Adams' office announced late yesterday afternoon that PGE will make Oregon's only coal plant coal-free by 2020, but the details about what this means for Portland's immediate energy future are unclear.
About 40 percent of Portland's energy comes from coal, a significant portion of that from Boardman. So if Oregon goes coal free, does that mean our energy rates will skyrocket as we fill the gap with newer, more expensive fuels?
Adams responds that Oregon's energy rates will go up in the future whether or not the state sticks with coal. To meet state and federal environmental regulations, coal plants will need to install expensive filtering equipment, says Adams. State regulators were pushing Boardman, for example, to install $400-700 million in environmental upgrades to cut back on emissions of chemicals that cause cancer and lung problems.
"The days of reliance on cheap coal are over," says Adams. Though PGE has not yet released the details of how it will phase out coal, Adams says the company has been working with his office and the Sierra Club to partner on Portland's energy efficiency program Portland Clean Works, which would cut some of the need for power by cutting local energy use.
Adams' office posted a short video today of the fleece-clad mayor stopping by Boardman on his summer vacation.
