This post was written by Nick Engelfried, a volunteer for Sierra Club and one of the organizers of the Paint Past Coal event.
On Tuesday students and supporters involved in the Beyond Coal campaign used art to put our vision of Oregon’s clean energy future on canvas as part of an event titled Paint Past Coal.
Give the gang at Coal Free Oregon some credit for coming up with new ways to keep their cause in the news.
PGE's coal fired Boardman Power Plant. Photo from Ted Timmons
The news must have landed at PGE like a ton of coal.
Oregon DEQ says its looking at three options for an early closure of PGE’s coal-fired power plant at Boardman. They call on the utility to spend millions more to keep the plant running, or shutting it down a lot earlier than PGE wants.
PGE's coal-fired power plant near Boardman, OR. Photo from Brian Pasko.
The campaign to shut down Oregon’s only coal-fired power plant by 2014 just got some big news.
The Department of Environmental Quality says it will recommend that the state reject PGE’s proposal to close the Boardman power plant by 2020, and take some additional time to study alternatives for an early shut down.
PGE's coal-fired power plant near Boardman, OR. Photo from Brian Pasko.
During my attempts to keep up with the big news about Bradwood Landing, I missed another good story last night.
DEQ held a public meeting about renewing air quality permits for PGE’s coal fired power plant near Boardman.
According to the Oregon Sierra Club, the place was jammed with people wanting to speak out.
PGE's coal fired Boardman Power Plant. Photo from Ted Timmons
Environmental groups hope they’ve found another way to force an early closure of Oregon’s only coal fired power plant, the PGE facility near Boardman.
The idea is to make PGE to spend so much money on pollution controls, the utility will decide that shutting down Boardman will be cheaper than cleaning it up.
PGE's coal fired Boardman Power Plant. Photo from Ted Timmons
PGE’s coal fired power plant near Boardman has what can be described as an infamous reputation among environmentalists.
It’s the single biggest source of carbon emissions in the state, a major contributor to haze pretty much everywhere, and a big reason why we have acid rain problems in the Gorge. It’s also the only coal fired power plant in Oregon, which makes it something of a target for clean air advocates.
But just to make sure you understand everything that’s wrong with Boardman, the Oregon Sierra Club is holding an event Tuesday night to tell you all about it.
This weekend, Environment Oregon released its take on PGE’s proposal to close the coal-fired power plant near Boardman. The group has been active in the campaign to close Boardman by 2014. PGE’s most current plan is to shut it down by 2020.
The EO statement calls the announcement, “A major milestone on Oregon’s path to a 100 percent clean, renewable energy future.” And it’s generally more optimistic in tone that what we’ve heard from the Oregon Sierra Club.
But the statement includes a new angle to the debate over 2014 or 2020.
PGE's coal-fired power plant near Boardman, OR. Photo from Brian Pasko.
In the campaign to shut down the coal-fired power plant at Boardman, the Oregon Sierra Club isn’t ready to declare victory.
Doing so might have been understandable.
PGE’s decision to close Boardman by 2020, two decades ahead of schedule, is major news. It’s an acknowledgment that its cheaper to shut down the plant early, rather than pay a half billion dollars for new emissions controls.
It means 20 fewer years for the state’s only coal-fired power plant, our biggest single source of greenhouse gases, and a major source of haze, mercury and acid rain in the Gorge.
Instead, the Sierra Club is moving forward with its campaign to shut down Boardman by 2014. Here’s why.
