The public comment period on Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber’s DRAFT 10 Year Energy Action Plan closed on July 31st. This ambitious plan drew comments from interested parties around the state including three public outreach meetings in Klamath Falls, Bend, and Gresham. The Energy Trust of Oregon hosted an informal lunch session on the Plan with Margi Hoffman, Energy Policy Adviser to the Governor in late July which supplemented a number of input sessions for stakeholders in the state. NEEC submitted comments on the Plan endorsing both its scope and specific features. Most notably the Plan calls on the state to meet 100% of its electric load growth through energy efficiency. It argues for needed innovation in approach and regulation to accomplish both energy efficiency goals and for critical improvement to energy infrastructure in the state. Recognizing Oregon’s GHG emissions from transportation, the Plan also establishes goals for alternative fuel vehicle deployment in the state.
Two NEEC Board members, John Morris of Fluid Market Strategies and Phil Welker of PECI, authored an Opinion column in the Salem Statesman Journal endorsing the Plan. That opinion piece can be viewed here. The next steps in the process anticipate a review of comments by the Governor’s staff and a finalization of this guiding document for Oregon’s energy future.