Decarbonizing Buildings, Transportation & Fuels
OPALCO Board Rescinds Resolution Opposing Dam Removal
Today, the Orcas Power and Light Cooperative board of directors unanimously rescinded a resolution passed last September in which the board expressed its opposition to removal of four lower Snake River dams as well as the now ongoing Washington stakeholder process that is exploring the social and economic implications of possible dam removal. Confronted with…
Inslee appoints Hirsh to chair energy advisory committee
Washington Governor Jay Inslee has appointed NW Energy Coalition Executive Director, Nancy Hirsh, to co-chair a 27-member advisory committee to guide an update to the state energy strategy. The committee’s charge is to identify policies and actions to ensure competitive energy prices, foster a clean energy economy, and ensure the state meets its greenhouse gas…
Fall 2019 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference Digest
Energy leaders discuss challenges and opportunities as the Northwest transitions to a clean energy system On December 2, the NW Energy Coalition hosted its Fall 2019 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle. Conference guests participated in discussions and presentations exploring the region’s upcoming transition to an…
The Harmonious Grid: A new direction for the NW electric system
The first in a series about coming changes to the Northwest electric system In ten years, the NW electric system will be a very different creature . . . we hope. In addition to reducing and ultimately removing fossil fuel resources, the grid will see another fundamental change — the integration of emerging customer-side resources…
Coalition members sue Trump administration over emissions rule
NW Energy Coalition members Seattle City Light and National Grid are among nine utilities suing the Trump administration over its plan to replace the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule. The plaintiffs, who call their group the Power Companies Climate Coalition, argue that the Environmental Protection Agency’s ACE rule undercuts…
Wind power, good for Montana’s economy and Washington’s energy system
State representative, Denise Hayman, encourages Washington investor-owned utilities to replace power from Colstrip with Montana wind Observing that two major Washington utilities — Puget Sound Energy and Avista — are currently weighing options for how to replace energy from the large, coal-fired power plant in Colstrip, Montana, state representative Denise Hayman, from Billings, makes a…
PGE’s Smart Grid Test Bed pioneers customer-side resources
Achieving a low-carbon or no-carbon energy system isn’t just a matter of switching our sources of electricity from coal-fired and natural gas-fired power plants to wind and solar power. It’s also about embracing more energy efficient houses, buildings, and appliances that reduce our need for electricity. And it’s about engaging new resources, many of them…
NW solar industry lags in workforce diversity
New report suggests how employers, governments, and labor can collaborate to match employer needs with qualified candidates of color A new Solar Foundation report that was supported by the NW Energy Coalition finds that only about one in ten solar industry jobs in Washington and Oregon is held by a person of color. For management…
Jessie Dye receives Doug Still Community Organizing Award
A note from executive Director, Nancy Hirsh, about Doug Still Memorial Community Organizing Award winner, Jessie Dye of Earth Ministry: The Doug Still Memorial Community Organizing Award honors individuals and organizations for engaging citizens in action for a clean and affordable energy future. It is named for Doug Still, a founding member of the NW…
Colstrip Units 1 & 2 to retire at year end
This morning, Talen Montana, the operator and co-owner with Puget Sound Energy of Colstrip units 1 and 2, announced that the units will be retired at year-end. The retirement will remove a major emitter of greenhouse gases and air pollution from the Northwest energy system and, by freeing up transmission capacity from eastern Montana to…