The Energy News Digest for March 24, 2021

The Energy News Digest is sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association. 

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Damage from Virus: Utility Bills Overwhelm Some Households (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/overdue-energy-bills-pandemic-fb2f14c89027dc2440c617017c8c7d80

USPS Plans Biggest Rollback of Mail Services in a Generation (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/usps-plans-biggest-rollback-of-mail-services-in-a-generation/

Spring Outlook: Drought to Persist, Expand in U.S. West & High Plains (NOAA)

https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/spring-outlook-drought-to-persist-expand-in-us-west-and-high-plains

Oregon Department of Energy Says Illegally Dumped Radioactive Fracking Waste Can Stay in the Ground (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/24/oregon-landfill-radioactive-fracking/

Clallam County PUD Votes 2-1 to Support Snake River Dams (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/03/clallam-county-pud-votes-2-1-to-support.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.      Damage from Virus: Utility Bills Overwhelm Some Households

2.      Study of Utility Shutoffs During COVID-19 Finds Disproportionate Impact in Southeastern States

3.      Clallam County PUD Votes 2-1 to Support Snake River Dams

4.      Could Breaching 4 Hydro Dams to Save Salmon Jeopardize Our Electricity? What to Know

5.      Critics: Nuclear Not Needed in Snake River Replacement Plan

6.      Snake River Dam Beaching Proposal Could Come in Stages

7.      Fund the Dam Agreement

8.      Federal Judge Considers Ordering California Utility to Turn Power Off More Often

9.      California’s Last Nuclear Power Plant Is Poised to Shut Down. What Happens Next?

10.   WA State: Chelan PUD Outlines Potential New Approach to Energy Sales Contracts

11.   PNW Shows Spark – Public Power Utilities Honored with American Public Power Association Award for Reliable Electric Operations

12.   PNW Shines – American Public Power Association Recognizes 129 Utilities for Outstanding Safety Practices

13.   Along Those Lines: Hear from Women Making Inroads in Male-Dominated Job Roles

14.   Bonus Episode: Southwest Power Pool’s Market+ Concept

15.   States with the Most (and Least) Expensive Electricity

16.   Researchers Discuss U.S. Electric Power Grid Future

17.   FERC Open to Revisiting Minimum Offer Price Rule, as Grid Operators, Utilities Mull Future of Wholesale Markets

18.   Suez Canal Blockage May Ripple Through Global Energy Market

19.   WA State: Klickitat County Commissioners Enact Solar Moratorium

20.   WA State: The Goldendale Pumped Storage Hydro Project Would Provide Much-Needed Energy Storage for the 21st Century Grid

21.   What Are The 5 Largest Wind Energy Farms in the World?

22.   Trees Store Carbon, But a Wind Farm Produces Power. Which Is Greener?

23.   EIA’s 2021 Annual Energy Outlook Shows Growing Use of Batteries on the U.S. Electricity Grid

24.   WA State Senate Hears Dye’s Bill on Urban Heat Islands

25.   Tonnes of Dumped Herring Off Vancouver Island a Fish ‘Murder Mystery,’ Says Expert

26.   Op/Ed: The Orca Task Force

27.   U.S. Report: Bald Eagle Populations Soar in Lower 48 States

28.   Oregon Department of Energy Says Illegally Dumped Radioactive Fracking Waste Can Stay in the Ground

29.   Pipe Dream: Feds Sued Over Desert Water Pipeline OK’d by Trump

30.   Bipartisan Federal Lawmakers Introduce $35 Billion Water Infrastructure Bill

31.   100% Clean Energy Supporters Debate How to Get Oregon to Goal

32.   Major Investors Find Electric Utilities Are Not on Track to Meet Decarbonization Goals

33.   Potatoes & Fiber Aplenty in Grant County, Washington

34.   State Lawmakers Introduce ‘Broadband for All Act’ To Help Close Digital Divide in California

35.   The FCC Wants to Know How Bad Your Broadband Is

36.   Five Tech Commandments to a Safer Digital Life

37.   Mullen Technologies Future in Spokane Uncertain as Company Plans Electric Vehicle Plant in Memphis

38.   Spring Outlook: Drought to Persist, Expand in U.S. West & High Plains

39.   U,S. Weather Model Upgraded to Better Forecast Extreme Events

40.   USPS Plans Biggest Rollback of Mail Services in a Generation

41.   Lumber Shortage Hitting New Home, Renovation Projects

42.   Former Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley Faces Prison Over Tax Fraud

43.   Study: Washington Is One of the Top-Ranked States to Find a Remote Job

WORD OF THE DAY

Exigent \ECK-suh-jent\ Adjective – 1: requiring immediate aid or action 2: requiring or calling for much

