Boeing Chairman Threatens to Move Operations Overseas over Political Flap (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2015/07/boeing_chairman_threatens_to_m.html

Warm Water 'Blob' Invades Puget Sound (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2015/07/30/blob-in-puget-sound/30916753/

Franklin PUD Plans New Solar Carport (KVEW-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kvewtv.com/article/2015/jul/30/franklin-pud-plans-new-solar-carport/

Idaho Falls Power Pays Off Bonds, Gets Ready for Rate Reduction & ‘Bond Fire’ (American Public Power Association)

http://www.publicpower.org/Media/daily/ArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=44276

Pacific Northwest Senators Push to Open Banking to Cannabis Businesses (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/post/northwest-senators-push-open-banking-cannabis-businesses

Mason PUD 3 Analyzing New Bonneville Power Administration Rates; Increase Coming (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/16345

Washington State Governor Issues Executive Order to Cap Carbon Emissions (Utility Dive)

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/washington-gov-inslee-issues-executive-order-to-cap-carbon-emissions/403144/

Bonneville Power Administration Shares Tips on Coping with Hottest Day of Year (Go Local PDX)

http://www.golocalpdx.com/health/bpa-shares-tips-on-coping-with-hottest-day-of-year

Mason in the Cold – Hot Vs. Cold Housing Markets in Western Washington (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2015/07/29/the-few-buyers-markets-in-our-area/30858351/

Washington State Drought Provides “Critical Condition” Data for Hydrologists (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://thedailyworld.com/news/local/drought-provides-critical-condition-data-hydrologists

Businesses Wary as Inslee Rolls Out Plan to Reduce Carbon Emissions in Washington State (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2015/07/29/businesses-wary-asinslee-rolls-out-plan-to-reduce.html

Avista Electric Rates Too High, Say Two Washington State Agencies (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jul/29/avista-electric-rates-too-high-say-two-state/

55,000 Streetlights, $1.5 Million in Savings: Portland LED Project Sets a Solid Pace (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2015/07/55-000-streetlights-1-5m-in-savings-portland-led.html

British Columbia: Sockeye Face ‘Catastrophic’ Collapse in South Okanagan (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sockeye-face-catastrophic-collapse-in-south-okanagan-1.3171768?cmp=rss

Still Offline: U-S Non-Internet Users Stuck at 15 Percent (Yahoo! Tech)

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/still-offline-us-non-internet-users-stuck-15-182508643.html

Franklin PUD Commission Approves Rate Action (Franklin PUD, Pasco, WA)

(Pasco, WA) -- The Franklin PUD Commission voted today to implement a rate action increasing overall average revenue by 3.0%.   In addition, the residential and small general monthly basic charge will increase and the related energy charge will be reduced to properly align costs to ensure equitable cost-based rates for our customers.  This rate change will be effective September 1, 2015.  

In April 2015, our Rate Advisory Committee met and reviewed the Cost of Service Analysis completed by Franklin PUD staff and our rate consultant. They recommended to the Board in April a proposed rate revenue increase and rate design changes. Then, after three public hearings in June and July seeking customer input, and with the recommendation of our Rate Advisory Committee, the Board of Commissioners also approved another potential 5% increase in May 2016. The approval was made with the understanding that the amount of the 2016 increase would be assessed after the 2015 financial results were known.

While the basic charge is being increased  (residential class to $34 a month and small general class to $38 a month) the kilowatt hour or “energy used” charge is actually being decreased so that Franklin PUD customers who use an average of 1400 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month will only be paying approximately $1.27 more per month.  The basic charge is being raised to equitably charge customers for the use of the distribution, transmission, maintenance and administration of the electric system.   

Rising power and transmission costs from the Bonneville Power Administration are the main drivers for the rate increase. The PUD buys about 85% of its power from BPA, the Pacific Northwest’s largest energy marketer. In October 2013, BPA’s wholesale power rates increased an average of 9%, with about 6% directly impacting Franklin PUD.   BPA also increased its transmission rates by 13%. The 2013 BPA increases followed similar increases in 2009 and 2012 and will be increased another 7.1% in October 2015.  While power costs represent nearly 70% of the annual budget for Franklin PUD, we continue to look for internal efficiencies and cost reductions to keep rates as low as possible.

