News
Salmon Group Wades Into Pacific Northwest Curtailment Battle
A group of salmon advocates is siding with wind developers in their battle against system operator Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
High seasonal river flows resulting from runoff from large snowpacks caused an overabundance of hydropower and left no room on the grid to accommodate wind power. This led the BPA to curtail wind production this spring, which angered wind developers and prompted them to file a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in June.
Read MoreOne step closer to a coal-free Oregon
Another step toward finalizing the Boardman, Ore., plant’s transition off of coal was taken early this week. The Sierra Club and its co-plaintiffs (NW Energy Coalition was not a plaintiff) settled their Clean Air Act suit with plant owner Portland General Electric.
Read MoreNorthwest Power and Conservation Council honored for best-ever regional plan
In recognition of the most far-sighted, clean energy-based power plan in regional history, the NW Energy Coalition last week presented its highest award to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
This year’s award goes to the Council members, staff and advisory committee members who produced the Sixth Northwest Power and Conservation Plan in early 2010. The plan projects the next 20 years of regionwide electricity needs and prescribes the means of meeting them. The Sixth Plan tells Northwest utilities they can and should meet 85% of new needs with bill-reducing energy efficiency and most of the rest with new, clean renewable energy.
Read MoreUpdate: US House of Representatives wastes time and energy
After the BULB bill suffered a defeat in the House on Tuesday because proponents could not muster the needed 2/3 majority, the sponsors tried a different tact. Today the House approved an amendment to the Department of Energy’s spending bill, a vote that required only a simple majority vote.
Read MoreHouse Refuses to Pull Plug on Energy-Efficient Lighting
In a show of support for energy efficiency, the U.S. House of Representatives voted against a bill that would have turned back time on the way Americans light their homes.
Congress voted down the politically named “Better Use of Light Bulbs” (BULB) Act, which was sponsored by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), on a 233-193 vote, missing by 40 votes the two-thirds majority needed for passage.
Read MoreNew York Times: Atop TV sets, a power drain that runs nonstop
According to a recent New York Times article, some typical home entertainment configurations are eating more power than a new refrigerator and even some central air-conditioning systems. You can read the full article online at The New York Times.
Coalition member NRDC also released a study entertainment center "energy vampires" last month which you can read here.
Read MoreIt's still the economy, stupid
Newsweek has an article from former President Bill Clinton on how to put many of the fourteen million unemployed Americans back to work. The 42nd president has more than a dozen ideas on how to attack the jobs crisis and energy efficiency and renewables play a big part. Read it online here.
Read MoreCUB’s Jenks is 2010 Headwaters Award winner
Citizens’ Utility Board of Oregon executive director Bob Jenks received the NW Energy Coalition’s coveted Headwaters Award last week in Portland. Coalition executive director Sara Patton presented Jenks the award, which recognizes his lifetime of advocacy on behalf of ratepayers and commitment to a clean and affordable energy future. Founded by Oregon voters in 1984,…
Read MoreNew Buildings Institute receives Coalition's highest award
The Coalition’s Bob Olsen Memorial Conservation Eagle award is presented annually to individuals and organizations that demonstrate leadership for a clean and affordable energy future. The Coalition board unanimously selected NBI as its 2010 Eagle winner…
Read MoreExecutive Board Caucus Report Highlights — June 16, 2011
Each month, we post the updates from the state and provincial caucus reports…
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