Biden Administration’s BPA Study Confirms: Breaching Dams Would Cost Billions, Slow Fight Against Climate Change (Northwest RiverPartners, News Release)

Bonneville Power Administration Study: Dam Removal Gambles $75 Billion on Emerging Technologies

NOAA “Review Draft” Concedes: Dam Removal Doesn’t Guarantee More Salmon

July 12, 2022

VANCOUVER, WA - - The Biden Administration released two documents today regarding the Lower Snake River dams (LSRD). One is an analysis performed on behalf of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) by E3 that explores the cost and environmental impacts in maintaining grid reliability across multiple scenarios in the event of the removal of the clean, low-cost electricity produced by the lower Snake River dams (LSRD). The other is a “Review Draft” released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with contributions from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Nez Perce Tribe, and the State of Oregon that advocates actions they support to create a “harvestable” amount of fish. 

The study conducted by E3 verifies previous analyses and conclusions by Northwest RiverPartners including the recently released study by Energy GPS (press release is here). The E3 and Energy GPS studies demonstrate that, given existing technologies, there is currently no viable way to remove the LSRD without burning more fossil fuels or jeopardizing grid reliability.

“According to the report commissioned by the Biden Administration’s BPA Snake River dam removal would force ratepayers to gamble $75B or an increase in carbon emissions against technology that is not yet available. We all want emerging technologies to be viable, but we cannot bet our climate and the health and safety of our region on something that doesn’t yet exist,” said Kurt Miller, executive director, Northwest RiverPartners. 

“Ratepayers’ bills go up if the dams are breached. The study commissioned by the Biden Administration BPA says to expect up to a 65% increase in electricity rates if the LSRD are removed while the region pursues electrification policies. A future without the LSRD means billions of dollars in costs for millions of electricity customers across the Northwest,” Miller continued. “The study confirms the fact these dams are irreplaceable for the region if we want to meet our emissions reduction objectives and maintain a reliable grid at an affordable cost.”

The BPA-commissioned analysis looked at four scenarios of managing the power grid if the dams are breached. Importantly, three of the four scenarios rely on the deployment of electric generation technologies not yet commercially available or the continued reliance upon combustion technologies. Only one scenario examines the replacement of LSRD with non-emitting “mature” (currently existing) technologies.

According to the BPA-commissioned analysis, the scenario utilizing non-emitting mature technologies and not allowing any additional combustion generating assets to come online costs $75B and would result in a 65% rate increase. The study stated that “No new combustion case drives impractically high levels of new renewable energy to meet firm capacity needs without new firm generation options.”

Oregon and Washington are required to meet state emissions laws and abide by laws restricting coal and natural gas generation. Without commercially viable technologies, BPA would be forced into the highest cost option.

In one of its most significant conclusions, the BPA commissioned report states, “Even in a best-case scenario, replacement power would cost several times as much as the lower Snake River dams cost.”

The NOAA document calls, in part, for the near-term removal of the LSRD and developing fish passage at hydroelectric facilities in the Upper Columbia, including Grand Coulee and Dworshak, that currently block fish access to historic spawning grounds. The document places an emphasis on ensuring salmon return to the “last best high-elevation spawning and nursery habitats,” leaving open the possibility that other hydroelectric facilities should be removed in order to achieve this outcome. Importantly, the NOAA document does not say that these actions are required to recover endangered species under the obligations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) but rather to ensure “harvestable” levels of fish.

Regarding the NOAA/USFWS/Nez Perce/State of Oregon document, Miller continued, “the NOAA review draft was co-written by groups that have campaigned for years for dam removal. While the draft acknowledges the challenge of climate change for salmon, their recommendations would make climate change worse.”

Especially noteworthy from the “Review Draft” on page 18: “Nonetheless, our lack of precise measures or estimates of the magnitude of the biological benefit expected from large-scale management actions in no way indicates that we lack confidence in their efficacy…Some uncertainty surrounding the exact magnitude of beneficial response of acting does not warrant inaction.” 

Miller added, “Climate change is the greatest threat for salmon. The lack of rigor in their draft makes for a sad day for the science of recovery.”

The Energy News Digest for July 6, 2022

The Energy News Digest is sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association. 

The News Digest on Facebook and Twitter will bring you breaking news throughout the week.

Subscribe to The Energy News Digest.

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in The Energy News Digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links. Media attribution includes information about possible paywall restrictions.

