New Report Says Rental Housing Is “Out of Reach” in Washington State (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

(CENTRALIA, WA) -- A person earning minimum wage would have to work 75 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Washington state. That’s according to the new report, “Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing.”

The annual analysis of the rental market finds Washingtonians would need to earn nearly 27 dollars per hour to afford a two-bedroom place to live.

Rachael Myers is head of the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance, which released the report alongside its national partner. She believes the growing issue of homelessness on the West Coast is directly related to skyrocketing housing costs. Rents in rural Washington have not risen as fast as in other parts of the state, but Myers says it’s also harder to find jobs in those places.

Franklin PUD Energizes New Transformer at Foster Wells Substation (Franklin PUD, Pasco, WA)

(PASCO, WA) -- On June 12th, 2018 Franklin PUD began providing customers additional electric power from the Foster Wells substation in Pasco, Washington.   The project added a third transformer bay and five additional feeders adding 28 megawatts of energy to Franklin PUDs electric system. The total cost of the Foster Wells expansion was $2.5 million.

Franklin PUD’s substation electricians and meter/relay crews performed all of the electrical control work for the substation, while contractor, Power City Electric, Inc. performed the civil work.   Construction began January 2, 2018, and Franklin PUD began serving customers on June 12, 2018, after testing and energizing the system.

The substation addition will provide more capacity to serve customers in the north-east corner of Pasco, an area focused heavily on agriculture and food processing.  “Safety is our number one priority on any job performed by our substation electricians and meter crews,” stated Travis Scott, Director of Operations.  “Our engineers who designed the system, our substation electricians and meter crews who installed the transformer, and all our employees go above and beyond when implementing a project of this magnitude.”

White House Aims to Gut Army Corps, Merge Waste Cleanup Programs (Washington examiner, Daily on Energy)

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The White House aims to move and consolidate major environmental and energy programs under a federal reorganization plan it released Thursday. Congress would have to approve any changes.

The plan would move most of the Army Corps of Engineers' work to the departments of Interior and Transportation, while leaving its defense-related functions in the Department of Defense.

Keep it together: It would shift the Corps’ commercial navigation functions such as ports to the Transportation Department. All other activities would move to Interior, including flood and storm damage response, aquatic ecosystem restoration, and operating hydropower dams.

In a second proposal, the White House looks to merge the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the Commerce Department, with Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service so that the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act can be administered in one agency.

Clean team-up: The Trump administration also proposes combining various environmental and hazardous waste cleanup programs. It would give more responsibility to the EPA’s Superfund program by also having the department administer Interior’s Central Hazardous Materials program and a similar program governed by the Department of Agriculture.

Fuel wars: The White House wants more consolidation in the Energy Department, too.

It calls for combining research and development programs for different energy sources — fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables — into a single new Office of Energy Innovation.

Back to life: And finally, the White House reorganization plan would resurrect an unpopular idea to sell off the assets of many of the nation's federally owned electric utilities from Tennessee to the Pacific Northwest.

Energy Companies among 22,000 Requests for Steel Tariff Exemptions (Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy)

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Petitions filed by U.S. pipeline companies are among the 22,500 exemption requests made to the Commerce Department from tariffs on imported steel.

The agency provided the list of exemption filings Tuesday, which include requests by Plains All American Pipeline, Kinder Morgan, and Hess Corp. Pipeline companies rely heavily on imported steel in their products, because there is little domestic manufacturing base.

RiverFest 2018 - Our Rivers, Our Way of Life (Pasco Chamber of Commerce, WA)

A September 8 festival showcasing all the benefits of the rivers and the hydrosystem

(TRI-CITIES, WA) -- Local utilities – Franklin PUD, Benton PUD, and Benton REA - have joined businesses, community organizations and people of all walks of life throughout the region to host RiverFest 2018.  Set for Saturday, September 8, RiverFest 2018, a fun and educational family event, will feature exhibitors, vendors and entertainment to showcase all the benefits of the Federal Columbia River Power System and highlight the four lower Snake River dams including navigation, irrigation, recreation and power.

