By Andrew KirkWith a nuclear reservation, national laboratory and cutting-edge agricultural processing in the Tri-Cities’ backyard, Jeff Leskovar expected Mitsubishi’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicle Outlander would be well received.“We thought they’d bepopular with Hanford scientists, a high-tech product like this,” he said. “Butwe sell a lot of them to Spokane.”Almost...
Natural gas customers in Washington started seeing higherenergy bills beginning Nov. 1 due in part to last winter’s colder temperaturesand a 2018 gas pipeline explosion in British Columbia.The state Utilities and Transportation Commission recentlyapproved rate adjustments ranging from 4 percent to 15 percent for Avista,Cascade Natural Gas, NW Natural and...
General Manager/Executive Vice President of Benton Rural Electric AssociationMichael BradshawNumber of employees you oversee: 72 Brief background aboutyour electric cooperative:Benton REA is a not-for-profit, electric cooperativethat has been providing the people of Benton, Yakima and Lewis counties withhigh-quality, reliable service since 1937. Our structure of being owned andcontrolled by the...
By Todd MyersShould Washington state risk 11 years of salmon recovery funding on something scientists believe will do little to increase salmon populations? How about eliminating electricity generation equivalent to every solar panel and wind turbine in Washington state? Essentially,those arguing we need to destroy the Snake River dams suggest...
Mission Support Allianceknows finding ways to reduce energy consumption at the Hanford site helpsshrink the site’s carbon footprint and reduce costs.MSA, the U.S. Departmentof Energy contractor, helps DOE and its contractors with energy management andequipment upgrades. MSA’s energy managementteam works with site contractors, often in the planning phase of theirprojects,...
Santa and his elves will surprise hundreds of Pascostudents for the 39th year running when Energy Northwest employees deliver presentsas part of the Head Start holiday program that’s served 14,000 children sinceit began.“People are just so giving at our company,” said MichelleCurtis, a training specialist for Energy Northwest and the...
The Northwest will take a giant step toward a futurepowered by cleaner energy in 2020 as four coal-burning plants go offline,including one 50 miles southwest of the Tri-Cities.Portland General Electric will complete its 10-year planto mothball its 600-megawatt coal plant at the Port of Morrow in Boardman. Twoof four coal...
By D. Patrick JonesDatatracking life in the Tri-Cities reveal many departures from the overall profileof life in Washington. Considerthe racial and ethnic make-up here. In 2017, an estimated nearly 39 percent ofthe population was non-Caucasian, versus slightly over 30 percent for thestate. And the estimated Hispanic population in 2017 made...
Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed capital gains tax has dominated the headlines. But his less-ballyhooed proposal to increase business-and-occupation taxes might have a bigger effect on the Tri-Cities, while having a greater impact on the state budget.These two tax proposals, plus a proposed study on removing the four lower Snake River dams,...
Present a problem to an engineer and that engineer will find a solution with enthusiasm.That’s what a group of people did recently at Framatome in Richland.Caleb Sarka, Rianna Preston, Chad King, Destinee Rea, Jeff Waddell and Manuel Seubert all work for Framatome.And all are members of the North American Young...
