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Columbia Gorge News
Coal-powered plant shuts down
Clean energy
sources will
replace lost
power
Portland General Electric
Company announced Oct. 17
it has permanently shuttered
its Boardman Generating
Station in Eastern Oregon’s
Morrow County. The closure
fulfills an agreement PGE
reached with stakeholders,
customer groups and regu-
lators in 2010 to significantly
reduce air emissions from
power production in Oregon
by ending operations at
Boardman 20 years ahead of
schedule and transitioning
to cleaner energy resources.
Boardman is the only coal-
fired power plant in Oregon.
PGE has a 90 percent owner-
ship share of the plant. Idaho
Power owns the remaining 10
percent.
While the plant was oper-
ating, air quality studies in
the Columbia River Gorge by
the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality found
the plant contributed to
poor air quality in the region
during certain atmospheric
conditions.
“Our customers are count-
ing on us to deliver a clean
energy future,” PGE President
and CEO Maria Pope said
in a news release. “PGE’s
Boardman closure is a major
step on our path to meeting
Oregon’s greenhouse gas
emissions reduction goals
and transforming our system
to reliably serve our cus-
tomers with a cleaner, more
sustainable energy mix.”
Boardman’s closure has
been factored into PGE’s
resource plans since 2010,
so the company could take
steps to ensure there’ll
be enough electricity to
continue reliable electric
service to customers after
the plant’s shutdown. No
single generator will replace
the facility. Instead, a mix of
resources including five-year
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
‘Indian’s
Giveaway’
event comes
Saturday
The “Columbia River
Indian’s Giveaway” event
happens Oct. 24 at Discovery
Center in The Dalles. The
socially-distanced event runs
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the
center, 5000 Discovery Drive
in The Dalles.
Tribal members may enjoy
a salmon meal and pick up
food boxes and clothing. To
donate, find the event on
Facebook.
Pickup times are: Lone
The Boardman Generating Station, above, has been shut down. The plant was Oregon’s only coal-pow-
ered electricity generating plant. According to Portland General Electric Company, which owns the
plant, the early shutdown is “a major step on our path to meeting Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions
reduction goals and transforming our system to reliably serve our customers with a cleaner, more sus-
tainable energy mix.”
File photo/PGE
B7
Pine, 10 a.m.; Cloudsville, 11
a.m.; Lyle Point, noon; Cooks
Landing, 1 p.m.; Cascade
Locks, 2 p.m.
Participants have the
chance to win drawing for a
10,000-watt hybrid gas-pro-
pane generator.
The event is held in
alliance with the Discovery
Center, Praisealujah, Celilo
Restaurant and Bar, and
Columbia River Indian
Center.
Parklets Time
“Our customers are counting on us to deliver a NextEra. The Wheatridge
farm is currently in
clean-energy future.” wind
the final stages of construc-
tion and will be online this
year. The solar and storage
resources will be constructed
contracts with the Bonneville during peak times) to create a in 2021 and are expected to
Power Administration,
cleaner, more resilient power be online before the end of
Washington’s Douglas
next year.
system for the future.
County PUD, and other
Some Boardman employ-
One new renewable power
independent suppliers has
resource that will help serve ees will continue with the
been added to PGE’s energy PGE customers and con-
plant during 2021 to conduct
portfolio to meet near-term
environmental cleanup and
tribute to a healthy econo-
needs; a request for pro-
ready the facility for demoli-
my in the Morrow County
community going forward
tion and removal beginning
posals for additional long
in 2022, while others will re-
term, non-emitting capacity is Wheatridge — a facility
PGE is building with NextEra tire, move to other positions
resources is in the planning
Energy Resources just south with PGE, or leave the com-
stages and is expected to be
and east of Boardman, with
conducted next year.
pany. The company provided
The company is also bring- 300 megawatts of wind
a comprehensive retention
and 50 megawatts of solar,
and severance plan as well as
ing online energy storage,
augmented by 30 mega-
education and job-training
new renewable resources,
and new distributed resourc- watts of battery storage. PGE benefits to help employees
fulfill their personal goals
will own part of the wind
es like demand response
after the closure, the release
resource and purchase the
(when customers help
stated.
rest of Wheatridge’s output
balance the grid by volun-
on a long-term contract with
teering to shift energy use
Maria Pope
PGE
On street “parklets” at five Hood River businesses will be able
to stay in place until Nov. 3 following permit extension by City of
Hood River. Shown are the popular parklets at 64 Oz. Taproom
on Oak Street. Others affected are Andrew’s Pizza on Oak Street,
Double Mountain Brewery on Fourth, Stoked Coffee on Portway,
and pFriem Family Brewing. (Heights Alley Porches, at Slopeswell
Cider, have been relocated to private property in back of the cidery
on 12th Street.) “This really helps us extend our season, if the nice
weather continues,” 64 Oz. co-owner Rod Steward said. The parklet
permit extension carries the caveat that, if requested by the City
due to inclement weather, the parklets need to be removed within
48 hours, according to City Manager Rachael Fuller.
