Efficiency Works!
The Lower Snake River Dams Power Replacement Study
Reliable and affordable clean energy options that help restore salmon and protect the environment. The study was undertaken to investigate the technical feasibility and cost of replacing the four Lower Snake River Dams with a portfolio of clean and renewable resources that support a reliable and adequate regional power system while minimizing increases to greenhouse gas emissions.
NW Senators rise to save ENERGY STAR program
There aren’t many federal programs that are as unequivocally successful or as cost-effective as ENERGY STAR. The ENERGY STAR seal, which is awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency to energy efficient products and appliances, helps consumers and businesses save tens of billions of dollars annually on their electric bills. However, the Trump administration wants to…
Dam Replacement Study Reveals New Opportunities
(The following opinion piece by NW Energy Coalition executive director, Nancy Hirsh, was published in the April 21, 2018 edition of the Tri-City Herald.) The NW Energy Coalition has released a new study demonstrating that the ongoing decline in the cost of new wind and solar energy can not only contribute to a cleaner environment,…
GiveBIG and help the clean energy transition happen
Please help. The GiveBIG campaign is now accepting donations for the NW Energy Coalition. It’s the best way you can help the Coalition because your contribution will be compounded by additional gifts from Coalition board members and possibly from the Seattle Foundation, which sponsors GiveBIG. Since last year’s GiveBIG campaign, we’ve been able to add two policy staff members and pursue new initiatives in the areas of:…
Proposed Avista Acquisition Settlement Protects Consumers and Environment
The NW Energy Coalition, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Renewable Northwest joined a proposed settlement today that, if approved by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, would provide Ontario-based Hydro One with the green light from Washington State to acquire Avista Utilities. The settlement contains important commitments in the areas of low-income weatherization, energy…
LIHEAP, Weatherization, other programs fully funded.
In addition to the good news that energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental programs avoided cuts and, in many cases, received budget increases in the spending bill signed by President Trump today, there is more good news. Congress increased by $250 million funding for LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and increased the…
Budget bill a pleasant surprise for clean energy and the environment
To the relief of energy and environmental advocates, the U.S. House and Senate have come to an agreement on an omnibus spending bill that will preserve and, in some cases, increase funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs many of which were targeted for cuts in the Trump administration’s proposed budget. Examples include: ·…
Washington Legislature Wrap-up
Passion and Paralysis on Climate Action In Washington, standards for energy efficiency and the share of power utilities must acquire from renewable resources have been in place for eleven years – a period during which great progress has been made in reducing carbon emissions and the state’s clean energy economy has blossomed. But, the renewable…
“Protect Washington Act” headed for this fall’s ballot
Washington’s Alliance for Jobs & Clean Energy, of which the NW Energy Coalition is a member, has filed a ballot initiative to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while generating jobs and growing the state’s clean energy economy. The Protect Washington Act will reduce incentives for industries to pollute and will generate funds that will…
Energy Efficiency bills advance in Oregon and Washington
With so much focus on the plunging cost of solar power, wind power, and now storage as well, it’s sometimes hard to remember that energy efficiency is still our most const-effective and production alternative energy resource, accounting for nearly 40% of all the carbon emission reductions we’ve achieved in the last decade. That’s why it’s…
Clean utilities and carbon pricing bills advance in Washington legislature
Yesterday HB 2402 the Washington Clean Utilities Act and SB 6203, Governor Jay Inslee’s carbon pricing bill, were passed out of their respective House and Senate committees. The passage of these bills out of committee is a necessary step toward achieving two important policy goals: Continuing to clean up our electric system by advancing renewable…
NW Energy Coalition welcomes BPA 2018-23 Strategic Plan
Yesterday, the Bonneville Power Administration released its 2018-2023 Strategic Plan that lays out the agency’s goals as it works to adapt to an increasingly complex and competitive electricity market. The NW Energy Coalition congratulates BPA for establishing four important overarching goals in the new 5-year plan. They are: Strengthening financial health Modernizing system assets and…