“Jobs are on the line,” bellowed the attendee at the public meeting. “The inability to get enough energy supply has created exigent circumstances. We need that power to melt our plastics for the production of professional-grade tiddlywinks products for the upcoming pro-am season!” The Wham-O Toy delegation, sitting on a tiddlywink chip surplus, was inscrutable.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      Damage from Virus: Utility Bills Overwhelm Some Households (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/overdue-energy-bills-pandemic-fb2f14c89027dc2440c617017c8c7d80

2.      Study of Utility Shutoffs During COVID-19 Finds Disproportionate Impact in Southeastern States (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/study-of-utility-shutoffs-during-covid-19-finds-disproportionate-impact-in/596984/

3.      Clallam County PUD Votes 2-1 to Support Snake River Dams (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/03/clallam-county-pud-votes-2-1-to-support.html

4.      Could Breaching 4 Hydro Dams to Save Salmon Jeopardize Our Electricity? What to Know (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)

https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/environment/article249965224.html

5.      Critics: Nuclear Not Needed in Snake River Replacement Plan (Public News Service, ID)

https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2021-03-24/nuclear-waste/critics-nuclear-not-needed-in-snake-river-replacement-plan/a73642-1

6.      Snake River Dam Beaching Proposal Could Come in Stages (Moscow-Pullman Daily News, ID)

https://dnews.com/local/breaching-proposal-could-come-in-stages/article_f40a1f61-52f1-51a4-8ed0-c4ef53ff758e.html

7.      Fund the Dam Agreement (Politico)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/03/fund-dam-agreement-politico.html

8.      Federal Judge Considers Ordering California Utility to Turn Power Off More Often (The Hill, Washington, DC)

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/544580-federal-judge-considers-ordering-california-utility-to-turn-power-off?rl=1

9.      California’s Last Nuclear Power Plant Is Poised to Shut Down. What Happens Next? (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/californias-last-nuclear-plant-is-poised-to-shut-down-what-happens-next/596970/

10.   WA State: Chelan PUD Outlines Potential New Approach to Energy Sales Contracts (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/chelan-pud-outlines-potential-new-approach-energy-sales-contracts

11.   PNW Shows Spark – Public Power Utilities Honored with American Public Power Association Award for Reliable Electric Operations (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/public-power-utilities-honored-with-appa-award-reliable-electric-operations

12.   PNW Shines – American Public Power Association Recognizes 129 Utilities for Outstanding Safety Practices (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/appa-recognizes-129-utilities-outstanding-safety-practices

13.   Along Those Lines: Hear from Women Making Inroads in Male-Dominated Job Roles (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)

https://www.electric.coop/along-those-lines-hear-from-women-making-inroads-in-male-dominated-job-roles

14.   Bonus Episode: Southwest Power Pool’s Market+ Concept (Public Power Underground)

https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com/p/bonus-episode-spps-market-concept

15.   States with the Most (and Least) Expensive Electricity (KMVU-TV, Medford, WA)

https://www.fox26medford.com/states-with-the-most-and-least-expensive-electricity/

16.   Researchers Discuss U.S. Electric Power Grid Future (Washington State University Insider)

https://news.wsu.edu/2021/03/22/researchers-discuss-u-s-electric-power-grid-future-2/

17.   FERC Open to Revisiting Minimum Offer Price Rule, as Grid Operators, Utilities Mull Future of Wholesale Markets (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-open-to-revisiting-mopr-as-grid-operators-utilities-mull-future-of-w/597233/

