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| October 16, 2009 |
Water Quality & Quantity, Water Research, Watershed Planning |
Northwest power plan includes fewer fossil fuel plants, more conservation
Proposals to forego future fossil fuel power plants and wring more conservation savings out of the Pacific Northwest electricity market pleased many attendees at Tuesday night's Northwest Power and Conservation Council public hearing in Missoula.
But local electricity utility managers worried that the council's draft electricity plan for the next five years set unreasonable conservation targets and failed to consider Montana's rural nature. Unlike the industrial power users of Oregon and Washington's Interstate 5 corridor, most Montana utilities serve residential customers who can't make large-scale reductions in their power use.
The two-hour hearing was one of several that council members offered in the four-state area. They are gathering feedback for the Northwest 6th Power Plan, which governs electricity generated from Columbia River Basin. It also controls fish and wildlife improvement programs in areas affected by the river basin dams and power plants. Public comment on the draft plan is open until Nov. 6.
[The information presented in News & Announcements has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, although its accuracy is not guaranteed. The views expressed in items posted to News & Announcements do not necessarily reflect those of the Montana Water Center or its employees.]