Kirby Neumann-Rea photo
WHAT’S HAPPENING
What’s Happening is a
free service of Columbia
Gorge News and may be
edited for length. Items can
also be found online on the
Columbia Gorge News web-
site (Gorge Life tab); calendar
items are updated daily.
Send items to trishaw@gor-
genews.com.
Fundraisers
■ Oct. 22-25 —
Virtual Stories of Hope.
Fundraising event for The
Next Door, Inc., at givebutter.
com/VirtualStoriesofHope.
Info at 541-386-6665 or
info@nextdoorinc.org.
■ Oct. 25 — Hymn
Marathon, beginning at
noon at Zion Lutheran, The
Dalles. Will run up to eight
continuous hours. Featuring
organist Garry Estep with
Master of Ceremonies Pastor
Tyler Beane Kelley. Pledges
and hymn requests to zion.
office.manager@gmail.com
or 541-296-9146, or stop by
Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. Pledges can also be
made at the performance.
■ Thru October — Mt.
Hood Town Hall Donation
Campaign. Goal of $10,000.
Every $25 donated gets a
ticket for a drawing for one
of 12 $100 gift cards from
participating upper valley
businesses; drawing Oct. 31.
Mail donations to Mt. Hood
Town Hall, PO Box 247,
Parkdale, OR 97041. Info at
mthoodtownhall@gmail.
com or 541-402-4448.
■ Hay Donations for
Wildfires — OSU Extension
is helping coordinate hay
donations with Oregon
Emergency Management
and TimerUnity. Go to
extension.oregonstate.
edu/announcements/live-
stock-hay-feed-donation-re-
quest.
Children and Teens
■ Oct. 27-31 — Hood
River County Library Trick-
or-Treat. Come to any of the
Hood River County Library
branches during curbside
hours for a free book (one
per person). More info at
hoodriverlibrary.org.
■ Oct. 30 — Halloween
Movie Watch Party, 7
p.m. Sponsored by the
Hood River County Library
District. Join the Teen
Discord at hoodriverlibrary.
org/discord-form; stop by
the library during curbside
hours Oct. 27-30 for a movie
goodies. Ages 13-19.
■ Tuesdays & Thursdays
— Online Homework
Help for Students and
Parents, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Tuesdays and 3:30-4:30
p.m. Thursdays; Hood
River County Library staff
available by Zoom at zoom.
us/j/91001800954. Teachers
also welcome.
■ Wednesdays — 4-H
Girls Who Code, 3:45–5 p.m.
Free. Learn coding skills,
build web pages, apps, more
as a team. For girls grades
6-12. Register at 541-298-
4004 or seapyl@oregonstate.
edu.
■ Thursdays — 4-H Coder
Club, 3:45-5 p.m. Free.
Grades 5-12; program games
and animations. Register
at 541-298-4004 or ham-
mackd@oregonstate.edu.
Exercise & Meditation
■ Sundays — Online
Heart Devotion Meditation,
9-10 a.m. at Bit.ly/heartde-
votion. For more info, call
Emily at 503-358-1949.
■ Mondays, Wednesdays
& Fridays — Strong Women
Classes, 10-11 a.m. at
Cemetery Park, Cascade
Locks.
Community Events
■ Oct. 21 — Grazing
Management Webinar for
Livestock Owners, 12:30-
1:15 p.m. Cattle and horse
grazing management for
small acreage landowners
and largescale ranch oper-
ations; alpacas and llamas
also briefly covered. Register
at beav.es/oMC.
■ Oct. 21 — Sense of
Place, 7 p.m. at mtadam-
sinstitute.org/senseofplace.
“Responding to a Pandemic:
An Indigenous Perspective”
with Emily Washines and
Chuck Sams. Free; option to
donate to support program.
■ Oct. 24 — Original
Courthouse Annual
Membership Meeting, 1:30
p.m. via conference call:
712-770-5505, access code:
148427#.
■ Oct. 27 — Hood
River Watershed Group
Virtual Meeting, 6-8 p.m.
“Steelhead Production
Monitoring Update for the
Hood River Watershed.”
RSVP to alix@hoodriverwa-
tershed.org or 541-386-6063
to receive the zoom meeting
log-in information.
