Cascade Natural Gas reaches $2M settlement over fatal fire

Kennewick-based Cascade Natural Gas Corp. will pay $2 million to settle violations issued by the state Utilities and Transportation Commission for a 2023 explosion that killed one and injured another. 

The UTC suspended $250,000 of the penalty on the condition that Cascade complete specific compliance actions, according to a release. The natural gas provider is also prohibited from recovering any costs of the penalty from its customers. 

In addition to the penalty, the settlement terms also require Cascade to:   

Contract with a third party to conduct an audit of its safety management program and correct any deficiencies identified. 

Allow staff and the commission to provide input throughout the audit process. 

Create a new company policy to oversee and manage contractors. 

Notify the commission if liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is used in future operations. 

“In support of the settlement, the company states it understands the seriousness of the incident and has taken steps to improve contractor oversight and safety protocols,” the UTC said in a statement. “Cascade fully cooperated with the investigation and is committed to preventing similar incidents in the future.”    

The penalties stem from an incident on Sept. 22, 2023. A Southern Pines Trucking driver hauling an LNG trailer pulled away from an active LNG transfer in Toppenish, releasing around 83 barrels of LNG, according to a release. The escaping LNG formed a vapor cloud, which ignited upon contact with a nearby ignition source.  

One of the on-site contractors sustained severe burns and died two days later. Another contractor was not physically harmed while the truck driver was treated for burns and released from the hospital.   

Equipment and vehicles were damaged, but there was no other environmental harm, UTC staff reported. The investigation found 66 alleged violations of state and federal pipeline safety laws and regulations. 

UTC staff initially recommended to the agency’s board that Cascade be required to pay $5.7 million for the violations. 

“Safety is a core value at Cascade, and we take these allegations seriously,” the company said in a statement about the safety violations in an April story that appeared in the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. 

Cascade serves 222,000 customers across the state.

PNNL publishes interactive data center map

A new map of data centers and related infrastructure across the U.S. developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is being touted as a way to help utilities and communities anticipate and prepare for the potential impacts of the resource-hungry facilities. 

The Data Center Atlas, part of the Integrated Multisector, Multiscale Modeling project at the lab, is a public tool built from numerous data sources, some of them previously proprietary, of data center locations. It also includes projections on where future facilities may be constructed. 

And it’s more than a tool to be looked at: all the map’s data can be downloaded and is open source, ensuring it can be fully used for planning everything from energy infrastructure to water supplies. 

“The research team hopes the Atlas will support more collaborative, transparent infrastructure planning efforts as data center development accelerates,” PNNL said in a statement. “By making the tool open and accessible, the creators hope it can support informed conversations about tradeoffs, co-benefits, and long-term planning for data centers from local to national scales.”

Go to: im3.pnnl.gov/datacenter-atlas.

National burger chain coming to Columbia Center

Building permits valued at $270,000 were issued by the city of Kennewick for 7415 W. Canal Drive show branding and plans for Habit Burger & Grill to move into one portion of the building that last served as a David’s Bridal location. 

Portland-based Rich Duncan Construction is the contractor for the project. 

Yakima-based Hogback Development built the first Habit Burger & Grill in Richland’s Queensgate shopping district in 2021.  

The first Habit Burger & Grill opened in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969. 

The chain has restaurants in 14 states throughout Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Washington, as well as eight international locations. 

Habit Burger’s parent company is Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM), based in Louisville, Kentucky, which has over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories primarily operating KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants.

Scam targets Franklin County homeowners

Franklin County officials are warning residents to beware of emails requesting wire payments to finalize permit applications. 

The fraudulent emails, which include specific property information, mimic permit details and falsely claim to offer final approval for a conditional use permit, are using the name of Wes McCart, the county planning and building director, according to a release. The county is working to identify the source of the fraudulent emails. 

“Please be aware: Franklin County does not request or accept wire transfers for permit payments,” the county said in a statement. 

If county residents receive an email purporting to be from the county’s planning and economic development department, signs of it being fraudulent include typos and spelling mistakes, a non-county email address of “[email protected]” and inaccurate fee costs. 

Residents should not respond to the email and immediately contact the county at 509-545-3521.

State Supreme Court hears challenge to natural gas initiative

The Washington State Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 22 in a case challenging the constitutionality of Initiative 2066, a voter-approved measure that protects natural gas as an energy option in the state. 

