News
Montana's top political and energy leaders headline NW Energy Coalition conference
Gov. Steve Bullock will deliver the conference’s opening keynote. Bullock will outline his energy vision for Montana and look at how energy efficiency programs, renewable energy development and smart transmission can position Montana to take advantage of the new clean energy economy in the West. After lunch, Coalition executive director Nancy Hirsh will facilitate a lively Q & A between NorthWestern Energy CEO Bob Rowe and all conference attendees.
Member spotlight: Community Action Center of Whitman County
Low-income weatherization programs face challenges when homes are in disrepair and unsuitable for upgrades. Weatherization just doesn’t make sense when the roof has holes! In fact, community action agencies that deliver low-income weatherization services in rural areas find that half of eligible applicants live in substandard housing.
2016 Washington legislature: The good, bad & ugly
Washington state’s highly dysfunctional and often-maddening 2016 legislative session and special session finally ended March 29. Going was tough in the ideologically revenue- and spending-averse Senate, though public-interest forces managed to fend off serious attacks on environmental protections.
Oregon PUC rulings support renewables development
On Tuesday, the Oregon Public Utility Commission issued a pair of orders preserving a longstanding program to develop small solar and wind projects under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act of 1978 (PURPA). “These PUC decisions will help continue clean energy resource development for Oregonians,” said NW Energy Coalition senior policy analyst Fred Heutte.
Centralia coal transition grant to fund weatherization efforts
The first grant from the Centralia, Wash, coal-plant transition effort was awarded Tuesday. The Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason & Thurston Counties will receive $727,433 over the next two years to support its weatherization efforts in Lewis County and south Thurston county.
Puget Sound Energy makes move to transition off of coal power
Today, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a petition filed by Puget Sound Energy, Sierra Club and the NW Energy Coalition asking to delay the pending April 1, 2016, rate case with the commitment that PSE include a retirement and cleanup plan for the older coal-fired units Colstrip units 1 and 2. The new rate case must be filed no later than January 17, 2017.
Join us for an Energy Efficiency Brown Bag – March 28!
What does it mean to bring energy efficiency to scale? How can we collaborate with labor and industry to make more energy efficiency happen? Our lunch discussion will explore these key questions, informed by insights from Stan Price of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council and Jeff Johnson from the Washington State Labor Council.
Gov. Brown signs Oregon’s historic clean electricity, coal transition bill into law
The Clean Electricity and Coal Transition Act was developed by a unique alliance including the NW Energy Coalition and many of its members and allies: the Citizens’ Utility Board of Oregon, Climate Solutions, Oregon Environmental Council, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pacific Power, Portland General Electric, Renewable Northwest and Sierra Club. Tested and improved through legislative review and input from the state’s Public Utility Commission, the bill won Senate approval on March 2 on the heels of a bipartisan House vote the week before.
Oregon Votes to Plug its Cars into Renewable Energy
Oregon’s legislature has just adopted a bill to get the state off coal and onto renewables, and to use that renewable electricity to power the state’s cars, trucks, and buses. Focusing here on the provisions of the bill designed to increase access to charging stations for electric vehicles, the bill instructs Oregon’s Public Utilities Commission to order electric utilities to propose programs and investments to “accelerate transportation electrification” by the end of this year.
Oregon Legislature Passes Historic Coal Transition Bill
The Oregon Legislative Assembly today approved a landmark bill that will commit the state to eliminate its use of coal power by 2035 and double the amount of clean, renewable energy serving Oregonians to 50 percent by 2040. Otherwise known as the Clean Electricity and Coal Transition plan, Senate Bill 1547-B received final approval on the Senate floor today after the Oregon House approved the bill in a 38-20 bipartisan vote on Tuesday.