Energy
Seattle City Council opposes coal-export ports
SEATTLE -- The Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday opposing the development of coal-export terminals in Washington state after raising concerns about increased train traffic and potential harm to health and the environment.
Date: 05/29/2012 | Northwest
Oil drops below $90 for first time since October
NEW YORK -- The price of oil tumbled below $90 on Wednesday for the first time in nearly seven months as U.S. supplies continue to grow.Benchmark U.S. crude fell $2.14, or 2.3 percent, to $89.71 per barrel. The price hadn't been below $90 per barrel since Nov. 1.
Date: 05/23/2012 | Business
BP restarting refinery near Blaine
BLAINE -- BP is in the process of restarting its Cherry Point refinery near Blaine.Spokesman Michael Abendhoff told The Bellingham Herald it should be fully operational by the end of May.
Date: 05/16/2012 | Business
Biofuels firm to repay county
Company failed to fulfill contract for canola project
Date: 05/16/2012 | Local News
West Coast spike in gas prices tied to refineries
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Motorists across most of the country have been getting a break on the price of gas, but not on the West Coast.
Date: 05/15/2012 | Business
Americans spending a bit more as gas prices fall
WASHINGTON -- Americans are starting to see some relief from higher gas prices, a change that could revive the economy in the months ahead.
Date: 05/15/2012 | Business
Pump prices drop 5 percent since April
NEW YORK -- Gasoline prices have dropped 5 percent since peaking last month.The national average fell to $3.739 per gallon on Thursday, down nearly 20 cents since hitting a high of $3.936 on April 6. And compared with a year ago, regular unleaded is 21 cents cheaper.
Date: 05/10/2012 | Business
RFK Jr. calls coal 'corrupting' at Portland rally
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday that a proposal to bring coal to Oregon and Washington state will lead to political corruption and environmental damage, while the actual number of jobs it will create is minimal.
Date: 05/07/2012 | Northwest
Donald Trump lashes out at Scottish windmills
EDINBURGH, Scotland — He came, he saw, he blustered.Donald Trump on Wednesday swept into Scotland's parliament to demand the country end plans for an offshore wind farm he fears will spoil the view at his exclusive new $1.2-billion golf resort.
Date: 04/25/2012 | Nation & World
PUD reports record energy savings
EVERETT -- Customers of the Snohomish County Public Utility District saved more energy in 2011 through conservation measures than ever before, according to the PUD's calculations.
Date: 04/20/2012 | Local News
Gov. Kitzhaber, Sen. Wyden have reservations about Oregon coal plan
PENDLETON, Ore. — Two of Oregon’s top political leaders have expressed reservations about a plan to move Great Plains coal through Oregon by rail and barge, while a member of the state House is working as a consultant to build local support for the project’s Australian...
Date: 04/18/2012 | Northwest
Obama wants to target oil market manipulation
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama pushed Congress on Tuesday to give oil market regulators more muscle to deter price manipulation by speculators, the latest White House response to determined Republican attacks on administration energy policies amid high gas prices at the pump.
Date: 04/17/2012 | Business
Natural gas price at its lowest since 2002
NEW YORK -- The price of natural gas has dropped below $2 for the first time in more than a decade.
Date: 04/11/2012 | Business
Oil prices falls to $101 a barrel
NEW YORK -- Oil prices fell for a second day on more troubling signs for the world economy.
Date: 04/10/2012 | Business
Coal exports surge to highest level since 1991
BILLINGS, Mont. -- U.S. coal exports reached their highest level in two decades last year as strong demand from Asia and Europe offered an outlet for a fuel that is falling from favor at home.
Date: 04/10/2012 | Business
Get ready for a gasoline price surge
NEW YORK -- Ahh, spring. The days get longer, flowers bloom, and gasoline gets more expensive.
Date: 04/07/2012 | Nation & World
Japan sets new safety rules for nuclear plants
TOKYO -- Japan is setting stricter safety guidelines for nuclear power plants to ease concerns about restarting reactors idled after the disasters a year ago.
