News

Six words describe the state of the Columbia River in 2015 for salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon: Too hot, too early, too long.

Federal and state fisheries biologists say more than a quarter million Columbia River sockeye salmon have died in the river and its tributaries this summer as the result of unusually warm water prompted by the regionwide drought and hot weather,

We've been receiving a number of letters regarding the NW Energy Coalition's issue paper, The True Cost of Coal: Fully accounting for coal-fired electricity use in the 7th Northwest Power and Conservation Plan, which contends that there are "...two shortcomings

At its July meeting, the Council was briefed on the latest findings from the scenario analysis used in developing its 20-year regional power plan. Here's a rundown on some key observations:

A recent assessment of the Spokane Tribal Hatchery, which raises trout and kokanee for release into Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam, will serve as a template for similar audits that the Council and the Bonneville Power Administration want to

Northern pike, a voracious predator considered an invasive species in two of the four Northwest states, have been found in the Kettle River, a northeastern Washington tributary of the Columbia River, a sign that they are continuing their downstream migration

Council members and Council staff toured Puget Sound Energy's Baker River hydroelectric project last month to learn about its efforts to reintroduce anadromous fish over the dam.

Preliminary modeling results indicate that the future of electric power in the Northwest is efficient, low-cost, low-carbon, and reliable. In fact, energy efficiency may meet nearly all new load growth for the next 20 years.

The low runoff in the Columbia River Basin in 2015 doesn’t portend a crisis for hydropower, which is a good thing because dams in the basin provide nearly half of the electricity consumed in the Northwest. Nor is the below-average

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is working to protect the Clark Fork River Delta, an important riparian and wetland habitat for fish and birds in Lake Pend Oreille, from the effects of erosion caused by the operations