Dam!

The tables have turned! On this special episode of Dam!, Northwest RiverPartners' staff and former guests, Clark Mather and Victor Valerio, sit down with the host of the podcast, Austin Rohr, to find out more about him, his career, and what it's like running the official podcast of Northwest hydropower.

Idaho may get all of the fame, but Washington's significance in the world of potato growing is equally impressive. The link between potatoes and hydropower may not be immediately evident, but between irrigating, storing, and processing spuds that feed the world, the power required for those tasks can make or break farmers and potato consumers alike. Listen in as we discuss these subjects and much more with the Washington Potato Commission's Chris Voigt.

From professional baseball to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and now Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB), John Hairston's career is illustrated by his ability to lead, be a team player, and understand the delicate balance of family and life outside of work. His time as administrator would require him to lean into these values while the agency–and the region–faced significant pressures on hydropower, the reliability of our grid, and the affordability of energy. We caught John just after his retirement from BPA, and just before his start as EWEB's next general manager, to learn about his journey, the lessons he's learned along the way, and his outlook on the bigger picture ahead for our region.

When you think "hydropower" in the Northwest, you probably think about the region's legacy, decades-old dams. The days of building new, largescale hydroelectric dams might be behind us, but technologies like pumped storage hydro offer new ways to add more water power to our grid. Recently, Rye Development got their final green light necessary to break ground on a storage project in Goldendale, Washington, that stands to offer a myriad of benefits to the local economy and the region's grid. Joining us to share the good news is former Dam! guest and vice president of development at Rye, Erik Steimle!

Along the sandy shores of Washington's coastline, change is constant. Just as the pounding waves and gusty winds that roll off the Pacific change the landscape every second of every day, the people who call this rugged area home have endured economic and political changes time and time again. They're adaptable and enduring, but appreciate consistency and dependability more than most. These values are core to the work Grays Harbor PUD does to deliver affordable, reliable energy to these communities. It's also why the Northwest's abundant hydropower is so strongly favored. As we continue to explore energy affordability on Dam!, we're joined by Katy Moore and Ian Cope from Grays Harbor PUD on this episode, who share their own stories and perspectives on keeping costs low and lights on for their customers, and provide valuable insight into the challenges on the horizon for the greater Northwest.

Alan Walker is a hero. He's many other things, too (namely, the executive directer of the Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council and president of the Washington Community Action Partnership), but the work that he does is essential to help thousands of residents in the Northwest meet their basic needs. Unfortunately, the cost of those needs are growing dramatically and rapidly. Energy is among those needs, with prices in the Northwest climbing especially fast. In fact, 9 out of 10 surveyed in our own independent poll ranked cost as their largest energy concern. We felt it was an especially important time to host Alan on our podcast to learn more about the challenges he sees low income communities facing in our region, how the price of energy factors into those challenges, and why keeping energy prices low is non-negotiable for thousands.

What's the deal with all of this AI? From an energy perspective, our exposure to this emerging technology often comes in the form of the demand it places on the grid via data centers. However, it's rare that we hear about the technology side of AI development and the practical use cases for it. Luckily for Dam! listeners, we brought that conversation to life with the CTO and founder of Snapbar–an ai-centric startup–Patrick Ellis.

Meet the newest member of the Northwest RiverPartners team, Victor Valerio! On this episode, you’ll hear about Victor’s background before coming to the organization, the lessons he’s learned along his path in life and his career, eye-opening experiences since starting his new job, and the unique ways he’ll be helping us fulfill our mission. Enjoy!

On this very special episode of the podcast, we're joined by Grant PUD's senior manager of external affairs and communications, Chuck Allen. He shares the story of their recently released history book, "POWERING ON: The can-do legacy driving Grant PUD into the future by Grant PUD." While the history alone is fascinating, Chuck also wanted to celebrate the legacy and memory of it's author, John Harrison, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

You can read the excellent book by following the link below:

https://www.flipsnack.com/55A6559BDC9/powering-on-the-can-do-legacy-driving-grant-pud-into-the-future/full-view.html

Dam! heads to the mighty Palouse to get the scoop on the Port of Whitman County. Executive director Kara Riebold and commissioner Kristine Meyer make the perfect duo to tell the story of multi-modal transportation, recreation, improvements to the community, and of course, the value of the river system.