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Media Summary
Contact Carol Winkel
for more information. Also see archive.
Overview for December - September 2000
A number of stories about the Council's power study, released in
mid-October, set the stage for continuing concerns about the region's
energy supply. In November a feature story appeared in the Sunday
Oregonian on the potential for an energy shortage and high prices this
winter that was picked up by the AP wire and appeared in papers throughout
the region. Governor Kitzhaber's salmon plan received coverage in
mid-November, but by early December, and with the threat of a coming cold
front, print, radio and television media were focused on electricity
supplies both in the Northwest and California.
November 2000
More Generating Plants a Necessity; NIMBYism only invites suffering
in the cold and dark--The
Spokesman Review, Spokane WA (Nov 30)
Op Ed on the region's energy shortage and the need for building more
power plants. The piece mentions the Council's power report:
?The best available analysis of the power shortage is in an Oct. 12
report produced by the Northwest Power Planning Council. The report
says the blackout risk will persist until additional generating capacity
is built, which will take several years.?
Dams Aside, Salmon Recovery Continues--The
Columbian, Vancouver, WA (Nov 28)
Opinion piece by Council Chair Larry Cassidy on the Council's revised
fish and wildlife program and its emphasis on offsite mitigation and
subbasin planning. Also appears in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
Seattle, WA; The Oregonian, Portland, OR; and The Idaho Statesman.
New Power Plants Threaten Northwest Environment; Virtually
unnoticed, natural gas-fired turbines to generate electricity are cropping
up along the Columbia River--The
Oregonian, Portland, OR (Nov 27)
Opinion piece by John Paul Williams on the environmental effects of power
plant developments. He writes in response to the November 19 Sunday
Oregonian feature on the Northwest's potential energy crisis. He
asks the question, ?Who will conduct a full-fledged review of all of
these power plants?? And, along with listing the EPA and
Bonneville, he writes, ??Not I,? says the Northwest Power Planning
Council, which is supposed to provide direction for the BPA.? He
concludes that ?it's time for BPA and the EPA and other state and
regional agencies to begin conducting a comprehensive study of these
pending facilities and to provide all of the Pacific Northwest's
citizens a forum and an opportunity to voice their concerns.?
City Light Warns Usage Cuts, Blackouts Possible; Chaos in California's
deregulation is to blame for shortage, officials say--The
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA (Nov 24)
Story on the tight energy supply and Seattle City Light's efforts to
avoid rolling blackouts this winter: ?Utility officials say they
may ask Boeing, Bethehem Steel and downtown office buildings to reduce
their electric use if California can't provide enough power to Northwest
utilities to get them through the winter.? The Council's
forecast is also mentioned: ?The Northwest Power Planning
Council--representatives of the governors from Washington, Oregon, Idaho
and Montana--cautions that in three years the Northwest system will be
short 2,500 megawatts of generating capacity.?
Power Shortage May be Coming--KOIN-TV, Portland, OR
(Nov 20)
News segment on possible power shortages and price hikes in the
Northwest. The reporter interviews Greg Dewilche of Bonneville and
Dick Watson. Reporter: ?Dry, winter weather may be pleasant,
but because hydroelectricity powers the Northwest, less water is bad for
generating power?The BPA says that if there is a power crunch, it would
most likely come in January when households and businesses could
conceivably use more power than the region's system can provide.
Bonneville Power says it can handle the extra loads by dipping into
reserves and buying additional power from California. But the
Northwest Power Planning Council says that until more capacity comes on
line in the year 2003, we could be looking at blackouts, brownouts, and
higher electricity rates.?
Hearing Today on governor's Plan--KEX Radio, Portland, OR
(Nov 20)
Newscaster: ?Governor John Kitzhaber's proposal to save salmon
in the Columbia River Basin takes center stage at a public hearing in
Portland today. Kitzhaber and Montana's governor support the
plan. The governors of Idaho and Washington oppose it. Kitzhaber's
plan calls for creating a new advisory board to the eight-member power
council.?