18.   Suez Canal Blockage May Ripple Through Global Energy Market (Bloomberg News)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-24/suez-canal-blockage-set-to-ripple-through-global-energy-market

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

19.   WA State: Klickitat County Commissioners Enact Solar Moratorium (Blue Mountain Eagle, John Day, OR)

https://www.bluemountaineagle.com/news/state/klickitat-county-commissioners-enact-solar-moratorium/article_a16dbef2-3c52-500d-864c-4867f28a617f.html

20.   WA State: The Goldendale Pumped Storage Hydro Project Would Provide Much-Needed Energy Storage for the 21st Century Grid (Morning Consult)

https://morningconsult.com/opinions/goldendale-project-would-provide-much-needed-energy-storage/

21.   What Are The 5 Largest Wind Energy Farms in the World? (GineersNow)

https://gineersnow.com/industries/renewables/5-largest-wind-energy-farms-world

22.   Trees Store Carbon, But a Wind Farm Produces Power. Which Is Greener? (Christian Science Monitor)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2021/0323/Trees-store-carbon-but-a-wind-farm-produces-power.-Which-is-greener?icid=rss

23.   EIA’s 2021 Annual Energy Outlook Shows Growing Use of Batteries on the U.S. Electricity Grid (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=47276

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

24.   WA State Senate Hears Dye’s Bill on Urban Heat Islands (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/mar/24/senate-hears-dye-sponsored-bill-urban-heat-islands/

FISH & WILDLIFE

25.   Tonnes of Dumped Herring Off Vancouver Island a Fish ‘Murder Mystery,’ Says Expert (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tonnes-of-dumped-herring-a-fish-murder-mystery-says-expert-1.5960762?cmp=rss

26.   Op/Ed: The Orca Task Force (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/opinion/pat-neal-the-orca-task-force/

27.   U.S. Report: Bald Eagle Populations Soar in Lower 48 States (Associated Press)

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/US-report-Bald-eagle-populations-soar-in-lower-16050096.php

ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE

28.   Oregon Department of Energy Says Illegally Dumped Radioactive Fracking Waste Can Stay in the Ground (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/24/oregon-landfill-radioactive-fracking/

WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?

29.   Pipe Dream: Feds Sued Over Desert Water Pipeline OK’d by Trump (Courthouse News Service)

https://www.courthousenews.com/pipe-dream-feds-sued-over-desert-water-pipeline-okd-by-trump/

30.   Bipartisan Federal Lawmakers Introduce $35 Billion Water Infrastructure Bill (The Hill, Washington, DC)

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/544587-bipartisan-lawmakers-introduce-35-billion-water-infrastructure-bill?rl=1

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

31.   100% Clean Energy Supporters Debate How to Get Oregon to Goal (Portland Business Journal, OR)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/03/100-clean-energy-supporters-debate-how.html

32.   Major Investors Find Electric Utilities Are Not on Track to Meet Decarbonization Goals (Energy & Policy Institute)

https://www.energyandpolicy.org/investors-utility-decarbonization/

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

33.   Potatoes & Fiber Aplenty in Grant County, Washington (Community Networks)

https://muninetworks.org/content/potatoes-and-fiber-aplenty-grant-county-washington

34.   State Lawmakers Introduce ‘Broadband for All Act’ To Help Close Digital Divide in California (KTVU-TV, Oakland, CA)

https://www.ktvu.com/news/state-lawmakers-introduce-broadband-for-all-act-to-help-close-digital-divide-in-california

35.   The FCC Wants to Know How Bad Your Broadband Is (Light Reading)

https://www.lightreading.com/opticalip/fttx/the-fcc-wants-to-know-how-bad-your-broadband-is/a/d-id/768282

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

36.   Five Tech Commandments to a Safer Digital Life (NY Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/technology/personaltech/online-data-privacy.html

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

37.   Mullen Technologies Future in Spokane Uncertain as Company Plans Electric Vehicle Plant in Memphis (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/03/mullen-technologies-future-in-spokane.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

38.   Spring Outlook: Drought to Persist, Expand in U.S. West & High Plains (NOAA)

https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/spring-outlook-drought-to-persist-expand-in-us-west-and-high-plains