I-2066 was approved by nearly 2 million voters, or 52%, in November 2024 amid ongoing policy debates over fuel choice. The initiative sought to preserve access to natural gas for current and future homeowners, a priority for homebuilders and utility stakeholders concerned about housing affordability and grid reliability. 

The court accepted direct review of the case on Sept. 3, agreeing to consider the challenge de novo, a legal standard that allows the justices to evaluate the case on its merits without deferring to a prior King County Superior Court ruling. 

Industry groups backing the initiative say the measure is critical to maintaining consumer choice and managing costs.  

“Political efforts to ban natural gas in Washington limit homeowners’ choices, stress our energy grid and drive up the cost of utilities and housing for consumers,” said Greg Lane, executive vice president of the Building Industry Association of Washington, in a statement. 

A decision from the court is expected later in 2026.

Construction labor market contracts nationwide

All but one metro area in Washington state lost construction jobs in December compared to the same time a year prior, according to the latest jobs data released by federal labor officials. 

Just under half of metro areas across the country added construction jobs between December 2024 and December 2025, according to the Associated General Contractors of America’s analysis of new government employment data.  

Association officials noted that construction job growth has stalled in many parts of the country amid contractor worries about lax demand and the ongoing challenge of finding enough workers to hire. 

“Construction hiring has stalled or declined in a majority of metro areas as owners have put projects on hold,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in a statement. “Nevertheless, most contractors expect it to be as hard or harder than last year to add workers.” 

Washington state had 11,300 fewer construction jobs, a 5% drop, in December 2025 compared to the same month in 2024.  

The Tri-Cities had 10,900 construction jobs in December 2025, 400 fewer, or a 4% decline, compared to a year prior.  

The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area lost the most construction jobs overall at 4,800, or 4%, compared to the same month in 2024. 

Pasco seeks engineering services for Road 76 overpass 

The city of Pasco is seeking engineering services for its Road 76 overpass project.  

The city, along with DKS Associates and KPFF Consulting Engineers, has completed 15% of the conceptual design outlining the project. The project is prepared for final design and engineering services are funded through the 2025 Surface Transportation Block Grant Program and local funds.  

The overpass would extend Road 76 north from Chapel Hill Boulevard to Burden Boulevard via an overpass, and there would be separation between vehicular and non-vehicular traffic using mixed-use paths and sidewalks. Additionally, a traffic signal would be installed at the Burden Boulevard intersection with complete ADA curb ramps and crosswalks.  

Public outreach has been completed over the past three years, but further engagement is planned for the design phase.  

The design phase is expected to take 21 months starting in July 2026. The city is currently working to secure 100% of construction funds by 2029.  

Right of way acquisitions must be completed by September 2029, and construction funding must be obligated by November 2029.  

Go to: pasco-wa.gov/Bids.aspx.

Fusion company to focus funding on Richland facility

A Seattle-based fusion energy company launching a Richland test facility recently secured $29 million in new funding through a combination of new and existing investors.

Avalanche Energy, a startup company developing compact fusion machines, said the money provides matching funds for a $10 million grant issued to Avalanche Energy in July 2025 by the Washington State Department of Commerce Green Jobs Grant Program. 

The funds also will help fuel the company’s continued growth and will primarily go toward scaling Avalanche’s Richland FusionWERX test facility at 2345 Stevens Drive. They will also build out the company’s team and order equipment with long lead times. 

Avalanche first launched its Richland space in April 2025, and the facility is expected to be fully licensed and operational by 2027. 

“We’ve achieved significant breakthroughs on the plasma physics side that have kept us intensely focused on advancing our technology over the past six months,” said Robin Langtry, CEO and co-founder of Avalanche, in a statement. “The new funding will enable us to accelerate the company to the next phase – achieving licensing for commercial-scale fusion operations and preparing for our Deuterium-Tritium Q>1 test program.”

Prosser fruit processor wins $20K state grant to expand

A popular Prosser fruit and chocolate artisan shop will use a recently-awarded state grant to expand its ability to produce more of its cherry-based treats. 

Chukar Cherries received $20,366 from the state Department of Agriculture’s latest round of Equipment Plus Grants, which are part of the agency’s Regional Markets Program.  