“RiverFest 2018 will help raise awareness about the overall hydrosystem, specifically the Snake River dams that are vital to our economy,” said Colin Hastings, chairman of RiverFest 2018 and CEO of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce.

RiverFest will be held Saturday, September 8, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at east end of Columbia Park in Kennewick, Washington.

Over the years there has been a continued movement to have the four Snake River dams removed. At the same time, billions of dollars have been invested in the dams to mitigate the impacts to fish. This has increased downstream salmon migration survival rates to 1960 levels, before the Snake River dams were constructed.

The dams are valuable components of the Northwest’s clean, carbon-free, low-cost hydropower that thousands of jobs rely upon. Dam removal would kill jobs, take away clean, renewable power, eliminate river navigation, impair the environment, and hurt agriculture - and there is no scientific proof that removing the dams would actually help salmon recovery.

Save the date and plan on attending with your family and friends. Contact the Pasco Chamber of Commerce (509) 547-9755 for more information regarding sponsorships, exhibitors, and vendor opportunities.

Feds: 300-Million-Year-Old Colossus Threatens the Grid (Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy)

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- A giant slab of stone that stretches along the eastern seaboard would be calamitous to the electrical grid if a major solar flared smacked the Earth, a forthcoming government report is expected to say.

The sleeper awakens: The soon-to-be-released report by the U.S. Geological Survey found a 300-million-year-old rock beneath the surface of the eastern seaboard could serve to amplify the effects for the next big solar storm, Bloomberg is reporting.

Rock of ages: The rock extends beneath the surface of the Earth from Washington to Maine.

Bounce back: The makeup of the rock would cause the solar energy from a storm to ricochet back to the surface instead of being absorb by the soil, doubling the impact in the region.

Active problem: "It’s an active problem that a lot of people are trying to solve and understand," Space Weather Prediction Center scientist Christopher Balch told Bloomberg.

Blackouts: It is believed that the type of geomagnetic storm capable of obliterating the electricity grid happens once every century, but a worst-case scenario might result in widespread blackouts that could last for months, the Space Weather Prediction Center told Bloomberg.

Dueling Reports over President Trump’s Coal, Nuclear Bailout (Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy)

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Coal and nuclear plant closures over the next five years would have limited effect on the power grid, while keeping the plants open would financially harm power plant owners, the giant credit ratings firm Moody’s said in a report Friday.

What’s in a gigawatt? The new report focused on the impact of the closure of 35 gigawatts of coal-fired and nuclear power plants that are slated to go offline in the next five years, according to a summary of the report. A gigawatt is enough electricity to power 700,000 homes.

Trump ordered Energy Secretary Rick Perry to take steps to save the retiring coal and nuclear plants as a national security imperative. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is working its own process to understand the effects of the closures and respond if necessary.

“According to the report, the impact of these plant retirements on power capacity in the US will be limited,” Moody’s concluded. This is because approximately 32 gigawatts of new, mostly natural gas-fired power plants now under construction would fill in the gaps left by the closures.

More renewables: On top of that, about 72 gigawatts of renewable generation “is either in advanced development or under construction, with the majority slated for activation by 2020,” Moody’s said.

Too many power plants: If the coal and nuclear plants were to remain in the market for reliability reasons, as the president would like, the “excess capacity will continue to be a negative credit driver.”

Nuclear industry has a different opinion: Another study says the increased amount of natural gas coming onto the grid poses a problem for reliability. And the nuclear industry wants everyone to know about it.

The study was performed by the consulting firm ICF on behalf of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry’s top trade group.

The study “details how a future gas pipeline disruption, combined with continued nuclear power plant retirements, could lead to prolonged electricity service disruption in the areas served by the PJM Interconnection, the group said.

