The Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. It straddles Oregon and Washington, where groups have pushed to have hydropower counted towards renewable energy generation requirements. A 2014 ballot measure may push for that in Oregon.
credit:
Amelia Templeton
SALEM, Ore. – Even as voters decide this year’s ballot measures, initiative activists are already preparing for 2014. One new measure filed in Oregon would allow more power from hydroelectric dams to be part of the state’s renewable energy requirements.
The state of Oregon requires that a certain amount of energy come from renewable sources. Hydroelectric power accounts for almost half the energy in the Northwest, and is considered a renewable source.
But, with some significant exceptions, older hydro facilities don’t count towards meeting renewable energy requirements. The aim is to spur production of newer technologies like solar and wind.
Utility companies want to change that. They say the policy is too expensive. Chief initiative petitioner Paul Cosgrove hopes the ballot measure will spur state lawmakers to act.
“We’re hopeful for a resolution that makes sense, that recognizes that all forms of renewable power should be treated as such and given credit as such,” he says.
But environmental groups oppose Cosgrove’s initiative. The state director for Environment Oregon says that the current standard has been a critical driver for the state’s large investment in better renewables.
Washington’s standards similarly exclude older hydro dams, and several attempts to change that have failed.
(This was first reported for the Northwest News Network.)
Correction: Nov. 2, 2012. An earlier version of this story misidentified the dam pictured above. It is the Bonneville Dam.
Share your experiences as part of EarthFix's Public Insight Network.
Oregon/Washington: Is there buzz in your community about coal trains or new export terminals?
Join our Public Insight Network!
EarthFix is a public media project of Oregon Public Broadcasting and Boise State Public Radio, Idaho Public Television, KCTS 9 Seattle, KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio, Northwest Public Radio and Television, Southern Oregon Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
