Podcasts
Welcome to the official podcast of Northwest hydropower! Yes, you read that right. We’ll be covering hydropower, plus energy and environmental issues, while sharing the stories of the most interesting folks you’ve probably never heard of—from salmon scientists and policymakers to the heroes of public power. Now fire up those water-powered devices and get to listening!
For transcription and translation services, please utilize the Apple Podcast app on your mobile device. Desktop users can listen with captioning on YouTube.
Para servicios de transcripción y traducción, utilice la aplicación Apple Podcast en su dispositivo móvil. Los usuarios de escritorio pueden escuchar con subtítulos en YouTube.
- Ep.41 Salmon rejoice! Reintroduction on the Green River
While we love hydropower stories, we know that dams serve a multitude of purposes. In fact, many dams generate no power whatsoever. And, likewise, the community-owned, not-for-profit utilities that serve the Northwest offer more than energy. What remains the same is the universal commitment to environmental stewardship and collaborative solutions… Read more » - Ep.40 Telling "The Whole Dam Story"Just hearing mention of the four lower Snake River dams can stir up strong feelings for people who fall on either side of the debate over their future. Yet, it's rare to find someone who's actually stood atop–or within–these dams and spoken with the people who work at them at… Read more »
- Hydro 101: What is a watt?Class is in session! The fourth episode of Hydro 101, a sub-series of the Dam! podcast, has arrived. Hydro 101 aims to provide you with a fundamental understanding of hydropower and how it interacts with energy and the environment–particularly in the Northwest. This episode takes a deep dive into the… Read more »
- Ep.39 The silent service of the sagebrush sailorsFrom deep into the interior Northwest to the mouth of the Columbia, river transportation is a vital yet overlooked service to the nation and the world. Rob Rich, vice president of marine services at Shaver Transportation, joins Dam! to shed a light on this "silent service," speak to the true… Read more »
- Ep.38 Now hiring! (For the clean energy future)The future of hydropower and the utilities who depend on it across the Northwest rests in the future of our workforce. In the case of Grant PUD, that workforce is challenged by looming retirements and gaps in education and training. Yet, the utility is rising to meet those challenges head… Read more »
- Ep.37 Cost Cap: Setting the record straight"Misinformation does not serve our region or policymakers and doesn’t recover salmon." That's the message Northwest RiverPartners executive director, Clark Mather, delivered in a recent statement. That statement was in response to a campaign aimed at undermining bipartisan legislation simply meant to maintain the federal government’s commitment for the Bonneville… Read more »
- Ep.36 Cause for celebrationPut your party hats on! President and CEO of the National Hydropower Association, Malcolm Woolf, returns to Dam! to hype us up for National Hydropower Day and the upcoming celebration. He also provided us with updates on the state of hydropower in 2024, the challenges and opportunities ahead, ongoing work… Read more »
- Ep.35 Hydropower on the small screenIf you've ever wondered what the deal is behind the "Our Power is Water" campaign we've been running here at Northwest RiverPartners for the past four years, this is the podcast for you! We caught up with North's CEO, Rebecca Armstrong, to discuss digital advertising for a good cause, the… Read more »
- Hydro 101: A brief history on Northwest hydropowerClass is in session! The third episode of our new sub-series of the regular Dam! podcast is here. Hydro 101 aims to provide you with a fundamental understanding of hydropower and how it interacts with energy and the environment–particularly in the Northwest. On this installment, we walk through the timeline… Read more »
- Ep.34 Designing fish-safe hydropowerFish passage is a serious matter for hydropower–especially for our Federal hydro system in the Columbia River basin. Like the dams themselves, maintaining and updating fish passage infrastructure is essential to achieving the best possible results for our aquatic friends. One of the leaders in this field is Natel, who… Read more »
- Ep.33 Charge! Funding the future of battery storageEnergy storage is not only essential to meeting our growing electricity needs, it also ensures a reliable grid. And, in places where even accessing that energy is a challenge, energy storage can alleviate the pressure on transmission infrastructure. Ravalli Electric Cooperative's slice of rural Montana is one such place, but… Read more »
- Ep.32 Forecasting our clean energy futureThe first step to solving a problem, is admitting you have one. We've known the demand for energy is outpacing our ability to build new generation, all while coal is retiring at a swift pace. Now, PNUCC's 2024 Northwest Regional Forecast is showing a clear gap in where we're headed,… Read more »
- Hydro 101: How fish navigate damsClass is in session! The second episode of our new sub-series of the regular Dam! podcast is here. Hydro 101 aims to provide you with a fundamental understanding of hydropower and how it interacts with energy and the environment–particularly in the Northwest. As the title suggests, this one is all… Read more »
- Ep.31 Who's in charge around here?With the hiring of Northwest RiverPartner's newest executive director, Clark Mather, it was only a matter of time before we would introduce him to the Dam! podcast listeners. That time is now. You'll hear Clark describe his background, just how small the public power world really is, his views on… Read more »