Energy News Digest for June 14, 2018

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SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for June 14, 2018

Marine Forecast for Puget Sound & Hood Canal

Olympic Mountain Forecast for Mason County

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Chelan PUD Employee Killed in Rock Island Dam Accident (NCW Life, East Wenatchee, WA)

https://www.ncwlife.com/pud-employee-killed-rock-island-dam-accident/

TransAlta Coal Plant in Washington State Fined $331,000 (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/666f3ac0faf64da58e06f40cd49ee0c1

Antarctica Is Melting Three Times as Fast as a Decade Ago (NY Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/climate/antarctica-ice-melting-faster.html

Fresh Seafood from the U-S? Dealer Sold Fishy Tale at Inslee Event in Washington State (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/ap-investigation-sustainable-seafood-dealer-sold-fishy-tale-2/

Bitcoin’s Astronomical Rise Last Year Was Buoyed by Market Manipulation, Researchers Say (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/14/bitcoins-astronomical-rise-last-year-was-buoyed-by-market-manipulation-researchers-say/

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

1.      Chelan PUD Employee Killed in Rock Island Dam Accident

2.      TransAlta Coal Plant in Washington State Fined $331,000

3.      Douglas PUD, Colville Tribes Sell Power to Puget Sound Energy

4.      Breaker Failure & Fire Cause Goldendale Power Outage

5.      Kitsap PUD Candidate Challenged over Residency

6.      America’s Gas Exports May Double Prices by 2040

7.      Op/Ed: Community Choice to Determine California’s Energy Future

8.      President Trump Wants to Bail Out Coal & Nuclear Power. Here’s Why That Will Be Hard.

9.      Here’s How Lightning Can Knock out Your Power before It Even Strikes

10.   Fresh Seafood from the U-S? Dealer Sold Fishy Tale at Inslee Event in Washington State

11.   Cowlitz Indian Tribe Celebrates Supreme Court Salmon Ruling on Culvert Repairs, Replacement

12.   Bitcoin’s Astronomical Rise Last Year Was Buoyed by Market Manipulation, Researchers Say

13.   Seattle Company Installs Bitcoin ATM at the Spokane Valley Mall

14.   Will 5G Phones Need Wi-Fi?

15.   Electrify America to Spend $44 Million on Sacramento-Area Electric Vehicles

16.   Orange Plankton Bloom Is Not a Good Sign for Ecological Health

17.   Antarctica Is Melting Three Times as Fast as a Decade Ago

18.   See What Percentage of People in Your State Were Affected by Cambridge Analytica

19.   We’re All Getting Dumber, Says Science

20.   Lawsuit Accuses Seattle of Violating Open-Meetings Law before Head-Tax Repeal Vote

21.   Millions of Tax Revenue at Stake in Tulalip Tribal Lawsuit

22.   Collins Lake – Husband Admits to Beating Wife before Her Death

23.   Gunman at Large after Shooting 4 Cars along Highway near Sea-Tac Airport

24.   Don’t Touch That Temperature Dial: Seattle Due for Record-Testing Heat Wave

25.   Mason EDC Hires New Executive Director

26.   Washington Unemployment Rate at 4.7 Percent

27.   Labor Shortage Looms as Cherry Harvest Approaches

28.   Happy Flag Day. Are You Flying It Correctly?

WORD OF THE DAY

Defenestration ● / dee-fen-uh-STRAYS-shun / ● Noun – 1: a throwing of a person or thing out of a window 2: a usually swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office).

