Latest Hydroelectric power News
Staff proposal would retain permit for $1B transmission line
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A proposed Maine Board of Environmental Protection order would let stand a permit issued for a $1 billion electric transmission corridor to serve as a conduit for Canadian hydropower. The draft order was written by environmental agency staff ahead of a...
$1B hydropower project's fate rests with Maine supreme court
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Proponents in Maine of a stalled $1 billion energy corridor that sought to bringing Canadian hydropower to the New England power grid asked the state’s high court to breathe new life into the project Tuesday. Attorneys for developers argued that a...
California prepares for energy shortfalls in hot, dry summer
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California likely will have an energy shortfall equivalent to what it takes to power about 1.3 million homes when use is at its peak during the hot and dry summer months, state officials said Friday. Threats from drought, extreme heat and wildfires, plus...
US to hold back Lake Powell water to protect hydropower
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — U.S. officials announced what they called extraordinary steps on Tuesday to keep hundreds of billions of gallons of water stored in a reservoir on the Utah-Arizona line to prevent it from shrinking more amid prolonged drought and climate change. The U.S....
Maine dam owner to make changes to try to save salmon
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The owner of hydroelectric dams in Maine said Monday it's going to make changes to some of its operations to try to help save the final remaining wild Atlantic salmon in the United States. The country's last wild populations of the fish are found in a few...
Energy shift creates opening for 'world's largest batteries'
LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — Sprawled like a gigantic swimming pool atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan is an asphalt-and-clay pond holding enough water to produce electricity for 1.6 million households. It's part of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant, which uses simple technology:...
In drought-stricken West, officials weigh emergency actions
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Federal officials say it may be necessary to reduce water deliveries to users on the Colorado River to prevent the shutdown of a huge dam that supplies hydropower to some 5 million customers across the U.S. West. Officials had hoped snowmelt would buoy Lake...
Idaho Power faces $1 million fine after reporting violations
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho environmental officials are proposing a $1 million fine as part of a settlement agreement with Idaho Power involving pollution permits at 15 of the public utility’s hydroelectric facilities in southern Idaho. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality...
Supreme Court reinstates Trump-era water rule for now
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated for now a Trump-era rule that curtails the power of states and Native American tribes to block pipelines and other energy projects that can pollute rivers, streams and other waterways. In a decision that split the court...
Hydropower eyes bigger energy role, less environmental harm
WASHINGTON (AP) — In southwestern Pennsylvania, eight locks and dams that for decades helped barges move goods along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers will in a few years also generate enough power for 75,000 homes. Rye Development, a Boston-based hydropower company, is...
