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Celebrating Washington's Clean Energy Success
Voters passed Initiative 937 in 2006 to build on Washington’s clean energy heritage. At the time, new renewable energy made up less than 1% of the region’s electricity mix, even though new renewables would reduce risks and boost our economy. Six years after its passage, I-937 is doing exactly what Washington voters wanted. Official utility…
Read MorePuget Sound Energy’s latest wind-power project, the Lower Snake River Wind Facility
PSE’s newest and largest wind-power operation is the Lower Snake River Wind Facility. Located in Southeast Washington near Pomeroy, Garfield County, this energy project builds on the success of our Hopkins Ridge Wind Facility in adjacent Columbia County, and our Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility in Kittitas County. Completed in early 2012, the Lower Snake River project contains 149 wind turbines that produce up to 343 megawatts of renewable energy. On average, the facility generates enough electricity to power 100,000 homes
Read MoreCoalition lauds new federal approach to recovering endangered Columbia Basin salmon
Today the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sent a letter to hundreds of stakeholders in the ongoing struggle to restore several wild salmon stocks endangered by the federal hydropower system in the Northwest.
The letter heralds a new approach by federal agencies to the myriad issues involved in Columbia Basin salmon recovery…
Read MoreCoalition-presented energy efficiency and renewable energy events highlight where we are and where we’re going
Dec. 4, 2012, was a busy day for Seattle-area clean energy advocates. In two packed events co-hosted by the NW Energy Coalition, community members came together to delve deeply into critical energy efficiency and new clean renewable energy topics.
Read MoreComments of the NW Energy Coalition on the Sixth Power Plan Mid-Term Assessment – Situation Scan
The NW Energy Coalition appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the draft Situation Scan related to the Mid-Term Assessment of the Sixth Power and Conservation Plan. We appreciate all of the hard work that staff and Council members put into providing the region with an updated look at the assumptions, information and analysis of…
Read MoreIdaho Statesman: Energy-efficiency success stories
J.R. Simplot Co. has embraced energy efficiency as a core business value. The Idaho food, fertilizer and chemical company has dramatically reduced its use of electricity and natural gas, saving millions of dollars annually.
The company says energy-efficiency improvements since 2009 have yielded natural gas savings of 1.3 trillion British thermal units and 390,821,028 kilowatt-hours of electricity. The electricity reduction is equivalent to taking 35,400 homes off the grid. The reduction also saved 95,056 tons of greenhouse-gas emissions, like taking 29,929 cars of the road.
Here are three other successes…Read more at the Idaho Statesman
Read MorePPL 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
Read MorePSE, Mason, Lewis and Grays Harbor reach clean energy benchmarks
Regional electricity providers from Puget Sound Energy to Grays Harbor County Public Utility District recorded impressive accomplishments over the first reporting period for Washington’s clean energy law, Initiative 937. “These utilities should be commended for their energy efficiency achievements, which will save money for their customers,” said Nancy Hirsh, policy director for the Coalition.
Read More1 Million Homes Weatherized Under US Recovery Act
Coalition member South Central Community Action Partnership (ScCAP) of Twin Falls, Idaho, was one of five agencies selected by the U.S.Department of Energy to host the symbolic weatherization of the 1 millionth home through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Sept. 27 event featured ScCAP executive director Ken Robinette and local, county, state and federal officials.
Read more at SustainableBusiness.com
Read MoreNew Oregon wind farm is the largest in U.S.
Last week marked the opening of largest wind farm in the U.S. — the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm near Arlington, Oregon. The Shepherds Flat wind farm is an example of our region’s burgeoning clean energy industry that is strengthening our local rural economy.
Read more at SustainableBusiness.com
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