Human-induced global warming poses perhaps the greatest threat ever to our very survival and that of countless other plant and animal species across the globe. To achieve the cuts in emissions in carbon dioxide and other global-warming pollutants needed to avoid the most dire consequences of climate change, we must stop relying on carbon-emitting fossil-fueled power plants for our electricity. In addition to promoting clean energy choices by utilities and regulatory agencies, the NW Energy Coalition is actively engaged in state and regional processes aimed at economy-wide cuts in carbon pollution.
CBC reports on a proposed dam project that local tribes and environmental groups say would destroy farmlands, displace wildlife and release unacceptable amounts of greenhouse gasses.
NW Energy Coalition member organizations Sierra Club of B.C. and the David Suzuki Foundation are featured in the article which you can find here.
The 2010 legislative session has finally come to a close and it’s time to take inventory on how clean and affordable energy policies fared in Olympia. Read on to see where we stand…
Tech Blog Ars Technica has an extensive article about how energy efficient technologies, both old and new, are helping to reduce the energy consumption of the datacenters powering the modern world.
The investor activist group that spearheaded a stunning Idaho Power shareholder resolution on climate change last year was awarded the 2009 NGO Activist award by the Climate Change Business Journal last week.
More and more utilities are rushing to substitute gas-fired combustion turbines for coal in their resource plans while rapidly expanding their use of renewables and efficiency. But are the assumptions behind this change correct? The new rush to gas is raising serious questions about domestic and international supply, price and price volatility, and lifecycle carbon emissions. This edition of The Transformer addresses those questions and considers the controversy surrounding liquefied natural gas.
Every five years, the Northwest’s official power planning agency — the Northwest Power and Conservation Council — conducts a fresh assessment of the region’s long-term electricity needs and issues a blueprint for meeting them.
Official NW Energy Coalition comments on a proposed air-quality agreement between Washington state and Centralia, Wash., coal plant owner TransAlta reflect a significant weakening of mercury emissions requirements from those adopted in 11 other states and previously considered by Washington state officials.
An IGCC or “clean coal” plant actually combines three distinct technologies – a gasifier, a combustion turbine and a steam turbine. In the first phase, gasification, coal is heated to produce a gas. In phase two the gas turns a turbine (similar to a high-powered airplane engine) to make electricity. In phase three the excess heat from the turbine is captured and used to boil water to make steam, which is then used to make electricity. [PDF]
Exploring the impacts of climate legislation on low-income communities. [audio transcripts]
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On Oct. 12, 2007, NW Energy Coalition stalwarts Ralph Cavanagh of Natural Resources Defense Council and Jim Lazar, Consulting Economist went toe-to-toe in a fascinating debate over how to create a fair and effective cap-and-trade system. The debate, a highlight of the Coalition’s fall board conference in Seattle, was recorded by the Seattle Channel and is now available for online viewing…
The NW Energy Coalition is 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. We promote development of renewable energy and energy conservation, consumer protection, low-income energy assistance, and fish and wildlife restoration on the Columbia and Snake rivers.
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