Power Plan Would Face Obstacles--Oregon Public Broadcasting Radio
(Nov 20)
Newscaster: ?Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber and Montana Governor
Marc Racicot hold a public hearing today on a plan to increase the
Northwest voice in fish and wildlife protection along the Columbia River?The
Northwest Power Planning Act dictates who gets the cheap hydro power from
the federal dams within the Columbia River Basin. Some of the money
made from that power is spent to preserve fish and wildlife, and up until
now, decisions on how to spend it have been made by the Northwest Power
Planning Council. For years, the governors of Oregon, Washington,
Idaho and Montana have considered changes so that others such as tribes
could have a say in decisions. Over the years, there has been little
consensus of opinion among the four governors. But now, Governors
Kitzhaber and Racicot have proposed giving native tribes more influence on
fish and wildlife decisions. There is concern, however, that any
changes to the Northwest Power Act could open the door for other
amendments, such as the sale of more cheap hydro power to states outside
the Northwest.?
Experimental Fuel Cells May Offer Perpetual ?Electricity in a Box?;
Thousands of homes in the West may soon draw heat and power from batteries
that never go dead--The Oregonian,
Portland, OR (Nov 19)
AP story on fuel cells and the potential for this technology to be a
viable option for residential and small commercial use. it's a
good general overview of what fuel cells are and what makes them an
attractive energy alternative. The story quotes Council staff:
?John Harrison, a spokesman for the Portland-based Northwest Power
Planning Council, said the region has an adequate transmission system for
current electricity loads.? Also appears in The Olympian, Olympia,
WA; The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA; The Daily Journal of Commerce,
Seattle, WA; and The Herald & News, Klamath Falls, OR.
Bracing for a Cold Winter--The
Oregonian, Portland, OR (Nov 19)
Excellent feature story in the Sunday Oregonian that looks at the power
issue from both the supply and price side. The writer maps out the
circumstances that would create a power shortage in the region, talks
about the emergency plan being developed to deal with such a scenario, and
gives a good overview of the current supply situation: ?The
possibility of a serious energy shortage in the West has been building for
years. Population growth and an economic expansion pushed demand up
while electricity generating capacity remained flat?Also, amid feelings
of economic plenty, utilities, state agencies and consumers cut back on
energy conservation programs?The Northwest Power Planning Council, a
four-state agency charged with balancing fish and wildlife protection with
electricity production, concluded in a report released earlier this year
that shortages threaten the region through 2003.? AP picked up the
story and it also appears in abbreviated form in The Mail Tribune,
Medford, OR; The South County Journal, Kent, WA; The Democrat Herald,
Albany, OR; The News-Review, Roseburg, OR; and The East Oregonian,
Pendleton, OR; The Bulletin, Bend, OR; The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA; The
Daily Courier, Grants Pass, OR; The Statesman-Journal, Salem, OR; The
Eastside Journal, Bellevue, WA; The Register-Guard, Eugene, OR; The Idaho
Statesman, Boise, ID; The Herald & News, Klamath Falls, OR; The
Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, WA; The Daily Journal of Commerce, Seattle,
WA; and The Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, OR.
Kitzhaber Salmon Plan Could be Dead in Water; The governor's new
Columbia Basin proposal already lacks the tribal and regional support it
would need to pass Congress--The
Oregonian, Portland, OR (Nov 19)
Story on Gov. Kitzhaber's proposal for salmon recovery and the
opposition it faces from the governors of Washington and Idaho and
officials of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Quotes
Council members Eric Bloch and John Etchart. Also appears in The
Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR; The Bulletin, Bend, OR; The Columbian,
Vancouver, WA; The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA; The Seattle
Times, Seattle, WA; The Daily Journal of Commerce, Seattle, WA; and The
Statesman-Journal, Salem, OR.
Trust Receives Extension to Raise Funds--The
Sunday Oregonian, Portland, OR (Nov 19)
Small side article on the efforts of Trust for Public Land, a national
conservation group, to raise funds to purchase 1,020 acres for
environmental preservation and home sites in the Methow Valley in
Washington state. The story notes that the trust has been working to
gain funding from Bonneville and the Council.
