Resources & Publications
2015 legislative sessions challenging for Northwest clean energy advocates
Progress on clean and affordable energy met strong head winds in this year’s Northwest state legislatures. But we prevailed against yet more attempts to weaken or undo Washington renewable energy and energy efficiency standards law, Oregon’s public purpose charge and Montana’s renewable portfolio standard.
Coalition efforts help put less coal, more efficiency in PacifiCorp's plan
For the past several years, NW Energy Coalition policy staff have participated actively in PacifiCorp’s resource planning process. Our twin goals: increasing the multi-state utility’s development of energy efficiency resources and reducing its reliance on outdated, climate-polluting coal plants. Our efforts and those of our clean energy allies are paying off.
Coalition offers initial ideas to strengthen 7th Plan’s energy efficiency provisions
Early results from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 7th Power Plan analysis once again illustrate the tremendous value energy efficiency brings to our region. Some 1,300–1,450 average megawatts of cost-effective energy efficiency should be available over the next five years.To assure the cleanest and most affordable 7th Plan, the NW Energy Coalition recently submitted an initial set of energy efficiency action recommendations to the Council.
Renewable Northwest's Megan Decker new chair of NW Energy Coalition board
Megan Decker, chief counsel to Portland-based Renewable Northwest, has been elected chair of the NW Energy Coalition. Decker previously served as vice chair and was instrumental in leading the Coalition’s organizational transition over the past year. Decker succeeds Jeff Bissonnette of the Citizens’ Utility Board of Oregon as chair.
Coalition analysis: 7th Power Plan model minimizes looming coal plant costs, ignores out-of-region generators
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 7th Plan will serve as a guide for choosing the best resources to meet electric needs over the next 20 years. A NW Energy Coalition issue paper, The True Cost of Coal: Fully accounting for coal-fired electricity use in the 7th Northwest Power and Conservation Plan, bares two shortcomings in the Council’s resource modeling that makes these polluting coal plants look cheaper than they are as a resource to meet the region’s needs.
Coalition, allies urge Council to push low-income energy efficiency in the 7th Plan
The NW Energy Coalition and several member organizations are urging a strengthened commitment to economic equity in the 7th Power Plan. In a July 8 letter, the groups note Bonneville Power Administration’s ongoing shortfall in extending the benefits of energy efficiency measures to low- and moderate-income families. All energy customers pay for utilities’ energy efficiency programs in their bills, but those on limited incomes often cannot take advantage of the product and services incentives those programs provide.
Event: Citizens' Utility Board's policy conference (10/23/15 in Portland, OR)
The CUB Policy Center is pleased to announce its fifth annual policy conference, Utility 2025: Building the Northwest’s Energy Future. Imagine it is the year 2025. The Conference will explore the challenges and opportunities that NW utilities face in the coming decade. The program is specifically designed to educate utility analysts, policy analysts, attorneys, industry professionals, stakeholders, and others working in and around the energy industry.
Event: AWEA State Wind Energy Forum (9/9/15 in Bozeman, MT)
The forum agenda is designed to appeal to a broad array of Montana wind stakeholders, including landowners, county officials, rural bankers, agricultural producers, policy makers, manufacturers, developers, educators, researchers, advocates, utilities, economic development specialists, energy specialists, government officials, analysts, and regulatory personnel.
Event: BPA webinar/brainstorming session on how it can support utility weatherization programs after October 2015 (7/9/15)
As a result of the RTF’s recalibration of the SEEM modeling tool, weatherization measures both savings and payments will be significantly reduced on October 1st, 2015. Several customers have contacted BPA program staff to provide input and suggestions on how to manage through this change, but they would like to hear from more of their customers.
Event: BPA webinar on its new energy efficiency marketing portal (6/30/15)
BPA’s Energy Efficiency Marketing Portal will allow utility customers and their partners to customize efficiency marketing materials with their own logo, contact info, copy and imagery and download a print ready file for use in their own territories.