Northwest Power and Conservation Council

Last updated
Member states of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council Northwest Power and Conservation Council members.svg
Member states of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is a regional organization that develops and maintains a regional power plan and a fish and wildlife program to balance the Northwest's environment and energy needs. Based in Portland, Oregon, the Council was created in 1980 when the U.S. Congress passed the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act. [1] The council's main task is to develop a 20-year electric power plan that will guarantee adequate and reliable energy at the lowest economic and environmental cost to the Northwest. Member states of the organization are Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Contents

Power plan

The council updates the 20-year electric power plan every five years. The process relies on broad public participation to inform the plan and build consensus on its recommendations. The plan generally targets energy efficiency and predicts that a large percentage of the new demand for electricity over the next 20 years in the Northwestern United States can be met by using energy more efficiently. [2] The sixth plan was unanimously approved by the council on February 10, 2010. [3]

Fish and wildlife

The council updates a fish and wildlife plan about every five years. As a planning, policymaking and reviewing body, the Council develops the program, and then monitors its implementation by the Bonneville Power Administration, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Bureau of Reclamation, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and its licensees. The Northwest Power Act directs the council to develop its program and make periodic major revisions by first requesting recommendations from the region’s federal and state fish and wildlife agencies, appropriate Indian tribes (those within the basin) and other interested parties. The council also takes comment from designated entities and the public on those recommendations. The council then issues a draft amended program, initiating an extensive public comment period on the recommendations and proposed program amendments that includes extensive written comments, public hearings in each of the four states, and consultations with interested parties.

See also

Related Research Articles

The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the City of New Westminster, where the city runs its own electrical department and portions of the West Kootenay, Okanagan, the Boundary Country and Similkameen regions, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis Inc. directly provides electric service to 213,000 customers and supplies municipally owned utilities in the same area. As a provincial Crown corporation, BC Hydro reports to the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, and is regulated by the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC). Its mandate is to generate, purchase, distribute and sell electricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy policy of the United States</span> Where and how the United States gets electrical and other power

The energy policy of the United States is determined by federal, state, and local entities. It addresses issues of energy production, distribution, consumption, and modes of use, such as building codes, mileage standards, and commuting policies. Energy policy may be addressed via legislation, regulation, court decisions, public participation, and other techniques.

Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a vertically integrated electric utility in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government via the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB). Nova Scotia Power Inc provides electricity to 520,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge</span> Wetlands and lowlands sanctuary in the U.S. state of Oregon

The Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is a 1,856 acres (751 ha) wetlands and lowlands sanctuary in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. Established in 1992 and opened to the public in 2006, it is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Located in southeastern Washington County, 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Portland, the refuge is bordered by Sherwood, Tualatin and Tigard. A newer area, extending into northern Yamhill County, is located further west near the city of Gaston surrounding the former Wapato Lake.

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or Assembly Bill (AB) 32, is a California State Law that fights global warming by establishing a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources throughout the state. AB32 was co-authored by then-Assemblymember Fran Pavley and then-Speaker of the California Assembly Fabian Nunez and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 27, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Energy Commission</span> Government agency

The California Energy Commission, formally the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, is the primary energy policy and planning agency for California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land use in Oregon</span> Laws affecting land ownership

Land use in Oregon concerns the evolving set of laws affecting land ownership and its restrictions in the U.S. state of Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Oregon</span> Electricity from wind in one U.S. state

The U.S. state of Oregon has large wind energy resources. Many projects have been completed, most of them in rural Eastern Oregon and near the Columbia River Gorge. Wind power accounted for 12.1% of the electricity generated in Oregon in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biglow Canyon Wind Farm</span>

Biglow Canyon Wind Farm is an electricity generating wind farm facility in Sherman County, Oregon, United States. It is owned by Portland, Oregon-based Portland General Electric and began operations in 2007. With the completion of phase 3 of the project it has a generating capacity of 450 megawatts. It is located roughly five miles (8 km) northeast of Wasco, Oregon, and about ten miles (16 km) southeast of Rufus, Oregon. Biglow Canyon Wind Farm covers 25,000 acres (10,000 ha) in the Columbia River Gorge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Energy Conservation</span>

