Thursday, June 30, 2016

Bonneville Power Administration Selects Javier Fernandez as Next Chief Financial Officer (Bonneville Power Administration)

June 30, 2016

(PORTLAND, OR) – Javier Fernandez has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Bonneville Power Administration. Fernandez, currently BPA’s deputy chief financial officer, will assume his new role in the next few weeks, taking over for Nancy Mitman, who announced earlier this year that she would retire in July.

As BPA’s chief financial officer, Fernandez will oversee capital and debt management, accounting, cash management and budgeting for BPA’s $4.3 billion total budget.

“Javier unquestionably brings to this vital position the kind of financial knowledge and real-world experience that will help us meet the many challenges sweeping today’s energy industry,” said BPA Administrator Elliot Mainzer. “I look forward to working closely with him as we map out our path for lasting success, with an eye toward remaining the Northwest’s wholesale energy provider of choice.”

Fernandez joined BPA in 2012. In addition to leading the capital portfolio management program, he has served as BPA’s treasurer, directing financial planning and investment of funds for BPA and exercising authority for receipt, disbursement, banking, custody of funds and financial instruments.

Before coming to BPA, he served for three years as senior vice president with D.A. Davidson & Co., a financial services firm, and seven years with Seattle-Northwest Securities, performing public finance banking and financial advisory services to municipal jurisdictions primarily in Oregon.

“The energy industry is in a transformative era, and I am very excited to be among those utility professionals who will have a chance to address the challenges and opportunities ahead while continuing our legacy of delivering on our mission to the region,” Fernandez said. “At the same time, I look forward to – and recognize the importance of – working with our customers and other stakeholders to continue BPA’s prudent approach to fiscal management.”


Fernandez has a Bachelor of Science in economics from ITAM in Mexico City and a master’s in Business Administration from Yale University. He and his wife, Belinda, live in Portland, where earlier this year they welcomed new daughter Emily into their family, joining their 5 year-old daughter, Lucia, and 2 year-old son, Alex.

Group Sues to Force Pollution Disclosure at Grand Coulee Dam (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Wind Energy Project Proposed for Thurston, Lewis Counties (Olympian - Paywall Advisory – Greens say “build it. We dare you…”)

Washington State’s Watershed Conditions Continue to Decline (Northwest Public Radio)

Google Has Turned on Its US-Japan Undersea Cable (Gizmodo – Note: Page may have PG-13 content)

Two Seal Pups Die after Being Picked Up from Beach (Northwest Cable News Network)

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Washington State Gas Tax, Fees on Electric Cars Set to Increase July 1 (KPLU Radio, Tacoma, WA)

Federal Appeals Court: Washington State Must Fix Salmon-Blocking Culverts (Associated Press)

Oregon Lawmakers Grill State Energy Department’s Leader (Northwest Cable News Network)

British Columbia: Drought Alert Issued – Vancouver Islanders Asked to Conserve Water (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

Berkeley Lab: It Takes 70 Billion-Kilowatt Hours a Year to Run the Internet (Forbes Magazine)

City of Centralia Warns of Suspicious Activity at City Light Dropbox (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

(CENTRALIA, WA) -- If you left your City of Centralia utilities payment in the red drop box in front of the Customer Service Center at 500 N. Pearl Street between 4:30 PM on Friday, June 24 and 8 AM Monday, June 27, you are asked to contact the Customer Service Center at 330-7657 to assure your payment was applied to your account.  According to Centralia Public Works, the City recorded suspicious activity around the drop box on Sunday, June 26.

Monday, June 27, 2016

USA vs. State of Washington, 13-35474 – WSDOT Culverts & Salmon Barriers (Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals – Links to PDF File)

Major Battle over Oil Terminal Unfolds in Pacific Northwest (Associated Press)

Folsom’s California ISO Leading Push for Distributed Energy Resources (Sacramento Bee, CA)

The New Electric Vehicle Playbook: How Utilities Can Gain from the Coming Boom in Electric Vehicles (Utility Dive)

Holiday Fireworks Sales Begin Tuesday in Washington State; Brush Up on Your Local Laws (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Experts Ponder National Guard's Role in Protecting Utilities (E&E Publishing)

Blake Sobczak, E&E reporter
Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2016

(EVERETT, WA) -- Not long after friendly hackers broke into his water and power utility in early 2015, Benjamin Beberness had a real danger on his hands.

An "insider threat event" at the Snohomish County Public Utility District in Washington State, where Beberness serves as chief information officer, prompted him to scramble his cybersecurity team and design a response plan.

