Our Northwest Energy

Exploring Alternative Fuels

September 26, 2007

Government statistics show just a slight increase in canola plantings, despite layers of incentives to support homegrown fuel. Plant breeders and university researchers in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington keep plugging away to find more options for area growers.

Tom Banse reports on what we might call ALTERNATIVE alternative fuel crops.

NW Awash in Tidal Energy Project

A contract crew retrieves an 
 expensive current meter from the bottom of 
 Admiralty Inlet, Washington (Photo by Tom Banse)

Posted: Tuesday, September 25, 2007

KEYSTONE HARBOR, WA - There’s a veritable gold rush underway on Northwest waters. Developers, governments, and utilities have staked claims on the most promising wave energy and tidal power sites. This has often been a case of leap first, ask questions later. Now the questions are getting a closer look. Correspondent Tom Banse reports on what it’ll take to light your lights with the power of the tides.

Proposed Reservoir Could Leach Radioactive Waste

September 19, 2007

Two federal reports show the controversial and expensive Black Rock Reservoir proposed in the Yakima Valley could leach under the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and let radioactive waste ooze into the Columbia River.

Spokane Public Radio's Amanda Loder reports.

Milestone Reached in Removal of Elwha Dams

September 17, 2007

WASHINGTON/Construction crews broke ground Friday afternoon on a new drinking water treatment plant on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. It's a key step in the eventual removal of two dams on the Elwha River.

Read more on the story.

Poplar Trees: The Next Ethanol Ingredient?

September 9, 2007

Poplar trees have become a cheap source of pulp for paper production in Washington and Oregon. Now, with the help of a federal grant, a Washington State University scientist will study turning the hefty crop into ethanol. Correspondent Anna King reports.

Read the article.

Dam Safety

September 6, 2007

NORTHWEST/We have a lot of old dams. Roughly 25-hundred hold back waters here in the Northwest. Even the sturdiest structures made from concrete and wood don't hold up forever.

Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports on the status of dam safety and why some groups are raising a red flag.