In its application, Chukar Cherries said it would use the grant to “install an additional fresh cherry processing line to increase the amount of cherries we can purchase from local growers.” 

There were a number of companies in the region who also received grants. Chukar Cherries was the only one to receive funding in Benton and Franklin counties, according to a release. 

The state awarded grants to 82 projects across 31 counties, with amounts ranging from $13,019 to $75,000.  

“These grant investments are ensuring food business entrepreneurs remain engines for innovation, growth and sustainability in Washington’s vibrant local food economy,” Derek Sandison, director of the state Department of Agriculture, said in a statement. “The high demand for regional markets programs is a testament to the continued need for this scale of investment in our local food system.” 

Other businesses in the region receiving funding include:  

Adams County 

The Butcher’s Wife, $30,000 for a higher capacity stuffer to increase processing capacity. 

Walla Walla County 

Cheesed Farms, LLC, $34,070 for a freeze-drying machine, electrical work for equipment and finishing of floors and walls for health code compliance. 

Fresh Nature Foods, $67,000 for a truck and trailer for increased aggregation of locally-grown chickpeas for processing and distribution to buyers. 

GOODNESS Botanicals, $37,376 for a commercial refrigerator and freezer as well as a water activity meter to ensure food safety and grow processing capacity.  

Twains Grains LLC, $38,500 for a mobile retail and education trailer to support agritourism and promote Washington grain. 

Yakima County 

NOMAD, $37,673 for an ice cream maker and freezer displays for its retail market operations. 

Snipes Mountain Ranch, $58,763 for a freezer trailer, walk-in freezer and a vending machine to expand storage and delivery capacity.

X-energy inks deal for SMR components

The company designing the small modular nuclear reactors planned near Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station has signed a contract that will provide components for the state-of-the-art facility. 

The 10-year deal between X-energy and SGL Carbon LLC includes an initial award of $100 million over three years to begin production of graphite reactor components using SGL’s specialized NGB-18 medium-grain isotropic graphite, according to a release. While those are bound for X-energy’s first SMR facility in Texas, the company has reserved additional capacity in SGL’s production schedule for the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility outside Richland. 

“Scaling new nuclear requires partners who know how to execute and have done so time and again in the world’s most demanding industries,” said J. Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy, in a statement. “SGL brings decades of innovation in aerospace, automotive, energy, and semiconductor applications, and we are thrilled to bring that depth of experience into the new nuclear sector.” 

The Cascade SMR project, a joint venture of Energy Northwest, Amazon and X-energy, was announced in late 2024. The initial project calls for construction of four of X-energy’s Xe-100 SMRs, capable of generating 320 megawatts of power, which Amazon will have claim to. Renderings released by Amazon several months ago show what the facility would look like at full build-out and generating 960 megawatts that would contribute to the region’s power grid. 

Construction is anticipated to begin in the next five years. Energy Northwest has also named Cascade Nuclear Partners – a joint venture made up of Black & Veatch, Aecon and Kiewit Nuclear Solutions Co. – as the builder for the project.

Tri-City groups receive $8.4M for affordable housing

The state Department of Commerce has awarded funds to support 56 affordable housing units in the Tri-Cities. 

Domestic Violence Services of Benton and Franklin Counties and Housing Authority of the City of Pasco and Franklin County were among 47 recipients of more than $204 million from the state’s Housing Trust Fund to finance construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing around the state, according to a release. 

DVSBF received $2.2 million to pay for the bulk of costs to fund eight additional units in phase two of Juanita’s Village, which provides safe housing for victims of domestic violence. The homes are located in a rural area outside the Tri-Cities proper. 

The Pasco housing authority received $6.2 million toward the $22.3 million cost to develop the Heritage Boulevard Apartments in east Pasco on a 2.29-acre parcel it bought for $750,000 in August 2025. That project will create 48 apartments to serve those making half or less of the region’s median annual income, with some set aside for homeless residents. 

The project would be built in the same area where Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington had proposed developing its Pasco Haven project for serving homeless individuals on a then city-owned site on Heritage Boulevard in east Pasco. Local opposition prompted the city to decline Catholic Charities’ offer to buy the site.

Catholic Charities eventually built Pasco Haven near the corner of Lewis Street and 20th Avenue.