||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH |||
On May 26, the Center for Whale Research staff encountered J pod during a photo-ID and aerial observation survey. The whales were very social, with lots of rolling both under and at the surface. During this encounter, the team managed to capture photographs and drone video of the ventral side of the pod’s youngest member, J59. From this, the team was able to determine that J59 is a female.
Having another female is good news for the southern residents; the population’s growth is largely limited by the number of reproductively aged females. While one calf won’t save the population, we hope that J59 can grow to adulthood and contribute to future generations of southern residents.
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Breach the four Lower Snake River dams to help this baby orca thrive!
There will not be a problem with our power supplies.
“The bottom line: The 2021 Northwest Power Plan identifies available energy savings, which could replace the power output of twenty-seven LSRDs.”
Linwood Laughy recently wrote the following article:
Mar 30, 2022
In its 2021 Northwest Power Plan, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council identifies sources of electricity beyond the supply needed to meet Pacific Northwest load demand. Energy efficiency refers to electricity savings through more efficient appliances, furnaces, etc., often incentivized by power suppliers. According to the Power Council, additional energy efficiency could provide savings of up to 3,000 megawatts (MW), the equivalent annual output of 12.6 of the Lower Snake River dams.
Demand Response refers to electricity users voluntarily (with $ incentives) reducing their power use during times of system stress. The 2021 Power Plan notes that an expanded demand response strategy could save another 3,580 MW, equal to 15 more LSRDs.
Despite the retirement of several coal plants that provide power to the PNW, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) predicts a PNW power surplus each year over the next decade. BPA also consistently underestimates its hydropower supply by basing each year’s projections on the lowest water level in the past 80 years (1936/1937).
The 2021 Power Plan states that by 2026, due to growing power surpluses across the entire west, the wholesale price of power will fall to $12-$17 per megawatt hour. BPA’s current wholesale price is just under $35/megawatt hour.
The bottom line: The 2021 Northwest Power Plan identifies available energy savings, which could replace the power output of twenty-seven LSRDs.
A quotation, sometimes attributed to Winston Churchill, sums up the situation with respect to the LSRDs and salmon. “You can always trust Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else.”
We have tried everything else. It’s time to do the right thing.
Linwood Laughy