- Ep.30 Live at the USSD 2024 annual conference!Dam! hit the road and headed to Seattle, Washington, to record this special episode on site at the 2024 US Society on Dams annual conference. We opened up the guest chair to anyone looking for their "15 minutes of fame" on the podcast, and the lineup did not disappoint. Listen… Read more »
- Ep.29 Can hydro survive climate change?Fears of drought, extreme weather, and a future full of uncertainty are not without reason. Climate change is front of mind for many, and reinforced by an onslaught of headlines and social media content. All of this begs the question, can our hydropower resources in the Northwest survive? If anyone… Read more »
- Ep.28 Behind the story of The Grand PromiseOn this episode of Dam!, we're joined by Rebekah Anderson, senior manager of communications at Tacoma Public Utilities and author of The Grand Promise. Her award-winning fiction novel captures life during the construction of Grand Coulee dam and illustrates the positive and negative impacts that it had on nearby communities.… Read more »
- Ep.27 Elementary, my dear WaterpowerTo know of hydropower and to love it go hand-in-hand. Today, the challenge is that less and less people actually know much about hydropower at all. The Foundation for Water & Energy Education, or FWEE for short, is tackling that challenge head on by bringing hydro to the classroom in… Read more »
- Ep.26 How hydro powered through the January cold snapIn January of 2024, a blanket of extreme cold and ice was cast over the Northwest. The winter storm presented many threats, and our grid was not immune to them. Despite extremely high energy demand, our abundance of hydropower ensured we never faced shortages and rolling blackouts. We reached out… Read more »
- Ep.25 "Ask Bob"Clearwater Power's Bob Pierce is not just their COO–he's also the author of "Ask Bob." In this podcast, we ask Bob what "Ask Bob" is, how he got started answering questions from the community, and revisit some of his most popular questions over the years to get his take. As… Read more »
- Hydro 101: Introduction to HydropowerClass is in session! "But hold on, what happened to my Dam! podcast?" Hey, no worries, Dam! isn't going anywhere. This week, we're releasing a special episode as part of a new sub-series of the regular podcast that aims to provide you with a fundamental understanding of hydropower and how… Read more »
- Ep.24 Get a job... in hydro!We're joined by Bree Mendlin, program director at the Hydropower Foundation, to discuss the various pathways and opportunities available to those interested in joining the waterpower workforce. Along the way, we take a deeper dive into the education efforts, STEM programs, competitions, and college clubs all helping guide students on… Read more »
- Ep.23 Catch fish, win prizes, save salmonWhat do the three subjects in the title of this podcast have in common? They're all important aspects of the work being done by Sean Simmons and Angler's Atlas. On this episode of Dam!, Sean explains Angler's Atlas, discusses the importance of citizen science, how the MyCatch app and angling… Read more »
- Ep.22 The show must go on!In our final episode of the year, we introduce Dam! listeners to Northwest RiverPartners' new interim executive director, Heather Stebbings. Transitioning from her prior role with the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, Heather brings a wealth of knowledge about the lower Snake River dams issue to the table. We discuss her… Read more »
- Ep.21 Saying goodbyeWe bid farewell to our executive director, Kurt Miller, on our 21st episode of Dam! On this one, Kurt shares the memories made and lessons learned leading Northwest RiverPartners, where he's headed and what he'll be up to next, and he shares incredibly valuable career and personal advice that you… Read more »
- Ep.20 It takes a water-powered villageWe welcome a very fitting guest to Dam! this week with Brenna Vaughn, executive director of the Northwest Hydroelectric Association–or NWHA. As you can imagine, we covered all things hydropower advocacy, education, the challenges and opportunities that hydro faces, and compared and contrasted the work of both organizations. Read more »
- Ep.19 "Enchanted" grid resiliency solutionsThis very special episode of Dam! features Thomas McAndrew, founder, president, and CEO of Enchanted Rock, who flew in from Texas to join us in studio with his good friend Kurt Miller, executive director here at Northwest RiverPartners. We discuss the various microgrid solutions that Enchanted Rock provides, the benefits… Read more »
- Ep.18 The little nukes that couldOkay, maybe they don't like being called "little." You may know them better as small modular nuclear reactors, and they could just be the big breakthrough we need to reach our clean energy goals. Luckily, our friends and member, Energy Northwest, knows a thing or two about this topic and… Read more »
- Ep.17 Microgrid in a boxWhat's a microgrid? Why put it in a box? How does this all tie in to hydropower? These are all great questions you're probably asking, and to help answer them, we pulled together not one, but three expert guests for this special episode of Dam! To explain the project and… Read more »
- Ep.16 Rollin' down the river highwayDam! returns for another excellent episode with the Port of Lewiston's general manager, Scott Corbitt. Thanks to Scott, we get the full scoop on inland ports, barge transportation, the movement of agriculture products and goods on Marine Highway M-84, why the lower Snake River dams are essential, and so much… Read more »