Date: 04/07/2012 | Nation & World
PUD’s Sultan dam honored by energy group
SULTAN -- The Youngs Creek hydropower project, recently built by the Snohomish County Public Utility District, has been selected by Renewable Energy World as the winner of its Hydro Project of the Year...
Date: 04/05/2012 | Local News
Steady rise in gasoline price continues, weekly surveys show
The march to $5-a-gallon gas continues, with SeattleGasPrices.com reporting today:
Date: 04/02/2012 | Bizblog
Rule could eliminate coal plant construction
The Obama administration's proposal last week to put the first limits on greenhouse gases from new power plants probably will mean that no new coal-fired U.S. plants will be built after this year, but that won't slash coal use anytime soon.
Date: 04/01/2012 | Nation & World
Senate rejects Obama's call to end big oil's tax breaks
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's plea to Congress to end $4 billion in tax subsidies to oil companies was rebuffed Thursday as the Senate turned back a Democratic bill to repeal the tax breaks.
Date: 03/30/2012 | Business
State gas prices pass last year’s national high
The average price of gas in Washington state rose to $4.07, up 6 cents in a week, 25 cents in a month and 17 cents higher than the national average of $3.90 a gallon.Nationally, gasoline is less than a dime away from last year's high.
Date: 03/26/2012 | Business
Local gas prices seen rising earlier than usual
Perhaps you've already seen today's new numbers from AAA and this explanation of rising gas prices at the global level. Here's some further perspective from...
Date: 03/26/2012 | Bizblog
Obama defends handling of Keystone pipeline
CUSHING, Okla. -- President Barack Obama firmly defended his record on oil drilling Thursday, ordering the government to fast-track an Oklahoma pipeline while accusing Congress of playing politics with a larger Canada-to-Gulf Coast project.
Date: 03/22/2012 | Nation & World
Obama defends handling of Keystone pipeline
CUSHING, Okla. -- President Barack Obama firmly defended his record on oil drilling Thursday, ordering the government to fast-track an Oklahoma pipeline while accusing Congress of playing politics with a larger Canada-to-Gulf Coast project.
Date: 03/22/2012 | Nation & World
Obama defends handling of Keystone pipeline
CUSHING, Okla. -- President Barack Obama firmly defended his record on oil drilling Thursday, ordering the government to fast-track an Oklahoma pipeline while accusing Congress of playing politics with a larger Canada-to-Gulf Coast project.
Date: 03/22/2012 | Nation & World
Unhappy public not sure who to blame for high gas prices
LOS ANGELES -- Families canceling vacations. Fishermen watching their profits burn up along with their boats' gasoline. Drivers buying only a few gallons of gas at a time because they can't afford to fill the tank.
Date: 03/22/2012 | Business
Coal-terminal fight generates increasing heat
We've posted a brief story from the Bellingham Herald via The Associated Press about the proposal to build a rail-to-sea coal terminal within the
Date: 03/22/2012 | Bizblog
Higher gas prices threaten U.S. economy
WASHINGTON -- Inflation remains tame throughout the U.S. economy, with one big exception: gas prices.
Date: 03/18/2012 | Nation & World
Average price of gas in state hits $3.98
After a brief respite, the price of gasoline is climbing again.The national average price for a gallon of gasoline rose a nickel over the weekend and is now $3.80 per gallon. That more than wiped out the penny decline seen last Tuesday through Thursday.
Date: 03/12/2012 | Business
Bill would open way for Klickitat energy plan
YAKIMA -- A bill awaiting Gov. Chris Gregoire's signature would open the way for an ambitious $2.5 billion plan to create a large generating plant along the Columbia River.
Date: 03/10/2012 | Northwest
There is something we can do about high gas prices
About an hour before dawn on one of our snowy mornings earlier this week the television news anchor greeted her audience with, "Good morning. While you were sleeping, gas prices went up again." Ugh.
