Thursday, May 29, 2014

A Pushback on Green Power (NY Times)

The Skinny on NuScale: How Many Millions It’ll Receive & When Its First Plant Will Open (Portland Business Journal)

NERC Security Plan Draws Industry Support - And Lots of Questions (E&E Publishing)

Vancouver Island: Victoria Sewage Treatment Jeopardized after Sewer Plant Site is Dumped (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Shelton Shellfish Company Owner Thinks ‘Outright’ Bans Won’t Happen Again (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Word Cloud for the May 29, 2014 Energy News Digest


Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Small Scale Nuclear: NuScale Completes Federal Funding Deal Worth Up to $217 Million (Oregonian, Portland)

Isle of Hungry Birds - Tribes Witness Salmon Kill, Ponder How to Save Small Fry (The Daily Astorian, OR)

High Levels of Mercury Found in Fish at Olympic National Park’s Hoh Lake (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Man Convicted in Likely Largest Metal Theft in Washington State History (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

High-Pollution Power Plant That Said It Was Victim in Obama’s ‘War on Coal’ Survives, Thrives (Associated Press)

Word Cloud for the Energy News Digest - May 28, 2014


Friday, May 23, 2014

Proposal Calls for Removal of Enloe Dam - No discussion of proposal planned at Tuesday meeting by Okanogan PUD (Omak Chronicle, WA)

It’s Time to Save the Pacific Northwest’s Crumbling Hydropower Dams (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Renewable Energy Causes Static on the Electric Grid “…Iberdrola is participating in a pilot project with Bonneville Power Administration…” (Washington Examiner, DC)

Facebook-Commissioned Study Says Oregon Data Center is Good for the Economy (GigaOM)

Washington State Governor: Fuel Standard Won’t Push Gas Prices Up $1 per Gallon (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 23, 2014


Thursday, May 22, 2014

Large Mason County Planned Power Outage Thursday Night (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Cleaner Air Could Mean Higher Electric Bills “…Adjusted for inflation, the national average residential price is nearly 30 percent lower than in 1984…” (Associated Press)

U-S Senate Set to Vote on $12.3 Billion Water Bill (Associated Press)

Google Fiber Posts Portland Jobs, But Says It’s Still Deciding Whether to Build (Oregonian, Portland)

Nest Recalls Smoke & Carbon Dioxide Detectors (Silicon Valley Business Journal, CA)

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 22, 2014


Winlock Teen Killed in Logging Accident (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

(CHEHALIS, WA) -- An 18-year old Winlock man who was working in the woods was killed in a logging accident shortly before noon Wednesday when he was crushed by a piece of equipment.  The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports the man was setting chokers for a logging operation on Green Diamond property on the 4700 line off Pe Ell-McDonald Road west of Chehalis when a carriage was lowered.  It crushed the Winlock teen, killing him instantly.  According to the Sheriff’s Office, the man was working with his father who was on the scene when the accident happened.  The incident is being investigated by the state Department of Labor and Industries.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Grant PUD Blames Bad (sic) Math, Bad Concrete Joint for Wanapum Dam Crack (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Up to 30,000 Young Steelhead Escape into Snoqualmie River after State Hatchery Break-In (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

California Power at Six-Year Seasonal High as Temperatures Surge (Washington Post)

Governor Kitzhaber: Oregon Carbon Tax is ‘Inevitable’ (Sustainable Business Oregon)

European Court Ruling Redefines ‘Googling’ People (Associated Press)

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 14, 2014


Monday, May 12, 2014

6,000 Honor Tribal Leader, Fishing Rights Activist Billy Frank Jr. (Everett Herald, WA)

Snake River Fall Chinook Make a Comeback (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Vestas Considering Move of Portland Headquarters to Colorado (Oregonian, Portland)

BMW’s Moses Lake Carbon-Fiber Plant to Triple in Size “…drawn by the cheap & renewable hydroelectricity of Eastern Washington…” (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)



Washington State Governor Predicts Washington Will Adopt Controversial Fuel Standard (Northwest Public Radio)

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 12, 2014


Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Columbia River Spring Chinook Sport Fishing Open Friday, Saturday (Longview Daily News, WA)

Tennessee Valley Authority Cuts Jobs, Feds to Determine Agency’s Future (Birmingham Business Journal, AL)