Bonneville Power Administration Announces New Wholesale Rates – New Rates Support Power System Improvements (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.bpa.gov/news/newsroom/Pages/BPA-sets-agency-rates-for-fiscal-years-2016-2017.aspx

Half of Columbia River Sockeye Salmon Dying Due to Hot Water (Associated Press)

http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/state_news/half-of-columbia-river-sockeye-salmon-dying-due-to-hot/article_a65f0cee-7110-5366-9aea-b1f3b1be525f.html

Oregon Wind Farm Takes on Portland General Electric (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/07/27/oregon-wind-farm-takes-on-major-utility.htm

Welcome to Cyber City: Moses Lake Tries Again (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

http://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/welcome-to-cyber-city-moses-lake-tries-again/

Florida: Utilities Cry Foul over Efforts to End Energy-Efficiency Payments by Big Business (Tampa Bay Times, FL)

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/utilities-cry-foul-over-efforts-to-end-energy-efficiency-payments-by-big/2238621

BC Hydro Peace River Dam Protest in Vancouver Cancelled Due to Concerns about Violence (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-hydro-site-c-protest-in-vancouver-cancelled-due-to-concerns-about-violence-1.3161532?cmp=rss

Grant PUD Commissioners Consider Change in Power Sales (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/politics/pud-commissioners-consider-change-in-power-sales/article_fc59e938-2f35-11e5-8913-5b89895a82f8.html

Sockeye Salmon Suffer Infections in Warm Columbia River System (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2015/jul/17/sockeye-salmon-suffer-infections-warm-columbia-river-system/

Agency Reports Killing 158 Cormorants So Far to Help Salmon (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/agency-reports-killing-158-cormorants-so-far-to-help-salmon/

Kitsap PUD Seeks Input on Where to Expand Internet (Central Kitsap Reporter, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.centralkitsapreporter.com/news/315948131.html

Washington State Restricts Fishing on Many Rivers Due to Drought (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Washington-restricts-fishing-on-many-rivers-due-to-drought-316068281.html

Sturgeon Fishing on Columbia River Halted July 18 (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2015/07/16/3654637_sturgeon-fishing-on-columbia-river.html?rh=1

42 States Are Reducing Emissions Ahead of the Final Clean Power Plan Rules (Utility Dive)

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/report-42-states-are-reducing-emissions-ahead-of-the-final-clean-power-pla/402370/

Washington State’s Record-Long Session Produced Surprisingly Few New Laws (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/post/record-long-session-produced-surprisingly-few-new-laws

The Evolving Role of News on Twitter & Facebook (Pew Research Center)

http://www.journalism.org/2015/07/14/the-evolving-role-of-news-on-twitter-and-facebook/

Pacific Northwest Fish Expenses Hit $782 Million (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/editors-pick/fish-and-wildlife-programs-hit-782-million-in-2014/82730

Low River Flows Prompt Eugene Water & Electric Board Turbine Shutdown at Trail Bridge Dam (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/33282438-75/story.csp

California Utilities Want Distributed Generation to Count towards Renewables Mandate (Utility Dive)

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/ca-utilities-want-distributed-generation-to-count-towards-renewables-mandat/402042/

Haze from Canadian Wildfires Spreads over Washington, Other States (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/Haze-from-Canadian-wildfires-spreads-across-Wash-other-states-312935531.html

Washington Legislature Set to Adjourn after Final Votes (Associated Press)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/07/10/3909769_washington-legislature-set-to.html?rh=1

Drought Reduces Hydroelectric Output (Capital Press)

http://www.capitalpress.com/Water/20150701/drought-reduces-hydroelectric-output

California PUC Floats New Electricity Rate Plan – Proposal Is Blasted “…could boost power rates by as much as $10 a month for 80 percent of California’s residential consumers…” (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_28419173/puc-floats-new-electricity-rate-plan-proposal-is?source=rss

Marijuana Growing Spikes Denver Energy Demand (The Cannabist, Denver, CO)

http://www.thecannabist.co/2015/07/01/marijuana-electricity-demand-denver-led-lights-clean-power-plan/37304/

Chinook, Sockeye Seasons Extended on Columbia River (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/chinook-sockeye-seasons-extended-on-columbia-river/article_86cc9273-4cca-5e02-9483-2054fa2931cc.html

Washington State Government Has a Budget – Legislature Isn’t Finished (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Washington-has-a-budget-but-Legislature-isnt-finished-311357011.html