TLDR: Bonneville has provided all of our renewable power for 88 years, but it’s no longer enough. The Clark PUD Commissioners we elect will have to solve it. I’m a retired engineer with 43 years of utilities experience, so I’m particularly interested in this topic, but you should know what’s at stake when you vote for your next Public Utilities District (PUD) Commissioner this election.

Good news: Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt was President, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has provided as much renewable hydropower as Clark County has needed.

But BPA can’t produce enough power to meet demand anymore. So now, when there’s not enough power, we have to buy it from the market.

Bad news: The market is NOT our friend. Remember that cold snap two years ago? Clark burned through $21M in five days and the next month, you and I got a 14% rate hike. Bonneville just announced another rate increase because the rivers couldn’t keep up this summer (we’re lucky it was a mild summer).

Aside from setting policy and approving budgets and rates, the Commissioners are responsible for our long-term strategy and for working with the rest of Public Power. Washington is 75% public power, and Clark PUD is the second-largest PUD in the state. Our challenges aren’t just ours. We should be strategizing and partnering with other public powers.

And there has been a remarkable breakthrough in geothermal energy over the past year and a half. One plant at Newberry Volcano in Oregon is planned at 50 megawatts to start and could grow to a gigawatt. In September, DOE awarded $99M for enhanced geothermal and exploration projects. Oregon and Idaho got some, and so did one in Washington’s Wind River Valley. As far as I can tell, we’re not even thinking about this, let alone asking. And we live on the Ring of Fire!

We’re entering a new era. We can let it happen to us, or, together with the rest of Public Power, chart a course to a secure energy future that continues our affordable and reliable electricity.

Full disclosure: I’m Gordon Matthews and I’m running for Clark PUD Commissioner, my first time running for office. I’m an engineer with 43 years in electric utilities and 31 years at BPA, which is why I follow this stuff. The election is November 3, and I’m posting because I’d like more people to know it exists. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

Don’t vote for Mean Eileen Quiring O’Brien for Clark County Auditor! Vote for Mitchell Kelly!

The City of Vancouver is hosting public tours of the new east Vancouver bridge shelter next Wednesday , 10/28, from 4pm to 7pm. Staff will provide information on offered services. The shelter is expected to be open by the end of November, in time for winter weather.

Hey Vancouver WA reddit hopefully this is allowed.

Our 5 year old Golden boy <Mello> got out last night and took off after a rabbit into the dark. We are located off the Evergreen Highway near HI way 14 exit 5. He is chipped and had his collar on with his name and my phone number. Any sighting info would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, there. I currently work for non emergency medical transport and I found that it's becoming more and more common for clients to ask me if I have any resources for someone who can travel to the client for a haircut.

The one client I am specifically asking for is an adult male, who is non-verbal and quadriplegic and lives in a skilled nursing rehabilitation center here in Vancouver. His rehabilitation center is struggling to give him proper haircuts as they lost funding for an in-house stylist.

His mother needs someone who can provide all of the tools/supplies, and cut her son's hair while he is in the facility. (This would be individual work for her, not for the facility).

Ideally, this individual would be familiar with working with disabled individuals and / or elderly clients.

Any info is greatly appreciated, thank you all in advance!

Hello everyone i am from vancover Wa and i was wondering if there are any hindus in the are who would want to be friends and chat about vedic things

ik theres like a buddhist monstary and a Garduwar but ive never seen any hindus besides Buddhists and Skihs

I'm Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey's kid, and I've run a series of voting help AMAs over the years (I lost track of my old account I did these on, but I'm mod verified!). I think my Dad is a mensch, and I am proud of what he's done to ensure that we can trust election results out of Clark County. To do my part to support his work this election, I'd like to volunteer myself as your own personal voting concierge. HMU with any problems you're having (ballot not here? afraid to register because of a stalker? just moved here?) and I will hunt down the answer for you. If I can't find the answer, I will text the man himself and you'll get the answer like...36 hours later, because he's super busy right now. You're welcome to comment here or send me a dm.

Dad's done his job for almost 30 years, and I couldn't be more proud of him.