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

WA State’s Deadline for No More Fossil Fuel Impossible If Snake River Dams Breached, Study Says (Tri-City Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article263167838.html

California Passes Legislation to Avoid Blackouts, Create ‘Insurance Policy’ for the Grid (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-legislation-newsom-reliability-reserve-fund/626441/

High Court Ruling Curbing EPA Could Have Impact on Pacific NW Water Rights, Tribes, Expert Says (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

https://katu.com/news/local/high-court-ruling-curbing-epa-could-have-impact-on-pacific-northwest-water-rights-tribes-expert-says

Public Comment Period Open for Largest Proposed Energy Storage Project in Washington State (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)

https://www.knkx.org/environment/2022-06-30/public-comment-period-open-for-largest-proposed-energy-storage-project-in-washington

Boaters, Sightseers Told to Keep Distance from Southern Resident Orcas Deemed ‘Vulnerable’ (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/boaters-sightseers-told-to-keep-distance-from-southern-resident-orcas-deemed-vulnerable/

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.      WA State’s Deadline for No More Fossil Fuel Impossible If Snake River Dams Breached, Study Says

2.      California Passes Legislation to Avoid Blackouts, Create ‘Insurance Policy’ for the Grid

3.      Nuclear Power Gets New Push in U.S., Winning Converts

4.      European Union Lawmakers Back Gas, Nuclear Energy as Sustainable

5.      Global Nuclear Power Capacity Needs to Double by 2050 – IEA

6.      DOE Seeks Input on How to Divide $630 Million in Infrastructure Law Hydropower Funding

7.      Idaho Power files Customer Generation Study

8.      Supreme Court Ruling Not a Clear Win for Wyoming Coal

9.      Colorado: Xcel Energy Asks Boulder County District Court Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Marshall Fire Origin

10.   Washington Had States’ Fifth-Highest Number of Power Outages Last Year

11.   The 25th Annual Mid–C Seminar Set to Happen in Wenatchee, WA, from July 12-13, 2022

12.   Guest Essay: Kirk Hudson, Rich Wallen & Gary Ivory, PUD General Managers: To Protect the Grid & Meet Climate Goals, We Need the Lower Snake River Dams

13.   Editorial: Waiting Could Force Bad Choice on Dams, Salmon

14.   Commentary: Supreme Court Wages War on Public Sector Expertise

15.   Public Comment Period Open for Largest Proposed Energy Storage Project in Washington State

16.   WA State: Pumped Storage Project Gets Strong Support

17.   ‘Gold Mine’: Southeastern Montana Wind Farm Poised to Become Montana’s Largest

18.   WA State: Grant County PUD Looking at Solar, Wind with Rising Power Demand

19.   WA State: Yakima Valley Solar Farm Decisions Could Happen by End of July

20.   Why Google Weighed in on a Contentious Oregon Offshore Wind Issue

21.   WA State: Cow Pie Power! Monroe Manure-to-Energy Project Expands

22.   EIA Releases State-Level Household Energy Characteristics Data from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey

23.   Heat Pumps Can Help Save the Planet. But Can They Save You Money?

24.   Boaters, Sightseers Told to Keep Distance from Southern Resident Orcas Deemed ‘Vulnerable’

25.   Salmon Are Still Migrating Through Seattle — But They’re in Trucks

26.   WA State, British Columbia Leaders Weigh Closing Controversial Salmon Farms

27.   NOAA Issues New Preferred Alternative for Native American Makah Whale Hunt

28.   Canada: Micro Fish Hatcheries Built in Shipping Containers Help Salmon Recover

29.   Seattle City Light Contributes $4.5 Million to Preserving Skagit Valley Headwater

30.   High Court Ruling Curbing EPA Could Have Impact on Pacific NW Water Rights, Tribes, Expert Says

31.   In Light of EPA Court Ruling, New Focus on States’ Power

32.   U.S. Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch Wanted Climate Ruling to Hobble Congress

33.   States Must Ease Zoning, Permit Regulations for Broadband Buildouts

34.   Using Electric Utility Easements for Broadband

35.   Telecom Monopolies Are Poised to Waste the U.S.’ Massive New Investment in High-Speed Broadband

36.   U.S. Newspapers Continuing to Die at Rate of 2 Each Week

37.   Extreme Solar Activities Are Causing Satellites to Fall Off Their Orbits

38.   More Companies Are Trying Out the Four-Day Workweek. It Might Not Be for Everyone

WORD OF THE DAY

Prolix \proh-LICKS\ Adjective – 1: unduly prolonged or drawn out: too long *2: marked by or using an excess of words.

