Benton REA headquarters on track for 2026 opening

Benton Rural Electric Association is on track to finish building its new West Richland headquarters next year, with plans to host its annual member meeting at the building in June.

“We’re extremely excited about it. The efficiency gains that we’re going to gain from being centrally located and things like that are really exciting,” said Troy Berglund, deputy general manager and vice president of member relationships.

The new facility at 2121 Cooperative Way in West Richland – near the city’s police department and the Tri-City Raceway off Keene Road – will be nearly 41,000 square feet with administrative space, a warehouse and enclosed vehicle storage space.

The under $20 million project should be ready to move into by May or June 2026, Berglund said. Grading is wrapping up and interior work on the building is being done.

A partial roof collapse incident earlier in the year did not result in any major damage, injuries or delays, Berglund said.

New lineworker school opens this spring in Oregon

A lineworker training school recently launched at a technical college in Baker City, Oregon.

The APEX Elite Line Academy will be located at Baker Technical Institute, about 160 miles south of the Tri-Cities.

The first cohort of students is set to begin classes in June 2026. The school will offer three separate 14-week sessions per year.

The new school is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in spring.

APEX’s program will emphasize small class sizes with 40 or fewer students and offer a curriculum covering topics ranging from electrical theory, pole climbing, line construction, heavy equipment operation, transformer work and rigging to safety training, leadership development and more.

Students also will receive plenty of hands-on learning in a training yard.

The cost for the program is $22,900, which includes tuition, climbing equipment and tools, and lab materials fees. 

Go to: apexlineacademy.com.

Lawmakers urge House to pass hydro legislation

Rep. Dan Newhouse is urging House leaders to advance the “Build More Hydro” legislation, citing risks to dozens of hydropower projects if Congress fails to act.

In a Nov. 25 letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Newhouse and  U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, called for swift passage of the bipartisan bill, which would authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to extend construction deadlines for hydropower projects nationwide.

The Senate passed S. 1020 by unanimous consent on July 9. The House received the bill Aug. 1.

According to the lawmakers’ letter, 37 unconstructed, FERC-licensed hydropower projects across 15 states – representing more than 2.6 gigawatts of baseload power and $6.5 billion in investment – are at risk of termination if the bill is not enacted. 

The lawmakers said about 100 megawatts of hydropower has been put on hold since the bill’s introduction, with another 36 megawatts expected to be stalled by the end of the year.

Newhouse and Daines noted that hydropower supplies baseload electricity to more than 30 million homes, provides 96% of utility-scale energy storage and supports flood control, water storage, irrigation and grid reliability.

“Losing these projects would undermine grid reliability at a time when we can least afford it,” they wrote, urging passage of the bill before the end of the year to protect energy security and prevent the loss of billions in investment.

Daines sponsored S. 1020, and Newhouse introduced the House companion, H.R. 2072, earlier this year.

BPA expected to raise rates to shore up financial reserves 

Bonneville Power Administration has ended the 2025 fiscal year in the black but will still increase power rates due to drained financial reserves. 

BPA, the region’s largest energy producer, ended its fiscal year with net revenues of $74 million, $4 million above its target and a far cry from the -$44 million projected back in February. The federal agency also made its annual $1.2 billion payment to the U.S. Treasury on schedule and in full. 

However, its Power Services division ended the year with only 50 days of cash on hand, which is lower than its mandated 60-day threshold, according to a release. As a result, it will seek to collect up to $40 million via a surcharge on power provided to the various community power providers across the Pacific Northwest. 

“This year’s below-average water supply presented a significant challenge,” said Chief Financial Officer Tom McDonald in a statement. “Through several strategic actions taken this year and in prior years, however, we minimized the use of financial reserves, ending the year on much stronger footing than we otherwise would have. I’m proud of the work our staff did to mitigate difficult circumstances.” 

All the power providers in the Tri-Cities buy and distribute power to customers that originate from BPA’s numerous hydroelectric dams. 

2025 was the third straight year of poor hydrological conditions and were what led to the dour financial projections last February. At the time, BPA expected part of its operations to end the year with less than two months’ cash on hand, which would automatically trigger a surcharge on power users to rebuild its financial reserves. 

While the agency did end the year in positive territory, it wasn’t enough to shore up all of its reserves. The surcharge, estimated to be 2.2% on wholesale Tier 1 Non-Slice power, is under review and expected to be approved by an administrator on Dec. 15.

