Northwest Power and Conservation Council

Happy spring! The March Spotlight newsletter is now available. This edition includes:

- Highlights from the March Council meeting, including presentations on trends in electricity prices, the results of the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition's 10-year study, pinniped predation in the Columbia Basin, and an update on the Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program.

- The final needs assessment for the Ninth Power Plan.

- Welcoming new members to the ISAB and ISRP.

- In the News

- A history feature about shad in the .

Check out the link below to read more - and thank you for reading!

https://mailchi.mp/nwcouncil/spotlight2026_03

📰 The Council’s February Spotlight newsletter is here!

Read our recap from the series of public hearings we held on our draft 2026 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program around the in January and February. We visited eight cities and towns in each of our four states and held an online-only webinar. We met with and listened to hundreds of residents as well as dozens of organizations whose membership and representation encompass millions of people across the Northwest.

We would like to thank each person and organization who took time out of busy lives and schedules to attend our hearings, learn more about our proposed Fish and Wildlife Program, and provide their comment on it. The Council is accepting public comment on the draft proposal until March 2, and is working to adopt the final 2026 Program later this spring. Please go to our website to submit yours today! https://www.nwcouncil.org/fish-and-wildlife/program-amendments/

More highlights from this newsletter include recaps of a panel discussion on emerging electricity-generating technologies, a panel on combating invasive species in the Basin, and a primer on forthcoming modeling results analyzing potential buildouts of the NW electricity grid over the next 20 years. Plus, read a reflection from our first Chair, former WA Gov. Dan Evans, on the importance of public engagement under the NW Power Act.

Read the February newsletter here:
https://mailchi.mp/nwcouncil/spotlight2026_02

📸 captions:

#1 Nez Perce tribal member Judy Oatman speaks at the Council's hearing in Lewiston on Jan. 29.

#2 Idaho Falls Power General Manager Stephen Boorman speaks at the Boise hearing on Feb. 12.

#3 Christine Reid, seated at left and representing International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77, and Lucia Davids of the Seattle Aquarium speak at the Seattle hearing on Feb. 17.

#4 Athena Tambanillo, representing Yakima Valley College’s Climate and Environment Club, speaks at the Yakima hearing on Feb. 4.

The January Spotlight is here! Check it out at https://ow.ly/MvfG50Y4ZGG

Highlights include a panel on data center energy use, updates on the Ninth Power Plan, and a guide to upcoming public hearings for the Draft 2026 Fish and Wildlife Program.

Last week, crews began removing the 500-foot-long Bateman Island causeway in Richland, Wash., where the Yakima River reaches its confluence with the Columbia. This is the first time in 85 years that water is flowing freely through this stretch.

The project restores a pathway for migrating salmon and steelhead and should result in cooler water and better habitat for fish. The causeway allowed for public access to Bateman Island, but had created shallow pools of warm, stagnant water. These were ideal conditions for predators like smallmouth bass and walleye to target juvenile salmon and steelhead migrating downstream. Removing the causeway is scheduled to be completed in February.

Last spring, the Council hosted its monthly meeting in the Tri-Cities. Staff with Yakama Nation Fisheries took Council staff, members, and our guests on a tour of the pending causeway removal project. Thank you to everyone who’s worked to organize and implement this project! We are excited to see how fish and wildlife respond to the improved habitat.

Read more from the Tri-City Herald and watch a video of crews removing the causeway:

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/outdoors/article314309157.html =cpy

Caption 1: Yakama Nation Fisheries Scientist Michael Porter discusses benefits to fish and wildlife in the Yakima River that would result from removing the causeway.

Caption 2: Porter and Yakama Nation Fisheries Project Manager Joe Blodgett provide an overview of the project's history and timeline.

Caption 3: Removing the causeway will speed up river flows in this stretch, benefiting migrating fish.