39.   U,S. Weather Model Upgraded to Better Forecast Extreme Events (Phys.Org)

https://phys.org/news/2021-03-weather-extreme-events.html

GOVERNANCE, ECONOMY, & MANAGEMENT

40.   USPS Plans Biggest Rollback of Mail Services in a Generation (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/usps-plans-biggest-rollback-of-mail-services-in-a-generation/

41.   Lumber Shortage Hitting New Home, Renovation Projects (KIRO News, Seattle, WA)

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/lumber-shortage-hitting-new-home-renovation-projects/5VGVS7INIFBHJNDKZ7F6BGGZPY/

42.   Former Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley Faces Prison Over Tax Fraud (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)

https://komonews.com/news/local/former-washington-state-auditor-troy-kelley-faces-prison-over-tax-fraud

43.   Study: Washington Is One of the Top-Ranked States to Find a Remote Job (Puget Sound Business Journal, Seattle, WA)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/03/study-washington-is-one-of-top-ranked.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Popcorn Machine Nixed at North Dakota Capitol After Smoke Alarms

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/weird_news/popcorn-machine-nixed-at-north-dakota-capitol-after-alarms/article_bf5c6bfb-9f92-5a5c-b64e-92229d3bd446.html

Part of Wright Brothers’ First Airplane on NASA’s Mars Chopper

https://news.yahoo.com/part-wright-brothers-1st-airplane-123300934.html

Scientists Cook Hot Dogs in Lava from Iceland’s Erupting Volcano

https://gizmodo.com/scientists-cook-hot-dogs-in-lava-from-icelands-erupting-1846541739

Tree Frog Named as 2021 Cadbury Bunny

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/03/23/2021-Cadbury-Bunny-Betty-frog/3841616527898/

SONG OF THE DAY

Hot Butter – Popcorn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EnXLQuAJj4

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in The Energy News Digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links. Media attribution includes information about possible paywall restrictions.

Mullen Technologies Future in Spokane Uncertain as Company Plans Electric Vehicle Plant in Memphis (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

When Mullen Technologies announced plans nearly two years ago to manufacture electric sports cars on the West Plains, it brought promise of more than 800 new jobs in Spokane County and the potential for more.

Now that future appears to be in doubt as the California-based company has indicated it chose Memphis, Tennessee, as a new home for an electric vehicle manufacturing plant.

Last week, the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis & Shelby County approved a $40.5 million tax break for Mullen as the company pledged to lease an 820,000-square-foot facility to manufacture electric SUVs, beginning in 2024.

Mullen executives said in the meeting with EDGE it changed its production focus from the Dragonfly K50 sports car to an electric SUV because it’s easier to launch as new business in the electric-vehicle segment with vehicles priced between $58,000 to $70,000.

“Mullen has been evaluating other locations for its assembly plant in their home state of California as well as pursuing a new construction project in Spokane,” according to EDGE’s term sheet with Mullen Technologies. “The Memphis area, however, provides distinct advantages over other opportunities. The Memphis option does not require a time-consuming new building design, financing and construction process.”

Mullen also has purchased a facility 50 miles from Memphis in Tunica, Mississippi, that will provide “advanced engineering and manufacturing capabilities,” according to the company.

“Memphis’ location makes it a primary logistical hub for distribution throughout the U.S. and will provide Mullen with key strategic advantages,” John Taylor, vice president of manufacturing for Mullen, said in a statement. “The local and state-level administrations are both fully supportive of our manufacturing plan and are showcasing their commitment with significant financial incentives that will help us grow along with the city and state over the next decade.”

Mullen is remaining silent on its plans in Spokane and has not responded to multiple requests for comment on project updates.

Memphis city officials declined to comment on whether Mullen committed to the area over other locations for the proposed electric vehicle facility there.

In 2019, Mullen signed a letter of intent with S3R3 Solutions calling for the agency to build and lease 1.3 million square feet of assembly, research and development space to produce the Dragonfly K50 electric sports car on the West Plains. The facility would be financed through a revenue bond to be paid back through the lease agreement with Mullen.

In the nonbinding agreement, Mullen agreed to raise an equity investment of $50 million before signing a lease with S3R3 Solutions, formerly the West Plains Airport Area Public Development Authority.