Date: 03/09/2012 | Business
Obama calls for ways to wean U.S. from oil
MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. -- President Barack Obama on Wednesday made his most urgent appeal yet for the nation to wean itself from oil, calling it a "fuel of the past" and demanding the United States broaden its approach to energy.
Date: 03/07/2012 | Business
Shell oil rig set for journey
SEATTLE -- Amid the tangle of towering steel, heavy cranes and overcast skies of Seattle's busy commercial shipyards, Shell Oil's massive Kulluk drilling rig is preparing to push off for the Arctic Ocean.
Date: 03/04/2012 | Northwest
Let's talk caulk
How to lay a good bead of caulk and keep heating bills down
Date: 03/04/2012 | Business
Future foresters face off
Students tests forest practices that may aid industry
Date: 03/03/2012 | Local News
Saudi Arabia boosts output of crude oil
NEW YORK -- As crude oil prices reached a nine-month high on concerns about Iran's nuclear program, Saudi Arabia has increased its crude exports, and the U.S. is pondering releasing oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to media reports Saturday.
Date: 02/25/2012 | Nation & World
Oil prices nearing 2011 highs
NEW YORK -- Oil prices are approaching last year's highs as tensions increase over Iran's nuclear program. The rise pushed gasoline prices on Friday to a national average of $3.65 per gallon, the highest ever for this time of year.
Date: 02/24/2012 | Business
Big coal terminal planned on Columbia River
LONGVIEW -- A Longview company that withdrew plans last year for a Columbia River terminal to ship 5.7 million tons of coal a year to Asia has come back with big plans for a $600 million terminal to ship 44 million tons a year.
Date: 02/23/2012 | Northwest
Mine safety agency report faults foremen in explosion that killed 29 men
BECKLEY, W.Va. -- West Virginia mine safety officials issued 253 violations in their investigation of the Upper Big Branch disaster and targeted at least two foremen, saying their failures may have exacerbated the unsafe conditions underground before the explosion that killed 29 men.
Date: 02/23/2012 | Business
Increased drilling alone is not an energy plan, Obama says in addressing gas price increases
MIAMI -- President Barack Obama on Thursday assailed Republicans for what he described as a flawed and dishonest strategy for reducing gas prices, predicting his rivals would offer nothing but more drilling and political promises of $2-a-gallon gas. Said the president: "The American people aren't...
Date: 02/23/2012 | Business
Cherry Point refinery fire could boost gas prices in Washington to $4 a gallon
SEATTLE -- The longer the BP Cherry Point refinery at Blaine is out of service because of fire damage, the higher gasoline prices will go for drivers in Washington, said Tim Hamilton, executive director of the Automotive United Trades Organization, an association of independent dealers.
Date: 02/22/2012 | Business
Gas prices are highest ever for this time of year
NEW YORK — Gasoline prices have never been higher this time of the year.At $3.53 a gallon, prices are already up 25 cents since Jan. 1. And experts say they could reach a record $4.25 a gallon by late April.
Date: 02/18/2012 | Nation & World
Benchmark oil rises to highest price since January
NEW YORK -- Oil on Friday climbed to the highest level this year on expectations that supplies will tighten in the spring.
Date: 02/18/2012 | Business
U.S. wholesale prices rise slightly in January
WASHINGTON -- U.S. wholesale prices rose slightly in January spurred by higher costs of pharmaceutical drugs, but food and fuel prices fell.
Date: 02/17/2012 | Business
Never before have gas prices risen so high so early in the year
LOS ANGELES -- U.S. motorists have seen the national average for regular gasoline rise above $3.50 a gallon in just three different years, but it has never happened this early.
Date: 02/15/2012 | Business
Anti-coal train campaign launched in Bellingham
BELLINGHAM -- About 200 people turned out in Bellingham Thursday to launch their "Coal-Free Bellingham" campaign.
Date: 01/27/2012 | Northwest
Hydro plant proposed for Franklin County canal
KENNEWICK -- Franklin County commissioners approved a conditional use permit Wednesday for a Kennewick company's plan to install turbines on an irrigation canal to generate electricity.Percheron Power believes tapping the water flow near Mesa could power about 500 homes.