Yakima Basin Canals Could Generate Electricity - New turbine technology can create electricity without using dams (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Google Fiber’s Portland Deal Won’t Serve Everyone (Oregonian, Portland)

Three Charts That Explain How U-S Journalists Use Social Media (Washington Post)

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 7, 2014


Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Climate Change Study Finds U-S is Already Widely Affected (NY Times)

Threat of Oregon Wildfires Increases as Drought Expands in West (Oregonian, Portland)

British Columbia Dams: Political Leader Opposed To Site C Dam; Wants Third-Party View (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

Port Angeles’ Nippon Biomass Plant Remains Down Due to Cracks in Boiler Unit (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Fuel Cell Firm ClearEdge Power Seeks Bankruptcy Protection, Three Years after Top Oregon VC Deal (Oregonian, Portland)

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 6, 2014


Monday, May 5, 2014

Tribal Fishing Activist Billy Frank Jr. Dies at 83 (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Damaged Insulators on High Voltage Transmission Lines the Cause of Weekend Outages for Customers in South Mason County (Mason County PUD 3, Shelton, WA)

Idaho Expects Strong Spring Chinook Fishing Season; Already More Fish for Harvest than Last Year (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Director Resigns Suddenly at Oregon Department of Energy (Oregonian, Portland)

Cree About to Brighten the Commercial Office Environment with LED T-8 Replacement (Forbes Magazine)

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 5, 2014


Friday, May 2, 2014

Long-Range Forecasts for Pacific Northwest Call for Hot, Dry Summer (Oregonian, Portland)

Study: Pacific Northwest Has Enormous Potential for New Hydropower Dams (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Official: Windmills Are ‘Giant Cuisinarts for Birds’ (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

Olympic Snowpack At 88 Percent of Normal; In ‘Pretty Good Shape,’ Specialist Says (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

All 34 Cities Eligible for Google Fiber Expansion Get Applications In On Time (Consumerist)

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 2, 2014


Thursday, May 1, 2014

Pacific Northwest Teams Place Second, Fourth in National Science Bowl (Bonneville Power Administration)

Westview High School of Beaverton, Ore., and the Science Infinity Club of Bellevue, Wash., rank among nation’s best Science Bowl teams

(PORTLAND, OR) -- A pair of winning teams from BPA’s Regional Science Bowl delivered stellar performances at the Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl, April 24-28 in Washington, D.C. A team of students from Westview High School in Beaverton, Ore., accomplished a major feat by placing second overall in the nationwide high school competition. And the Science Infinity Club of Bellevue, Wash., finished fourth in the middle school competition. Both teams advanced to the national competition after winning the BPA Regional Science Bowl in Portland, Ore., earlier this year.

“This is great news for these students, their schools and our region,” says BPA Administrator Elliot Mainzer. “Westview and the Science Infinity Club exemplify a commitment to science and learning that everyone in the Northwest should be extremely proud of.”

The National Science Bowl brings together thousands of middle and high school students from across the country in a fast-paced question-and-answer competition over four days. Each team is composed of four students, an alternate and a coach. In the quiz-show-style competition, students answer multiple choice and short answer questions that test their knowledge in many scientific disciplines, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, energy, mathematics, physics, earth science, computer and general science. (Click here to view sample questions.)

More than 9,300 high school students and 5,200 middle school students throughout the nation competed in regionals. Those teams that won their regional competition qualified for nationals.


The team of five students from Westview – Abhijit Mudigonda, Eddie Wang, Vincent Zhuang, Chris Younkins and David Wang – beat 67 other teams to make it to the finals in the National Building Museum where it narrowly lost to three-time champion Mira Loma High School of Sacramento, Calif. The Science Infinity Club team – Dhruvik Parikh, Rahul Chaliparambil, Veena Kollipara, Neha Nagvekar and Sagarika Samavedi – finished fourth out of a field of 48 middle school teams.

Renuka Vallarapu, coach of the Science Infinity Club team, says competing with some of the smartest young minds from every corner of the nation was a tremendous experience. “The kids and I will cherish the memories for the rest of our lives,” she says. 

With its second-place finish, Westview receives a five-day guided tour of Great Salt Lake Park, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. And both Westview and Science Infinity Club also win $1,000 for their school’s science department. For complete results of the high school competition, click here. For the middle school results, click here.