Mullen was to start assembly of electric vehicles with a goal of bringing the car to market by the second half of 2020. The company, through Mullen Energy, also was interested in bringing research and development of lithium batteries to the area, potentially increasing total jobs to 3,000.

Months went by as Mullen’s agreement with S3R3 Solutions was extended and the company said it was raising funding for the project, including applying for a $450 million Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan from the U.S Department of Energy.

In July, Mullen said it would meet requirements of the letter of intent with S3R3 Solutions by late 2020 and anticipated starting assembly and development of the Dragonfly K50’s battery packs in a 500,000-square-foot facility with potential to expand by an additional 800,000 square feet.

Mullen also announced plans to merge with Miami-based Net Element, a publicly-traded electronic payment company. The reverse merger, a process in which a privately held company takes control of a publicly traded company, allows Mullen to acquire Net Element and bypass what could be a somewhat lengthy process to go public on its own and generate capital needed to pay its deposit with S3R3 Solutions.

S3R3 Solutions Executive Director Todd Coleman told The Spokesman-Review in July the agency’s letter of intent requirements remained unchanged and the merger was critical for financing needed to move the project forward.

However, Mullen racked up more than $653,317 in late fees payable to Net Element because of its delay in filing a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a letter to Net Element shareholders.

Coleman said Spokane remains an option for Mullen Technologies’ electric vehicle manufacturing plant, but there are challenges related to incentives the company could receive when compared with other states.

Coleman added S3R3 Solutions also has to consider what incentives other cities are offering Mullen and weigh that with the decision on whether it’s in the best interest of the community for the agency to subsidize the electric vehicle manufacturing facility.

“We want to protect the community and we need to see they have the financing available. … We applaud them and their efforts to continue to push this project forward,” Coleman said. “Electrification of vehicles is not an easy industry to move into and they’ve been very tenacious to push forward to find ways to finance the project, and we’ll continue to work with them as we can.”

Spokane County Commissioner Al French, who also is S3R3 Solutions Board chairman said he had not spoken with Mullen Technologies since it announced plans to open the manufacturing facility in Memphis but believes Spokane is a desirable area for the company.

“The deal is never done until the ink is dry, so we continue to work to make an attractive business relationship with them over here,” French said.

French said S3R3 Solutions’ recent deal to bring Amazon Air to the Spokane International Airport illustrates its success with recruiting companies to the area.

Construction is anticipated to be complete this year for a rail and truck transload facility on the West Plains where shipments are transferred from trucks to rail and vice versa. The transload facility would be suitable for not only Mullen, but a variety of aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries to transport freight, French said.

“We would love to be able to make the deal with Mullen, but if we don’t, there will be somebody else,” French said. “We structured ourselves so we don’t have any financial exposure. If they walk away, we aren’t financially hurt by that. We’ll just readjust our sights and go after the next company.”

Clallam County PUD Votes 2-1 to Support Snake River Dams (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

(CARLSBORG, WA) — A two-thirds majority of the Clallam County Public Utility District board has voted to support keeping the embattled lower Snake River dams.

Commissioners Will Purser and Rick Paschall voted Monday — with Commissioner Jim Waddell opposed — to pass a resolution backing the Federal Columbia River Power System, including the four hydroelectric dams on the lower reaches of the Columbia’s largest tributary.

The resolution says it recognizes the power system’s role in environmental stewardship and opposes the removal of the four dams on the lower Snake River.

“Although Clallam PUD will not sway any decision to keep or remove the lower Snake River dams, we need a official position on the Snake River dams,” PUD General Manager Doug Nass said in the virtual meeting Monday.

“This has been a distraction over the last year and a half. We’re spending too much time on it. Our staff needs to get back to our core business.”

Waddell, an outspoken critic of the lower Snake River dams and founder of DamSense, dissected the three-page PUD resolution line by line.

Seven of 10 public speakers told commissioners that they, too, opposed the resolution.

“The statements in the resolution are not exactly in line with a lot of data and supporting documentation,” Waddell concluded.

“Yes, they sort of reflect what we often hear in summary documents and position statements, even in the record of decision, but that doesn’t make it right.”

