The work-around plan developed by the Interior Department, Oregon, California, PacifiCorp and Native American tribes to remove four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River has hit a bump. After Congress failed to approve a water-sharing deal along the Oregon and California border, many of the key players found a way to deal with part of the problem without Congress - by going through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. That plan was originally due to FERC at the end of July, but has been pushed until September. PacifiCorp spokesman Bob Gravely told the Times-Standard the deal is still on track.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Mail Call: Step Up for Hydropower Licensing Changes (Politico)
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The National Hydropower
Association and three other trade groups are keeping up the pressure on
lawmakers conferencing the House and Senate energy bills to make sure the final
measures "include a strong hydropower title that improves the licensing
and regulatory approval process for new hydropower development and relicensing
of existing projects." In a letter to
top lawmakers on Monday, the groups argue the licensing process will block the
industry from reaching its growth potential, which a recent Energy Department
report pegged at 50 gigawatts of new capacity by 2050.
"The current licensing process must be modernized to add
accountability and transparency, eliminate inefficiencies and redundancies, and
unlock innovation and advancements in technology and operations," the
groups, which include the American Public Power Association, the Edison Electric
Institute and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, wrote.
"We believe the provisions in both the House and Senate energy bills,
taken together, will implement this new direction, and do so in a way that
protects environmental values, public participation, and the authorities of
federal and state decision-makers in the licensing process."
Waters of the U-S Foes Turned Back by Court (Politico)
(ATLANTA, GA) -- Challengers to EPA's Waters of the U.S. rule
lost their latest attempt to have their case heard by the district courts the
groups believed would be more receptive to their arguments. A three-judge panel
of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decided it would wait to take up the case
until the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals rules
on a slate of challenges to the Clean Water Rule from several states, Annie reports.
The 11th Circuit panel noted the 6th Circuit has already decided
that it, and not district courts, has jurisdiction. "The Sixth Circuit is
the obvious court to proceed to decision because it is significantly farther
along the decisional path than we are. It has already decided the district
court versus court of appeals jurisdictional issue, it has denied rehearing en
banc of that decision, it has set a briefing schedule on the merits issues, and
it is in the process of winnowing down the massive administrative record to its
most relevant parts." In other words, "[i]t would be a colossal waste
of judicial resources for both this Court and the Sixth Circuit to undertake to
decide the same issues about the same rule presented by the same parties,"
the panel wrote.
Bullseye on WOTUS
Donald
Trump's agriculture advisory committee really doesn't like WOTUS. Concerns
about regulatory overreach bubbled to the top during the panel's first
conference call Tuesday, several members said, and WOTUS is a glaring example
of that. Many of the panel members ME spoke cited WOTUS, arguing that a Clinton
presidency would just offer more of the same. "Farmers and ranchers cannot
afford another four more years of those failed policies," Arkansas
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said. "That's why I support Donald
trump."
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Monday, August 15, 2016
Ruralite Wins Top Award for Magazine Design (Ruralite Magazine)
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- On August 9, Ruralite magazine won the gold award for best
magazine design during the National Electric Cooperative Statewide Editors
Association annual awards banquet at the National Press
Club Building in Washington, D.C.
Judges said the magazine has “gorgeous cover photos.” They were
impressed by the consistent grid, use of white space, clean section headers,
and fresh, modern look.
“Overall, a truly beautiful magazine,” the judges said.
Two runner-up publications awards for merit: Kentucky Living and
Oklahoma Living. Ruralite competed against 17 other magazine design entries for
the top honor.
“This is the best of the best of the Statewide publications,”
says Managing Editor Curtis Condon of the submissions. “This competition means
a lot to us. It’s a way for us to appreciate what all of us do, and look
forward to what we can improve the next year.”
Ruralite also received an award of merit for best editorial.
Curtis’ January 2016 Voice Box column, “Taken for Granted,” recounts a snow
camping trip. Through this cold, dark wilderness experience, Curtis was
reminded of how vital electricity is to his life, and how it should be
appreciated. Read the column here.
Judges said the article was “very well written” and “a gentle
reminder to readers not to take the availability of electricity for granted.”
