The Northwest’s Clean Energy Future: Part II
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NWPCC), the region’s official power planning agency, recently finalized the Sixth Northwest Power and Conservation Plan, which charts an exciting new course for the region. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council says the region can meet all new electricity needs over the next 20 years with energy efficiency and renewables, building almost no new fossil-fueled generating plants.
Last week we brought you Part I of the Sixth Northwest Power and Conservation Plan from the NW Energy Coalition, an alliance of more than 100 environmental, civic, and human service organizations, progressive utilities, and businesses in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and British Columbia. Part I consisted of the NWPCC's final recommendations and its conclusion that cheap energy efficiency can and should meet most of the region’s new power needs.
Part II compares the findings of the Sixth Northwest Power and Conservation Plan to the NW Energy Coalition’s Bright Future analysis showing how the Northwest electric power system can affordably meet rising power needs while fulfilling its climate and wildlife-protection obligations.
Bright Future focuses on:
- Reducing the electric system’s global warming carbon emissions consistent with member states’ goals and what scientists insist is required to slow global warming
- Fueling more electric vehicles to reduce pollution in the transportation sector
- Reclaiming a free-flowing lower Snake River
The Sixth Northwest Power and Conservation Plan goes where no plan has gone before. It confirms and in several instances improves upon Bright Future’s analysis of the costs and availability of new clean resources – energy efficiency and renewables – to meet new power needs.
Its dam-removal and coal phase-out studies show the Northwest power system can affordably fulfill its responsibilities to revive wild salmon (and the salmon economy) and to combat global warming. Ironically, adherence to the Sixth Plan would keep carbon emissions at today’s level. The regional power system’s climate emissions would not drop at all, let alone to the levels that Montana, Oregon and Washington state are committed. The Council deems carbon restrictions a potential cost risk utilities should consider – not part of a legal and moral imperative to do what’s necessary to avert the worst consequences of climate change. As yet, the Council is unwilling to be more explicit in directing BPA and utilities to reduce emissions and fulfill their environmental stewardship responsibilities.
Five years from now, we expect the Seventh Northwest Power and Conservation Plan to set carbon reduction standards and salmon-restoration goals in line with current science. In the interim, clean-energy and public-interest advocates will work with state legislatures, utility commissions, state agencies, local governments and individual utilities to realize the Sixth Plan’s efficiency and renewable energy targets. And, bolstered by the Council’s findings on phasing out coal and recovering salmon, we’ll push the region farther down the road to a clean, affordable, bright energy future.
