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The Oregonian guest opinion: Will 2013 be the year coal died?
The real energy story of 2013 may turn out to be the death of coal.
That’s still a little premature, but consider: Ten years ago some 120 new coal power plants were in the siting and financing pipeline. Today, nearly all have been abandoned.
Thirty per cent of existing coal plants, representing nearly 20 percent of U.S. coal generating capacity, have been terminated or announced near-term closure dates. Coal’s share of U.S. power generation has dropped from 53 percent in 2000 to 37 percent today.
Guest opinion: Columbia River plan fails to protect salmon
Sam Mace’s guest opinion article in the Spokesman-Review highlights the shortcomings of the most recent draft Biological Opinion proposed by federal agencies regarding endangered Columbia River salmon. Mace remarks that the final plan should include an analysis of lower Snake River dam removal, provisions for an enhanced spill test, and climate change considerations.
“The best fall chinook salmon run in years has made this a banner season for Columbia Basin anglers. River towns, outfitters, shops and motels throughout our region have shared in this unexpected bounty. Unfortunately, the news about many of our region’s other salmon and steelhead populations is far less encouraging. And the future for all the basin’s endangered wild salmon remains very much in doubt.”
Coalition analyzes spill test effects on electricity consumers’ bills
The NW Energy Coalition has released a pair of fact sheets addressing regional salmon scientists’ proposed experiment to measure survival gains from spilling more water over federal hydropower dams to aid the ocean-bound migration of Columbia Basin endangered wild salmon than is now required by the federal court. Court-ordered spill has increased returns of adult fish, and many regional scientists have concluded that additional spill could raise those returns even further – potentially to recovery levels for some of the endangered stocks…
NWEC comments from recent Clean Air Act public session
NW Energy Coalition policy director Nancy Hirsh presented the following comments at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency public listening session Nov. 7 in Seattle. The session concerned EPA’s plan to set CO2 standards for existing power plants under Section 111d of the Clean Air Act…
Increasing Numbers of Northwest Residents Chose Green Power
Customer participation in voluntary green power programs increased by 13.1% across more than 60 utilities in the Northwest between 2010 and 2012, according to a new report released today from Coalition member Renewable Northwest Project. RNP annually summarizes the progress of these programs in its report, “Powerful Choices”…
There’s good news and bad news for Northwest’s salmon
First the good news: On Sept. 9, a record 64,000 adult fall chinook salmon passed Bonneville Dam near the mouth of the Columbia River. For a change, fishing limits are being adjusted upward – a great sign for our fall chinook and for Northwest fishermen.
Here’s the bad news… (read the rest online at The News Tribune.)
Federal agencies squander chance for progress on salmon
The Obama administration’s NOAA Fisheries have released a “new” draft plan for protecting endangered Columbia and Snake River salmon that fails to address the issues that triggered federal-court rejection of the three previous plans. If finalized as is, this plan risks continued legal battles just as momentum is building for a broadly supported solutions process…
Seattle Times: Snake River barging drop: new factor in dams debate?
Federal rulings on salmon protection continue to raise questions about dams on the Lower Snake River and the future of Lewiston, Idaho, as an inland port city. Now some wheat farmers are turning away from river barges and back to trains as their lowest-cost, most-efficient shipping option…
![Image of a worker looking at the glass of a solar panel. In the background you can see Wind Turbines. Two different technologies to produce energy in a responsible and sustainable way (ISO 100) . All my images have been processed in 16 Bits and transfer down to 8 before uploading. [url=http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&lightboxID=7053550] [img]http://www.ll28.com/istock/solarpanel.jpg [/img][/url]](https://nwenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/iStock_small.jpg "Examining the glass")
Guest column: Montana needs fair access to renewable energy markets
Earlier this month, NorthWestern Energy officially dedicated its new 40-megawatt wind farm, Spion Kop, near Great Falls. The wind farm is already exceeding expectations and NorthWestern Energy deemed it a “phenomenal” energy resource providing cheap, clean energy for thousands of Montana households.
Spion Kop’s success is a timely reminder of Montana’s ability to contribute to the nation’s clean energy needs. Montana could potentially supply thousands of megawatts of cost-effective, clean energy to the Pacific Northwest, California and the Southwest…
Read the full article at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
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…