About the Coalition

The NW Energy Coalition is an alliance of over 100 environmental, civic, and human service organizations, utilities, and businesses in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia, plus many individual members.

Mission: The NW Energy Coalition advances clean, equitable, and affordable energy policies by leveraging our analytic expertise and convening a broad alliance of people and organizations.

Vision: Northwest communities lead the development of an emissions-free energy system that equitably meets the needs of people, brings economic value to communities, addresses the climate crisis, and preserves the region’s natural resources.

 

Our Unique Value Proposition to Meet the Northwest’s Needs

The NW Energy Coalition has the technical knowledge needed to transition the Northwest to a clean and equitable energy system.

We are experts who understand the complex and interdisciplinary nature of the Northwest’s energy system, which encompasses energy development, transmission, distribution, access and benefits, and spans myriad regulatory and political bodies at the local, state and regional levels.

Our role as a trusted convenor is vital to developing our informed and substantive positions. We have a 40-year history of educating and engaging stakeholders, and achieving policy wins through thoughtful and intentional collaboration with our diverse membership and allies, which includes community-based organizations, utilities, businesses, and environmental and human services organizations.

We follow our policy wins through the critical phase of implementation. Our emphasis on implementation makes us unique amongst advocates, and is key to ensuring that stakeholders have input and that policies achieve their goals.

 

Our Pillars

 

Customer Resources

Customer resources (also called demand-side or distributed energy resources) include energy efficiency measures, demand response, electricity storage (e.g. electric vehicles, batteries, and electric hot water systems) and distributed generation such as rooftop solar.

 

 

Renewable Energy

Clean, renewable energy sources – including wind and solar – are the cornerstone of decarbonizing our energy system. Appropriately sited renewable sources can clean up our grid and are most effective when they are geographically dispersed and part of a suite of resources, including customer resources, that can help utilities ensure reliability of the energy system.

 

 

Fish & Wildlife

Salmon and steelhead are icons of the Pacific Northwest – important to the region’s culture, ecology, and economy. Addressing the energy system impacts of changes to the region’s hydrosystem as endangered salmon and steelhead are protected is vital to maintaining a clean, reliable, and affordable energy system.

 

 

Equity, Affordability, and Consumer Protection

Utilities and government agencies offer a range of vital programs that provide home weatherization and utility bill assistance to reduce the risk that families with lower incomes will lose their service or suffer from unaffordable energy burdens. Preventing disconnections and ensuring that the system is affordable and delivers tangible benefits, especially for vulnerable and underserved communities, is vitally important as our energy system rapidly transforms.

 

Decarbonization

Decarbonizing the energy system requires rapidly shifting away from fossil fuel consumption in buildings and transportation and a more integrated Western power system. Thoughtful attention to maintaining reliability and affordability is imperative as we invest in new systems and infrastructure.