NW Energy Coalition lauded for climate action

Elisheva Mittelman and Kevin Steinberger of the National Resources Defense Council are publishing a series of blog posts that describe how states and regions are rushing to fill the climate action vacuum left in the wake of the Trump administration’s abandonment of the Paris Agreement and a bevy of Obama-era environmental measures.  Their August 30 post titled,…

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Ask your Oregon legislator to support home energy efficiency tax credits

OREGON NEEDS ENERGY EFFICIENCY.  CALL OR EMAIL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY!  Key House bill includes Home Solar incentives, but Energy Efficiency still needs to be added We have a new and perhaps final chance in this legislative session to assure that Oregon will continue to offer home energy efficiency tax credits to go along with home solar incentives.…

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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,…

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BPA 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…

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New 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…

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Oregon 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…

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Coalition 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.

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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.

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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.

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