By Region
New Washington solar bill is a move in the right direction
OLYMPIA, Washington — During its last-minute rush to enact a new state budget, the Washington legislature managed to agree on a new package of incentives for commercial, community, and home solar installations.
The bill provides those businesses with a degree of predictability about how the state will gradually reduce incentives between now and the year 2029 when they will vanish altogether. By that time, it is expected that solar costs will have diminished to the point that incentives are no longer necessary.
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.…
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,…
State releases Deep Decarbonization Analysis for Washington State
The Spring 2017 Energy Activist included a feature previewing the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Analysis for Washington State, a new study that identifies specific strategies to help Washington achieve its statewide goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the global goal of limiting climate warming to two degrees Celsius. The report is now available and…
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…
A region finding its way to a clean energy future
Dispatch from the NW Energy Coalition Spring 2017 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference At a time when the federal government seems poised to reverse policies designed to reduce pollution, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage renewable energy, the responsibility for achieving those goals is falling to states, regions, cities, and towns. The Spring 2017 Clean & Affordable…
Settlement achieved in Microsoft bid to buy energy directly
For the last several months, the Coalition has been involved in a case at the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) under which Puget Sound Energy (PSE), in response to a request from Microsoft, proposed to establish a tariff under which large customers would be eligible to purchase electricity directly from the market while relying…
NWEC joins utilities, business, and environmental groups in opposing punitive Montana bill
The NW Energy Coalition has joined a variety of environmental advocates, utilities, and business groups in opposing a Montana senate bill that would discourage all kinds of energy development in the state and clean energy development in particular. In response to the planned shut down of two coal-fired power units and the Colstrip power plant, state…
NWEC weighs in on Trump environment actions
Seattle’s channel 13, a Fox affiliate, reported on local reactions to President Donald Trump’s recent executives orders that target the Clean Power Plan and the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon emissions. Becky Kelley of the Washington Environmental Council and Sean O’Leary of the NW Energy Coalition emphasized the Northwest’s commitment to clean energy and the environment…
This 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…