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Spring 2017 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference — Boise!
Join the NW Energy Coalition on May 5th, 2017 for our Spring 2017 NW Clean & Affordable Energy Conference, the region’s premier clean energy conference! Today’s most important energy topics will be addressed, including the role of federal and local governments in the energy sector, the possibilities for clean portfolio development by utilities, the debate…
Read MoreNW Energy Coalition supports Clean Energy First Act in Olympia
At a moment when it’s imperative that states take the lead in fighting climate change and promoting clean air and water, the NW Energy Coalition is joining five other groups in proposing the Clean Energy First Act (HB1334) in the Washington state legislature.
Read MoreRemarks of Nancy Hirsh Executive Director, NW Energy Coalition Lower Snake River Dam Rally December 1, 2016
“All of us who live in the Northwest are being threatened. We’re being told that, if we remove the lower Snake River dams to restore wild salmon, we’ll have to build natural gas-fired power plants that will spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and drive up electric rates. In short, we’re being told, we can save wild salmon or we can have clean, abundant, affordable electricity, but we can’t have both.”
Read MoreClean up the grid and electrify everything
Amid uncertainty about what recent election results will mean for environmental policy and the fate of the planet, a remarkable clarity pervaded the NW Energy Coalition Clean & Affordable Energy conference this past Thursday in Portland. David Roberts, Vox energy and climate columnist and the conference’s keynote speaker, opened the day by reminding an audience of more than two-hundred that, regardless of coming battles and possible changes in energy and environmental policy both in Washington DC and in the Northwest, there remains a simple imperative. If we are to avoid doing catastrophic damage to the planet and to ourselves, “we must clean up the grid and electrify everything.”
Read MorePress Release: What I-732’s defeat means
The defeat of I-732, the carbon tax, should not cause anyone to question the depth and breadth of support for action to combat climate change among Washington voters. As has been widely noted, the solution embodied by I-732 divided a community that is otherwise united in its commitment to developing policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Read MoreI-937: The only thing we had to fear was fear itself
This year, as we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Initiative 937, Washington has a vibrant economy, one of America’s cleanest electric grids, and electric rates that are nearly the lowest in the nation. That would have been hard to imagine if you were listening to the critics of I-937 as it came to a vote in the fall of 2006.
Read MorePRESS RELEASE: Utility Commission Makes Energy Efficiency Work For Utility and Customers
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission ruled Thursday that Pacific Power can recover costs while encouraging customers to save energy even if those efforts result in the sale of less electricity. The ruling, which came as part of a rate case, approved a proposed “decoupling” provision that severs the link between customer energy consumption and utility company sales and replaces it with a model in which Pacific Power will be able to recover fixed costs based on the number of customers served.
Read MoreMember Spotlight: Idaho Rivers United
Idaho Rivers United, a Coalition member for the past 14 years, advocates for protecting and restoring Idaho rivers. IRU defends at-risk fish populations, supports minimum stream flows that reduce dams’ harm to Idaho’s rivers. IRU argues that the four lower Snake River dams in Washington state are more of a threat to Idaho wild salmon survival than habitat destruction or overfishing.
Read MoreNWEC submits comment on Clean Air Rule 2nd CR 102 in Washington state
The NW Energy Coalition has submitted technical comments and suggestions to the draft Clean Air Rule, which aims to lower Washington’s carbon emissions via a “baseline and credit” mechanism that requires polluters to either reduce carbon emissions directly each year or acquire emissions reduction units (ERUs) through one of several pathways.
Read MoreClean energy, consumer advocates outline good rate design principles
The NW Energy Coalition is among 32 consumer, clean energy and environmental organizations urging utility regulators to adopt uniform principles for making rate design changes. Northwest utilities, like others across the country, are reconsidering their business models as energy efficiency and consumer-owned distributed generation reduce electric demand. Many are considering higher fixed charges, minimum bills and other approaches that could impede progress toward a clean, affordable and equitable energy future.
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