News
Coalition congratulates Flathead Electric Cooperative and Snohomish County PUD for energy efficiency awards
The NW Energy Coalition would like to congratulate Flathead Electric Cooperative and Snohomish County PUD for receiving a well-deserved Excellence in Energy Efficiency Award from the Bonneville Power Administration. We applaud and appreciate their regional leadership in energy efficiency and a low carbon future!
NW Energy Coalition praises conservation goal in Oregon governor’s draft 10-year energy plan
Gov. John Kitzhaber’s draft plan, released today, calls for meeting 100% of new power needs by getting more out of the power we already produce. That goal exceeds the 85% efficiency target established in 2010 by the region’s official power planning agency, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
“While the draft plan goal exceeds the Council’s region-wide target, it’s a practical goal that accurately reflects Oregon utilities’ ongoing achievements,” said NW Energy Coalition senior policy associate Wendy Gerlitz of Portland.
Mike Weedall, BPA efficiency staff receive prestigious clean energy award
Recently retired Bonneville Power Administration Vice President of Energy Efficiency Mike Weedall and BPA’s entire energy efficiency staff have been honored for their leadership in advancing the region’s clean and affordable energy future. The NW Energy Coalition bestowed its highest annual award, Bob Olsen Conservation Eagle, to Weedall and BPA’s energy efficiency staff during a brief ceremony Wednesday at BPA’s Portland headquarters.
From the Flathead Beacon: Panel Discusses Importance and Challenges of Energy Efficiency
The NW Energy Coalition, a clean energy policy advocacy association, held its semiannual conference on May 18 at the Red Lion Hotel. The “NW Clean and Affordable Energy Conference” featured three panels: clean and affordable energy in the Flathead Valley, renewable energy standards in the Northwest and the future of coal mining and export in the West. Bill Drummond of the Bonneville Power Administration was the keynote speaker…
New Clothes Washer and Dishwasher Standards Will Save Consumers Loads of Money, Protect the Environment
Energy and water efficiency standards released today by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will deliver clothes washers that use as much as 35 percent less energy and water and dishwashers that use about 14 percent less energy and 23 percent less water.
That means lower utility bills for consumers and big environmental benefits for us all – without sacrificing any of the cleaning performance consumers count on, according to a coalition of consumer, energy and environmental groups.
A light bulb revolution: CFLs and LEDs replace incandescent bulbs
We are witnessing a revolution. Not the political revolution creeping across the Arab world. Not the information revolution playing out in Silicon Valley. A light bulb revolution. As we move away from standard incandescents, however, it’s not entirely clear what we’re moving toward. Several designs — including CFLs and LEDs — meet the federal standards. So which of these is best for the environment?
From the Spokesman-Review: Clean energy best for state
Renewable energy resources are an important part of Washington’s past, and are demonstrating new benefits that can positively shape our future economy, communities and environment.
Taxpayers deserve the truth about energy sources and policies that shape how they are used. All energy resources used in the United States are the result of policy, so as we continue to invest in energy and optimize efficiency, we must determine which resources deliver the greatest benefits.
Judge Redden Endorses Lower Snake Dam Removal
Today Earthfix news released video footage of Judge James Redden endorsing increased spill for salmon as well as lower Snake River Dam removal to save wild salmon. The Judge, who resigned from the long running salmon case last November after a decade, presided over the case longer than any other federal judge and is intricately familiar with both the law and the science around Snake River salmon restoration. His remarks today are his strongest statement on NW salmon policy to date.
The Energy Activist – Spring 2012
The founders of the NW Energy Coalition recognized a painful truth: that the bountiful cheap electricity produced by the Northwest’s system of federally financed hydropower dams came at the cost of the incredible wild salmon runs that once defined our watershed and supported myriad cultures and communities. So they made sure the 1980 Northwest Power and Conservation Act required equitable use of Columbia Basin waters for power and fish.
Since then, this Coalition and our partners have had to fight tooth and nail to realize even minimal progress on that mandate. To this day, the federal agencies that run the dams and market their power have failed to offer any legally valid or scientifically defensible plan for recovering the iconic and economically crucial salmon stocks.
The Spring 2012 edition of The Energy Activist looks at the exciting potential to escape that quicksand…
Idaho Statesman: Fisheries scientists redefine the salmon debate by trumpeting more ‘spill’
Increasing the amount of water spilled over eight Snake and Columbia river dams to keep juvenile fish away from hydroelectric turbines might be enough to recover most of Idaho’s endangered salmon populations without breaching dams, new studies suggest.
A state, tribal and federal science team that has been working since 1996 is urging federal fish and wildlife officials and dam managers to change their management to test the theory, which is based on a dramatic increase in data collected over the past decade.