Legislative Advocacy
Confronting Idaho Power's coal plans
The outcome of Idaho Power’s latest case at the Idaho Public Utilities Commission could affect the state’s energy picture for decades to come. If Idaho Power gets its way, the company and its customers will be married to a fleet of dirty coal plants for a very long time. Read more at the Snake River Alliance blog…
Big wins for clean energy in PSE case
A combination of rulings that some are calling the most important utility regulatory decision in decades paves the way for Puget Sound Energy to boost energy efficiency savings, make low-income families’ homes more livable and facilitate a fair and orderly end to coal-fired power production in WA state…
The Olympian: Olympia takes position against coal
The Olympia City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass a resolution opposing the construction of coal export facilities in the Northwest.
The resolution states the council’s opinion, but exerts no control over the shipment of coal through the city or the construction of coal terminals, which in this state are proposed for Longview and near Bellingham.
Read more here online at: The Olympian.com
Portland Tribune: Oregon hits 2010 emissions target
Three years after the fact, Oregon can now boast that the state reached its first official milestone for stemming climate change — halting the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2010 and starting to reduce those emissions.
But the state is nowhere near where it needs to be to hit its second milestone — ratcheting back greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 baseline levels by 2020…
Read the full article at The Portland Tribune.
Idaho energy updates from Coalition member Snake River Alliance
Idaho Power received a surprise earlier this month when its majority partner in its Nevada coal plants announced plans to get out of the coal generation business, customers just received the bad news from Idaho Power that their rates will rise this summer due in part to poor river flows and power generation and more news inside…
PPL Montana to mothball coal-fired plant in 2015
Market forces and environmental regulations that are driving a steady decline in coal-fired power generation across the U.S. have prompted PPL Montana to mothball a 154-megawatt coal plant in Billings, company officials said. Read the full article at GreatFallsTribune.com
Alliance Reports on Idaho Utilities’ Use of Coal-Fired Generation
The Snake River Alliance has released the first of two reports on the use of coal-fired generation by Idaho’s three electric utilities.
The report, “Idaho’s Dangerous Dalliance with King Coal,” notes that the utilities own or have a stake in no fewer than 29 out-of-state coal plants, the bulk of which are owned or partly owned by PacifiCorp, which does business in eastern Idaho as Rocky Mountain Power.
One step closer to a coal-free Oregon
Another step toward finalizing the Boardman, Ore., plant’s transition off of coal was taken early this week. The Sierra Club and its co-plaintiffs (NW Energy Coalition was not a plaintiff) settled their Clean Air Act suit with plant owner Portland General Electric.
Legislature passes landmark legislation to transition Washington off polluting coal-fired power
Today, the Washington State Legislature put its final stamp of approval on a plan to responsibly transition TransAlta Corp.’s Centralia, Wash., power plant off of coal. The state Senate approved technical changes made in the House and sent the Coal-Free Future for Washington bill to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her much-anticipated signature.
Enviros and Labor stand together to move Washington beyond coal
On March 5th, Organized Labor and major environmental organizations in Washington reached an historic agreement with the TransAlta Corporation and Gov. Chris Gregoire to phase out coal-fired power generation in Washington. The agreement reflects all parties’ shared vision of a Washington powered by clean energy and will provide a model for the nation of how investing in transition to a clean-energy future can create good jobs and a healthy economy.