Energy Matters Update – September 17, 2009

Make the 6th Northwest Power and Conservation Plan a roadmap to a coal-free, clean energy future

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council, the region’s official power planning agency, is currently seeking public comment on its draft 6th Northwest Power and Conservation Plan, which assesses the region’s long-term electricity needs and identifies power sources to meet them with.

For the first time, the Council foresees meeting all new electricity needs over the next 20 years with no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions and no new fossil-burning power plants. The draft plan proposes an aggressive but reasonable target of 5,800 average megawatts of new energy efficiency over the period, along with 1,800 aMW of new renewables.

These are laudable recommendations that mirror the goal NW Energy Coalition members have sought for the past 30 years: meeting all new electric demand with energy efficiency and renewable energy.

But our times cry out for more.

The draft plan does nothing to actually reduce the region’s CO2 emissions – even though three of the four Northwest states have committed to significant carbon-reduction targets. It fails to adopt the goal of shedding our current coal-fired power plants that produce nearly 90% of the electrical system’s global-warming emissions. We must not merely stabilize carbon emissions but start reducing them now to ward off the growing climate threat.

And even though the Power Council lacks the actual authority to close coal plants, it can exert its regional leadership and tell utilities to start planning for and working toward reducing our carbon emissions. And it can do what its governing federal statute says it must do: fully factor the environmental costs of dirty coal power into its recommendations.

What’s missing from the 6th Plan?

Although Council staff models showed only minor rate impacts from early shutdown of the region’s dirty coal plants and replacing the power from the salmon-endangering four lower Snake River dams, the Council chose to ignore those findings in its recommendations.

Council members also failed to recommend that utilities use staff’s mid-range estimate of carbon emissions costs in their planning and ongoing operations – which in itself would cut current emissions by about a third.

How can I affect the process?

We now must work to influence the final draft of the Council’s 6th Northwest Power and Conservation Plan as it passes through the public comment period.  Before the plan becomes final, the public has 60 days to influence Council members.

We must preserve and expand the draft plan’s clean energy targets and convince the Council to include the missing studies in the final document and to signal that it’s time to end our dependence on dirty coal. We have plenty of clean energy resources to meet growing energy needs, save endangered salmon, and phase out coal while creating good jobs that will boost our economic recovery.

Your participation in this process can help us steer the Council toward a better energy future.  Please attend a hearing near you or submit comments to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council today.

For more information on the hearing locations and submitting comments please visit NW Energy Coalition’s Web site at www.nwenergy.org or call Cy Berryman at (206) 621-0094.

The public comment period lasts through Nov. 6.

• Please RSVP to cy@nwenergy.org to attend a public hearing being held in your state (see below)
• The Council is also taking written comments through its Web site
• Written comments also may be mailed to:

Mark Walker, Director of Public Affairs
Northwest Power and Conservation Council
851 SW Sixth Avenue, Suite 1100
Portland, OR 97204

Additional Information:

Public hearing schedule
Monday, Sept. 28           Eugene
Wednesday, Sept. 30      Seattle
Monday, Oct. 5               Teleconference hearings, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 13            Boise
Tuesday, Oct. 13            Missoula
Wednesday, Oct. 14        Idaho Falls
Wednesday, Oct. 14        Portland

The public comment period lasts through Nov. 6.

Summary and full text of the draft plan are available on the NPCC Web site.