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Tagged Articles:
BPA

Trump reverses course on federal worker firings, opening the door for rehiring in Clark County, maybe

March 10, 2025, 12:52pm Clark County News

The Trump administration has backed down from its move to fire thousands of probationary federal workers. The switch means hundreds of local federal workers may now be rehired if they… Read story

BPA announces intention to split with California and join new Southwest energy market

March 10, 2025, 9:11am Business Free

Infobox: What is a “day ahead market?” Read story

The Columbia River flows through the Bonneville Dam near Cascade Locks, Ore., in 2011. The Department of Energy sent layoff notices to 400 out of about 3,000 employees.

Experts, WA reps question rationale for BPA and Hanford layoffs

The Columbia River flows through the Bonneville Dam near Cascade Locks, Ore., in 2011. The Department of Energy sent layoff notices to 400 out of about 3,000 employees.

March 1, 2025, 6:00am Latest News

The U.S. Department of Energy picked roughly 400 people to lay off at the Bonneville Power Administration, which masterminds how 28 percent of the Pacific Northwest’s electricity is distributed to homes, businesses and industry. Read story

The Columbia River pours through the Bonneville Dam spillway Aug. 22. The Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates 21 locks and dams along the Columbia, Willamette and Rogue rivers. The Corps submitted the names of 157 employees this week expected to be in the next round of federal probationary employee firings.

Cuts to BPA, Army Corps could mean longer and more frequent power outages for Southwest Washington

The Columbia River pours through the Bonneville Dam spillway Aug. 22. The Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates 21 locks and dams along the Columbia, Willamette and Rogue rivers. The Corps submitted the names of 157 employees this week expected to be in the next round of federal probationary employee firings.

February 21, 2025, 1:36pm Business

Clark County may soon see longer and more frequent power outages, as the Bonneville Power Administration and region’s Army Corps of Engineers lose hundreds of employees after actions by the second Trump administration to reduce the size of the federal workforce. Read story

The Bonneville Power Administration’s 15,000+ miles of high-voltage lines account for 75% of the PNW’s grid. But blank spots exist east of the Cascades where renewable energy is being produced.

WA’s leaders blast Trump’s ‘dangerous’ cuts to Bonneville Power Administration’s staff

The Bonneville Power Administration’s 15,000+ miles of high-voltage lines account for 75% of the PNW’s grid. But blank spots exist east of the Cascades where renewable energy is being produced.

February 20, 2025, 9:50am Business

Washington’s leaders are warning that the region could be at greater risk of blackouts because of recent energy grid-related actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration. Read story

Work continues on a fish ladder redesign Tuesday at the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has spent the winter redesigning part of a fish ladder at the dam to make it easier for Pacific lamprey to move upstream.

‘There was a real bottleneck’: Bonneville Dam fish ladder gutted and renovated in time for salmon passage

Work continues on a fish ladder redesign Tuesday at the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has spent the winter redesigning part of a fish ladder at the dam to make it easier for Pacific lamprey to move upstream.

February 20, 2025, 6:09am Clark County News

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is gutting and rebuilding a large section of Bonneville Dam’s fish ladder to make it easier for Pacific lamprey to pass the dam as they return from the ocean to spawn. Read story

A pedestrian takes in a view of the Bonneville Dam from the Washington side of the Columbia River on Tuesday morning. The dam generates power distributed by Bonneville Power Administration.

30 Bonneville Power Administration workers get jobs back amid hundreds of layoffs and buyouts

A pedestrian takes in a view of the Bonneville Dam from the Washington side of the Columbia River on Tuesday morning. The dam generates power distributed by Bonneville Power Administration.

February 19, 2025, 7:45am Business Free

After an uproar over staffing cuts at the Bonneville Power Administration, the Trump administration is trying to rehire a handful of staffers it laid off last week. Read story

The Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, left, stretches below the Cape Horn lookout on Tuesday morning. Western Washington’s rainy weather doesn’t eliminate wildfire risk.

Federal agencies consider additional Columbia River environmental guidelines amid political uncertainty

The Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, left, stretches below the Cape Horn lookout on Tuesday morning. Western Washington’s rainy weather doesn’t eliminate wildfire risk.

November 21, 2024, 6:11am Clark County News

A trio of federal agencies are considering whether to pursue additional environmental guidelines for the Columbia River. Read story

System dispatchers monitor the grid at the Bonneville Power Administration’s Ross Complex. Growing demand for power in the region and state mandates requiring carbon-free energy in the future complicate the administration’s work. The administration can’t guarantee a carbon-free product. Utilities across the region may need to find their own energy sources in the future to make up the difference.

Electricity equilibrium? Finding power for the Pacific Northwest in the future ‘will be a significant challenge’

System dispatchers monitor the grid at the Bonneville Power Administration’s Ross Complex. Growing demand for power in the region and state mandates requiring carbon-free energy in the future complicate the administration’s work. The administration can’t guarantee a carbon-free product. Utilities across the region may need to find their own energy sources in the future to make up the difference.

October 26, 2024, 6:14am Business Subscriber Exclusive

From their control center at the Ross Complex in Vancouver, Bonneville Power Administration dispatchers manage the region’s electricity supply and demand in real time. Read story

The Columbia River pours through the Bonneville Dam spillway in August. A new study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory indicates climate change may increase hydropower generation.

Federal study finds climate change will boost Pacific Northwest hydropower

The Columbia River pours through the Bonneville Dam spillway in August. A new study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory indicates climate change may increase hydropower generation.

September 16, 2024, 11:41am Clark County News

Climate change will cause existing hydroelectric dams to generate more power in the Pacific Northwest and around the lower 48 states in the coming decades. That’s according to projections from an August study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Read story