Oregon
NW Energy Coalition hopes BPA will reverse intertie rate recommendation
Montana intertie rate is a barrier to renewable energy, growth, and jobs Seattle, Washington — Yesterday, as part of its 2018 rate recommendation, the Bonneville Power Administration announced its desire to retain the Montana Intertie transmission rate. The $2 per MWh charge, which applies to a 90-mile section of power lines between Townsend and Garrison, Montana,…
Read MoreBPA announces a better solution for I-5 corridor congestion
Seattle, Wa. — The NW Energy Coalition applauds today’s announcement by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) that it will not move forward with construction of a proposed 80-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line between Castle Rock, Washington and Troutdale Oregon. The I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project was originally proposed in 2008 as a means of addressing growing demand…
Read MoreThis shouldn't be happening in Oregon. Save Residential Energy Tax Credits!
At a time when energy efficiency is under attack in Washington DC, it’s also under attack in Salem where the legislature must pass HB 2681 in order for Oregonians to continue receiving Residential Energy Tax Credits. I know it sounds incredible, but if HB 2681 doesn’t pass, Oregonians will lose tax credits that tens of…
Read MoreNew loan options for home solar in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana
The NW Energy Coalition is partnering with Generations Credit Union and Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union to expand solar financing in the Northwest. Oregon, Idaho, and Montana homeowners who are seeking loans to install solar or to make their homes more energy efficient can do so through Generations Credit Union and Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union by…
Read MoreOregon can become a leader in energy efficient building
In Oregon, House Bill 2710 will help the state reform building codes in ways that: Reduce energy bills for owners and renters Make the air cleaner and temperatures more comfortable in homes and buildings Slash carbon and greenhouse gas emissions Oregon benefitted environmentally and economically by becoming a leader in energy efficient, green building. House Bill 2710…
Read MoreCoalition conference featuring Montana governor and NorthWestern Energy CEO draws big crowd in Missoula
Overflow crowds greeted Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, NorthWestern Energy CEO Bob Rowe, and a host of renewable energy and energy efficiency advocates and providers at the Spring 2016 NW Clean & Affordable Energy Conference in Missoula on May 19. More than 120 people from around the region attended this edition of the NW Energy Coalition’s twice-yearly conference, which rotates through Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Montana. Coalition members returned the next day to elect board members, select annual award winners and strategize.
Read MoreOregon 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.
Read MoreGov. 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.
Read MoreOregon 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.
Read MoreOregon 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.
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