“This is an absolutely phenomenal accomplishment by these students and their coaches,” says Science Bowl coordinator Christy Adams of BPA. “As tough as our regional competition is, the nationals are 10 times tougher as you’re facing off against the best teams across the country. We are so proud of these teams!”


Both teams earned an all-expenses-paid trip to nationals after winning the BPA-sponsored regional science bowls in late January and early February. On Feb. 1, Westview earned its trip to nationals after outwitting a field of 72 teams. And the Science Infinity Club was the last team standing at the middle school competition Jan. 25, which included 66 teams. The top three teams in the region’s high school division – Westview and two teams from Interlake High School in Bellevue, Wash. – were also offered up to $85,000 in scholarships to Northwest colleges and universities.


Teams from the Northwest have regularly finished in the top tier at nationals. In 2011, Shahala Middle School of Vancouver, Wash., placed second and Portland’s Sunset High School came in third.


BPA has hosted its Regional Science Bowl for 23 years as part of its commitment to encourage young minds to engage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as consider careers in these fields and the energy industry. It has become the largest regional science bowl in country, with more than 600 students from public and private schools in western Washington and western and central Oregon competing for a berth in DOE’s National Science Bowl. The BPA Regional Science Bowl is sponsored by the University of Portland, Google, Drexel University Online and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc.

Click on the links below for photos from DOE's National Science Bowl.


About BPA
BPA is a not-for-profit federal agency that markets renewable hydropower from federal Columbia River dams, operates three-quarters of high-voltage transmission lines in the Northwest and funds one of the largest wildlife protection and restoration programs in the world. BPA and its partners pursue cost-effective energy savings in all sectors of the economy and together they have saved enough electricity through energy efficiency projects to power four large American cities. Through its community and education program, BPA sponsors a variety of activities and projects that support science, technology, engineering and math education, energy literacy and environmental stewardship. bpa.gov

Editorial: Inslee's Climate Balancing Act - Governor's strategy on greenhouse gas emissions preferable to ignoring issue (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Are Wind Farms on the Way for Our Local National Forests? (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Wanapum Dam Repair Cost Includes Anchors All Along Spillway (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Internet Fast Lanes May Raise Consumer Costs (U-S News & World Report)

Survey Shows LED Installations Surpassing Fluorescents for the First Time in 2014 (Electrical Marketing)

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 1, 2014


Northwest RiverPartners Wins National Award for CleanHydro Campaign (Northwest RiverPartners)

(PORTLAND, OR) -- The National Hydropower Association (NHA) today presented Northwest RiverPartners (NWRP) with one of six national Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Awards for the organization’s CleanHydro public education campaign. The region’s leading hydropower advocacy group received the award during a ceremony in Washington, DC.

NWRP’s CleanHydro campaign was designed to educate the public about the multiple benefits and tremendous value of hydropower.

“We’re honored that RiverPartners is being recognized for its CleanHydro campaign and all the hard work that has been dedicated to this program during the past three years,” said Terry Flores, NWRP Executive Director. “It’s a testament to the significant efforts of RiverPartners’ members as well as regional and national associations to raise public awareness of the benefits of hydropower and its value to the Northwest economy and environment.”

NWRP’s public education campaign featured visually compelling TV ads, print ads and a website to educate more than seven million residents in the Pacific Northwest about clean, renewable hydropower. The campaign reached more than three million households, and subsequent public opinion polling showed up to 9 percent in support for hydropower among various target audiences.

“The CleanHydro Campaign led by Northwest RiverPartners helped to educate residents of the Pacific Northwest about the truly important role that hydropower plays in the region, something not undertaken very often by the industry,” said Linda Church Ciocci, NHA’s Executive Director. “NHA is excited to honor such a large-scale endeavor that not only reached millions, but successfully increased hydropower’s support amongst the public.”

Award winners were chosen based on the project or program’s initial challenge, innovation, collaboration with stakeholders, and results. Winners were selected by representatives from across the hydropower industry and the media. Five other organizations received OSAW awards, including Grant County Public Utility District, Tacoma Power, Georgia Power and Portland General Electric.


For more information about Northwest RiverPartners and the CleanHydro Campaign, visit www.cleanhydro.com