Defenestration

Chamber pot out the window

Hey! Regardez l’eau

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.    Chelan PUD Employee Killed in Rock Island Dam Accident (NCW Life, East Wenatchee, WA)

https://www.ncwlife.com/pud-employee-killed-rock-island-dam-accident/

2.    TransAlta Coal Plant in Washington State Fined $331,000 (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/666f3ac0faf64da58e06f40cd49ee0c1

3.    Douglas PUD, Colville Tribes Sell Power to Puget Sound Energy (Wenatchee World, WA)

https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2018/jun/13/douglas-pud-colville-tribes-sell-power-to-puget-sound-energy/

4.    Breaker Failure & Fire Cause Goldendale Power Outage (Goldendale Sentinel, WA)

http://www.goldendalesentinel.com/story/2018/06/13/news/breaker-failure-and-fire-cause-power-outage/10437.html

5.    Kitsap PUD Candidate Challenged over Residency (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/local/2018/06/13/kpud-candidate-challenged-over-residency-district-3/695946002/

6.    America’s Gas Exports May Double Prices by 2040 (Bloomberg News)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-12/america-s-gas-exports-may-double-prices-by-2040-as-demand-surges

7.    Op/Ed: Community Choice to Determine California’s Energy Future (SF Chronicle)

https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Community-choice-to-determine-California-s-12992415.php

8.    President Trump Wants to Bail Out Coal & Nuclear Power. Here’s Why That Will Be Hard. (NY Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/06/13/climate/coal-nuclear-bailout.html

9.    Here’s How Lightning Can Knock out Your Power before It Even Strikes (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/06/13/heres-how-lightning-can-knock-your-power-out-before-it-even-strikes/?utm_term=.c93a7d420705

FISH & WILDLIFE

10. Fresh Seafood from the U-S? Dealer Sold Fishy Tale at Inslee Event in Washington State (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/ap-investigation-sustainable-seafood-dealer-sold-fishy-tale-2/

11. Cowlitz Indian Tribe Celebrates Supreme Court Salmon Ruling on Culvert Repairs, Replacement (Longview Daily News, WA)

https://tdn.com/news/local/cowlitz-indian-tribe-celebrates-supreme-court-salmon-ruling/article_00e0c04d-8dac-5150-9ccc-23aa08e8956e.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

12. Bitcoin’s Astronomical Rise Last Year Was Buoyed by Market Manipulation, Researchers Say (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/14/bitcoins-astronomical-rise-last-year-was-buoyed-by-market-manipulation-researchers-say/

13. Seattle Company Installs Bitcoin ATM at the Spokane Valley Mall (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/13/seattle-company-installs-bitcoin-atm-at-the-spokan/

14. Will 5G Phones Need Wi-Fi? (Pots & Pans)

https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2018/06/14/will-5g-phones-need-wifi/

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

15. Electrify America to Spend $44 Million on Sacramento-Area Electric Vehicles (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/article213138339.html

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOT LOCKER

16. Orange Plankton Bloom Is Not a Good Sign for Ecological Health (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2018/06/08/orange-plankton-bloom-is-not-a-good-sign-for-ecological-health/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

17. Antarctica Is Melting Three Times as Fast as a Decade Ago (NY Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/climate/antarctica-ice-melting-faster.html

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

18. See What Percentage of People in Your State Were Affected by Cambridge Analytica (Slate Magazine)

https://slate.com/technology/2018/06/see-percentage-of-facebook-users-in-each-state-could-have-been-affected-by-cambridge-analytica-scandal.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

19. We’re All Getting Dumber, Says Science (Fast Company)

https://www.fastcompany.com/40584777/were-all-getting-dumber-says-science

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

20. Lawsuit Accuses Seattle of Violating Open-Meetings Law before Head-Tax Repeal Vote (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/lawsuit-accuses-seattle-of-violating-open-meetings-law-before-head-tax-repeal-vote/

21. Millions of Tax Revenue at Stake in Tulalip Tribal Lawsuit (Associated Press)

http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/state_news/millions-of-tax-revenue-at-stake-in-tulalip-tribal-lawsuit/article_18638f0f-0ce6-595f-a7a2-50c37db7331e.html

GENERAL NEWS

22. Collins Lake – Husband Admits to Beating Wife before Her Death (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/local/2018/06/13/woman-found-dead-collins-lake-home-husband-custody/698479002/

