 percent by 2025.
In early 2011, BPA completed an environmental impact statement
and preliminary engineering design for the project. BPA issued a record of
decision to build the line in March 2011. Since then, BPA has conducted
additional environmental review of some access road modifications and a
material yard.
The contractor hired to build the new line is MYR Group, a
leading specialty contractor serving the electrical infrastructure market
throughout the United States. It has the experience and expertise to complete
electrical installations of any type and size. MYR Group’s power line
capabilities include transmission, overhead and underground distribution and
substation projects.
For more information, visit the project website at www.bpa.gov/go/centralferrylomo.
April 22, 20144-7 p.m.
Best Western Plus, 7 E. Oak St., Walla Walla, Wash.
Best Western Plus, 7 E. Oak St., Walla Walla, Wash.
April 23, 2014
4-7 p.m.
Best Western Plus, Dayton Hotel and Suites, 507 E. Main St., Dayton, Wash.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Mason PUD 3 Receives National Recognition for Reliable Electric Operations – Gets Highest Level of Distinction (Mason County PUD 3, Shelton, WA)
Mason PUD 3 has been designated as a diamond level utility
in this year’s Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) designation from the
American Public Power Association (APPA). The designation recognizes PUD 3 for
providing its customers with the highest degree of reliable and safe electric
service. PUD 3 is one of 94 of the nation’s more than 2,000 public power
utilities to earn the RP3 recognition and one of 29 to reach the diamond level.
Brent McKinney, manager, electric transmission and
distribution at City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri, and chair of APPA’s
RP3 Review Panel, announced the award today (April 7). The three levels of the
designation are diamond (the highest), platinum and gold.
The RP3 designation recognizes public power utilities that
excel in four key areas: reliability, safety, workforce development and system
improvement. Criteria within each category are based on sound business
practices and represent a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery
of electricity.
“RP3 utilities are providing a high level of service to
communities all over the country,” said McKinney, “These 94 designees stand out
as models of safe, reliable and forward-thinking utility operations.” The
utilities that earned the designation this year join 90 that received it last
year.
“We’re honored to receive the RP3 designation,” said Annette
Creekpaum, PUD 3 manager. “Our utility staff works hard to serve this community
with safe, reliable and cost-based service. RP3 represents a much-appreciated
recognition of this effort. We’re pleased that along with the consistent
recognition of the excellence of our financial management, we can now celebrate
the independent certification of the excellence of our operational
reliability.”
Other Washington State public utilities who received RP3
designation today include:
- Clark Public Utilities (Platinum Level)
- Clallam County PUD (Platinum Level)
- Grays Harbor PUD (Gold Level)
- A full list of the designees is available here
APPA is the national organization representing more than
2,000 not-for-profit, community- and state- owned electric utilities. It is
located in Washington, D.C.
(RP3 is a registered service mark of APPA)
Centralia City Light Begins Tree-Trimming (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
(CENTRALIA, WA) -- For the next several months, residents
in parts of Centralia will notice crews trimming tree branches and limbs
near power lines. Rick Evans with Centralia City Light says it’s part
of the local utility’s annual tree-trimming program. Evans says this
year the contract tree-trimming crews from Asplundh will be working in
the Centralia City Light service area east of I-5 and south of Reynolds
Avenue. Evans says there could be minor traffic impacts from time to
time. The tree-trimming begins this week and will continue through the
end of September.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Governor Inslee Approves Supplemental Washington State Appropriations Budget; Includes Nuclear Power Study (Washington PUD Association)
(OLYMPIA, WA) -- Governor Inslee signed the supplemental
appropriations budget this morning. The budget contained language authorizing a
joint select Nuclear Energy Task Force to study the generation of energy in the
region through the use of nuclear power.
Dale Atkinson testified twice on behalf of Energy Northwest
in support of this legislation. The American Nuclear Society, the Nuclear
Energy Institute and IBEW submitted support letters, and WPUDA joined Energy
Northwest in supporting legislation calling for the study. The original bill
did not advance to a House vote by the legislative deadline despite strong
bipartisan support in both houses, but Senator Ericksen, the bill’s sponsor,
inserted the nuclear energy task force language into the supplemental
appropriations bill in conference committee.