A 2020 federal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) rejected the removal of the lower Snake River dams, saying the action would destabilize the power grid, increase greenhouse gas emissions and more than double the risk of regional power outages.

The federal Columbia River Power System provides 87 percent of Clallam County PUD’s electricity.

Purser, a long-time PUD commissioner and Energy Northwest board member, said breaching the lower Snake River dams would complicate resource adequacy under the state Clean Energy Transformation Act.

CETA requires public utilities to provide 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.

“If we’re going to go to all renewables, and hydro is a renewable under that Act, then it’s not a time to be taking out dams,” Purser said.

In a previous meeting, Purser and Paschall had directed PUD staff to draft a resolution supporting the Snake River dams.

Nass said the resolution was “based on facts” in the 2020 EIS and CETA requirements.

Built between 1961 and 1975, the four hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River have been blamed for declining chinook salmon runs and the starvation of the Southern Resident orcas.

Several environmental groups have called for the removal of the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite dams between Pasco and Pullman.

“As a citizen of Clallam County and a PUD ratepayer and customer, I object to the PUD taking a political stand on my behalf,” Paul Hansen of Carlsborg said during a public comment period Monday.

“The question of breaching these dams is highly controversial, and there are many PUD ratepayers who believe that the removal of the dams is necessary to prevent extinction of some species of Snake River salmonid and the consequent extinction of the Southern Resident orca pods.”

Nass said there were other factors that impact salmon recovery, including pollution, global warming, predator populations and “unknown issues out in the ocean.”

The Washington Public Utility Districts Association, Public Power Council, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, federal Bureau of Reclamation and “at least” 22 other PUDs have taken official positions in support of the lower Snake River dams, Nass said.

“They’re not all evil and bad people,” Nass said, addressing public speakers who opposed the resolution.

“They’re not your enemies. Many of them are experts in these issues, and I think we should realize that.”

The resolution states that removal of more than 3,000 megawatts of short-term peaking winter capacity would have an adverse impact on Northwest power resource adequacy.

“This is a long-held myth,” Waddell said of the peak power generation claim.

“Basically the LSRDs (lower Snake River dams) provided, unfortunately, no peaking reserve power. They are run-of-river dams severely constrained by seasonal flows and operational restrictions.”

The dams have a normal operating range storage capacity of up to 33,000 megawatt hours, PUD officials said.

Breaching the dams without firm capacity replacement would “negatively affect the district’s ability to provide reliable, efficient, clean and affordable power to its customers,” the resolution says.

“The district supports retaining the four lower Snake River dams for the low carbon equivalent, renewable, reliable, low-cost energy they provide, making them an important component of a clean energy future,” the resolution says.

“The district opposes the removal or breaching of the four lower Snake River dams given uncertainty and the potential negative impact to long-term regional resource adequacy, as well as the loss of other benefits, as referenced in the EIS.”

Waddell, a retired U.S. Army Corp civil engineer, refuted most of the statements in the PUD resolution.

He said the dams have a cost-benefit ratio of 15 cents on the dollar.

Breaching the dams, Waddell said, would yield 3,000 to 4,000 new jobs in agriculture, fishing and ancillary services like wineries and motels.

He said the dams emit the carbon equivalent of 87,000 metric tons of methane.

“Indeed, breaching would not only avoid methane emissions but would free up 3,000 megawatts of grid space that would allow reasonably quick utilization of wind, solar, with battery backup that is currently waiting interconnection on the BPA (Bonneville Power Administration) grid,” Waddell said.

“These renewables can replace fossil fuels at a much quicker rate and with cheaper resources. We do not have to expand the grid to accommodate this.”

Waddell said the 2020 EIS commissioned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, federal Bureau of Reclamation and BPA contained “fatal flaws” that are being challenged in court.

“Many of these flaws are just common sense, and ratepayers should not wait for more court proceedings to recognize the economic losses the LSRDs are creating, and that power rates will go up between 5 and 15 percent with the preferred alternative,” Waddell said.

The preferred alternative in the EIS is no dam removal.

