A Lump Of Coal For PGE, Protest Day In Portland

Give the gang at Coal Free Oregon some credit for coming up with new ways to keep their cause in the news.

On Tuesday, they’re holding a Paint Past Coal event in downtown Portland. What’s it all about? Here’s a quote from their latest email.

8am – 11:45am: We’ll be at Waterfront Park, filling in a painting that depicts the transition to clean energy in Oregon. We will meet at 8:00 at SW Salmon and Naito Parkway, but will still be in the park nearby if you arrive after that time.

Shortly before noon we will head over to PGE’s Portland offices for a sidewalk rally and press conference. Student speakers will explain why this event is so important in the fight for clean energy.

You can get some more information from the event’s Facebook Page. When I last checked, 35 people said they were going to show up and another 100 were on the “Maybe” list. If you trust the National Weather Service, it’ll be a lovely 65 degrees when the event starts but will rise to 80 degrees just in time for the Noon press conference.

Coal Free Oregon is just one of the groups trying make sure state regulators close the coal-fired Boardman power plant well ahead of the current 2040 deadline. Along with the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, they support a plan by Oregon DEQ to close the plant in either late 2015 or early 2016. In return, PGE would avoid paying about $465 million in new pollution controls.

On the other hand, PGE is still aiming for a 2020 closure, but only if it can skip about $500 million worth of pollution controls.

Whatever happens, any plan need the approval of both DEQ and the state’s Public Utility Commission.

For More Information:

DEQ: Proposal For Early Shutdown of Boardman

Portland General Electric: Boardman Plant Air Emissions

Related Story:

Game Changer: DEQ Takes A Fresh Look At Shutting Down Boardman

Tags: boardman power plant, coal burning power plants, coal free oregon