The National Electric Cooperative Statewide Editors Association
represents 32 statewide magazines, including Ruralite, Currents and Florida
Currents. The annual awards are nicknamed the Willies, a tribute to the
legendary cooperatives mascot Willie Wiredhand. The awards honor excellence in
publication designs, writing, illustrations, photography and website design.
Learn more about the association at http://www.sea.coop.
Earthquakes & Energy - The San Andreas of the Pacific Northwest (Politico)
(SEATTLE, WA) -- DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz will join Sen. Maria Cantwell for
a field hearing in Seattle today to examine how prepared the agency is to
respond to a potential massive earthquake and tsunami in the Pacific Northwest
that could cause widespread blackouts.
Scientists have found in recent months
that the risk of a major quake in the Cascadia Subduction zone - where one
tectonic plate is sliding under another - is higher than initially thought. The
region which stretches from northern California to British Columbia is long
overdue for a magnitude 9 earthquake, scientists say. The last one occurred
more than 300 years ago, as the eye-opening New Yorker piece last year documented.
Don't Forget Everyone Else
Cantwell, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking Democrat, and Moniz will also review how well DOE would cope with other natural disasters, as well as grid-related cyber-attacks that target energy infrastructure. Cantwell and Moniz will then head west to the Tri-Cities area of the state for a Tuesday roundtable discussion of energy workforce issues.
Don't Forget Everyone Else
Cantwell, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking Democrat, and Moniz will also review how well DOE would cope with other natural disasters, as well as grid-related cyber-attacks that target energy infrastructure. Cantwell and Moniz will then head west to the Tri-Cities area of the state for a Tuesday roundtable discussion of energy workforce issues.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Pacific Northwest Congress Members Demand Action on Columbia River Treaty (Politico)
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The U-S State Department has been sitting on a key document related to updating the Columbia River Treaty for months, and a bipartisan group of 17 members of the Pacific northwest's Senate and House delegations want the department to get a move on. The treaty governs dams and flows along the upper Columbia River Basin, which touches British Columbia in Canada and Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The two sides are looking at renegotiating some of the treaty's terms. In a letter sent to Secretary of State John Kerry, the Congressional delegation demanded that State approve a key negotiating document and press Canada to name a lead negotiator. The letter was led by Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and includes signatures from Republicans like Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the party conference chairman.
Legal Pot Is Big Business in Washington State (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
(OLYMPIA, WA) -- Legal marijuana has become such a big business that the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce dedicated its monthly lunch forum this week to the topic, filling ballroom space at a west Olympia hotel. The Olympian reports Chamber president David Schaffert said the industry has had an increasing economic impact on the community and the state. He said data shows pot sales in Washington are set to approach $1 billion by the end of the year and about $60 million in Thurston County. Tax revenue for the state through the first half of the year was $104 million.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Monday, August 8, 2016
Asotin County PUD Official Gary Hicks Dies (Lewiston Tribune, ID)
(CLARKSTON, WA) – Asotin County
Public Utility District Commissioner Gary Hicks died Friday.
Hicks, 74, of Clarkston, died of
complications related to an illness, according to a press release from the
utility district.
He was considered a patriarch of the
Public Utility District, along with Joe Silvestri, Tony Flerchinger and Scott
Broyles. They helped get the utility district on the ballot in 1984, the
utility district said.
Hicks was the last remaining utility
district commissioner in Washington who had been involved in the formation of
the district. Hicks helped the guide the utility district into becoming a well-functioning
organization, the utility district said.
In 2014, he was awarded the
Washington Public Utility Districts Association Lifetime Achievement Award for
his commitment and life's work with the Asotin County utility district, the
news release states.
A service for Hicks will be held at
3 p.m. on Thursday Aug. 11 at the Life Center on 2377 Appleside Blvd., in
Clarkston.
