Avista

The wildfire season is relatively quiet right in the Inland Northwest. Crews over the weekend announced they had fully contained three fires in eastern. A handful of fires started last week when conditions were optimum for new fire starts, but crews were able to get on them quickly.

Still, things could erupt at any time and, as a result, Avista says it has recently made some seasonal changes to reduce the chance its power system causes fires.

Avista is looking for new renewable energy projects to add to its portfolio.

It will be one of the utilities in Washington required, by the year 2045, to create electricity using only sources considered to be “green.”

Avista has been adjusting its dam operations on the Spokane River to accommodate the seasonal flow this spring. It's one part optimizing power generation, and one part fine tuning the water level.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has reached a partial settlement with Avista for a rate increase in gas and electricity rates.

The settlement also deals with the company’s plans to phase out coal-generated power for its Washington customers.

Mayoral candidate Nadine Woodward says she opposes the city of Spokane’s renewable energy goal .

Avista Utilties supported the city on the goal of getting 100% of its electricity from renewable resources by the year 2030.

But Woodward told SPR that, in an unpublished study, Avista found that such a plan would be expensive for citizens.

A Washington state commission says Avista is on its way to meeting its renewable energy goals for the year, as required by state law.

With summer now officially here, Avista and the Spokane County sheriff’s office are reminding people to be careful on the water this summer.

Deputy Jim Ebel coordinates the marine enforcement division for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. He says local ordinances require people who use the Spokane River  to wear life jackets. But he says only about half do.

Today on the Inland Journal podcast, we talk with retiring Avista CEO Scott Morris. In October, Morris will hand over the top job in the company to Avista President Dennis Vermillion and become the non-executive chairman of Avista’s board until next March. Then he’ll leave the company.

Scott Morris, Avista’s chief executive officer, is retiring from the company, effective next spring. He will be replaced as CEO on October 1 by Avista’s president, Dennis Vermillion.

Thursday on the Inland Journal podcast, Avista announces it will begin installing new ‘smart meters’ that will allow it to more quickly measure how its customers use energy. “Ask an Evangelical”: we talk with a man who identifies as evangelical about his views on immigration. And will this late blast of snow extend the ski season in the Inland Northwest? We’ll get the view from the Lookout Pass ski area.

Today on the Inland Journal podcast, environmental groups are asking the Washington legislature to adopt firm timelines to wean the state from fossil fuels. We’ll get two views: from a member of the 350 Spokane group, which is lobbying for the  bill, and a lobbyist for Avista. And we’ll meet a Maryland researcher who has created a map that projects what local climates like ours will be like in 2080.

Thursday on the Inland Journal podcast, we’ll look at electric cars and how Northwest utilities and states are progressing in creating public infrastructure to charge them. We’ll talk with a Kettle Falls man about his experience leasing an electric car. We’ll talk with a representative from Avista about incentives for businesses and others to create charging stations. And we’ll hear excerpts from an Idaho legislative hearing about electric vehicles.

Climate change and ways to combat it were in the spotlight of a Washington state Senate hearing today [Thursday]. People from a wide variety of interest groups testified on a bill that sets timetables for moving the state to so-called “clean energy” sources. Governor Jay Inslee requested the bill and 17 Democrats have co-sponsored it.

(UPDATED: Since we first aired this story, we were contacted by two other campaign donors mentioned in the story. Robin Dale of the Washington Health Care Association said, "Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. It certainly is concerning. We will continue to monitor your story as it develops."

Washington state regulators spent more than four hours Tuesday asking questions to officials from Avista Utilities about their proposed merger with the Ontario-based company Hydro One.

Utilities and Transportation Commission members have concerns with how the Spokane utility might be affected by moves made by the provincial government of Ontario.

The concerns stemmed from a shakeup earlier this year in Hydro One's board of directors, which came after voters elected a premier who promised to lower electric rates and cut executive pay. The board and CEO stepped down.

The Spokane City Council may vote to override Mayor David Condon’s veto of a renewable electricity ordinance that sets goals for the city.

One business organization is calling for the council not to act on the mayor’s veto. Instead, it urges interests from all sides to work to create what it calls realistic energy goals.

The ordinance pushes the city to run its own operations exclusively using renewable electricity sources, such as water, the sun and wind, by the year 2020. Then it goes farther, urging a goal of 2030 for 100% electricity from renewable sources for the rest of the city.

The Spokane City Council last night [Monday] approved an ordinance that sets a 100% renewable energy goal for the city. The measure was approved after more two hours of testimony.

The measure lists two major goals. One calls for the city of Spokane to run its operations exclusively using renewable electricity sources by the year 2020. The second sets a goal of getting the rest of the city to accomplish that by 2030.