Like King Canute commanding the tides to stop surging to the shore, the moderator knew that his admonition to the speaker about brevity was a fruitless effort to stem an expected torrent of prolix prose. “What more can be said about the importance of mineral oil to the health of baby bottoms?” droned the loquacious after-dinner speaker. “What more indeed,” murmured his wife, who surreptitiously glanced at her watch after two hours of oratorical obfuscation…..

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      WA State’s Deadline for No More Fossil Fuel Impossible If Snake River Dams Breached, Study Says (Tri-City Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article263167838.html

2.      California Passes Legislation to Avoid Blackouts, Create ‘Insurance Policy’ for the Grid (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-legislation-newsom-reliability-reserve-fund/626441/

3.      Nuclear Power Gets New Push in U.S., Winning Converts (NY Times – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/business/energy-environment/nuclear-energy-politics.html

4.      European Union Lawmakers Back Gas, Nuclear Energy as Sustainable (Courthouse News Service)

https://www.courthousenews.com/eu-lawmakers-back-gas-nuclear-energy-as-sustainable/

5.      Global Nuclear Power Capacity Needs to Double by 2050 – IEA (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-nuclear-power-capacity-needs-double-by-2050-iea-2022-06-30/

6.      DOE Seeks Input on How to Divide $630 Million in Infrastructure Law Hydropower Funding (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-hydroelectric-rfi-request-infrastructure/626515/?utm_medium=email

7.      Idaho Power files Customer Generation Study (KIFI-TV, Idaho Falls, ID)

https://localnews8.com/news/idaho/2022/07/03/idaho-power-files-customer-generation-study/

8.      Supreme Court Ruling Not a Clear Win for Wyoming Coal (WyoFile)

https://wyofile.com/supreme-court-ruling-not-a-clear-win-for-wyoming-coal/

9.      Colorado: Xcel Energy Asks Boulder County District Court Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Marshall Fire Origin (CBS News)

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/xcel-energy-boulder-county-district-court-judge-dismiss-lawsuit-marshall-fire-origin/

10.   Washington Had States’ Fifth-Highest Number of Power Outages Last Year (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

https://www.chronline.com/stories/washington-had-states-fifth-highest-number-of-power-outages-last-year,296142?

11.   The 25th Annual Mid–C Seminar Set to Happen in Wenatchee, WA, from July 12-13, 2022 (NewsWires)

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/579787274/the-25th-annual-mid-c-seminar-set-to-happen-in-wenatchee-wa-from-july-12-13-2022

SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI

12.   Guest Essay: Kirk Hudson, Rich Wallen & Gary Ivory, PUD General Managers: To Protect the Grid & Meet Climate Goals, We Need the Lower Snake River Dams (Wenatchee World, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/opinion/opinion-kirk-hudson-rich-wallen-and-gary-ivory-pud-general-managers-to-protect-the-grid/article_1a324250-f7fe-11ec-964c-ef84c585ace6.html

13.   Editorial: Waiting Could Force Bad Choice on Dams, Salmon (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-waiting-could-force-bad-choice-on-dams-salmon/

14.   Commentary: Supreme Court Wages War on Public Sector Expertise (Bloomberg News)

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-07-05/supreme-court-wages-war-on-public-sector-expertise

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

15.   Public Comment Period Open for Largest Proposed Energy Storage Project in Washington State (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)

https://www.knkx.org/environment/2022-06-30/public-comment-period-open-for-largest-proposed-energy-storage-project-in-washington

16.   WA State: Pumped Storage Project Gets Strong Support (The Goldendale Sentinel, WA)

https://www.goldendalesentinel.com/news/pumped-storage-project-gets-strong-support/article_d2c798e6-fd4f-11ec-b214-33c59b9d82f7.html

17.   ‘Gold Mine’: Southeastern Montana Wind Farm Poised to Become Montana’s Largest (KTVQ-TV, Billings, MT)

https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/gold-mine-miles-city-wind-farm-set-to-sell-power-to-pacific-northwest

18.   WA State: Grant County PUD Looking at Solar, Wind with Rising Power Demand (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

https://kpq.com/grant-county-pud-looking-at-solar-wind-with-rising-power-demand/

19.   WA State: Yakima Valley Solar Farm Decisions Could Happen by End of July (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/business/yakima-valley-solar-farm-decisions-could-happen-by-end-of-july/article_29f2565d-d9ae-5712-877f-0426e0a5ae1d.html

20.   Why Google Weighed in on a Contentious Oregon Offshore Wind Issue (Portland Business Journal, OR – Paywall Advisor)

https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2022/07/06/why-google-weighed-in-on-a-contentious-oregon-offshore-wind-issue/