Yakama Nation calls on BPA to restore salmon recovery funds 

The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation is urging the Bonneville Power Administration to restore 
$50 million in funding for salmon recovery efforts in the Columbia River basin.

The Yakamas said the funds were withheld as part of the prior Columbia Basin Fish Accords established in 2008. The federal government withdrew from the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement (RCBA) and the fish accords earlier this year.

The RCBA, signed during the Biden administration in 2023, involved pausing active Snake River litigation for a minimum of five years while the federal government worked with tribes and states on a plan to advance recovery of native fish populations in the Columbia Basin. 

In June, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum withdrawing the federal government’s support from the agreement, calling it “radical environmentalism” and saying completion of the restoration initiative would “be devastating for the region.”  

The move was lauded by those who say the dams are critical to supporting the region via energy generation, storing irrigation water and making the river navigable. 

The fish accords expired in October, but Yakama leaders said BPA had assured them the funds would remain available. The funds support hatchery operations, habitat restoration and infrastructure investments in connection to the Endangered Species Act. 

Tribal leaders said withholding the funds threatens putting the federal government at increased risk of violating the environmental law.

Data centers help cut energy costs for Hermiston residents

Hermiston residents have data centers to thank for reducing their monthly electricity bills. 

The Hermiston City Council voted Dec. 8 to cut the franchise fee rate for all its electricity customers from 7% to 4%, according to reports. That’s estimated by the city to save electricity customers $40 to $60 per year, depending on energy usage. 

The reason for the rate cut? The rapid expansion of data centers within the city – and their subsequent utility payments – are expected to grow fee collections by up to $2 million per year until 2030, even when reducing rates for all customers. 

“The proposed change would also eliminate the city’s existing economic development incentive program tied to electric utility franchise fees,” the city said in a statement. “Created in 2022 to support data center development, the incentive program triggered significant new revenue for the city but is no longer needed.” 

Under the revised structure, data centers currently operating in the city would no longer be eligible for refunds over the inflation-indexed threshold as part of the incentive program, but would join all other customers in paying the same 4% fee on all power usage.

Newhouse introduces new pro-nuclear energy legislation

New federal legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse would expand tax incentives for investments in new nuclear energy projects in the U.S., which the Washington Republican said puts the energy source on parity with other sources.

The Parity for Nuclear Energy Investment Act would build on the tax incentives for nuclear energy projects maintained in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) passed by Congress this past summer, according to a release. 

Specifically, the legislation would expand a 10% applicable production tax credit rate to investments made under another component of the OBBB known as the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit. New advanced nuclear facilities in non-metropolitan areas would also newly have access to the incentives.

“The (Trump) administration is expediting efforts to produce more American nuclear energy, and Richland will be home to some of the first small modular reactors which will help achieve that goal,” Newhouse said in a statement. “These projects will create new high-quality jobs, increase economic development, and make Central Washington a leader in the future of U.S. nuclear energy production.”

Two of the three entities behind the development of small modular reactors, or SMRs, in Richland – Energy Northwest and X-energy – are also throwing their weight behind the legislation alongside other nuclear energy companies and lobbyists.

“This important bill from Congressman Newhouse reflects the national imperative to lead on advanced nuclear,” said Bob Schuetz, CEO of Energy Northwest, in a statement. “It ensures the new nuclear energy communities bonus tax credit will benefit the world-class workforce and residents of the Tri-Cities, bringing down the cost of the new nuclear projects needed for grid reliability in for the Pacific Northwest.”

Report: Clean energy sector to add more than 46K jobs by 2032 

Even as the federal government withdraws support for clean energy projects and legal challenges against those same projects continue from tribal, environmental and community advocates, the industry is still expected to boom in the coming years. 

A recent report from the Washington Workforce Board suggests the state will add tens of thousands of jobs as the clean energy sector sees an increasing need for those working in construction, critical minerals, manufacturing and other industries. 

“Washington state is taking decisive action to lead the nation in clean energy transformation,” according to the report. 

The report said more is needed to strengthen the state’s workforce ahead of that anticipated demand for workers. Policy recommendations include strengthening apprenticeships as well as career and technical education; supporting clean energy projects via accelerated permitting; providing access to resources such as low-cost financing; and ensuring those from diverse backgrounds can be part of the industry’s growth.