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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2009)
EDITORIAL 2 • The Southwest Portland Post October 2009 PGE should go green, close its Boardman coal-fired plant in 2011 FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK By Don Snedecor The Southwest Portland Post On the outside, Portland General Electric’s green campaign appears to do what the company’s liberal customers want it to do. PGE says it is encourag- ing customers to pay extra for sustain- able power that comes from renewable resources. And although the utility can’t dif- ferentiate between the green power and the polluting power, we are asked to do the right thing. But what the fresh-faced youths at PGE’s outdoor booths aren’t telling you is that the executives at the government- regulated monopoly have no intention of giving up the coal-fired plant at Boardman, the worst of the utility’s polluting power plants. According to PGE’s Integrated Re- source Plan (September 2009), the utility can no longer depend on previously abundant hydro-electric power. “The Boardman plant currently serves about 15 percent of our customers’ electricity needs and provides a reliable, low-cost source of power.” The PGE report goes on to say, “From a portfolio perspective, the [Board- man] plant provides important fuel diversity and benefits from the relative abundance and stable pricing of coal. An early closure would trigger the need to consider a major replacement resource during a timeframe in which additional resource needs are already considerable.” Too bad! Community pressure is what caused PGE to move up closure of its Trojan nuclear plant, and community pressure is required to force the utility into closing the Boardman plant. “PGE’s coal-fired power plant in Boardman is the single largest source of air pollution affecting the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area,” said Michael Lang, Conservation Director for Friends of the Columbia Gorge. “Pollution from this power plant is obscuring views, damaging ecosys- tems, and causing acid rain and fog that are likely harming Native American cultural resources. PGE should pull the plug on this aging polluter and move toward greater energy efficiency and renewable sources,” said Lang. It’s true that new Oregon Depart- ment of Environmental Quality regula- tions call for $600 million in pollution controls to keep the Boardman plant operating until 2040. However, according to the Sierra 7825 SW 36th Ave Suite #203 Portland, OR 97219 Phone: (503) 244-6933; Fax: (866) 727-5336 general email: news@multnomahpost.com web address: www.multnomahpost.com Editor & Publisher: Don Snedecor Reporters/Writers: Polina Olsen, Lee Perlman, Allison Voigts Retail Advertising Manager: Harry Blythe Graphic Design: Leslie Baird Design Printing: Oregon Lithoprint © 2009 by The Southwest Portland Post. All rights reserved. The opinions of the artists and authors contained herein are not necessarily shared by the publisher. Deadline for news and advertising is generally the 15th of the month prior to publication. Please call for current deadline information. Advertising rates are available upon request. The Post has a circulation of 10,000 in Multnomah Village and the surrounding neighborhood business districts including Burlingame, Capitol Hill, Garden Home, Glen Cullen, Hillsdale, South Portland, Raleigh Hills, West Portland and Vermont Hills. The Post is published on or about the 1st of every month. Subscriptions are $14 per year. Back issues are $2.50 each when available. All major credit cards accepted. The Post is printed on recycled newsprint using soy-based inks. Club, none of these new emission controls will curb the 5 million tons of carbon dioxide released by the plant annually. That carbon pollution will become increasingly costly as more laws mandate reductions. Some environmentalists are calling for a closure of the Boardman plant by 2020. But PGE officials have been quoted as saying the utility can’t con- sider the 2020 closure because of the new DEQ regulations. Forget about 2020. Closing the Board- man plant in 2011 would help save the planet, Oregon’s environment, and save the utility the $600 milllion it would spend over the next 30 years in DEQ- required pollution control equipment. From an environmentalist’s per- spective, this is a no-brainer. The cost difference is approximately one half of one percent per year over 30 years. PGE should put its money where its mouth is. If the utility is really serious about transitioning from coal-fired and gas- fired plants to the utilization of renew- able resources, then it should close the Boardman plant immediately and put (Continued on Page 6) PoSt ClaSSified adS Call don oR HaRRy - 503-244-6933 Office Space Massage Healing Touch Massage Artsy, quiet space in the new Village Offices lo- cated at 2929 SW Multnomah Blvd. Five spaces left in this three-story building with free parking, waiting rooms and conference room. Spaces from 280 SF to 470 SF. Rent starts at $735/month, all utilities included. Contact Jacobsen Real Estate Group at 503-675-3925. 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