California: Draft Environmental Impact Report Available for Wind-Energy Project in Eastern Shasta County (Redding Record Searchlight, CA)

(REDDING, CA) -- The draft environmental impact report for a controversial wind-energy project in eastern Shasta County has been published.

The public has until 5 p.m. Sept. 18 to comment on the environmental document.

Fountain Wind developer Scott Kringen addresses a full Montgomery Creek Elementary School gym at a public meeting for the Fountain Wind project in January 2019.

ConnectGen wants to build the project, called Fountain Wind, on nearly 4,500 acres six miles west of Burney and one mile west of the existing Hatchet Ridge wind project.

The new wind turbine proposal would be on leased timberland near the communities of Montgomery Creek, Round Mountain, Oak Run, Moose Camp, Big Bend and Wengler.

Per the draft EIR, Fountain Wind would feature up to 72 wind turbines that could be as high as 679 feet — higher than Shasta Dam. The project would have a maximum generating capacity of 216 megawatts, enough to power more than 200,000 homes, according to a formula from the Lawrence Livermore Labs.

Last summer, a citizens’ group that opposes the project had asked the county to place a moratorium on any more large generation projects.

Citizens in Opposition to the Fountain Wind Project said the nearly 38,000-acre forested area that the turbines would be located within is in a high fire hazard zone.

Paul Hellman, the county’s director of resource management, said he does not know when the project would come before the Planning Commission for final approval. The project would go before the Board of Supervisors if the commission’s decision is appealed.

“It’s really too early to predict that,” Hellman said of a Planning Commission date. “Once we receive all the comments, we will have to evaluate them, prepare responses, and we really don’t know until we see the magnitude of comments” how long that will take.

As COVID Talk Dominates, Fed Lawmakers Consider Energy Measures (Politico)

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- As negotiators weigh next steps, lawmakers on both sides of Congress are waiting on the sidelines with a host of energy asks they're hoping to hitch onto the next relief package. Here is a few ME are watching:

— Bipartisan House members want to include legislation, H.R. 7483 (116), to provide financial relief to rural electric cooperatives that are suffering amid the coronavirus crisis.

— More than 30 farm-state lawmakers want negotiators to include language "explicitly" directing relief to biofuel producers, including, for example, language requiring the Agriculture secretary to provide a per-gallon payment to producers for renewable fuels produced during the pandemic.

— Senate Republicans are directly urging Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to prioritize assistance for the clean energy sector, and House Democrats have also vowed to prioritize assistance to the sector in future packages. The GOP lawmakers say they would like policies that benefit "renewables, nuclear, carbon capture, efficiency, advanced transportation, and energy storage."

— House Republicans, led by Natural Resources ranking member Rob Bishop and Science ranking member Frank Lucas, are looking to include provisions to reduce foreign dependence on critical minerals. "While the insecurity of many of our country's supply chains is not new, the threat posed by America's growing import reliance for critical minerals has become particularly apparent," they write. Murkowski's bill, the American Mineral Security Act, S. 1317 (116) , made it into the Republican Covid-19 measure pushed in the Senate.

— House Democrats have also drawn a line in the sand against any proposals for federal corporate immunity that would shield businesses that reopen amid the Covid-19 pandemic from lawsuits for five years, something environmental activists have said is also tied to the fossil fuel industry.

— Meanwhile, House Democrats' have already included more than $1 billion in their own coronavirus rescue plan to help low-income households cover their water bills and would institute a moratorium on utility service shutoffs for any entity receiving federal relief funds. Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee also recently released a report warning that just 10 states have protections in place to shield their residents from having their water, gas or electric utilities shut off. The National Association of Clean Water Agencies asked for $4 billion to help cover the costs of a shutoff moratorium.

Chelan PUD Welcomes New Communicator (Northwest Public Power Association)

(WENATCHEE, WA) -- Rachel Hansen has joined Chelan PUD as senior

communications strategist and chief media contact. She is taking over from Kimberlee Craig, who retired on June 30 after 21 years at the PUD, most of that as public information officer.

Hansen comes to Chelan PUD from Cascade Medical Center in Leavenworth where she developed outreach and public engagement programs as the center’s first communications staffer. Before that she was a reporter and editor at The Wenatchee World. She also has written for Northwest travel publications and provided public relations for others, including wineries.

Craig is lucky to be moving into a different role as a contractor, helping Visitor Services Manager Debbie Gallaher and the Rocky Reach Discovery Center with communications during renovations expected to start in August. She’s excited to see the project through reopening in spring 2021.

