September Newsletter

By Sara Burleson | 10/14/2026

Make Your Voice Heard on the Ninth Northwest Regional Power Plan

The public comment period for the Ninth Northwest Regional Power Plan is now open through October 16. Public comment hearings are now scheduled in all four states in the region, and there are also virtual opportunities to comment on the plan. Learn more about the plan and how you can comment, and download our comment toolkit for some sample messaging you can use.

Missed our latest webinar? Watch it here!

Fall 2026 Conference in Seattle: People and Power in the Energy Transition

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. October 15, 2026

University of Washington Husky Union Building | Seattle, Washington

People + Power in the Energy Transition - Fall Conference poster

Come together with regional energy experts, advocates, utility leaders, business representatives, and policymakers from across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana to pause and reflect on where we are in the energy transition and how we continue to move towards a clean, affordable, and equitable energy system.

Conference sessions will focus on:

Centering frontline voices in policymaking around data centers and large loads
Reflecting on the successes and lessons from community clean energy development and implementation
Exploring policy and regulatory solutions to integrating distributed energy resources into the grid

Get inspired by innovative ideas and connect with others who are creating community-driven solutions.

The conference will be held from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. followed by a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Our three conference panel sessions are now live! Read more about them at nwenergy.org/fall-2026-conference.

Federal and Regional Updates

Regional Organization for Western Energy Board of Directors Announced

September marks a major milestone towards an integrated Western energy market, an essential tool for a clean energy future. For the past two years, NWEC has participated in the Pathways Initiative to create a new, independent entity to govern west-wide energy trading markets. This project involved dozens of stakeholders from across the West to collaborate on a structure, bylaws, and process to ensure fair representation across all states and all stakeholders. NWEC contributed important components to create the most robust and public interest-oriented governance structure of any regional energy market in the U.S. Now, this vision enters a new phase with the election of the initial Board of Directors of the Regional Organization for Western Energy. The slate of directors represents a diverse array of western interests, including plenty of experience in Northwest issues. NWEC looks forward to supporting the development of two ROWE components: the Office of Public Participation and the Consumer Advocates Office.

Washington

NWEC Presentation on Rising Electricity Costs on Whidbey Island

In early September, NWEC Senior Policy Associate Charlee Thompson spoke with Whidbey Island residents about what’s really driving increasing electricity rates and what we can do about it.

Comment Opportunities in PSE General Rate Case

NWEC jointly intervened in Puget Sound Energy’s 2026 general rate case, along with Front and Centered, Sierra Club, Climate Solutions, and Washington Conservation Action with legal representation from Earthjustice (collectively referred to as the Joint Environmental Advocates). All documents related to this case can be found in UTC docket UE-260005.

With testimony now filed, there is a public comment hearing and a written comment deadline to be aware of:

Wednesday, October 7, 6-8 pm
Virtual Public Comment Hearing #2
To participate by phone, please call (253) 215-8782 and enter Meeting ID: 822 1351 8474# and Passcode: 226995#
Zoom Link
Wednesday, October 14, 5 pm
Preferred date to have written comments submitted
Comments can be submitted through the UTC’s form, by email to comments@utc.wa.gov

For more background information, our key positions, and sample comment templates, please refer to this PSE Rate Case Public Comment Toolkit.

Oregon

Energy Justice Leadership Program Update

The Oregon Energy Justice Leadership Program, now in its fourth year, is continuing strong as our 20 participants have been actively engaged in learning about and discussing a just transition, community organizing, and PUC processes and engagement. Through this program, the PUC had its first Spanish-speaking testifier and we recently supported two participants in submitting public comment on Pacific Power’s rate increase proposal. For the September 14 session, Commissioner Les Perkins joined and helped answer participant questions, which informed participants what the PUC can and can’t do and established an avenue for community members and regulators to build trust. Learn more about the program here: https://nwenergy.org/get-involved/energy-justice-leadership/

Montana

ETIC Updates

On September 9, the Montana Energy and technology Interim Committee (ETIC) held its final meeting for the year. Among the provisional draft bills the Committee approved included several pieces of legislation that NWEC has been closely tracking, including bills that would: support the development of geothermal energy resources, require utilities to report on grid utilization, convert the Public Service Commission from a five-member elected body to one that is appointed by the governor with confirmation by the legislature, and to launch grid-connected community solar in Montana.

One that NWEC has been closely involved in is a bill to protect residential utility customers from subsidizing the interconnection and electric supply for new data centers. We expect to see this and other legislation that we can support introduced in the next Montana legislative session that begins in early January.

Finally, the Committee’s draft transmission report references the Montana Regional Transmission Connectivity Study that we helped bring about, which Energy Strategies’ Keegan Moyer presented to ETIC in the fall of 2025.

Idaho

Idaho Power Large Loads Docket: Ensuring Customers Pay Their Fair Share

NWEC is continuing to work on Idaho Power’s Cost of Service for new large loads docket. The process will change the cost of service method to reflect the additions of new large loads and isolate the costs attributable to this growth. The COS method plays two roles in determining the rates we pay. It assigns costs to different classes of customers— such as residential, commercial, and industrial. It also informs the level of rates each class of customer should pay. As new large loads change the energy system, we must change our cost models to ensure fair and affordable rates for all.

 Idaho Power Resource Plan

Idaho continues to boom with people moving in and businesses growing. NWEC is engaged in Idaho Power’s 2027 Integrated Resource Plan process to advocate for expanding energy conservation, clean energy generation, and storage projects to meet future needs. We are especially interested in identifying opportunities to encourage maximum flexibility in new large load operations. Stay connected for opportunities to learn more and participate in the coming months.

Meet Our New Staff Members!

Jeff Bissonnette, Oregon Senior Policy Associate

Jeff joined the NWEC staff in September 2026 but has had a long association with the coalition before that. He represented a member organization, served as a board member for 13 years (and was board chair during some of that time), and worked as a contractor. Throughout his career, Jeff has been involved in energy, utility, and climate issues with a focus on policy development and implementation, serving as organizing director and then policy director for the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, executive director of the Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association, and as Pacific Northwest Advocate for the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Outside of work, Jeff is involved in amateur radio and volunteer emergency response, reading, cooking, and seeing horror movies with his son (although he’d really rather watch almost anything else).

Ethan Taswell, Data Center Policy Associate

Ethan joined the Coalition in September 2026. Previously, he built his environmental career in Aotearoa New Zealand, where he initially worked as a biodiversity ranger tracking critically endangered bird species, and later on landscape-scale strategic conservation planning for local and national government. In these roles, Ethan specialized in community engagement and stakeholder facilitation, leading outreach to Māori Tribes and stewarding public comment processes. He has a B.A. in Conservation Science and Policy from Brown University, and a Master of Climate Solutions from the University of California, Berkeley, where he researched compensatory biological mitigation regulations for renewable energy developments, and wrote advocacy blogs arguing for the sustainable build-out of data center infrastructure. Continuing that work, Ethan will be leading the Coalition’s data center campaigning alongside our members in Washington, and is excited to meet passionate people across the state who want to ensure that our communities, clean energy supply, salmon, and water are protected.