23. Gunman at Large after Shooting 4 Cars along Highway near Sea-Tac Airport (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://komonews.com/news/local/4-cars-struck-by-gunfire-along-sr-509-near-sea-tac-airport

24. Don’t Touch That Temperature Dial: Seattle Due for Record-Testing Heat Wave (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/dont-touch-that-temperature-dial-seattle-area-due-for-record-testing-heat-wave/

25. Mason EDC Hires New Executive Director (Mason County Economic Development Council, Shelton, WA)

https://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2018/06/mason-edc-hires-new-executive-director.html

26. Washington Unemployment Rate at 4.7 Percent (Associated Press)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington/articles/2018-06-13/washington-unemployment-rate-at-47-percent

27. Labor Shortage Looms as Cherry Harvest Approaches (NCW Life, East Wenatchee, WA)

https://www.ncwlife.com/workforce-concerns-linger-cherry-growers-harvest-season-approaches/

28. Happy Flag Day. Are You Flying It Correctly? (NY Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/14/us/flag-day-us-code.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Ronnie Lott’s Brother? Capitals Star Brooks Orpik Finger Decapitated during Stanley Cup Finals

http://www.tmz.com/2018/06/14/brooks-orpik-finger-decapitated-stanley-cup-finals/

Teen Gets Head Stuck in Truck’s Exhaust Pipe – Cited For Underage Drinking, of Course

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/teen-gets-head-stuck-trucks-exhaust-pipe-course-shes-cited-underage-drinking-223654444.html

Woman Sues NASA to Keep Moon Dust Gift from Neil Armstrong

http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2018/06/12/woman-sues-nasa-moon-dust/

Video: Little Green Gems Are Spewing Out of Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano

https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2018/06/13/little-green-gems-spewing-out-hawaiis-kilauea-volcano/35988463/

SONG OF THE DAY

Seals & Crofts – Diamond Girl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1676D9s1p0

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LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in the news digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links. There may be paywall barriers, unless you are willing to fork over some dough or if you have a clean browser history.

Mason EDC Hires New Executive Director (Mason County Economic Development Council, Shelton, WA)

(SHELTON, WA) -- The Economic Development Council of Mason County has appointed Jennifer Baria as its new executive director. Jennifer joined the EDC 13 years ago and has been managing the organization’s day-to-day activities through the departure of two executive directors.

“While we spoke and met with a number of qualified individuals, we quickly realized that Jennifer was the right person for the job,” said EDC Board of Directors Chair James Thomas. “When the previous Executive Directors left, she stepped in and continued to carry our EDC’s mission without skipping a beat, and we saw that she has the leadership and commitment that we needed in a new executive director. She has a contagious enthusiasm, a tremendous passion for the job and the county, and a fantastic ability to collaborate with all the different communities within Mason County, our region and throughout Washington. This is just another exciting time for EDC, and the start of a new chapter in Mason County’s extraordinary story.”

“I am very grateful to the EDC Board of Directors for offering me the Executive Director position, and I am excited to take on this new leadership challenge,” said Baria. “Over the past 13 years, I have really gotten to know and work closely with the Mason County business community, so I look forward to continuing to advance their and the county’s economic development goals.”

Brian Johnson New Auditor/Director of Administrative Services at Franklin PUD (Franklin PUD, Pasco, WA)

(PASCO, WA) -- Franklin PUD recently hired Brian Johnson as the new Auditor/Director of Administrative Services. Johnson will be responsible for Franklin PUD’s accounting functions, including the annual budget, compliance with all applicable accounting standards and internal auditing. The position further provides oversight and supervision to the Accounting, Information Technology and Broadband departments.

Johnson has a Master’s of Business Administration from Northwest Christian University and has worked in accounting and finance for 17 years. Prior to relocating to the Tri-Cities, Johnson held the position of Senior Power Analyst at Emerald People's Utility District, located in Eugene, Oregon where he was responsible for rate setting, power cost and revenue accounting along with other risk management duties. Prior to his work at the utility he served as Plant Controller for an international food manufacturer.