PECI is a private, non-profit American company based in Portland, Oregon with additional offices in Santa Ana, California and San Francisco, California. PECI designs and manages energy efficiency programs for utility providers, government organizations, and other clients. Some of the organizations PECI has worked with include the U.S. Department of Energy, Avista, Wal-mart, Southern California Edison, the Community Energy Project, Energy Trust of Oregon, Pacific Gas & Electric and the San Diego Natural History Museum.

The U.S. state of Oregon is the third largest renewable energy producing state in the United States. Hydroelectric power dominates the power market in Oregon, providing nearly two-thirds of the electricity generated in the state, although it accounts for only 38.91% of the total percentage consumed when electricity imported from other states is accounted for. Natural gas is the second largest source of energy consumption in Oregon, that being one third of Oregon's net power generation. This is mostly due to recent reserves of natural gas being found in Coos Bay, OR. As well as persistent extraction from the Mist Field in northwest Oregon, near Astoria. The energy used in Oregon comes mainly from hydroelectric power at 38.91%, coal at 26.47%, natural gas at 21.50%, and wind at 7.01%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar power in Oregon</span>

Solar power has been growing in the U.S. state of Oregon in recent years due to new technological improvements and a variety of regulatory actions and financial incentives enacted by the state government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic policy of the United States</span>

The Arctic policy of the United States is the foreign policy of the United States in regard to the Arctic region. In addition, the United States' domestic policy toward Alaska is part of its Arctic policy.

Modern United States wind energy policy coincided with the beginning of modern wind industry of the United States, which began in the early 1980s with the arrival of utility-scale wind turbines in California at the Altamont Pass wind farm. Since then, the industry has had to endure the financial uncertainties caused by a highly fluctuating tax incentive program. Because these early wind projects were fueled by investment tax credits based on installation rather than performance, they were plagued with issues of low productivity and equipment reliability. Those investment tax credits expired in 1986, which forced investors to focus on improving the reliability and efficiency of their turbines. The 1990s saw rise to a new type of tax credit, the production tax credit, which propelled technological improvements to the wind turbine even further by encouraging investors to focus on electricity output rather than installation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydropower policy of the United States</span>

Hydropower policy in the United States includes all the laws, rules, regulations, programs and agencies that govern the national hydroelectric industry. Federal policy concerning waterpower developed over considerable time before the advent of electricity, and at times, has changed considerably, as water uses, available scientific technologies and considerations developed to the present day; over this period the priority of different, pre-existing and competing uses for water, flowing water and its energy, as well as for the water itself and competing available sources of energy have changed. Increased population and commercial demands spurred this developmental growth and many of the changes since, and these affect the technology's use today.

Smart grid policy in the United States refers to legislation and other governmental orders influencing the development of smart grids in the United States.

Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Energy Trust offers services, cash incentives, and other stuff to customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas, and Avista in Oregon and customers of NW Natural in Washington.

Conservation Services Group (CSG) is a nonprofit energy efficiency and renewable energy company that has provided program design and management services to energy efficiency program sponsors and energy professionals in the United States since 1984. CSG was bought by CLEAResult in July 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home energy upgrades from public utilities</span> HVAC and power improvements to residences offered by service providers

Home energy upgrades from public utilities are added home energy efficiency and renewable energy features planned or installed by public utilities. Help from a public utility can make it easier for a homeowner to select, install or operate climate-friendly components. The utility might assist with coordinated use of utility-supplied energy, building features, financing, operating options and neighborhood supplied energy.

References

  1. NW Council. "Northwest Power Act". Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  2. Sickinger, Ted (2009-08-11). "Efficiency can help Northwest meet 85% of new electricity demand". The Oregonian . Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  3. Preusch, Matthew (2010-02-10). "Conservation efforts will play key role in meeting Northwest's energy needs". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2010-03-06.