News

Bill Edmonds joined Austin Jenkins on TVW’s Inside Olympia in September to talk about the Council, its unique role in regional energy planning and fish and wildlife protection.

Last year, the Northwest saved 216 average megawatts of energy, which is slightly lower than the 223 average megawatts achieved in 2020, according to the Council’s recently released 2021 Regional Conservation Progress Report.

The Regional Technical Forum models how heating and cooling equipment performs in various climates as part of its work. Recent weather events in the region suggest that the past may no longer be a reliable predictor of the future.

At the September Fish and Wildlife Committee meeting, staff completed their presentation on part one of a five-part retrospective on how the Fish and Wildlife Program has performed over the last 40 years.

Energized by a robust economic year, BPA CEO and Administrator John Hairston expressed confidence in the agency’s energy market position, financial stability, budget allocations, rate negotiations, and meeting fish and wildlife obligations.

The Council’s Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program represents a 40-year effort to mitigate the effects of the hydropower system on fish and wildlife in the basin.

“Ann brings a depth of experience, both as a communicator and as a liaison to local and federal government agencies, to the Council,” said Council Chair Guy Norman.

With an ever-growing need to decarbonize the grid while providing reliable and affordable generation, offshore wind is receiving significant industry attention.

The Council has appointed Jennifer Light as its power division director; she had been the interim director since April 2022.

This past spring, Oregon Council member Louie Pitt, Jr. and Council staff toured the Trout Creek Watershed Restoration Project located in Central Oregon.