Date: 01/26/2012 | Northwest
PSE wants to give the powerless a refund
Puget Sound Energy wants to send a $50 refund to every customer left without power for five or more days due to the storm.
Date: 01/25/2012 | The Petri Dish
Study: Gas exports would drive up prices
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A federal report that says exporting liquefied natural gas will drive up domestic energy prices is adding more fuel to the debate over building LNG terminals in Oregon.
Date: 01/21/2012 | Northwest
Geothermal project to make power by pouring water into a volcano
Geothermal energy developers plan to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in Central Oregon this summer to demonstrate new technology they hope will give a boost to a green energy sector that has yet to live up to its promise.
Date: 01/16/2012 | Northwest
New U.S. nuclear reactor design is approved
WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators have approved a nuclear reactor designed by Westinghouse Electric Co. that could power the first nuclear plants built from scratch in this country in more than three decades.
Date: 12/23/2011 | Nation & World
A bit less painful
The price of gas has been dropping over the past month
Date: 12/18/2011 | Local News
Shell Arctic drilling conditionally approved
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary received federal approval Friday for drilling exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast but with conditions that raised concerns with the state's congressional delegation.
Date: 12/17/2011 | Northwest
Gregoire weighs changes to state clean-energy law
SEATTLE -- Large utilities in Washington state will soon have to get at least part of their power from new renewable sources like wind and solar. But with a voter-mandated 2012 deadline looming, Gov. Chris Gregoire is weighing a package of changes that could expand the definition of what clean...
Date: 12/14/2011 | Northwest
Buying a TV? Look for orange if you want to be greeen
OK, pop quiz: Which TVs on the market are more efficient -- Energy Star or Energy Forward TVs?I bet I know what you're thinking: Energy Forward? Huh?
Date: 12/07/2011 | Eco Geek
Decision looms on first Mekong mainstream dam
BANGKOK -- Impoverished Laos is poised to erect the first dam across the Mekong River's mainstream as it pursues its goal of being Asia's battery despite intense opposition from downstream countries and environmental groups.
Date: 12/07/2011 | Nation & World
NRC chief: Nuke industry must heed lesson of Japan
WASHINGTON -- The nation's nuclear safety chief said Tuesday he is worried that U.S. nuclear plant operators have become complacent, just nine months after the nuclear disaster in Japan.
Date: 12/06/2011 | Nation & World
French leadership clings to nuclear energy
PIERRELATTE, France — French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday it would be madness to reduce his country's huge reliance on nuclear power, despite worldwide wariness after Japan's Fukushima disaster and protests this week over the dangers of waste.
Date: 11/26/2011 | Nation & World
Average price of gasoline in state $3.70, says AAA
BELLEVUE -- The AAA auto club reports the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Washington is $3.70.That's down a nickel in a week and 13 cents in a month, but it's 19 cents higher than the national average.Some metro prices from the AAA's survey for Monday:
Date: 11/21/2011 | Northwest
U.S. gas prices down 5 cents in past 2 weeks
CAMARILLO, Calif. -- A survey shows the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has dropped nearly five cents over the past two weeks.The Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday puts the price of a gallon of regular at $3.38.
Date: 11/20/2011 | Nation & World
Marysville would be hurt by coal exports in Bellingham, panel says during forum
MARYSVILLE -- A proposed coal-export terminal near Bellingham is likely to affect residents in Marysville and in other cities throughout Snohomish County.
Date: 11/18/2011 | Local News
Audit faults Air Force's Alaska wind turbines
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Defense Department's attempt to go green at remote radar locations in Alaska by replacing diesel generators with wind turbines was poorly planned and delays could cost millions, according to an audit by the department's inspector general.
Date: 11/13/2011 | Northwest
Contractor sues Energy Northwest over nuclear plant work
RICHLAND -- A contractor hired to perform work at the state's only nuclear power plant is suing the plant's operator, Energy Northwest, saying it withheld key information about the work to be done.
