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Fulfill 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…

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Alliance 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.

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Columbia 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.

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Federal 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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Report: House committee holds work session on potential changes to Initiative 937

Washington state’s House Environment Committee held an interim work session on I-937 on Tuesday, July 26. Chair Dave Upthegrove (D-Des Moines), Ranking Minority Member Shelly Short (R-Addy) and fellow Reps. Larry Crouse (R-Spokane), Steve Tharinger (D-Sequim) and Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Burien) attended. Howard Schwartz of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council gave the committee a brief…

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Snake River Alliance releases guide to Idaho’s Clean Energy Future

The Snake River Alliance has produced “Idaho’s Clean Energy Future – An Activist’s Guide to a Sustainable Energy Future.” The Alliance’s People’s Energy Project is designed to help plug Idahoans into the world where energy decisions are made, from electric utilities to the state Public Utilities Commission that oversees investor-owned utilities.

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Legislature passes landmark legislation to transition Washington off polluting coal-fired power

Today, the Washington State Legislature put its final stamp of approval on a plan to responsibly transition TransAlta Corp.’s Centralia, Wash., power plant off of coal. The state Senate approved technical changes made in the House and sent the Coal-Free Future for Washington bill to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her much-anticipated signature.

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