The Oregon Legislative Assembly today approved a landmark bill that will commit the state to eliminate its use of coal power by 2035 and double the amount of clean, renewable energy serving Oregonians to 50 percent by 2040.
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The Clean Energy and Coal Transition Act that received final approval yesterday prevailed with bipartisan support because, as explained in this previous blog, stopping dirty coal deliveries into OR will cut off the market for coal plants and open up the state to more wind and solar power, just as the costs for those emissions-free resources are dropping dramatically.
Also included in the bill are mechanisms to protect utility customers from excessive cost increases or reliability issues resulting from the new mandates. The state got almost three-quarters of its electricity from hydropower and other renewables in 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and its only in-state coal-fired power plant, Boardman, is scheduled to close by the end of 2020.
In an interview shortly after, Kavulla criticized the legislation, noting that it “amazingly” does not include a requirement for the utilities to shut down their existing coal capacity, most of which exists out of state in Wyoming and Montana.
Green groups celebrated the decision, saying it raises the bar for other states.
At the same time, incentives added to the legislation last week could fire up more power plants that burn wood and garbage. Sen.
One of those utilities, Pacific Power, says the legislation “will reduce carbon pollution across the western states by 30 million metric tons – the equivalent of taking 6.4 million cars off the road”. “You don’t have to be a climate denier to dislike this bill”, said state senator Ted Ferrioli. Surprisingly, two major utility companies in the state, Portland General Electric and Pacific Power, have actively backed the deal. “Where were the ratepayers in this process?”
“(Wednesday’s) vote is a win-win for our climate and clean energy here in Oregon. “The risk of high-cost coal is gone, and low-risk, low-cost clean energy will increase”.
Apart from the hiking the minimum wage to anywhere between $12.50 and $14.75, the state of OR has passed an anti-coal bill that will combat the rising threat of climate change.
PGE was part of a coalition of organizations that supported the legislation, which received extensive public review in multiple state House and Senate hearings during January and February, as well as a special public meeting of the Oregon Public Utility Commission.
“In reality, it was designed from the start as an assault on the right of Oregon citizens to challenge their own government when it has violated the law”, conservation group Oregon Wild said in a statement Wednesday night.
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Reporter Elizabeth Harball contributed from Colstrip, Mont.
