Mining in the Northwest was different in the 1890s.Back then, miners hunted for gold in the streams and mountains of Alaska and the Yukon with picks and shovels. Seattle was a jumping-off point and supply center for gold miners.Today, central Washington, upstream of the Tri-Cities, has become the focus of...

A first-of-its-kind reactor complex in Idaho Falls will be operated by Energy Northwest — probably in the middle of the next decade.In late spring, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission finished the initial phase of reviewing the first small modular reactor design to be submitted to the agency.This design application for...

Washington State University Tri-Cities recently landed two grants to advance biofuel research. Associate professor Xiao Zhang received $500,000 to pursue converting lignin to biofuel.Lignin is a common material that makes the cell walls of plants rigid.The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the grant to Zhang,...

Three Tri-City public power electricity producers and providers recently paid more than $9 million in privilege taxes to the state.The annual tax is levied on public power electricity producers and providers for the privilege of generating electricity or providing electricity in the state.Energy Northwest paid nearly $4.8 million, up from...

Thanks to a partnership between the city of Richland and the Bonneville Power Association, commercial and industrial businesses within city limits are being rewarded for reducing their carbon footprint.The energy efficiency program offered through Richland Energy Services works with 30 to 50 commercial and industrial customers a year. After providing...

Energy Northwest recently announced some changes, including a new CEO and promotions within its leadership team. This includes a decision by the company’s executive board to name Brad Sawatzke as chief executive officer, after serving as interim CEO since the end of March. Brad SawatzkePrior to being named CEO, Sawatzke...

By David ForsythPlants are the ultimate energy-conversion machine, taking energy from sunlight along with carbon dioxide to produce plant biomass and oxygen. Wine grapes, like many plants, will store some of this energy as sugar in the fruit. David ForsythThe grapevine using the captured energy, along with water, nitrogen and...

Al Nihart took apart his first clock before the age of 10. Like his father, Nihart was a mechanic at heart.But that’s where their similarities end.“He was a watch repairman, and I hate watches,” Nihart said. “You don’t fix a watch. You open it up and take out a broken...

A Richland shop that opened a year ago already has expanded its footprint and offerings with a goal of providing “spirituality for all.”Lotus of the Moon, a metaphysical and spiritual supply store, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.The shop opened in June 2017 using $5,000 in savings and donations inside a...

Faster test results for patients and streamlined operations prompted a Spokane Valley pathology services provider to open a laboratory in Richland.Incyte Diagnostics has been working on a $1.6 million renovation of a vacant office building at 221 Wellsian Way for an Aug. 13 opening.Incyte is leasing the building, with an...