07. POWER - Columbia Basin Bulletin

BPA Proposes Rate Increase To Recover Lost Revenue From Spill For Salmon At Columbia/Snake River Dams

September 26, 2026/in 07. POWER

The Bonneville Power Administration has filed an expedited rate case, seeking a $250 million rate increase that could result in a rise of 6.3 percent in its customers’ wholesale power rates for the remainder of its 2026-28 rate period. The federal power marketing agency said the proposed increase is to recover additional costs caused when...

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UW Study Shows Past Fossil Fuel Emissions Will Continue To Create ‘Climate Disasters’ For Years To Come

September 26, 2026/in 07. POWER

In recent years, scientists have improved methods for connecting extreme weather events, sometimes called climate disasters, to climate change. Advancements in “attribution” science clarify how burning fossil fuels has increased the likelihood of extreme weather occurring. These findings form the backbone of a growing list of lawsuits attempting to hold major emitters responsible for deaths...

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Group Seeks To Intervene To Oppose Proposed Underwater Data Center Off Maine Coast, Says Threatens Marine Wildlif

September 26, 2026/in 07. POWER

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a motion today to intervene in the federal permitting process for an underwater data center proposed off the coast of Maine, contending the proposed project could harm endangered North Atlantic right whales and fin whales, along with other marine wildlife. “Experimenting with an underwater data center in the habitat...

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This Month in 2006 | GROUPS WANT MORE DETAILS ON FLOW AUG IN UPPER SNAKE REMAND

September 25, 2026/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

A federal submittal says agencies will do the work necessary to correct “legal deficiencies” in 2005’s biological opinion on the operation of upper Snake River irrigation projects, and offers a brief outline of progress reporting tasks and schedule.

This Month in 2016 | Canada Releases Water To Aid Salmon In Lake Osoyoos

September 20, 2026/in 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER

Canada began releasing water from Lake Okanagan last week to help raise water levels in Lake Osoyoos to aid juvenile salmon that rear in the lake, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.

This Month in 2006 | AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY PUBLISHES ‘SALMON 2100’ BOOK

September 12, 2026/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER

A new book of essays from more than 30 salmon scientists, policy analysts and wild salmon advocates suggesting ways to save runs of wild salmon has been published by the American Fisheries Society – and some of the prescriptions are certain to raise a few eyebrows.

Study Shows Outfitting Wind Turbines With New Audio Deterrent System Can Reduce Raptor Collisions

August 30, 2026/in 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER

Wind farms have received heat in recent years for their potential to harm wildlife, a notable issue in western North America where some farms are located near populations of protected bald eagles and golden eagles. A new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research, “Behavioral Responses of Large Soaring Raptors to Audio Deterrents at...

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This Month in 2006 | ADVISORY GROUP NAMED FOR WASHINGTON’S COLUMBIA RIVER PLAN

August 29, 2026/in 07. POWER

A panel representing a broad spectrum of interested parties will help Washington State launch a new water management program for the Columbia River aimed at balancing economic needs with the needs of fish and healthy watersheds.

BPA Says Off-Channel Hatchery Salmon Program Not Meeting Agency Goals, Funding Halt Puts 7 Million Chinook, Coho In Production At Risk

August 21, 2026/in 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER

The Bonneville Power Administration says it will stop funding its share of a program that supports the Select Area Fisheries Enhancement Program in the lower Columbia River as of September 30, the end of the federal power broker’s fiscal year.

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Council Draft Power Plan Says NW Federal Power Demand To Grow 50-100 Percent In 20 Years, Partly Driven Near-Term By New Data Centers

August 21, 2026/in 07. POWER

The Northwest’s federal power system demand is forecasted to grow by 50 to 100 percent over the next 20 years and will need a mix of new resources that could cost the region as much as $2.3 billion.

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Washington State’s Only Coal Power Plant Shifting To Natural Gas By 2028, Will Serve As Power Backup For Region

August 21, 2026/in 07. POWER

Washington’s only coal power plant will transition to natural gas by 2028.

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Bonneville Power Says Forecast For End-Of-Year Net Revenues Declined Since May, Now Expects To Be $49 Million Below Target

August 21, 2026/in 07. POWER

The Bonneville Power Administration’s forecast for end-of-year net revenues has declined since its last financial report in May. Bonneville now expects to end the year $49 million below the target of $509 million, compared to the Q2 forecast of $15 million below target. The primary driver, continuing from the previous quarter, is lower-than-expected transmission revenues […]

This Month in 2016 | Cooler Water Continues To Flow In Lower Snake River; Fish Ladder Cooling Now Also At Little Goose

August 20, 2026/in 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

Water in Lower Granite Dam’s tailwater continues to run several degrees cooler than the 68 degrees Fahrenheit upper temperature limit set by NOAA Fisheries’ 2014 biological opinion for Columbia/Snake salmon and steelhead, and the result has been improved passage for sockeye salmon.

