A federal judge in Oregon ordered increased spill levels at eight dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers in order to protect endangered salmon species, rejecting claims that doing so would impede power generation.

Climate change will have a mixed impact on hydropower in the Pacific Northwest, with wetter winters and springs and drier summers, BPA says.

FERC approved a slate of penalties against an electric utility, an RTO and a government agency for violations of NERC reliability standards.