21.   WA State: Cow Pie Power! Monroe Manure-to-Energy Project Expands (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.heraldnet.com/business/cow-pie-power-monroe-manure-to-energy-project-expands/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

22.   EIA Releases State-Level Household Energy Characteristics Data from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

https://www.eia.gov/pressroom/releases/press510.php

23.   Heat Pumps Can Help Save the Planet. But Can They Save You Money? (Grist Online)

https://grist.org/climate-energy/heat-pumps-can-help-save-the-planet-but-can-they-save-you-money/

FISH & WILDLIFE

24.   Boaters, Sightseers Told to Keep Distance from Southern Resident Orcas Deemed ‘Vulnerable’ (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/boaters-sightseers-told-to-keep-distance-from-southern-resident-orcas-deemed-vulnerable/

25.   Salmon Are Still Migrating Through Seattle — But They’re in Trucks (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/salmon-are-still-migrating-through-seattle-but-theyre-in-trucks/

26.   WA State, British Columbia Leaders Weigh Closing Controversial Salmon Farms (Crosscut Seattle)

https://crosscut.com/environment/2022/07/wa-bc-leaders-weigh-closing-controversial-salmon-farms

27.   NOAA Issues New Preferred Alternative for Native American Makah Whale Hunt (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)

https://www.knkx.org/environment/2022-07-05/noaa-issues-new-preferred-alternative-for-makah-whale-hunt

28.   Canada: Micro Fish Hatcheries Built in Shipping Containers Help Salmon Recover (Globe & Mail)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-fish-hatchery-shipping-container/

ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE

29.   Seattle City Light Contributes $4.5 Million to Preserving Skagit Valley Headwater (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

https://mynorthwest.com/3540364/seattle-city-light-contributes-4-5-million-to-preserving-skagit-valley-headwater/

WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?

30.   High Court Ruling Curbing EPA Could Have Impact on Pacific NW Water Rights, Tribes, Expert Says (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

https://katu.com/news/local/high-court-ruling-curbing-epa-could-have-impact-on-pacific-northwest-water-rights-tribes-expert-says

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

31.   In Light of EPA Court Ruling, New Focus on States’ Power (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/climate-us-supreme-court-gavin-newsom-jay-inslee-kathy-hochul-de652bcf6ed068f8080af606be789870

32.   U.S. Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch Wanted Climate Ruling to Hobble Congress (E&E News)

https://www.eenews.net/articles/gorsuch-wanted-climate-ruling-to-hobble-congress/?utm_medium=email

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

33.   States Must Ease Zoning, Permit Regulations for Broadband Buildouts (Broadband Breakfast)

https://broadbandbreakfast.com/2022/06/states-must-ease-zoning-permit-regulations-for-broadband-buildouts/

34.   Using Electric Utility Easements for Broadband (National Law Review)

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/using-electric-utility-easements-broadband

35.   Telecom Monopolies Are Poised to Waste the U.S.’ Massive New Investment in High-Speed Broadband (The Daily Dot)

https://www.dailydot.com/debug/broadband-telecom-monopolies-covid-subsidies/

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

36.   U.S. Newspapers Continuing to Die at Rate of 2 Each Week (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/journalism-united-states-39ef84c1131267233768bbb4dcaa181b

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

37.   Extreme Solar Activities Are Causing Satellites to Fall Off Their Orbits (Interesting Engineering)

https://interestingengineering.com/extreme-solar-activities-satellites-fall-off-orbits

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY

38.   More Companies Are Trying Out the Four-Day Workweek. It Might Not Be for Everyone (National Public Radio)

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/06/1109316972/more-companies-are-trying-out-the-4-day-workweek-but-it-might-not-be-for-everyon

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Stinky Seaweed Threatens Mexico’s Post-Pandemic Tourism Boom

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/stinky-seaweed-threatens-mexicos-post-pandemic-tourism-boom-2022-07-04/

Frank Lloyd Wright Designed the Guggenheim Museum -- And This 12-Year-Old Boy’s Dog House

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/frank-lloyd-wright-dog-house-trnd/index.html

Peanut Brittle from the Davenport Is Part of What Makes ‘Piecing Together America’

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/jun/29/peanut-brittle-from-the-davenport-is-part-of-what-/

Decades Ago, a Spokane Man Briefly Needed a Place to Stay in San Francisco. He Wound Up with a Priceless Ming Dynasty Vase

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/jun/24/decades-ago-a-spokane-man-briefly-needed-a-place-t/

SONG OF THE DAY

Buddy Jones - I’m in the Doghouse Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUfFZyy8mNw