Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign

Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign

Presentation to the

Northwest Power and Conservation Council

July 15, 2009

Dan Ritzman, Western Regional Director

Presentations

Conservation panel– Dan Ritzman, Sierra Club– Lisa Adatto, Climate Solutions– Catherine Thomasson, Physicians for

Social Responsibility

Guest presenter– Mark Buckley, Senior Economist, ECO

Northwest

Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign

- No new coal plants

- End destructive mining practices

- Put existing coal plants on retirement path

Coal Free Northwest

– Retire in-region coal plants

– Replace imported coal electricity

Sierra Club and Citizen Engagement

Thousands rally for Clean Air, No Coal at EPA Endangerment Finding Hearing

Seattle: May 2009

Citizens Across Northwest Speak Out

Billings, MT, conference on phasing out coal; ushering in clean energy and clean energy jobs

Clean energy goals for 6th Power Plan

Sierra Club supports:– Vision statement: “reduced use of coal will be

required… to meet carbon emission reduction goals.”

– Full accounting for carbon– 1,400 aMW of efficiency for the 5-year plan– Strong efficiency and renewables for the 20-year

plan

1. Keep coal in the vision statement

“to reduce or even stabilize CO2 production beyond 2005 will likely require replacing existing coal-fired power plants with low CO2-emitting resources.”

-- NW Power Planning and

Conservation Council NWPPC “Global warming in the NW”

http://www.nwcouncil.org/library/2007/2007-15.pdf

2. Support full accounting for carbon

We can no longer afford to ignore the real costs of climate damage. The cost should include cost of adaptation and repair, not just emission reductions

We strongly support a cost for Carbon in the 6th plan. Current cost of $47 per ton by 2030 is too low and should be strengthened.

3. Five-year plan: maximize efficiency

Set 1,400 aMW target now to maximize energy efficiency for the 20-year plan

Fastest, most reliable, least expensive energy source, creates the most jobs

280 aMW per year, starting lower and ramping up

In 2008, region achieve 235 aMW – overreaching the regional goals.

4. 20-year plan: strong efficiency, renewable goals

Set 5,800 aMW efficiency (build off 1,400 goal for short-term)

Maintain and strengthen RPS– Assume RPS achieved in states– Lead the region, states and utilities in ramping up

renewable investments– Signal to strengthen, not weaken, RPS in states

Scientists call for more aggressive action – NW in danger of falling behind

“Climate Change odds much worse than thought.” – MIT News Office, May 19, 2009

“At least 35% below 1990 levels by 2020.” – Schneider, Oppenheimer, Lovejoy et al

letter to Congress, March 2009

IPCC calls for 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020 Regional governments only 15-20% below current

levels: we need to do more

Science Opposes Coal

“Atmospheric CO2 can be successfully constrained only if

coal use is phased out…”

- Dr. James Hansen

NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Coal Hazards Beyond CO2

Mining Water quality Waste materials: fly ash (Colstrip

contamination), slurry Air emissions: soot, haze, nitrous oxide,

sulfur dioxide, mercury+ dozens of other hazardous air toxins

“As proposed, the TransAlta plant would cause the greatest visibility impact to our national parks and wilderness areas of any coal fired power plant across the

United States.” National Parks Service, Seattle Times, April 7, 2009

It’s America’s only national scenic area. But the Columbia River Gorge has some of the worst air pollution of any rural area in the West…One major source of gorge haze is Portland General Electric’s coal-fired plant east of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Boardman, Ore. The Columbian September 26, 2007

A single gram of mercury…

…has the ability to contaminate 20 acres of lake over time…

Courtesy of NPS

…Centralia alone has the ability to contaminate 9 million acres of lake annually.

Good News – The Solution

Green/Clean Energy Economy could bring more than 60,000 jobs to the region in the next decade.

6th Power Plan: a new mandate

Historically, the power plans are focused on meeting new load growth

Now the Council must aggressively pursue replacing existing fossil resources, especially coal, with efficiency and renewables

Never has the urgency for action been so clear Never has the work of the Power Council been so

important