■ Oct. 28 — Free
Agricultural Pesticide
Collection, 10 a.m. to noon
at Hood River Transfer
Station. Farmers and busi-
nesses ONLY of Hood River,
Wasco and Sherman coun-
ties. Registration required;
info at www.tricountyrecy-
cle.com or 541-506-2636.
■ Oct. 28 — Death Café,
7-8:30 p.m. Sponsored by
Providence Volunteers in
Action and AgePlus Circles
of Care. Limit 10 partici-
pants; register at brittany.
willson@providence.
Ongoing
■ This Summer —
Gorge Grown Mobile and
Farmers Markets: White
Salmon, Tuesdays, 4-7 p.m.
at Rheingarten Park; Lyle,
Fridays, 4-6 p.m. outside the
Lyle Activity Center, Highway
14; The Dalles, Wednesdays,
4-6 p.m. outside the Transit
Center, 802 Chenowith
Loop Road, and Saturdays,
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at City Park,
Fifth and Union; Hood
River, Fridays, noon to 2
p.m. outside Hawks Ridge
Assisted Living, Eighth and
Pacific, and Saturdays, 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m. at the Fifth and
Columbia parking lot; Odell,
first and third Thursdays, 4-6
p.m. downtown; Cascade
Locks, second and fourth
Thursdays, 4-6 p.m. outside
Brigham Fish Market, 681
WaNaPa St.; Maupin, second
and fourth Wednesdays in
Kaiser Park, Hwy. 197 and
Sixth St., noon to 2 p.m.
■ Mondays & Thursdays
— OSU Hood River County
Extension Central Gorge
Master Gardeners Virtual
Plant Clinic, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free. To receive help for your
home gardening questions,
go to extension.oregonstate.
edu/mg/hoodriver to com-
plete and submit the Plant
Clinic Submission Form, or
call and leave a message at
541-386-3343 ext. 39259.
■ Tuesdays — Mommy
Wellness Zoom Series,
noon via Zoom. Series for
moms with babies up to 2.
Free. Register at 541-296-
7319 or mcmc.net. Class
meets Tuesdays thru Nov.
17. Presented by MCMC
Outpatient Therapy and
facilitated by Gina Clark or
Laurie VanCott.
■ Wednesdays — The
Dalles Rotary Club, noon
via Zoom. Address: us02web.
zoom.us/j/693639881?p-
wd=UFlNdWw2QTZGTUR-
mRHVhY3VlZUQvQT09
(us02web.zoom.us).
■ Thursdays — The
Dalles Kiwanis Club Online
Meetings. Log in between
11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. at
TheDallesKiwanisZoom.
us. For more information go
to www.thedalleskiwanis.
org/ or The-Dalles-Kiwanis-
Club on Facebook. Oct. 22:
County Commissioner Kathy
Schwartz, Wasco County up-
date; Oct. 29: City Manager
Julie Kruger, City of The
Dalles update.
■ Fridays and Saturdays
— Hood River Valley Adult
Center Thrift Shop, 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Proceeds benefit
Meals on Wheels. Masks
must be worn and provided
hand sanitizer used.
‘BEGINNER FRIENDLY’
‘Makers’ workshops offered
Columbia Center for the
Arts and The Dalles Arts
Center are partnering to
offer a series of Makers
Workshops to inspire the
community to get creative as
winter settles in.
These beginner-friendly
workshops taught by local
artists are for adults (16 and
older) have been redesigned
for the times to provide a fun
and physically distant way
to learn and create art with
others.
Each workshop explores
the art of crafts whether it’s
weaving, natural dyeing, or
making holiday wreath and
garlands.
Workshops are limited to
six students and will be held
in the classroom studios at
CCA and TDAC.
Beginning Tapestry
Weaving — with Kristie
Strasen. Students will learn
the principles of basic
tapestry weaving working
on hand-held looms with
natural yarns.
Indigo Shibori — taught by
Carolyn Hopkins. Students
will be making tote bags and
bandanna scarves using a
traditional indigo dye bath.
Plant-Based Ink Making
— Molly Holmlund will
teach students how to make
inks from oak galls, Oregon
grape and rose petals — all
sourced from the Columbia
River Gorge.
Garland and Wreath
Making — local florist and
owner of Lucy’s Informal
Flowers, Lucy Gorman, will
teach students how to trans-
form fresh greenery and
natural plants into bountiful
wreaths and garlands for the
holidays.
For more information on
the artists and workshops
and to register for work-
shops, visit columbiaarts.
org/makers-workshops-2020
or thedallesartcenter.org/
classes.
Maker’s workshops explore variety of arts and craft.
Contributed photo