All to say that:

You have until the 26th of this month to register to vote online, and you can register to vote in person until Election Day! More helpful information organized in an easy to find way on the Vote Save America website.

Here's where to register to vote

https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/voter-registration/register-vote-washington

Here's the official site to track your ballot and make sure it's counted! https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx

Proof of my claims:

https://imgur.com/a/BiAwFHD

https://imgur.com/a/TynVse1

The blingee:

https://imgur.com/sJ6hoQi

Title. Looking for a woodworker who could make two shelves quite similar to these. I wanted to check locally before ordering online. Ty!

My grocery failed to deliver on a mini pumpkin order for a Cub Scout kids crafting activity. Anyone aware of anyone in the area still selling these? Looking for 50-60.

Maybe the answer is to just book a consultation with a particular studio, but as someone with zero experience, I was hoping for guidance on the best style, size and placement for the items I am considering, prior to making an actual appointment for the service.

Preferably in Vancouver, but open to Portland.

Apologies if this is a silly question, but thanks for your assistance.

Hey all! My fiancé & I are getting married at the Vancouver courthouse on Monday, October 26 but our photographer backed out last minute. We’re on a pretty tight budget & would ideally like to spend less than $600. If anybody has any recommendations we would greatly appreciate it!!!

Hey all, I have a bunch of sports cards and Pokémon Cards both singles and bulk I want to sell. What card store will give me the most for this type of stuff? I heard Super Sports Cards on 4th Plain is good but does anyone know any better places? I know I can get more if I sell on marketplace but I want to get rid of everything in one swoop.

I need a crown on the lower left and don’t have insurance so I’ll be paying out of pocket. Where did you guys go? Bonus if you paid out of pocket and have a rough estimate of what you paid. Thanks!

The rear window of my convertible shattered yesterday and I've learned I have to go to an auto upholstery shop instead of a typical glass place. Does anyone have any shop recommendations? I'm trying to get a quote before I just file an insurance claim.

I saw there was a tech meetup post a couple years ago. It doesn't look like the Vancouver Tech Happy Hour has any upcoming events on Meetup. I'm looking to connect with other devs in the area. Any recs on some meetups or are we in need of some?

I have joined the Code and Coffee discord since there's a Portland chapter, but looking for something on this side of the river.

Edit: thank you all for the suggestions!! I’m going to check out the Gentle Strength Project and see if it’s what I’m looking for. I’ll report back for those who are curious.

Hi!

Any men’s support groups in the area? It looks like I’m about to go through a very rough patch and I’d love to know if there are any local support groups.

Not looking for religious-based support, nor am I asking about red-pilled bullshit or Christian nationalist bullshit. Not looking for AA either.

Legit just asking about a group of men that meet, talk about struggles together and help each other cope with life’s challenges.

Looking to have someone just remove junk and clean out my garage. I could just call 1-800-got-junk or whatever but is there someone local or cheaper?

Same with the floor. Casecade floors or a local small business? Someone who's reliable?

The annual Vancouver Tech Crawl is Wednesday, October 21st. Attendees will make their way through downtown Vancouver and the waterfront, stopping at local restaurants and pubs where Clark County technology companies will be set up to share what they do, who they serve, and what they’re building. See link for more information.

I just wanted to warn everyone that this challenge is going around and it just happened to me tonight! Someone kicked open my door! Scared the shit out of me and called 911! I honestly thought it was a forced armed robbery! Fortunately my neighbor has a ring camera and it showed a group of teens running away! This is how people get shot!

Does anyone have a recommended studio photography shop in the Vancouver or Portland area? I know JCPenny still has their location in the mall but haven’t seen anything else.

Welcome to our weekly local self-promotion thread. While we typically follow Reddit's guidelines regarding what constitutes spam and self promotion, this is your weekly opportunity to show off what you've created.

If you're looking for exposure for your small business, YouTube channel, book, Etsy store, podcast, website, post about it here! NSFW or Adult-Oriented submissions will not be allowed.

Please keep in mind that this should only be used for products/services/companies that are related to Clark and Cowlitz Counties here in WA.