Latest from The Spokesman-Review

• Bonneville Power looks back at 75 years

  April 17, 2012 in News, Idaho on Page A5 The Bonneville Power Administration turns 75 this year. It’s an influential though little-known agency that markets power from 31 federal hydropower dams on the Columbia-Snake River system.

• Wind, hydro operations create balancing act for regulators

  December 11, 2011 in City on Page A11 One of the conundrums of wind energy is that the wind doesn’t blow constantly. In the Northwest, most wind farms operate at about 30 percent capacity, which means backup electrical … 1

• Wind power helps keep Maryhill Museum in business

  December 11, 2011 in City on Page A10 Wind turbines help the Maryhill Museum of Art host eclectic exhibits as diverse as Native American basketry, French fashion, and sculptures and sketches by Auguste Rodin. The museum south of …

• Detectives retrieve Weflen’s locker items

  November 23, 2011 in City on Page A5 Despite the passing of nearly 25 years, the disappearance of Bonneville Power Administration employee Julie Weflen has apparently never been far from people’s minds. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office still … 5

• Plan allows more lake fluctuation

  November 5, 2011 in Idaho on Page A7 Lake Pend Oreille’s water levels will fluctuate by as much as 5 feet this winter, allowing federal agencies more flexibility in managing electricity generation throughout the Columbia River hydropower system. …

• Bonneville Power Administration seeks efficiency gains

    May 5, 2011 in Business on Page A1 HANFORD – The Columbia Generating Station is undergoing its most expensive refueling and maintenance shutdown ever as the owner of the nuclear plant tries to improve its reliability and costs. … 1

• Reactor undergoes refueling, upgrades

    May 4, 2011 in News HANFORD — The Columbia Generating Station here is undergoing its most expensive refueling and maintenance shutdown ever as the owner of the nuclear plant tries to improve its reliability and …

• Caldwell: Bonneville power plan creates buzz in industry

  April 10, 2011 in Business on Page E1 Moan as we might, and do, about the windy, wet spring weather, our troubles are small compared with those facing the Bonneville Power Administration. Last June, an unexpected confluence of … 6

• Hayden Lake purchase to help water quality, wildlife

  February 2, 2011 in Idaho on Page A5 Wildlife managers have snared a prime piece of real estate above Hayden Lake for continued use by moose, bear, elk and other critters. The acquisition should also help protect the … 1

• Lake Pend Oreille’s winter level to rise, fall mildly

  November 23, 2010 in Idaho on Page A5 Lake Pend Oreille’s water level will fluctuate by only a foot this winter, while federal agencies analyze a controversial plan to raise and lower the lake as much as five …

• Northwest tribes want input on Columbia River Treaty

  November 16, 2010 in Idaho on Page A6 Native people want a say in the future of the Columbia River Treaty, an accord between U.S. and Canada that governs power generation and flood control along the 1,200-mile river. …

• Caldwell: Wright’s calming influence refreshing

  November 14, 2010 in Business on Page E1 Steve Wright was appointed interim administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration Nov. 15, 2000. You could forgive him for not saying thanks. The agency was on the threshold of its …

• BPA shrinks hike request

  November 9, 2010 in Business on Page A10 The Bonneville Power Administration is tempering its request for higher electric rates next year. BPA officials had considered asking for a 12 to 20 percent rate hike, but opted instead …

• Avista rates on the rise in Washington

  October 29, 2010 in Business on Page A8 Starting Monday, Avista’s Washington customers will pay about $4.50 extra on their monthly gas and electric bills. The price hike is a result of higher wholesale natural gas costs and … 2

• Alcoa site could open for silicon plant

  October 22, 2010 in Business on Page A10 A potential restart of the shuttered Alcoa plant at Addy may founder because of high electricity costs, executives working on the project say. Northwest Silicon LLC President Dave Tuten said … 1

• Here’s the Dirt: Safeway updating regional center

  September 3, 2010 in Business on Page A12 It’s costing Safeway Corp. $1.9 million at its Spokane regional distribution center to move the large building’s refrigeration system onto the roof. The work started in July and is expected …

• Bert Caldwell: California turbulence blows ill for region

  August 22, 2010 in Business on Page E1 In California’s effort to marshal a symphony of energy resources, the Northwest is the designated woodwind. John White, director of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies – CEERT … 2

• Idaho sockeye running with big Columbia fish surge

  June 23, 2010 in Outdoors, Idaho Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials say the state could see higher numbers of endangered Snake River sockeye salmon returning this year.

• $84 million grant to expand Internet in Washington

  March 1, 2010 in City An $84 million Recovery Act grant will add 830 miles of fiber and eight new microwave sites to a high-speed network to help bring high-speed Internet access to some remote …

• Lake could fluctuate by 5 feet

  December 8, 2009 in Idaho on Page A6 Lake Pend Oreille’s water levels could fluctuate by up to 5 feet this winter. The change would allow Albeni Falls Dam to produce more electricity, but it also is likely …

• Lake Pend Oreille winter levels could fluctuate

  December 7, 2009 in Idaho Lake Pend Oreille’s water levels could fluctuate by up to five feet this winter. The change would allow Albeni Falls Dam to produce more electricity, but it also is likely …

• Northwest power panel calls for conservation

  September 3, 2009 in City, Region A panel that sets policy for the Bonneville Power Administration says the Pacific Northwest can rely on conservation to meet most of the new demand for electricity over the next … 4

• Conservation could provide 85 percent of new power

  August 11, 2009 in City, Region, Green Energy, Green Government/policy, Green Transportation About 85 percent of the Northwest’s new power needs over the next 20 years can be achieved through conservation, according to a new plan being developed by the Northwest Power … 2

• Colville tribes look forward to opening of Columbia River salmon hatchery

    July 26, 2009 in Idaho on Page A1 NEAR BRIDGEPORT, Wash. – Fish flew as Shelly Davis and Raynee Innes hustled to get 1,300 salmon packed on ice. The women grabbed silvery sockeye and blue-backed chinook from coolers, …

• BPA to build new line

  February 20, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A14 PORTLAND – The Bonneville Power Administration says it will build a $246 million transmission project that will create at least 700 new jobs. The decision to begin construction this summer …

• BPA plans $246 million construction project

  February 19, 2009 in City, Idaho The Bonneville Power Administration said today it will convert new borrowing authority contained in President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package to launch a $246 million construction project that could create …

• BPA seeking 7 percent hike in electric rates

  February 13, 2009 in City on Page A6 PORTLAND – The Bonneville Power Administration says it needs to raise its rates by 7 percent to 8 percent, beginning in October. The agency provides more than a third of … 1

• Montana senators want contract reworked for aluminum company

  January 8, 2009 in Business on Page A8 HELENA – The power contract between Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. and the Bonneville Power Administration must be renegotiated quickly to help the company stabilize and keep people employed, Montana’s U.S. …

• Avista rate increase coming

  October 1, 2008 in Idaho on Page A8 Monthly electric bills for Avista Corp.’s residential customers are likely to go up in November. Company officials said the anticipated increase is the result of lower credits from the operation …

• BPA’s wind power tops 1,000 megawatts

  January 12, 2008 in Business on Page A6 The Bonneville Power Administration periodically delivered more than 1,000 megawatts of wind energy to the storm-tossed Northwest in November and December, spokesman Doug Johnson said Friday. At its peak, on …