Topics
Spill Announcement for Columbia and Snake Rivers Helps Salmon, Jobs
West coast fishermen and fishing businesses today thank the Nez Perce Tribe and the State of Oregon for successfully advocating to retain court-ordered levels of water spilled over federal dams in the Columbia and Snake Rivers during the 2011 spring salmon migration. This spill has been a key reason for recent improvements in salmon returns, although numbers are still far below levels needed to sustain healthy salmon populations.
What we can learn from Japan's nuclear disaster
Amory Lovins, Chairman and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute, highlights why efficiency and renewables such as wind and solar will better meet the world’s energy needs than nuclear power.
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.
Wash. Senate OKs bill to close coal plant
The state Senate on Saturday approved a bill that would eventually shut down Washington’s only coal-fired power plant, a move that could help the state meet climate change goals set in 2008.
The measure, Senate Bill 5769, was part of a deal negotiated among plant owner TransAlta, state officials and environmental groups (including the NW Energy Coalition and several member organizations). It would shut down one of the plant’s two boilers by 2020 and phase out coal-burning by 2025.
Read the full Associated Press article online at The Olympian.
Wind power on BPA system sets new record
Wind turbines in the Bonneville Power Administration’s transmission grid generated over 3,000 megawatts for the first time yesterday, producing enough electricity to serve a city three times the size of Seattle for an hour…
The Columbian: Closing TransAlta
From this Sunday’s Columbian – “Coal-fired plant is not in our state’s future, and Senate bill offers best compromise”
Seattle Times and PI.com report on coal hearing
Both the Seattle Times and Seattle PI.com are running an Associated Press story on Tuesdays packed House hearing on HB 1825 – which would transition the Centrailia Coal Plant off of coal power by 2020 and provide economic development for Lewis County. Nancy Hirsh, Policy Director for NW Energy Coalition testified at the hearing and LeeAnne Beres, Excutive Director of Earth Ministy and member of the Coalition’s Executive Board is quoted.
Federal Court Rejects Challenge to Washington State Energy Efficiency Rules
A federal court today upheld Washington’s 2009 energy efficiency building code – a code that sets standards that will save Washington residents millions of dollars and reduce harmful global warming pollution. The building code sets energy efficiency requirements for new homes that will reduce energy use, and homeowners’ energy bills, for years to come. The Building Industry Association of Washington had challenged Washington’s code, alleging that it conflicted with federal law, despite that fact that the code gives builders the flexibility to pick from a large range of energy efficiency options.
Report: Washington's TransAlta Coal Plant Ranked 125th Nationally in Release of the Toxic Metal
A chorus of calls for TransAlta to reduce emissions increased in volume this morning as a Seattle-based coalition released a report detailing what it called an “extremely dangerous” level of mercury roughly one month before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose new mercury emission requirements.
Does Your Outlet Need Centralia?
A new article by the Sightline Institute debunks the notion that the Centralia Coal plant is needed to provide 10 percent of Washington state’s energy needs.