- Ep.15 Moving the grid forward... with Grid ForwardWhat is grid modernization? How does one go about it? Why do we need it in the first place? All great questions someone might ask if they were going to do a podcast with Bryce Yonker of Grid Forward. Luckily for you, this is that podcast, and we asked all… Read more »
- Ep.14 Wildfire: A worst case scenario for public powerBilly Terry of Consumer's Power Inc. appears on this episode of Dam! to share his experience as chief operations officer before, during, and after wildfires scorched the community of Detroit Lake in Oregon. We dive into his utility background and getting his start in California, the changes he's witnessed to… Read more »
- Ep.13 The unsung hero of the gridWe're joined on this episode by none other than Malcolm Woolf, president and CEO of the National Hydropower Association. Malcolm gives us valuable insights into hydropower advocacy at the national level, the ground being made on energy policy, finding common ground through uncommon dialogue, what makes hydropower the "unsung hero… Read more »
- Ep.12 Boom or bust: There's water in them hills!If you didn't piece it together from the episode title, on this special episode of Dam! we hear from our neighbors in California on the current state of hydropower. Nick Dominguez of Lassen Municipal Utility District shares the unique challenges California utilities face, gives us a lay of the land… Read more »
- Ep.11 Policies have consequencesWashington Policy Center's new Eastern Washington director, Sean O'Brien, joins Dam! to give us some insight into the world of Northwest energy policy at a state and national level. We explore Sean's prior roles, including his time working for Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA), making a return home to the Northwest,… Read more »
- Ep.10 Public power podcastin'It's a meeting of the minds between two public power podcast hosts! We're joined on this special episode of Dam! by Danny Combs, corrective action program specialist and host of the Coworker to Coworker podcast at Grant PUD. Topics covered include the behind the curtain discussion of successfully creating and… Read more »
- Ep.9 Lightning to the transportationCam LeHouillier, manager of energy research and development at Tacoma Public Utilities, gives us the scoop on all things electric vehicles in this episode of Dam! We take a look at bringing electrification to both residential and commercial transportation, charging and energy infrastructure, the important role of hydropower and clean… Read more »
- Ep.8 Hydro historyThis time on Dam!, author and executive director of ORECA, Ted Case, schools us on the history of hydropower and rural electrification in the Northwest. We discuss the subject matter of his books, Power Plays and Poles, Wires, and War, as well as the public power's representation in US politics, presidential libraries,… Read more »
- Ep.7 Communication is keyIn this episode of Dam!, we catch up with Katie Pfennigs, the manager of community relations at Flathead Electric Cooperative. She provides us with a Western Montana perspective on hydropower and the challenges of electric utilities in the Rocky Mountain region of the country. We also explore the fundamental value… Read more »
- Ep.6 Of farms and familyDam! explores the topic of Northwest agriculture and where it intersects with hydropower with Blaine Meek of AgriNorthwest. We get to know what farming in Southeast Washington looks like and the community behind our agriculture, gain insight into the role of dams in irrigation and agriculture, explore the sticky subject… Read more »
- Ep.5 Analyze & energizeEnergy GPS's Director of Market Analytics, Steve Edburg, joins the podcast to do take a deep dive into clean energy, hydropower, and much more. We discuss everything from what Energy GPS does to the studies they've completed for Northwest RiverPartners on the impacts of removing and replacing the lower Snake… Read more »
- Ep.4 Hydrogen: The "other" hydro powerOn this episode of Dam!, Douglas PUD's Gary Ivory fills us in on his utilities exploration into hydrogen and what it means for his community and beyond. We also explore what else Douglas has going on, from hydropower projects to hatcheries and even broadband internet! Read more »
- Ep.3 The cliff of grid reliabilityBenton PUD's Rick Dunn joins the pod to share his expertise on regional energy, grid reliability, and the technologies, including hydropower, that power his community. He also describes his passion for educating policymakers and the public on the importance of safety, affordability, and reliability when deciding how the Northwest will… Read more »
- Ep.2 Pumped on storageIn this episode, Rye Development's vice president of development, Erik Steimle, joins us to talk all things pumped storage. We explore this "alternative" hydropower technology, how pumped storage facilities work, and why they're an important asset in the transition to clean energy. Additionally, Erik breaks down what it takes to… Read more »
- Ep.1 What's this Dam! podcast about?Northwest RiverPartners executive director and hydropower advocate Kurt Miller joins the show for our very first episode of Dam! We break down whos, whats, whens, wheres, hows, and whys–and any other questions you can think of–regarding a Northwest hydropower podcast. Together, we also give you some insight into the organization… Read more »
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