Good news for climate, clean air and clean energy

Portland General Electric announced yesterday that they will shut down their coal plant based in Boardman in 2020.  This is good news for the climate since electricity generation is responsible for about one third of Oregon’s emissions. It is also good news for those of us that prefer clean air and less mercury accumulating in our rivers, fish, and bodies. Finally it is good news for the future of clean, climate-friendly energy development in Oregon as the closure of a 500 megawatt coal plant opens the door for new investments in energy efficiency and large scale renewable power.

PGE should be commended for taking a prudent look at its energy investments and committing to a coal-free future. That said, 2020 is still ten years away, a timeline that is too long to help Oregon meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal (10% below 1990 levels). The good news today is that the conversation has finally turned to not if we will shutter this coal plant, but when, and PGE has indicated its willingness to sit down with its stakeholders and DEQ to map out an appropriate schedule for closure. Oregonians only stand to gain by working toward an earlier phase-out of the plant.