Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance could be cut nearly 30%: Attend a hearing and stop the budget cuts!

Already up in arms over Bonneville’s woeful capital budget proposal for energy efficiency, Northwest clean energy advocates now must rebuff a budgetary assault on the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

For 18 years, NEEA has been the region’s premier provider of energy savings. The 136 utilities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana that fund NEAA do so because it does what they cannot: reach across geographic boundaries to maximize energy efficiency gains through market transformation and region-wide, often long-term efficiency projects.

NEEA has the flexibility to engage in a wide range of market transformation projects across utility service territories and to adapt those projects as markets evolve. As a result, NEEA secures energy savings more cheaply than any individual utility or program.

NEEA is now developing its next five-year strategic plan and budget to advance its long-term clean energy vision. Unfortunately, NEEA’s board members recently voted for a budget proposal that would significantly undercut NEEA’s efficiency achievements by cutting its primary budget nearly 30%.

This is unacceptable. This is not the time to retreat on cost-effective energy efficiency, our cheapest, cleanest and quickest new energy resource. We need all the cost-effective energy efficiency we can get to reduce climate pollution and consumers’ bills.

NEEA provides the lowest cost energy efficiency savings in the region. Cutting nearly 30% of NEEA’s base budget would downsize the organization and reduce efficiency savings, costing consumers money.

Make your voice heard to stop the cuts! A series of public-input sessions and regional webinars on the budget proposal begins next Monday, April 21. Here is the schedule (follow the links for hearing location and address):

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Tell NEEA’s board members to adequately fund energy efficiency! Please submit written comments, attend your local input session and participate in the regional webinars. Background and talking points on NEEA’s budget:

 

For more information contact:

  • Nancy Hirsh, NW Energy Coalition policy director, nancy@nwenergy.org
  • Cy Berryman, NW Energy Coalition outreach director, cy@nwenergy.org