This Month in 2006 | NEZ PERCE HATCHERY FUNDING RESTS ON ESA ‘CREDITING’ ISSUE

July 30, 2026/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

A July 21 letter from the Bonneville Power Administration’s CEO Steve Wright reiterates the agency’s intent to defer funding for new Nez Perce tribal hatchery facilities while the project’s full biological benefits are weighed in an ongoing court-ordered process.

This Month in 2006 | COUNCIL STAFF AIMS FOR PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS IN SEPTEMBER

July 23, 2026/in 07. POWER, 08. LAW

With advice from a variety of sources now in hand, Northwest Power and Conservation Council staff will begin piecing together a recommendation for how available fish and wildlife monies will be spent in fiscal years 2007-2009.

This Month in 2016 | BPA Selects Javier Fernandez As Chief Financial Officer

July 23, 2026/in 07. POWER

Javier Fernandez has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Bonneville Power Administration.

Travis Kavulla Sworn In As 17th Administrator of Bonneville Power Administration

July 10, 2026/in 07. POWER

Travis Kavulla has been sworn in as the new administrator and CEO of the Bonneville Power Administration by U.S. Under Secretary of Energy Kyle Haustveit, becoming the 17th administrator in BPA's 89-year history.

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ODFW Says BPA Terminating Funding For Key Hatchery Program, Major Consequences For Commercial, Recreational Fisheries

July 10, 2026/in 07. POWER

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has been notified that the Bonneville Power Administration is terminating its share of funding for the Select Area Fisheries Enhancement (SAFE) Program in the Lower Columbia River effective September 30, 2026

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This Month in 2006 | CONGRESSIONAL HEARING FOCUSES ON POWER RATES, FISH COSTS

July 9, 2026/in 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER

The Endangered Species Act is often “used as a tool to drive up costs for our electricity ratepayers,” U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris said during a July 7 congressional oversight field hearing in Pasco, Wash.

This Month in 2016 | As Many As 45 Percent Of Tagged Spring Chinook In Estuary Disappear Before Reaching Bonneville Dam

July 9, 2026/in 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER

NOAA Fisheries research indicates that after accounting for harvest, in some years as many as 45 percent of the salmon tagged in the estuary disappear before reaching Bonneville Dam, according to a presentation last week to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

This Month in 2006 | . BPA RELEASES PROPOSAL ON SELLING LOW-COST POWER AFTER 2011

June 19, 2026/in 07. POWER

The Bonneville Power Administration released a proposal this week aimed at defining its electrical power supply role in the Pacific Northwest after 2011, when its current power sales contracts expire.

BPA Says Second Quarter Financials Project Net Revenues Falling Short Of End-Of -Year Target, Agency Stresses Continued Uncertainty

May 29, 2026/in 07. POWER

Similar trends from first quarter financial performance results continued for the Bonneville Power Administration into the second quarter for fiscal year 2026. While agency net revenues continue to fall short and the agency debt-to-asset ratio is higher than expected, BPA is on track to meet most of its end-of-year targets. The Q2 projection for end-of-year...

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WSU Researchers’ Model Identifies Vulnerable Transmission Towers In Extreme Wind Events, Determines Retrofits To Prevent Outages

May 8, 2026/in 06. SCIENCE, 07. POWER

A model developed by Washington State University researchers can predict how transmission towers might fail and collapse in extreme wind events. The work, reported in the journal, Engineering Structures, could someday help power companies identify the most vulnerable transmission towers in extreme wind events and determine which should have retrofits to reduce the power outage...

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Corps Completes Scoping of Proposed Underwater Transmission Line In Columbia River, Draft EIS Next

April 25, 2026/in 07. POWER

The public has had its say in the scoping round for the Cascade Renewable Transmission project, a more than 100-mile transmission line proposal that, if approved, would include 80 miles of line buried beneath the Columbia River from The Dalles to Portland. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is currently writing the project’s draft...

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Corps’ ‘Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ Initiative Aimed At Cutting Red Tape, Says Won’t Change Public Processes, NEPA, ESA

February 27, 2026/in 07. POWER

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, is vowing to become more efficient when approving and building infrastructure projects.

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