Pacific Lamprey Return to Umatilla River in Record Numbers (Bonneville Power Administration)

(PORTLAND, OR) -- Pacific lamprey, a prehistoric fish native to the Columbia River Basin and treasured by Native American people, are returning to Oregon’s Umatilla River in record numbers.

From the late 1960s through the early 2000’s lamprey were functionally extinct in the Umatilla Basin, and less than five years ago, only a few-hundred Pacific lamprey returned to the Umatilla River each year.   However, through efforts such as adult translocation, scientists with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation have counted more the 2600 of the ancient fish migrating up the eastern Oregon river to spawn this spring.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla have worked for nearly 25 years to increase lamprey numbers. The Bonneville Power Administration has funded most of the tribe’s lamprey projects since the early 1990’s, with much of the money going toward lamprey research and improving instream passage. Over the past 10 years, BPA ratepayers have invested just over $5 million in the Umatilla Basin for lamprey.

“Lamprey are culturally important and a critical First Food for tribes. And while they’ve been around for millions of years, until rather recently, managers failed to understand their importance within the food web,” says Aaron Jackson, fisheries biologist with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. “Our focus now is to continue lamprey supplementation actions to bolster the overall numbers of lamprey in the Umatilla and other ceded area basins.”

“We understand the cultural significance of Pacific lamprey to the tribes which is one reason we’ve funded lamprey projects in the Umatilla,” says Lorri Bodi, vice president of Environment, Fish and Wildlife with the Bonneville Power Administration. “As a food source for other creatures, lamprey are also very important to a healthy functioning ecosystem such as in the Umatilla River so it’s great to see our efforts paying off.”

Pacific lamprey spend the majority of their lives as tiny larvae living in Northwest streams from three to seven years before migrating out to sea. Adult lamprey have a sucker-like mouth that allows them to be parasitic while in the ocean. They attach to fish and other marine mammals for feeding.  Lamprey usually live in the ocean for one to three years before returning to fresh water to spawn. Similar to salmon, lamprey die after spawning and their carcasses provide marine rich nutrients to streams.

Franklin PUD Pays $1.7 Million in Privilege Tax to Washington State (Franklin PUD, Pasco, WA)

(PASCO, WA) -- Franklin PUD paid $1.7 million in “privilege taxes” to the State of Washington on June 1, 2018. The annual tax was levied on 2017 revenue for the privilege of providing electricity in the state. The privilege taxes collected by the state include $578,562 allocated to the state school fund, $176,313 to the state general fund and $960,166 to Franklin County.

In addition to the privilege tax, Franklin PUD paid the following taxes in 2017: $3 million to the state for the public utility tax; municipal utility taxes of $4.7 million to the City of Pasco, $385,854 to the City of Connell, $9,527 to the City of Kahlotus, and other excise taxes of $38,523 to the state.

The Dam Thing – Where States Stand on Major Projects (Politico’s Morning Energy)

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- A brawl is brewing between Maryland's Republican governor, Larry Hogan, and Exelon Corp. over one of the country's largest privately owned dams, Pro's Annie Snider reports — and it could determine how assertive states can be when regulating major infrastructure projects.

Hogan's administration is trying to force the utility to pay up to $7 billion to reduce pollution flowing through its Conowingo dam, which is located just upstream of the Chesapeake Bay, as a condition of renewing its operating license for another 50 years. Exelon says it may shut down the dam rather than pay to fix a problem it did not cause. But first, it's heading to court.

The Supreme Court has given states broad leeway to set environmental requirements for infrastructure through authority granted by the Clean Water Act. And Maryland says it is stepping in because the Conowingo facility would raise pollution levels in violation of state water quality standards. But Exelon retorts the state's approach exceeds the boundaries of the federal water law, setting up a key test that will be closely watched around the country.

