By Region
Washington state media lends support to energy efficiency
Two major Washington media outlets have come out in support of energy efficiency and Senate/House Bill 1017. The measure sets efficiency standards for those ubiquitous battery chargers used by the growing number of electronic devices in our homes, as well as industrial and recreational chargers for forklifts and golf carts. The worst of these chargers waste up to 60 percent of the electricity they consume.
Read MoreRon Simms on I-937: People power means clean power for the people of Washington state
Washington voters in 2006 approved the state’s clean-energy law, Initiative 937, setting new standards for energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. It was a vote for clean energy, new economic investment and a brighter future.
If you’re following the state legislative session, you might think voters were mistaken. Our legislators introduced more than 20 bills to amend or gut the law this year alone. But while some legislators seem to think I-937 is bad for Washington, I’m with the governor in recognizing that it’s good for the economy, good for consumers and good for the environment…
Read MoreWashington's SHB 1017 – Equipment Efficiency Standards
Good for the Consumer, Good for the Environment, Good for the Economy
Already, refrigerators, furnaces, exit signs, commercial hot-food holding cabinets and many more products are meeting federal or state efficiency standards. HB 1017 would add the next generation of low-cost, high benefit measures to Washington’s existing efficiency standards, saving energy, reducing water waste and saving millions of dollars on consumer utility bills..
Read MoreWA environmental community announces its 2013 legislative priorities
Clean energy, toxic-free couches and kids’ products, and more funding for projects that protect the environment will be on legislators’ agendas for the 2013 legislative session in Olympia as Washington State’s Environmental Priorities Coalition announced its 2013 Priorities. These three Priorities are critical in protecting the state’s quality of life, creating Washington grown jobs, and preserving a better future for our children.
Read MoreIdaho Statesman: Energy-efficiency success stories
J.R. Simplot Co. has embraced energy efficiency as a core business value. The Idaho food, fertilizer and chemical company has dramatically reduced its use of electricity and natural gas, saving millions of dollars annually.
The company says energy-efficiency improvements since 2009 have yielded natural gas savings of 1.3 trillion British thermal units and 390,821,028 kilowatt-hours of electricity. The electricity reduction is equivalent to taking 35,400 homes off the grid. The reduction also saved 95,056 tons of greenhouse-gas emissions, like taking 29,929 cars of the road.
Here are three other successes…Read more at the Idaho Statesman
Read MorePSE, Mason, Lewis and Grays Harbor reach clean energy benchmarks
Regional electricity providers from Puget Sound Energy to Grays Harbor County Public Utility District recorded impressive accomplishments over the first reporting period for Washington’s clean energy law, Initiative 937. “These utilities should be commended for their energy efficiency achievements, which will save money for their customers,” said Nancy Hirsh, policy director for the Coalition.
Read MoreID Energy Update: A Win for Wind, A Loss for Efficiency
Read this and previous reports on Snake River Alliance’s website. Idaho Energy Update October 4, 2012 The Snake River Alliance has a new home in Boise! The Alliance recently relocated from our former digs at 9th & Jefferson in downtown Boise to 6th & Idaho. We’ll have an office warming celebration from 5:30-7:30…
Read MoreAvista, Inland far surpass clean energy goals
Regional electricity providers Avista Utilities and Inland Power and Light recorded impressive accomplishments over the first reporting period for Washington’s clean energy law, Initiative 937.
Read and hear the exciting news about clean energy progress in the Spokane area ….
Read MoreCoalition Comments on the Draft Oregon 10-Year Energy Action Plan
July 31,2012 Governor John Kitzhaber 160 State Capitol 900 Court Street Salem, Oregon 97301-4047 RE: Comments on the Draft Oregon10- Year Energy Action Plan Dear Governor Kitzhaber: The NW Energy Coalition (Coalition) is pleased to offer the following comments on the Draft 10- Year Energy Action Plan for Oregon (Draft Plan). Forging clean energy-focused…
Read MoreNWEC Ecology letter 7-20-12
Given the progress being made by Washington’s energy sector to reduce its carbon footprint, it is extraordinarily frustrating that the Department of Ecology intends to weaken clean air rules and avoid its duty to regulate greenhouse gases from industrial sources including oil refineries. The oil refineries account for six to eight percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions; the Department of Ecology has the duty and the obligation to enforce the law to bring these emissions under control.
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