News

In a challenging economy when costs seem to be rising constantly, low-income households face an increasing risk of being unable to afford basic necessities, including electricity

OPB recently published an article on salmon hatcheries in the Columbia River Basin. See the Council's response.

Against the backdrop of soaring fossil fuel prices due to the war that Russia is waging on Ukraine, a transition to cleaner fuels is underway in the Northwest that will touch nearly all aspects of the economy.

After three years of construction, two miles of a 1950s-era dike have been removed, water-level access to the Columbia has been restored, and more than 900 acres of wetland habitat once again is available to migrating Columbia River fish.

The Bonneville Power Administration plans to increase in its annual budget to implement the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program by $21 million beginning in 2024, and that is good news.

Ensuring the future reliability of the Northwest electric power system while complying with policy goals to reduce carbon emissions is “a challenging process” involving “a mind-spinning array of uncertainties”.

Earlier this spring, the Yakama Nation contracted professional falconers to work with their fisheries staff to successfully delay the nesting of the Miller Rocks gull colony by several weeks.

The Council is set to make improvements to the Northwest’s resource adequacy assessment this year. John Fazio discussed the upcoming work to improve the annual assessment, which acts as an early warning of potential future power shortfalls.

While in Whitefish, Montana for their May meeting, Council members toured Hungry Horse Dam, Flathead Electric Co-op’s biomass project, and Sekokini Springs Hatchery. 

Pacific lamprey—like salmon—are a significant fish for Northwest. At its May meeting, the Council was briefed on the region’s efforts support this distinctive species