U-S Dept. of Energy: Crowd Demanding Moniz Encore if Clinton Elected? (Politico)
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Could Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz
get a second act atop the Energy Department? With Hillary Clinton dusting
Donald Trump in the polls, rumors around who she could potentially bring into
her cabinet are intensifying. But as Pro's Darius Dixon reports ,
Moniz's expertise and bipartisan support make him a top candidate for carrying
over into the next administration. "All the folks I know who are very
respected in the energy space have the utmost respect for [Moniz] and I think
everyone would be happy to see him there for an extended period of time,"
said Carol Browner, President Barack Obama's first-term climate adviser and
Bill Clinton's former EPA chief as well as an informal energy adviser to
Clinton.
Unfinished Symphony
While some agency chiefs have wrapped
up their heavy lifting for this administration, Moniz is still up to his elbows
in unfinished business. He's trying to improve coordination with the national
labs, make improvements on how DOE responds in emergencies, and monitor the
nuclear deal with Iran. And his work to date has earned him plaudits from
people in important positions. "I think that Ernie Moniz has been the best
Cabinet member of this administration," said Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski.
Oh, It's Never That Easy
The campaigns aren't yet thinking this far ahead. But a thoroughly unofficial shortlist of potential successors is circulating. Cabinet appointments, of course, are as much political calculus as they are about running the government, and leaving Moniz in place would create complicated ripples for the rest of Clinton's team, who are likely going to have a mix of ethnicities, geographies, genders and political loyalties. "The appointments at the Cabinet level are like a big jigsaw puzzle," said Sue Tierney, a former Energy Department official who worked on Obama's transition team. "The first piece the president lays down then begins to shape the next pieces are going to be places and what they're going to look like.
The campaigns aren't yet thinking this far ahead. But a thoroughly unofficial shortlist of potential successors is circulating. Cabinet appointments, of course, are as much political calculus as they are about running the government, and leaving Moniz in place would create complicated ripples for the rest of Clinton's team, who are likely going to have a mix of ethnicities, geographies, genders and political loyalties. "The appointments at the Cabinet level are like a big jigsaw puzzle," said Sue Tierney, a former Energy Department official who worked on Obama's transition team. "The first piece the president lays down then begins to shape the next pieces are going to be places and what they're going to look like.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Thursday, August 4, 2016
FERC Still Trying to Crack Transmission Problem (Politico)
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- FERC is putting out a call to learn more about why, five years after Order 1000, more long distance transmission isn't getting built. The commission asked utilities, grid planners to respond to more than two dozen questions staff posed as part of the agency's review of its transmission policies. The commission is considering tweaking parts of its landmark order that allows businesses to come into what had been a local utility monopoly and bid on major transmission projects and required better regional and inter-regional coordination on grid planning. Some of the questions, which follow a June technical conference, focus on whether the commission should change what rates of return it grants utilities for transmission investments.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Monday, August 1, 2016
Obama Administration’s Regulatory Releases – Clean Power Plan, Reservoir Management (Politico)
(WASHINGTON, DC) – August could be a hot month, both on the
thermometer and for regulatory releases. The Obama administration has about
five weeks to roll out any remaining summer rules before Congress rolls back
into town. Here's a look at what might arrive during the dog days of summer.
Clean Power Plan
Don't expect anything new in August from EPA on this
landmark rule, but Washington's environmental class is awaiting news from the
D.C. Circuit about the structure of Sept. 27's oral arguments. The court at
some point must announce what topics it will hear and for how long. A decision
on that front, could come this month, which would give the lawyers more time to
practice in front of their mirrors/mock trials. (The challengers asked for two
days' worth of legal yakking, while EPA wants to wrap things up in just one
day.)
Reservoir Management
The Army Corps of Engineers owns and manages hundreds of
reservoirs across the country, and even though they are often aimed primarily
at flood control, they have become vital sources of water supply for cities as
well. But whether or not the corps can manage those reservoirs with water
supply in mind has been a major open legal question - one that has become
intensely controversial in drought-prone communities across the West and in the
long-running Florida-Georgia-Alabama water wars. After years of labor, the Army
Corps finally sent a proposed rule to OMB in May to update its policies
governing reservoir management. It's sure to stoke already-fierce water
conflicts, so don't hold your breath waiting for it, but if the administration
is seeking a quiet time to release it, August could be a prime time.
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