Date: 11/13/2011 | Northwest
Hastings, Young push bill to open ANWR to drilling
JUNEAU, Alaska -- Two U.S. House Republicans on Friday said they plan to propose legislation to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling as a way to spur domestic energy production and create jobs.
Date: 11/11/2011 | Northwest
Obama to expand drilling in Gulf Coast, off Alaska
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration cautiously offered up more areas in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska's coast to oil and gas drilling Tuesday but didn't go far enough to satisfy Republicans pushing to greatly expand drilling as a way to create jobs and wean the country off foreign...
Date: 11/08/2011 | Nation & World
State Department to review Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline
WASHINGTON -- The State Department's inspector general will review the Obama administration's handling of a Canadian company's request to pipe oil from western Canada to Texas, following complaints from 13 Democratic lawmakers and one independent.
Date: 11/08/2011 | Nation & World
Okanogan PUD withdraws plan for Loomis-area dam
OKANOGAN -- A north-central Washington utility has dropped plans to build a dam that would have created an international lake on the U.S.-Canada border.
Date: 10/06/2011 | Northwest
National gas prices up 6 cents in past 2 weeks
CAMARILLO, Calif. -- The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline is up nearly six cents over the past two weeks.
Date: 09/12/2011 | Business
Gas will be spendy this holiday weekend
Gasoline is near the highest it's ever been for this time of year, just ahead of the Labor Day weekend.
Date: 09/02/2011 | Business
Russian oil company could own U.S. fields
NEW YORK -- A deal that gives Russia's state-controlled oil company part-ownership of U.S. oil fields is unlikely to be scuttled by national security concerns because Russia doesn't need the oil.
Date: 09/01/2011 | Business
Gather neighbors for free energy assessments
A new program allows groups of at least five Snohomish County households to team up to get free energy assessments.
Date: 08/29/2011 | Local News
Biofuels industry gets boost from $510 million Navy plan
The federal government intends to jump-start the fledgling biofuels industry in the name of national security.
Date: 08/18/2011 | Nation & World
Battle highlights unsettled Idaho power market
BOISE, Idaho -- Idaho's unsettled renewable energy landscape is again bedeviling the state utilities regulator, with a solar developer in Elmore County battling Idaho Power Co. over the lucrative renewable energy certificates that accompany its 20-megawatt project.
Date: 08/12/2011 | Northwest
Power group: Gas glut to cut electricity prices
BOISE, Idaho -- The council that helps ensure Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington have affordable electricity now expects a glut of natural gas supplies to last for years, potentially reducing costs for residential and business customers but also creating challenges for developers of alternative...
Date: 08/11/2011 | Northwest
Teacher runs his pickup on culled-apple ethanol
WENATCHEE -- Instead of fueling his truck at the gas station, Tim Bombaci is getting his fuel from his neighbors. His neighbors who own orchards, that is.
Date: 07/16/2011 | Business
Gas cost decline pulls other prices down
Consumer prices fell last month for the first time in a year because of a steep drop in gas costs. But Americans paid more for autos, clothes and hotel stays, driving prices outside of volatile food and energy costs up.
Date: 07/16/2011 | Business
Governmental panel: Changes needed at U.S. nuclear plants
WASHINGTON -- Calling the Japan nuclear disaster "unacceptable," an expert task force convened by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has concluded that nuclear power plants in the U.S. need better protections for rare, catastrophic events.
Date: 07/13/2011 | Nation & World
Tritium leaks found at many nuke sites
BRACEVILLE, Ill. -- Radioactive tritium has leaked from three-quarters of U.S. commercial nuclear power sites, often into groundwater from corroded, buried piping, an Associated Press investigation shows.
Date: 06/21/2011 | Nation & World
Saudi Arabia production boost sends oil lower
NEW YORK -- Saudi Arabia's still the boss when it comes to oil.
Date: 06/11/2011 | Business
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