The Klickitat PUD Board of Commissioners has decided to realign the utility’s net metering policy with the intent of state public policy and suspend implementation of an infrastructure fee.  Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits renewable energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid.  Klickitat PUD determined in early 2018 that there was a cost created to other customers and elected to pass those costs on to net metered customers through an infrastructure fee.  The utility says discussions with customers along with the Governor’s office and the group Solar Installers of Washington reinforced that the PUD has the legal authority to assess the infrastructure fee, but also that it was not well received by many.  Klickitat PUD will no longer collect infrastructure costs for net metered customers until the legislatively set cap of 4% or the year 2029 is reached.  The change impacts an approved electric rate so it will require a public hearing process to be scheduled in 2020.

Boys Basketball

Hillsboro 64, The Dalles 56:  The Spartans built their lead to 20 points by the midway point of the third quarter and cruised to the victory from there.  Spencer Taylor led The Dalles with 22 points.

Goldendale 77, Columbia 57

Corbett 82, Stevenson 76

Days Creek 39, Horizon Christian 35 (overtime)

Lyle-Wishram 48, Klickitat-Glenwood 38

 

Girls Basketball

The Dalles 51, Scappoose 40:  Kilee Hoylman scored 19 points and Raine Codding 16 to lead the Riverhawks.  The Dalles evened their record on the season at 2-2.

Goldendale 51, Columbia 47

Stevenson 62, Corbett 47

Southwest Christian 34, Trout Lake 26

Lyle-Wishram 48, Klickitat-Glenwood 46

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act, sending it to the president’s desk to be signed into law.  The legislation would enable the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make safety and sanitation improvements at the tribal treaty fishing access sites along the Columbia River.  The bill, authored by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Congressman Earl Blumenauer unanimously passed in the Senate this past summer.  The 2019 spending bill instructs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to uphold its responsibility to tribes that were displaced by the construction of The Dalles Dam and to mitigate the impact of that displacement.  The act calls on the Bureau of Indian Affairs to conduct a much-needed assessment of current safety and sanitation conditions at the sites, and authorizes BIA to work on structural improvements, safety improvements, electrical infrastructure, and basic sewer and septic infrastructure.

The Gorge Owned organization will dissolve in early 2020.  The board of the Columbia Gorge Earth Center, which has been doing business as Gorge Owned, voted to make the move.  Board President Becky Brun says while their programs have been largely successful, changes in leadership and staffing, difficulty recruiting new volunteers, and a growing landscape of similarly-focused Gorge-based nonprofits and programs led to the decision.  Gorge Owned served as a fiscal sponsor for numerous programs that went on to establish their own nonprofits, including Gorge Grown Food Network, the ReBuildIt! Center, Mt. Adams Institute and Leaders for Tomorrow.  Gorge Owned’s popular Sense of Place lecture series will continue into the future, with Mt. Adams Institute staged to host the program in 2020-21.

Bingen residents will see an uptick in their water and sewer rates in 2020.  The City’s new budget calls for a ten percent increase in water rates and five percent in sewer rates.  Bingen Mayor Betty Barnes says the water rate increase reflects work that continues on their municipal system, including replacement of the city’s water reservoir, and line replacement will be done on Humboldt Street to coincide with street repairs.  Work on both projects is planned to take place during 2020.

Girls Basketball

Columbia 56, Fort Vancouver 35:  A 21-5 second quarter lifted the Bruins to the win.  Sydney Aman scored 13 points, Mya Aman 11, and Maggie Bryan 10 to lead a balanced CHS offense.

Milwaukie 81, Hood River Valley 28

Installing the Breeze-By electronic tolling system on the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks will hopefully help relieve congestion at the bridge.  The Port of Hood River is providing the backend system for electronic tolling at Cascade Locks, and will use the same accounts as are used for the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge.  Port of Hood River Executive Director Michael McElwee says the system should reduce backups at the Bridge of the Gods.  The joint system will also allow those who cross at both Cascade Locks and Hood River to use the same account for both bridges.  Sign-ups for new BreezeBy accounts are available at both port offices and their websites.

As the Pacific Northwest eyes using more renewable energy, one big question arises:  how will it be stored?   New research from the firm Energy and Environmental Economics finds the region’s current storage capacity could fall short by 10-thousand megawatts by 2030.   One solution could be pumped hydro storage facilities, which are made up of upper and lower reservoirs.  Sources like wind and solar pump water to the upper reservoir, creating stored potential energy.   Eric Steimle with Rye Development says when users need energy but the wind stops blowing or the sun isn’t shining it is released into the lower reservoir.  Rye Development has proposed a 1,200-megawatt facility 20 miles south of Goldendale and a 394-megawatt facility near Klamath Falls.  But these facilities do have some drawbacks.  They require large upfront costs and take three to four years to build.

Boys Basketball

Hood River Valley 56, LaGrande 48

Hood River Valley 70, Madras 59

Madras 69, The Dalles 62

LaGrande 53, The Dalles 49

Hoquiam 57, Columbia 44

Heppner 46, Dufur 39

Horizon Christian 51, Elgin 40

Hosanna Christian 51, Sherman 37

Cascade Christian 55, Sherman 18

Siletz Valley 57, South Wasco 55, overtime

South Wasco 75, Willamette Christian 42

Condon-Wheeler 56, Trout Lake 37

Griswold 48, Klickitat-Glenwood 42

Kiona-Benton 69, Goldendale 64

River View 76, Goldendale 50

 

Girls Basketball

Reynolds 52, Hood River Valley 36

Hillsboro 51, The Dalles 43

Columbia 48, Hoquiam 37

Heppner 46, Dufur 35

Sherman 30, Hosanna Christian 14

Cascade Christian 57, Sherman 29

South Wasco 49. Siletz Valley 27

Southwest Christian 45, South Wasco 28

Trout Lake 52, Condon-Wheeler 35

Arlington 59, Klickitat-Glenwood 37

Kiona-Benton 41, Goldendale 15

River View 52, Goldendale 41

 

Swimming

The Dalles’ girls were second and the boys third at Scappoose High School’s River City Invitational.  The Riverhawk girls had four first place finishes on the day, including two by Kendall Webber along with one for Lydia Degenaro and a first place in the 200 freestyle relay.

 

Nordic Skiing

Hood River Valley’s girls were fourth and the boys fifth in the nine-school season opening race at Meissner Sno-Park in Deschutes County.  Celia Acosta was the top finisher for the Eagle girls in 14^th place, while Sean Arpag was 31^st for the HRV boys.

 

Mid-Columbia Economic Development District Executive Director Amanda Hoey is leaving the organization to become the next Chief Executive Officer for the Oregon Wheat Commission and the Oregon Wheat Growers League.  Hoey has been with MCEDD since 2006, moving into the Executive Director role in 2008.  She grew up on a dryland wheat farm in Wasco County.  Hoey will work with MCEDD through February as that organization goes through the process of finding a successor.  MCEDD’s Executive Committee has begun the process of taking applications, and will do so through January 21.