Energy NewsData

A proposed California Public Utilities Commission decision would grant 75 percent of Liberty Utilities’ cost-recovery request associated with the Mountain View Fire, while also calling the utility out for not taking actions to prevent the fire from starting on the windy morning of Nov. 17, 2020.

While many of the current reliability risks to the bulk electric system listed by experts are familiar, the nature of those risks is changing, they said. The 2026 State of Reliability report by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation cited a number of risks that have been growing in recent years—mainly conventional-generation retirements and the rise of inverter-based resources. kAm%96C6 92D 366? “2 4C:E:42= D9:7E :? E96 ?2EFC6 @7 C6=:23:=:EJ C:D<[” }t#r D2:5 :?

The State of Washington signed a carbon-market linkage agreement with California and Quebec, authorizing the state to accept allowances and offset credits from those governments and creating the world’s largest subnational carbon market. The agreement was officially signed June 25 by Washington State Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller with Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and partners from Quebec in attendance. kAmr2=:7@C?:2 p:C #6D@FC46D q@2C5 r92:C {2FC6?

Travis Kavulla was sworn in as CEO and administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration in an afternoon ceremony on June 29 at BPA’s headquarters in Portland. Kyle Haustveit, U.S. undersecretary of energy, swore Kavulla in as the 17th administrator in BPA’s 89-year history. kAmx?

A major source of Chinook and coho fishing in the lower Columbia River just lost its funding from the Bonneville Power Administration. kAmq!p[ H9:49 92D 4@?EC:3FE65 E@ E96 $6=64E pC62 u:D96C:6D t?92?46>6?E W$putX AC@8C2> D:?46 `hhb[ :?7@C>65 E96 ~C68@? s6A2CE>6?E @7 u:D9 2?5 (:=5=:76 @? yF?6 `g E92E :E H@F=5 ?@E 36 C6?6H:?8 :ED 4@?EC24E @? ~4E] `]k^Am kAm%96 $put AC@8C2> C2:D6D 23@FE f >:==:@? D>@=ED 2E G2C:@FD 92E496C:6D E92E 2C6 C62C65 :? ?6E A6?D 2E *@F?8D q2J[ q=:?5 $=@F89 2?5 %@?8F6 !@:?E :?

The administrator and executive staff at the Bonneville Power Administration should earn more money, chairs of several Northwest public utility commissions wrote in a draft letter to federal representatives. kAmv6EE:?8 q!p’D 6I64FE:G6D >@C6 4@>A6E:E:G6 A2J 92D 366? 2? @?8@:?8 677@CE 3J A@H6C 286?4:6D] x? a_ad[ #6AD] s2?

Portland General Electric has begun a two-year project to underground 7 miles of transmission line in the area of the Mount Hood National Forest, the company announced June 23. The area is located in one of PGE’s designated High Fire Risk Zones. The corridor was de-energized during two public-safety power shutoffs in 2020 and 2022. kAms6?D6 EC66 4@G6C[ 4@>3:?65 H:E9 =:>:E65 2446DD 7@C 6>6C86?4J 4C6HD :?

Travis Kavulla was sworn in as the 17th CEO and administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration on June 29 in a ceremony at BPA’s headquarters in Portland (Clearing Up No. 2266). The Oregon Court of Appeals on June 18 rejected PacifiCorp’s petition for reconsideration in the dispute over whether utility integrated resource plans filed with the state are subject to judicial review.

The Supreme Court on June 29 ruled that the president can fire at will members of independent regulatory agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In a 6-3 decision, justices overturned a 1935 ruling, Humphrey’s Executor vs. United States, which restricted the president’s power to dismiss members of the Federal Trade Commission. The court ruled in a case brought by Rebecca Slaughter, whom President Donald Trump fired from the FTC last year.

Unless returns pick up soon, the Columbia Basin could be looking at a disappointing year for sockeye returns, with current projections for the total run coming in at less than half of preseason estimates. Those early estimates expected roughly 274,900 sockeye to return to the mouth of the Columbia River.