By Region
The Olympian: 9th circuit upholds state code for home-energy use
In an apparent defeat for the Building Industry Association of Washington, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a federal court ruling in favor of the State Building Codes Council over standards for increasing the energy efficiency of homes that it adopted in 2009. The NW Energy Coalition, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and Washington Environmental Council intervened in defense of the higher energy standards.
Read the full article online at The Olympian.
Read MoreCoalition congratulates Flathead Electric Cooperative and Snohomish County PUD for energy efficiency awards
The NW Energy Coalition would like to congratulate Flathead Electric Cooperative and Snohomish County PUD for receiving a well-deserved Excellence in Energy Efficiency Award from the Bonneville Power Administration. We applaud and appreciate their regional leadership in energy efficiency and a low carbon future!
Read MoreNW Energy Coalition praises conservation goal in Oregon governor’s draft 10-year energy plan
Gov. John Kitzhaber’s draft plan, released today, calls for meeting 100% of new power needs by getting more out of the power we already produce. That goal exceeds the 85% efficiency target established in 2010 by the region’s official power planning agency, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
“While the draft plan goal exceeds the Council’s region-wide target, it’s a practical goal that accurately reflects Oregon utilities’ ongoing achievements,” said NW Energy Coalition senior policy associate Wendy Gerlitz of Portland.
Read MoreMontana conservationists say water quality near coal mines needs protection
Two conservation groups representing citizens and landowners in southeastern Montana filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that the state Department of Environmental Quality is not doing enough to protect streams from coal mining.
Attorneys for Coalition Members Montana Environmental Information Center and the Sierra Club sued in U.S. District Court in Helena over Colorado-based Westmoreland Coal Co. plans to expand the Rosebud mine near Colstrip…
Read the full article at GreatFallsTribune.com
Read MoreTwo recent videos highlight the economic benefits of energy efficiency investments
Coalition member Climate Solutions has released a series of videos that show how community based efforts to invest in energy efficiency in Spokane and Kitsap County, WA helped create local jobs and helped home owners and local governments save money even during a time of rising energy prices.
Read MoreThe Impact reports on the Clean Energy Initiative debate
Coalition Policy Director Nancy Hirsh is featured in this video segment looking at the current roster of proposed changes to Washington’s Clean Energy Initiative. %CODE1%
Read MoreFulfill Our Clean Energy Initiative
Washington’s Clean Energy Initiative (also know as I-937) was passed by voters in November 2006 and requires the state’s major electric utilities to gradually increase the amount of new renewable resources in their electricity supply to 15% by 2020.
Since 2006, The Clean Energy Initiative has generated about $7.5 billion in renewable energy investments in this state, especially in our struggling rural communities, and all-time-record efficiency savings for energy consumers. More investments, more savings and more jobs will come to us as long as we keep the pathway open…
Read MoreAlliance Reports on Idaho Utilities’ Use of Coal-Fired Generation
The Snake River Alliance has released the first of two reports on the use of coal-fired generation by Idaho’s three electric utilities.
The report, “Idaho’s Dangerous Dalliance with King Coal,” notes that the utilities own or have a stake in no fewer than 29 out-of-state coal plants, the bulk of which are owned or partly owned by PacifiCorp, which does business in eastern Idaho as Rocky Mountain Power.
Read MoreColumbia River salmon plans: The judge is not amused
The Seattle Times Editorial page weighs in on Judge Redden’s ruling. U.S. District Court Judge James Redden issued a 24-page ruling Tuesday that slapped down another federal plan for operating the economic interests of the Columbia and Snake rivers, while working to save endangered fish.
Read MoreFederal Judge Rules for Columbia and Snake River Salmon
U.S. District Court Judge James Redden ruled today that the NOAA Fisheries Service again failed to produce a legal and scientific plan to protect imperiled Columbia-Snake River salmon from harm caused by the operation of federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Today’s court action – which has been ongoing for almost a decade – is a landmark decision for fishing and conservation groups, the state of Oregon and the Nez Perce and Spokane tribes, all of which have opposed the federal biological opinion, or BiOp, in court.
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