The ensuing fight is a perfect example of what critics say is some states using the water law to block projects they oppose for other reasons. "If there's a state who just doesn't like something, an application that's been made, they can stall it for the year and then they hold the applicant over a barrel by saying, 'We'll either deny it or you withdraw it,'" Sen. Jim Inhofe said during an infrastructure hearing last month. Read more here.

2018 Mason County Forest Festival Timber Sports Results – The 2018 WEST Stihl Pro Qualifier

Total Points

Contestant	Total Points
David Moses	42 points
Cassidy Scheer	40 points
Walter Page	36 points
David Green	29 points
TJ Bexten	26 points
Jeff Skirvin	23 points
Mike Forrester	21 points
James Hartley	20 points
Rob Waibel	18 points

Contestants competed in:

Springboard Chop:

A discipline based on the need for old-time loggers to establish a cutting platform above the massive root bases of old growth trees, the competitor uses an axe to chop pockets into a 9-foot poplar pole and then place 6-inch wide springboard platforms into the pockets.

Contestant	Time	Points
Cassidy Scheer	42.26	9
Walter Page	55.23	8
David Moses	67.62	7
Rob Waibel	72.14	6
Jeff Skirvin	78.35	5
TJ Bexten	81.00	4
David Green	82.40	3
James Hartley	89.89	2
Mike Forrester	91.21	1

Stock Saw

The stock saw discipline is a true test of operator ability. The competitor uses an MS 660 STIHL Magnum® chainsaw and begins with both hands on the log and the chainsaw idling on the deck.

Contestant	Time	Points
TJ Bexten	13.53	9
Rob Waibel	13.74	8
Mike Forrester	13.85	7
David Green	13.86	6
Walter Page	13.87	5
David Moses	14.16	4
Jeff Skirvin	14.33	3
James Hartley	14.45	2
Cassidy Scheer	15.05	1

Standing Block Chop

Mimicking the felling of a tree, the competitor races to chop through 12 to 14 inches of vertical white pine.

Contestant	Time	Points
Cassidy Scheer	18.68	9
Walter Page	19.07	8
David Green	22.54	7
Mike Forrester	23.94	6
David Moses	25.95	5
James Hartley	27.92	4
Jeff Skirvin	29.36	3
TJ Bexten	30.68	2
Rob Waibel	33.21	1

Single Buck

The competitor makes one cut through 19 inches of white pine using a single man cross-cut saw. The competitor may have a helper wedge his cut into the log to prevent the saw teeth from sticking.

Contestant	Time	Points
David Moses	13.68	9
Cassidy Scheer	14.28	8
James Hartley	15.85	7
Walter Page	17.57	6
Jeff Skirvin	17.97	5
Mike Forrester	18.00	4
David Green	18.70	3
TJ Bexten	19.58	2
Rob Waibel	23.63	1

Underhand Chop

The competitor stands with feet apart on a 12- to 14-inch white pine log. At the signal, he begins to chop through the log with his racing axe.

Contestant	Time	Points
Walter Page	32.02	9
David Moses	32.80	8
Jeff Skirvin	40.11	7
Cassidy Scheer	42.05	6
James Hartley	44.12	5
David Green	47.48	4
Mike Forrester	58.65	3
Rob Waibel	61.37	2
TJ Bexten	62.02	1

Hot Saw

In this discipline, the competitor uses a customized chainsaw with a modified engine, usually taken from a personal watercraft or snowmobile.

Contestant	Time	Points
David Moses	6.47	9
TJ Bexten	7.34	8
Cassidy Scheer	8.81	7
David Green	12.11	6
James Hartley	DNF/DQ	0
Rob Waibel	DNF/DQ	0
Walter Page	DNF/DQ	0
Mike Forrester	DNF/DQ	0
Jeff Skirvin	DNF/DQ	0