He also turned to the good-guy hackers who once bypassed his network defenses in mere minutes via a well-crafted malicious email (EnergyWire, Oct. 6, 2015).

"Because they knew our environment so well, they were able to give me some good feedback on how to better mitigate that insider threat," Beberness said at an event in Washington, D.C., yesterday hosted by the Lexington Institute, a right-leaning think tank that focuses on national security and technology policy.

The helpful neighborhood hackers were members of the Washington National Guard, who stand ready in the event a cyberattack ever causes widespread physical damage in the state.

The extent to which Guard troops get involved in cybersecurity depends largely on the resources available and the level of interest from each governor's office. National Guard units are jointly managed at the state and federal level, giving their commanders a degree of autonomy compared to other Defense Department components.

The Department of Homeland Security remains the go-to agency for helping guard critical infrastructure networks such as the power grid from cyberthreats. Besieged utilities can also turn to the Department of Energy for sector-specific advice and expertise.

But these three-letter agencies may not be the first places state governors turn to during an actual cyber event, according to Col. Shawn Bratton, cyber operations group commander for the Maryland Air National Guard.

"In my almost 30 years in the National Guard, I've found that the crisis usually starts smaller: locally and at the state level," he said. "The governor almost always looks inside the state for solutions before requesting assistance from outside."

Support from the National Guard doesn't mean letting soldiers take over private networks, a scenario Bratton described as "difficult to imagine" given that they'd be unlikely to be invited, let alone be useful on such unfamiliar turf.

"A far more likely and valuable contribution could be in the advise-and-assist role" during a cyberattack, he said, such as by offering a "breakdown of how to recognize malware's presence and advice on how to mitigate it."

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) introduced a bill last year that would require the Director of National Intelligence to assess the possibility of creating a Cyber Defense National Guard for protecting critical infrastructure from online assaults or accidental man-made incidents.

Given the jumble of government agencies that already have a hand in grid cybersecurity, it's unclear whether the idea of boosting the National Guard's role will gain traction.


"The Guard, like the military, is being really stretched," said Daniel Goure, vice president with the Lexington Institute and a former Department of Defense official. "If [cybersecurity] is something that the Guard is uniquely capable of doing -- and that it can play a role that I don't think another institution in this country can play -- how far do we want to take it?"

Investigation Results into Columbia Generating Station Released – Many Findings Unsubstantiated, Others Handled Appropriately (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities, WA)

Cost to Replace California Nuclear with Solar: $15 Billion (Renewable Energy World)

EIA: Clean Power Plan Emissions Cuts Depend on State Compliance Decisions (Utility Dive)

Drought Killed 66 Million Trees in California (Associated Press)

Debate over Closing of British Columbia Salmon Cannery Goes to Federal Committee (Globe & Mail, Canada)

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Monday, June 20, 2016

Los Angeles Power Plants May Burn Dirty Diesel Fuel to Avoid Summer Blackouts (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Heat Wave Shatters Temperature Records across Southern California (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Warm Weather Creates Hydropower Challenges (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Cowlitz PUD Reaching Cap for State Renewable Energy Program (Longview Daily News, WA)

Oregon: Deschutes River Salmon Restoration Remains a Work in Progress (Associated Press)

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Centralia City Light Rate Increase Approved (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

(CENTRALIA, WA) – The Centralia City Council on Tuesday approved rate increases for Centralia City Light customers.

City Light Manager M.L. Norton says the increase is 4.8 percent a year for the next three years. He says customers within the city limits will see the basic monthly charge increase by $4 dollars a month each of the next three years. The energy charge per kilowatt-hours will also increase slightly.

Norton says the driving force behind the increase is the ongoing increase in the rates the Bonneville Power Administration charges for electricity. The first increase takes effect with the August billing.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Columbia Salmon Fishing Gets Easier Thursday – Marks the second consecutive year of record-for-the-date sockeye salmon returns over Bonneville Dam (Oregonian, Portland)

Judge Denies Pacific Gas & Electric Request to Dismiss Charges over Pipeline Safety (SF Chronicle)

Avista Gets Award for Restoration Work after Windstorm (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Portland Will Levy ‘Digital Equity’ Fee on Google Fiber (Oregonian, Portland)

Three Surprising Brain Facts Marketers Should Know about Email (AdWeek)

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Culvert Construction Temporarily Shifts State Route 3 in Belfair (Washington State Department of Transportation)

(BELFAIR, WA) – Temporary changes are coming to a section of State Route 3 in Belfair. Beginning the morning of Tuesday, June 14, drivers will notice lanes realigned on a temporarily-widened portion of the highway near Romance Hill. The changes will allow crews to replace a culvert under the highway. Subsequent lane shifts will be needed as the work progresses.