Utilities Take Steps to Avoid Outages; ?Arctic express? weather,
threat of insufficient supply could lead to shortages--The
Columbian, Vancouver, WA (Nov 18)
AP story on the possibility of shortages this winter. Notes that ?The
Northwest Power Planning Council has warned of possible electricity
shortages in the coming winters based on increasing demand and little new
generation to accommodate growth in the region.? Also appears in
The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA; The Yakima Herald Republic, Yakima, WA; The
Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, WA; and The Olympian, Olympia, WA.
Wind Project Would Be Largest in Northwest--South County Journal,
Kent, WA (Nov 12)
AP story on a proposal to build several hundred wind-powered electricity
generating turbines in Walla Walla County and across the Oregon line in
Umatilla County. The total energy output of the project adds up to
268 megawatts, enough to power more than 60,000 homes. The Council's
forecast is cited by the writer, who also notes, ??according to the
Northwest Power Planning Council, developing and operating well-situated
wind farms can yield per-kilowatt-hour costs of between 4 to 6 cents.?
Also quotes Jeff King: ?With federal subsidies, the cost could be
as low as 3 cents, said Jeff King, a senior resource analyst with the
planning council?The only cheaper source of energy would be a natural
gas-fired combined cycle turbine plant, which can produce energy at about
3 cents per kilowatt hour, King said.? Also appears in The
Olympian, Olympia, WA; The Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR; The Daily Journal
of Commerce, Seattle, WA; The Columbian, Vancouver, WA; The Yakima Herald
Republic, Yakima, WA; The Oregonian, Portland, OR; The Daily Journal of
Commerce, Portland, OR; and The Democrat Herald, Albany, OR.
BPA Loses Winner; Judi Johansen leaving helm of federal giant after
guiding it through some troubled times--The
Columbian, Vancouver, WA (Nov 12)
Editorial lauding Johansen's tenure at Bonneville. Reviews the
background surrounding her appointment and mentions the Council: ?In
early 1998 the powers had three different candidates. Those with the
ear of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber liked Roy Hemmingway, then an aide to
the governor and earlier a member of the Northwest Power Planning Council,
which has policy oversight of the marketing agency.?
?1-in-4 Chance? of Power Shortage; Expert gives PUD his odds for
2003--The Herald, Everett, WA (Nov 8)
Story on Dick Watson's presentation on the Council's power study to
the Snohomish County PUD commissioners. The story reviews the
Council's recommendations to the commissioners, e.g., renewed emphasis
on conservation, being prepared for the winter months, use of longer-term
contracts, and looking at options for new generating sources, among them.
The Tribe's Almost Ready to Crank Out the Salmon--The Lewiston
Tribune, Lewiston, ID (Nov 6)
Story on the construction of a $16 million salmon hatchery by the Nez
Perce Tribe that was funded by the Council: ?The tribe received
funding for the project from the Northwest Power Planning Council.
it's one of many projects the council has funded to help recover salmon
and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin.?
Favoring Business a Political Strength--The
Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA (Nov 3)
Editorial on how the election choices affect the region's ability to
plan for its power supply and future economic strength. The writer,
John Webster, argues in support of Slade Gorton, ??a longtime
Northwest fighter who knows the issues and helped write the laws. He
is needed, urgently, now.? The Council's forecast is mentioned,
as is the power study: ?Bonneville Power Administration, the
Northwest Power Planning Council and even Gov. Gary Locke have been
studying various strategies that could help.?
Power Planners Hear of Flow Augmentation Dispute--The Lewiston
Tribune, Lewiston, ID (Nov 3)
Story on testimony by the director of Idaho's Department of Water
Resources at a council meeting in Lewiston: ?Karl Dreher gave
members of the council a condensed version of the study he says refutes
the National Marine Fisheries Service contention water from Idaho helps
young salmon survive their migration to the Pacific Ocean.? Also
appears in The Daily Argus Observer, Ontario, OR.
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