Hispanic Leaders Will Address COVID-19 Crisis Monday June 29th, 5:00 PM at Pasco Farmers Market

(PASCO, WA)

What? Hispanic leaders from across the state, Franklin PUD and the Benton-Franklin Health District have partnered to address the COVID-19 crisis affecting the Latino community in Benton and Franklin counties. The speakers will encourage people to wear masks, encourage social distancing and educate residents on the health risks of COVID-19.

When? Monday, June 29^th at 5:00 p.m.

Where? Pasco Farmers Market on 4^th and Lewis in Pasco, Washington adjacent to Viera’s Bakery and across the Pasco Specialty Kitchen.

Why?  Our goal is to encourage mask-wearing & good social distancing practices in the Hispanic community. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly through the Hispanic community for various reasons. Many are essential workers, thousands are part of the agricultural industry and many come from large families where social distancing is a challenge. We are not blaming the Hispanic community for the spread. Everyone must do their part to defeat COVID-19.

Who will speak? Pasco Mayor Saul Martinez, Dr. Amy Person (BFHD), Dr. Raul Garcia (ER Doctor Lourdes), Martin Valadez (TCHCC President) Gabriel Portugal (President DPDA) LBA, WA State Legislator Alex Ybarra, Ana Peralta (Pasco Community Leader).

What will be said? Leaders will ask people from the Hispanic community to wear masks, practice social distancing and educate them on the risks of COVID-19.

Will it be conducted in English and Spanish? Yes all speakers are bilingual and will speak in English and Spanish.

Will there be Q & A when the news conference is over? Yes each speaker is available, except for Dr. Garcia, he has to leave for a scheduled engagement.

Energy Industry's Diversity Problem (Politico)

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- In the immediate aftermath of the protests that shot up across the country following the killing of George Floyd, many energy and industry groups have made public gestures of support. Oil giants like ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and the industry group American Petroleum Institute came out with statements condemning racism, as did leaders of the wind and solar energy sectors.

But those statements came from leaders in an industry that is still predominantly white, especially in the highest management positions, Pro's Gavin Bade and Ben Lefebvre report this morning.

One 2016 study from API found nearly three-quarters of oil and gas industry workers were white. The rank and file of the wind and solar sectors are slightly more diverse, according to a 2019 report for state energy officials, but many of the highest paid jobs are dominated by white workers. The oil and gas industry as a whole also has long generated complaints that it has been hostile to women and minorities.

"Those who have statements have good statements, but from where I sit, what we want to know is what happens after your statement," said Paula Glover, head of American Association of Blacks in Energy. "Because [a statement] that says we abhor racism and inequality, it's not that it rings hollow, but if you do nothing to back that up by making change in your organization, then it's just words on the page."

Industry groups seek diversity rising. API says a majority of new oil and gas jobs through 2040 will be filled by women and people of color — though that portion is smaller for managerial and C-suite positions. Leaders in the wind and solar sector have said they plan to redouble their diversity efforts in the wake of recent protests.

But protesters from the energy sector said they want companies to not only hire more black and Latino employees but to focus business development on their communities and transform an industry culture that is often hostile to non-white workers.

"The system is not broken — it's working exactly how it should for a certain population," said Jamez Staples, a clean energy entrepreneur in North Minneapolis who attended Floyd's funeral last week. "Now that there's more people of color coming up through these systems, they're realizing that they're broken or aren't functioning well and they need to be demolished and rebuilt ... to create economic models that are more inclusive."

COVID-19 Creates Air Conditioning Conundrum (Politico)

(Washington, DC) -- The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute raised alarm bells in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over its members' inability to manufacture products in their Mexican factories because of the pandemic.

According to the letter, there is currently no federal directive designating essential status for HVACR and water heating in Mexico — where some of AHRI's member companies have a large manufacturing presence. Because of that, "the situation for equipment and supply chain manufacturers there is dire," writes Stephen Yurek, the trade association's president and CEO.

The group calls on Pompeo to persuade Mexico's federal, state and local jurisdictions to allow continued manufacturing operations. "The continued inability of some of our member companies to manufacture products in their Mexican factories will very soon severely impact our ability to supply these essential products to the American market, putting American lives and health at risk," the letter states.

U.S. Dept of Commerce Launches Probe into Transformer Equipment (Politico)

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The Commerce Department opened a Section 232 investigation into whether imports of certain parts used in electrical transformer equipment constitutes a national security risk and should be subject to trade restrictions.

The probe comes under the same law used to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and came after requests from members of Congress and domestic industry, Commerce said. "An assured domestic supply of these products enables the United States to respond to large power disruptions affecting civilian populations, critical infrastructure, and U.S. defense industrial production capabilities," the department said.

The order follows Friday's executive order prohibiting U.S. electric utilities from installing grid devices from foreign manufacturers that could threaten national security.