By Region
WA House passes 100% Clean Electricity
Today, SB 5116, the 100% Clean Electricity bill, passed the Washington House of Representatives by a vote of 56-42.The bill will now go back to the Senate, which has already passed a slightly different version, for concurrence. When finally enacted, SB 5116 will put Washington’s electric system on a path to become free of carbon…
House passes WA Clean Buildings bill
House passes Washington Clean Buildings bill Key piece of Governor Jay Inslee’s climate package advances OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON — Last night’s passage of the Clean Buildings for Washington Act (HB 1257) by the state House of Representatives moves Washington one step closer to becoming a national leader in tackling one of the least recognized but biggest…
Double Squeeze: Arctic Express, system constraints skyrocket NW wholesale energy prices
More clean energy solutions, less reliance on gas needed to meet peak energy needs When discussing electric system affordability and reliability, natural gas is often portrayed as a guarantor of both. But, since the beginning of February, when Northwest temperatures dropped to near record lows, wholesale natural gas prices skyrocketed, causing serious disruption for gas-fired…
WA Senate committee hears testimony on Clean Buildings bill
State emission goals depend on clean buildings SB 5293 will make homes and buildings more efficient and stimulate jobs Olympia, WA – Washington can’t meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals unless we reduce emissions from buildings. That was the message delivered today to the Washington Senate Environment, Energy, & Technology committee by businesses and environmental…
Washington’s 100% Clean Electricity Bill Has Its First Hearing
Today, Joni Bosh, Senior Policy Analyst at the NW Energy Coalition, testified in support of Senate Bill 5116, the 100% Clean Electricity Bill, before the Washington Senate Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee. The following is a press release from the Environmental Priorities Coalition of which the NW Energy Coalition is a member. To learn more…
Water heaters: a potent weapon in the fight against climate change
We may have, hiding in our basements and garages , a clean energy resource that has the power to erase the need for new gas-fired power plants in the Northwest. That’s one implication of a new report on grid-integrated water heaters (GIWH) from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and its partners, the Northwest Energy Efficiency…
Low-income Oregonians struggle with energy costs
Governor’s working group recommends solutions One in six Oregonians — more than 637,000 — live in poverty and for many of them the cost of energy is a major burden. For that reason, in May 2018 Governor Kate Brown convened the Low Income Utility Program Working Group, which has now released its findings and recommendations.…
Inslee unveils emissions reduction agenda
A blueprint for transitioning to a clean energy future Yesterday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee outlined his policy strategy to address the challenge of climate change. The governor’s package features proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity system, buildings, the transportation sector, fuels, and hydrofluorocarbons. The governor’s plan, if enacted and fully realized, would…
Fall 2018 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference Digest
On November 15, the NW Energy Coalition hosted its fall Clean & Affordable Energy Conference. The conference attracted over 180 attendees who participated in panel discussions and presentations on utility decarbonization, the role new storage technologies will play in transitioning the Northwest electric system, the health, comfort, and productivity benefits that energy efficient buildings provide…
Workers, business leaders talk about the benefits of WA clean energy standards
As Washington and other states in the Northwest consider how best to go about making our electric system as clean and affordable as possible, it’s good to remember that in doing so, we will also be contributing to economic growth and jobs. In Washington alone, more than 80,000 people have jobs in energy efficiency and…