The new culvert will provide improved fish passage and help reduce the risk of flooding during storms.

The work is related to the SR 3 Belfair Area Widening and Safety Improvements project.

Real-time traveler information is available from the WSDOT app and by following the WSDOT regional Twitter feed. Advance information is available from the Olympic Region Weekly Construction and Traffic Updates web pages.

Hyperlinks within the release:

  • Olympic Region Weekly Construction and Traffic Updates:


Monday, June 6, 2016

Category & Award Winners 2016 Mason County Forest Festival 26th Anniversary Car Show-Off

Mason County Forest Festival
26th Anniversary Car Show-Off
2016 Category and Award Winners

1
Best Hot Rod
Jim Martin, Olympia
2
Best Rat Rod
Jim Buck, Shelton
3
Best Custom Car
R. Hathaway, Lakewood
4
Best Custom Truck
Rick Johnson, Yelm
5
Best Stock Car
Tom Yocum, Shelton
6
Best Stock Truck
Mack Elliott, Shelton
7
Best 20’s or Earlier
Bob & Carrie Matney, Tenino
8
Best 30’s
Jim Lindholm, Olympia
9
Best 40’s
Steve Nelson, Lacey
10
Best 50’s
Ken Kraig, Shelton
11
Best 60’s
Dave Rose, Shelton
12
Best 70’s
David Weaver, Shelton
13
Best Post 70’s
Curt Gentry, Port Orchard
14
Best Detailed Engine
Ron Howland, Shelton
15
Best Chrome
Mike Pena, Lilliwaup
16
Best Interior
Larry & Diane Thon, Port Orchard
17
Best Paint Job
Roy Rockwell, Hoquiam
18
Best Display
Chris Penno, Warrenton, OR
19
Best Wagon
Dan Schmidt, Shelton
20
Best Convertible
Tom Lundbom, Union
21
Best Pontiac
John Ervin, Shelton
22
Best Muscle Car
John Ervin, Shelton
23
Best Ford (Pre 1981)
Payton Goos, Shelton
24
Best Ford (1981 and newer)
Al Black, Belfair
25
Best General Motors (Pre 1981)
Jim Lindholm, Olympia
26
Best General Motors (1981 and newer)
Chris Penno, Warrenton, OR
27
Best Chrysler, Plymouth or Dodge
Clem Knudson, Puyallup
28
Best Orphan
Debby Englund, Belfair
29
Best European Vehicle
Ben & Glenny Compton, Manchester
30
Best Import Vehicle
Greg McQuade, Shelton
31
Best Unfinished
Danny Hoeschen, Olympia
32
Best Classic Motorcycle
Chog Greninger, Shelton
33
Best Radical Motorcycle
Jason Seibert, Shelton
34
Forest Festival Court Choice
Bill & Becky Cyr, University Place
35
NJROTC Cadet Choice
Steve Layton, Shelton


Results from the Stihl Timbersports Western Professional Qualifier Saturday, June 4 in Shelton

(SHELTON, WA) -- The top four finishers have qualified for the National Championships at Tinley Park Convention Center, in Chicago Southland, July 15 and 16.

2016 Professional STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS®


Saturday, June 4, 2016

Awards - 2016 Mason County Forest Festival Paul Bunyan Grand Parade

Awards - 2016 Mason County Forest Festival Paul Bunyan Grand Parade

Float – Grand Sweepstakes Award (1st)
Forks Grand ‘Ol Flag

Float – Grand Marshal’s Award (2nd)
Sequim Irrigation Festival

Float – President’s Award (3rd)
Rhododendron Festival

Float – Governor’s Award (4th)
Hoquiam Loggers Playday

Float – Mayor’s Award (5th)
Farmers Market

Motorized - Automotive

1
Kitsap Mustang Club

2
Yesteryear Car Club

Marching Band – High School

1
North Mason High School

2
Shelton High School Marching Band

Marching Band – Middle School

1
Hawkins Middle School

2
Olympic Middle School

Marching Band – Elementary School

1
North Mason 4th & 5th Grade Band

Equestrian - Mounted

1
Grays Harbor Mounted Posse, Indoor Pro Rodeo Court

2
Latin Dancing Horses

Dance/Drill

1
NNDCC – Navy National Defense Cadet Corps ROTC)

2
North Queens Drill Team

Commercial

1
Green Diamond

2
Manke Log Truck #52

Spirit Award

Boy Scout Troop 112

Creativity Award

Timber Strong Americans

Novelty Award

Shelton High Welding Class

Community Service

Central Mason Fire & EMS