OPB’s First Look: Speeding up renewable energy growth in Washington

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Good morning, Northwest.

Reporting by OPB and ProPublica showed how Washington state ranked dead last in bringing renewable energy projects online.

OPB’s Tony Schick and Monica Samayoa lead off this morning’s newsletter with how the state is trying to speed things up.

Also this morning, a climber died after a fall on Mount Hood yesterday, and Northwest leaders respond to the shooting death of nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this weekend.

Here’s your First Look at Monday’s news.

—Bradley W. Parks

Our reporting showed Washington ranks last in green energy growth. Now the state is working to speed it up

Washington state has launched a sweeping effort to speed up construction of renewable energy projects, prompted by reporting from OPB and ProPublica that chronicled how the state came to rank dead last in the nation for renewable energy growth.

Washington’s Department of Commerce, which works on state energy policy, has offered up state employees to help the federal Bonneville Power Administration process its backlog of renewable energy projects — though it remains uncertain whether the agency will accept the offer.

Bonneville, which owns 75% of the Northwest’s power grid, must sign off before wind and solar developers who wish to connect to its grid can break ground.

Meanwhile, four state agencies have recommended that Washington’s Legislature provide incentives for utilities to upgrade transmission lines, plan “microgrid” energy projects that don’t need to connect to Bonneville’s power lines, and create a new state agency to plan and potentially pay for major new transmission corridors. (Tony Schick and Monica Samayoa)

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3 things to know this morning

• As Oregon starts processing 2025 income tax returns today, and nonprofits helping people file taxes are looking for volunteers. (Kristian Foden-Vencil)
• A person in Clark County, Washington, who visited Ridgefield High School on Jan. 14-16 has tested positive for measles, public health officials announced on Friday. (OPB staff)
• The shooting death of a 37-year-old nurse by federal officers in Minneapolis on Saturday set off protests in Portland and drew condemnation from Pacific Northwest leaders. (OPB staff)

Lithium mining poses a new threat to sage grouse

Populations of the Greater Sage Grouse have dropped by 80% over the last 60 years. Now, large-scale lithium exploration and mining on the Oregon-Nevada border pose new threats to the bird. (Cassandra Profita and Julie Sabatier)

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Headlines from around the Northwest

• Kotek denounces ICE operations in Oregon, says Legislature will respond (Joni Auden Land)
• Climber dead after fall on Mount Hood (OPB staff)
• Worrisome radioactive waste gets a new dry home at Hanford (Anna King)
• Amid global tumult, Washington seeks closer ties with British Columbia (Emil Moffatt)
• Oregon, California coastal communities weigh offshore wind tradeoffs (Roman Battaglia)
• Portland artist Mike Bennett launches kids’ podcast about animals and the natural world (Riley Martinez)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• From Regency gowns to cowboy chaps, Oregon Shakespeare Festival does brisk business in costume rentals
• Oregon professor’s Volcano Listening Project turns explosive data into song
• This Clark County private museum holds (literally) thousands of chainsaws

Top dogs took one last lap at Portland show before Westminster

On Jan. 31, some of the world’s top dogs will head to New York City to compete in the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. But before they do, many took one last spin in the ring at the Rose City Classic Dog Show, one of the largest dog shows on the West Coast.

Now in its 77th year, the event welcomed around 2,500 dogs with the majority competing in an event called Conformation, which evaluates how closely a dog fits the “written description of the ideal specimen of that breed.”

“It’s what most people think of when they think of a dog show because they’ve seen Westminster or the National Dog Show,” said Patti Strand, chairman of the Rose City Classic.

But dogs of all kinds, purebred and otherwise, were free to compete in everything else from agility and obedience to scent work and even a competition for trick dogs. (Crystal Ligori)

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