Data centers being rapidly built in the West are becoming an “emerging risk” to electrical grid reliability in the region, according to regional transmission experts. New data centers, which can be built in as little as 18 months, are far outpacing the growth in new electrical energy supply and transmission, according to members of the […]
News Stories
Washington state ‘increasingly at risk’ for rolling blackouts
(The Center Square) – A proposed battery energy storage system near Goldendale under consideration by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council would, if ultimately approved by Gov. Jay Inslee, be able to provide 200,000 homes with electricity for up to four hours. It’s a facility that Washington residents might need if the state is unable […]
PNW data center boom could imperil power supply within 5 years
PORTLAND — The Pacific Northwest’s power grid could be pushed beyond its limits in just five years by the staggering electricity demands of the booming data center industry, regional power planners recently reported. A forecast by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council highlights a looming conflict between an increasingly digital world and utilities’ capacity to […]
WA’s carbon-pricing auctions collect nearly $1.5 billion as allowances reach record price
The price of Washington’s carbon emission allowances reached an all-time high in the state’s fourth auction last week, with revenue from the program nearing $1.5 billion in its first year. The revenue has far outpaced early estimates, and now a group that helped advocate for and pass the legislation that created the carbon-pricing market is […]
More pricey carbon allowances sell amid pain at the pump
A special pool of carbon allowances was auctioned by the Department of Ecology last week and the results figure to pour figurative gasoline on the debate over the cap-and-trade system’s impact on the price of actual gasoline. This latest auction stems from the state’s Climate Commitment Act which caps the total amount of CO2 that […]
WA’s carbon-pricing program nears $1 billion in revenue, far outpacing early estimates
Washington’s latest auction of carbon-emission allowances raked in $62.5 million last week, with revenue from the state’s carbon-pricing program now nearing a billion dollars and far outpacing early estimates. The state Department of Ecology announced Wednesday the results of its special auction held last week because the previous quarterly auction in May exceeded a “trigger” […]
Washington gas prices among highest in the nation due to taxes and new emissions program
WASHINGTON — Filling up your tank is more painful than it was just a month ago. … Drivers are paying nearly 50 cents a gallon in state and federal taxes. That’s the third highest rate in the country. Prices are also being boosted by a new program that went into effect this year which puts […]
Pain at the pump for Washington state residents as it becomes the most expensive place to buy gas at $4.95 a gallon – nine cents higher than California – amid drive to go green
The average cost of gas in Washington has jumped by 34 cents in the last month Residents are being charged $4.95 a gallon, compared to $4.86 in California Experts said the price surge was due to oil companies passing down green fees Washington is now the most expensive state to buy gas for the first […]
Record setting gas prices causing frustration for drivers in the Inland Northwest
Gas Buddy says gas is an average of four dollars and 73 cents per gallon in Spokane. That’s almost one dollar more than the national average. … … GasBuddy says the main problem is Washington’s new cap and invest program that went in effect earlier this year. The program was passed by legislature with the […]
Washington’s record gas prices linked to Climate Commitment Act, says Association of Washington Business
Tri-Cities Wash. — This week for the first time in history, Washington has the highest gas prices in the country, today we talked to the Association of Washington Business, which says the recently passed Climate Commitment Act, could be playing a part in higher prices. The Department of Ecology says businesses like Tesoro, and the […]