Tag Archives: pocatello

Idaho

13 year drought finally finished? Pocatello, Idaho, hit with massive downpour!!!

24 August 2013 (19:27 UTC-07 Tango 23 August 2013)/17 Shawwal 1434/02 Shahrivar 1391/18 Geng-Shen (7th month) 4711

Officially, Idaho has been in a drought since 2000.  Has it finally ended for Bannock County?

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There were many other streets flooded, including residential streets that had water up to the axles of the pick up trucks parked on the side of the road, and all the front yards were flooded.  There were parts of Yellowstone Avenue that looked like someone took a sledge hammer to it, lots-o-new pot holes.  My camera battery died, and it didn’t help that some jerk in a big SUV almost drowned me as I was taking pics!

Idaho, U.S.

Pocatello, Idaho, Charlotte Fire 2?

29 July 2013 (21:55 UTC-07 Tango 28 July 2013)/21 Ramadan 1434/07 Mordad 1391/22 Ji-Wie (6th month) 4711

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Business/Economics, Idaho, International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Idaho Electric rates going up, blame the demise of Pocatello’s Hoku silicone factory!

11 June 2013 (15:02 UTC-07 Tango)/02 Sha’ban 1434/21 Khordad 1392/04 Wu-Wu (5th month) 4711

It’s been revealed that in May, Hoku Materials laid off its last engineer at the failed $700 million USD polysilicone factory in Pocatello, Idaho.  There are now only eight security guards working at the 50 football fields long factory.

Pocatello based news media interviewed the engineer who told them they were trying to work on a way to save the factory from bankruptcy sale.

Hoku Materials ghost town factory, Pocatello, Idaho. Now estimated to have cost $700 million.

Hoku Materials ghost town factory, Pocatello, Idaho. Now estimated to have cost $700 million.

Today, the factory is considered officially shut down, and will likely be parted out in bankruptcy liquidation sales (who wants to buy a 50 football fields long, never been used, polysilicone factory?).

The project was started five years ago, but right away ran into trouble because Hoku Corporation didn’t really have the money to build their Hoku Materials factory.  Pocatello even gave the company a huge tax break equivalent to the value of the land the factory was being built on.

Construction was delayed several times because Hoku couldn’t pay the construction contractor on time.  Eventually Hoku sold out to a Chinese company (Tianwei).  Then commodity market prices for polysilicone crashed.  The coup de gras was given by President Obama when he imposed high tariffs on Chinese solar power companies.

Another issue was that Idaho Power, the main supplier of electricity in Idaho, cut off power several times because Hoku didn’t pay their electric bill.  Now Idaho Power is jacking up electric rates for Idahoans, partially blaming it on the failed solar power polysilicone provider.

Most of Idaho Power’s electricity comes from dams on the Snake River, but water levels are so low they must rely more on wind and gas fired plants to generate electricity this year.  Regarding Hoku, Idaho Power is trying to regain the $23 million they invested.  In other words, Idaho Power company officials made a bad investment and they’re going to make their captive customers pay for it!

Electric rates for Idahoans trapped on the Idaho Power grid will see a 12% increase, the fourth largest increase in Idaho’s history.

I’ve been following this disaster for years, here’s more on the demise of Hoku Materials:

Capitalist Commodity Markets to blame for Pocatello’s Hoku Polysilicon near abandonment!

 

 

Idaho, Kit Bashing, Technology

2012 Pocatello Airport: Idaho National Guard A-10C Thunderbolt 2

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Photos by AAron Hutchins.  Model kit builders take note of the mass of raised rivets all over the tank-killer.  Click pics to make bigger:

2012 POCATELLO AIRPORT: U.S. ARMY SHERPA

Idaho, Technology

2012 Pocatello Airport: U.S. Army Sherpa

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Click on pics (by AAron B. Hutchins) to make bigger:

IDAHO WILDFIRES, POCATELLO TANKER BASE: 13 SEPTEMBER 2012, SIKORSKY & USMC IN TOWN

KIT BASHING: SPECIAL OPS BOEING MH-47 CHINOOK, POCATELLO AIRPORT

Idaho, Technology

MAFFS 2 & 6: USAF Reserve & National Guard C-130 water bombers @ Pocatello Airport

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Click pics (by AAron B. Hutchins) to make bigger:

EAST IDAHO WILDFIRES 2012: MAINTENANCE DAY FOR SKYCRANE FIRE FIGHTER @ POCATELLO AIRPORT

Idaho, Technology

East Idaho Wildfires 2012: Maintenance day for Skycrane fire fighter @ Pocatello Airport

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Photos by AAron B. Hutchins. Pics get bigger when you click on them:

EAST IDAHO WILDFIRES 2012: CURRENT FIRES FOR 12 JULY

BUSY 30 MINUTES AT POCATELLO AIRPORT, AS FIRE FIGHTING AIRCRAFT FLY INTO ACTION

SIKORSKY SKYCRANE LEAVES POCATELLO AIRPORT FOR COX’S WELL FIRE

Idaho, U.S.

East Idaho Wildfires 2012: Current fires for 12 July

The following is a list of fires burning on 12 July 2012, from the Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center (EIIFC);

Butte City #2 Fire: 186 acres, began 11 July, 70% containment.

Midway Fire: Southeast of Experimental Breeder Reactor-1 (EBR-1). 8,900 acres, 25% containment.  Began 10 July.  One of my co-workers had to detour to Idaho Falls, as the fire shut down Highway 26 to Blackfoot.

Cedar Butte WSA Fire: 1,200 acres, began 11 July, 30% containment.

Ross Fire: Began 12 July, contained, less than one acre burned.

Rooster Rock Fire: Southwest of Pocatello, 2,500 acres, began 11 July, 90% contained.

Knox Canyon Fire: 600 acres, began 11 July, 35% contained.

However, I saw smoke from several fires, some maybe not mentioned in the EIIFC report.

12 July, smoke (from Knox Canyon Fire?) seen west of Pocatello Century High School (you know, the new one that looks like a prison). The hill in the foreground was burned during the 28 June 2012 Charlotte Fire.

12 July, smoke seen rising (hard to see in this pic) north of Simplot Don Plant (Cedar Butte WSA Fire?).

12 July, smoke seen rising about ten miles southwest of Pocatello Airport (Rooster Rock Fire?).

EAST IDAHO WILDFIRE 2012: BUSY 30 MINUTES AT POCATELLO AIRPORT, AS FIRE FIGHTING AIRCRAFT FLY INTO ACTION