Waddell said the lower Snake River dams have had an adverse effect on the fishing industry on the North Olympic Peninsula.

“Tribes and other fishermen in Western Washington will lose what few jobs are left of what was once an economic driver of Clallam County,” he said.

 

100% Clean Energy Supporters Debate How to Get Oregon to Goal (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Enthusiasm for 100% clean electricity in Oregon was high at a legislative hearing on Monday, but opening testimony made it clear the road to consensus, even among supporters, could be bumpy.

House Bill 2021-1 has emerged as the vehicle for the effort, through discussion in the House Energy and Environment Committee and plenty of behind-the-scenes negotiating.

The bill as it stands mandates an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for investor-owned utilities from a 2010-12 baseline by 2030, then 90% by 2035. By 2040, the companies — Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp and Idaho Power — are required to “seek to provide” 100% emissions-free electricity.

They would accomplish this through clean energy plans scrutinized by the Public Utility Commission.

That’s where the utilities already do least-cost, least-risk resource plans that are in line with existing mandates to be off coal in the next decade and get half their electricity from renewable sources (not counting existing hydropower) by 2040.

Climate activists like the bill’s approach, “with the anticipation of needed amendments coming,” Meredith Connolly, Oregon director for Climate Solutions, told the committee.

In testimony submitted jointly with the Oregon Environmental Council, Climate Solutions called for firming up the 2040 mandate, extending the bill’s ban on new natural gas plants to expansions of current ones, and other changes.

The groups see emissions-reduction as a jobs engine, but how quickly the policy would get projects going and where they would be built is one aspect of the emerging debate.

The climate groups called for requiring continual progress toward the 2030 goal.

“This will ensure near-term actions across a variety of options, including energy efficiency, renewable energy projects, demand response and non-emitting storage, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions sooner,” they said.

The approach has the support of Renewable Northwest, which has many renewable energy groups and companies in its membership. But significant elements in the solar industry aren’t on board.

The Oregon Solar + Storage Industries Association listed 13 issues with the bill, including “a glaring absence of proposals that would support projects built in Oregon.” OSSIA likes the 50% in-state requirement in another 100% clean electricity bill, House Bill 3180.

HB 3180 uses a ramped-up renewable portfolio standard, or RPS, to get to the all-clean goal. NewSun Energy, which does utility-scale projects in the state, is backing that bill.

“The grid will not get greener until new renewable energy gets built, period,” Jake Stephens, NewSun’s CEO, testified.

NewSun commissioned a study from EcoNorthwest that found the combination of a bolstered RPS and in-state build requirements would result in nearly eight times more direct investment in Oregon by 2030 compared to what would come under HB 2021. The report presumed it would take years to implement the emissions approach, which supporters reject.

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Rep. Ken Helm, who has favored the RPS approach, called for input from the PUC on how long implementation might take. Pam Marsh, the committee chair, said that sounded like a good idea.

Another area of criticism of HB 2021-1: provisions giving utilities more regulatory room to do and profit from special arrangements, called green energy tariffs, with communities that want to move faster to reach their own clean energy targets.

OSSIA and the Northwest & Intermountain Power Producers Coalition both called the provisions anti-competitive given the natural monopoly advantages the utilities already have. NIPPC further zeroed in a part of the bill that eliminates the PUC's obligation to “mitigate the vertical and horizontal market power of incumbent utilities.”

“Eliminating this role from the commission’s job description will lead to fewer choices for consumers, fewer businesses participating in the market, fewer alternatives to utilities owning everything, and, ultimately, higher prices for everyone,” the group said in submitted testimony.

Oregon CUB, the state-sanctioned ratepayer watchdog, is generally in support of the bill, though it was called “a work in progress,” by Bob Jenks, the executive director.

“We’re encouraged that this bill does not impose a lot of new costs before 2025 because we have enough to manage,” Jenks told the committee, citing last year’s wildfires, this year’s ice storm, Covid and, especially, exiting coal plants early.

“As we accelerate the coal investment and get those out of rates over the course of the 2020s, there will be more room for additional, affordable investments,” he said.

The utilities haven’t been heard from publicly on the bills, which are due for more public airing before the Energy and Environment Committee the middle of next week.