Newsletter
Low-income Oregonians struggle with energy costs
Governor’s working group recommends solutions One in six Oregonians — more than 637,000 — live in poverty and for many of them the cost of energy is a major burden. For that reason, in May 2018 Governor Kate Brown convened the Low Income Utility Program Working Group, which has now released its findings and recommendations.…
Inslee unveils emissions reduction agenda
A blueprint for transitioning to a clean energy future Yesterday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee outlined his policy strategy to address the challenge of climate change. The governor’s package features proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity system, buildings, the transportation sector, fuels, and hydrofluorocarbons. The governor’s plan, if enacted and fully realized, would…
Fall 2018 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference Digest
On November 15, the NW Energy Coalition hosted its fall Clean & Affordable Energy Conference. The conference attracted over 180 attendees who participated in panel discussions and presentations on utility decarbonization, the role new storage technologies will play in transitioning the Northwest electric system, the health, comfort, and productivity benefits that energy efficient buildings provide…
Workers, business leaders talk about the benefits of WA clean energy standards
As Washington and other states in the Northwest consider how best to go about making our electric system as clean and affordable as possible, it’s good to remember that in doing so, we will also be contributing to economic growth and jobs. In Washington alone, more than 80,000 people have jobs in energy efficiency and…
Low costs and lots of jobs: The economic impact of I-937
FACT VS. INFERENCE: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF WASHINGTON’S CLEAN ELECTRICITY STANDARD An analysis released in 2013 by the Washington Policy Center (WPC) and the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI), claimed that by the year 2020, Initiative 937, the Energy Independence Act, passed by voters in 2006, would cost Washington electricity customers more than…
A community adapts to life after coal
How a community, a company, and environmental groups are building the future Even before Centralia, Washington was founded, coal was being mined there. So, by the time the town was formally incorporated in 1886, the local mine was already its largest employer. Then, in 1971, Washington’s largest coal-fired power plant opened in Centralia and, between…
Thank you for fighting the good fight
What an effort! Yesterday’s election culminated an immense effort by thousands of people throughout the Northwest to effectively address issues of clean energy, climate change, equity, and affordability. Those efforts met with success in Portland with passage of the Portland Clean Energy Initiative and they did not in Washington where Initiative 1631 was defeated. Win…
I-1631: Hirsh, Guenther set record straight on misleading claims by McKenna Ads claiming I-1631 exempts Washington’s biggest polluter fail to note the facility is already slated for closure By Nancy Hirsh, Executive Director NW Energy Coalition & Bob Guenther, Centralia-based labor activist. This year, voters in Washington have been subject to the biggest onslaught of…
Bruce Nilles to keynoteClean & Affordable Energy Conference Beyond Coal Campaign founder to discuss expanded areas of activism in new role at Rocky Mountain Institute SEATTLE, Washington — Bruce Nilles is relentless. Fifteen years ago he founded the Sierra Club’s highly successful Beyond Coal Campaign, which has helped retire a quarter of the nation’s coal fired…
I-1631: The people did it before and we’ll do it again!
I-1631, the clean air and clean energy measure, is critical for addressing climate change. Yet, a lot of loud voices are claiming the proposed carbon fee on fossil fuel polluters won’t do have much effect and costs will be passed through to customers. But, if they believe that, then why are the polluters — big…
Clean & Affordable Energy Conference
Register for the conference! Breaking news: Bruce Nilles of the Rocky Mountain Institute and formerly of the Beyond Coal Campaign to deliver the keynote speech Join the NW Energy Coalition on Nov. 15th in Portland for the Clean & Affordable Energy Conference! This fall’s conference will be held at the World Forestry Center’s Miller Hall: 4033 Southwest…
NWEC Endorses Portland Clean Energy Initiative
After careful consideration and consultation with members, the NW Energy Coalition is proud to endorse Measure 26-201, the Portland Clean Energy Initiative (PCEI). The Coalition is united by a set of principles for a clean and affordable energy future and PCEI advances each of these goals: we seek to meet all new energy demand…