Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2020)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020 FRI, SAT, SUN ONLY! Market LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED WHERE THE MEAT LOVER’S SHOP A stacker reclaimer digs up scoops of coal to feed the Boardman plant. Coal: For all the environmental benefi ts, the closure of the plant has a human cost Continued from Page A2 fuel” at a plant like Board- man, said Matt Krumenauer, vice president of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. According to Krume- nauer, torrefaction has ben- efi ts beyond the bottom line. It fi nds use for low-value wood, which in turn sup- ports local timber jobs and can help make rural Ore- gon safer. Krumenauer, who is also the CEO of Resto- ration Fuels, said torrefac- tion can lead to a “reduction in wildfi re smoke, reduction of overall wildfi res.” Restoration Fuels is focused on exporting torre- fi ed biomass to factories in Europe and Asia. But the long-term goal is to create a local market for biomass and the power it can cre- ate. Krumenauer and Res- toration Fuels are building the fi rst North American commercial scale facility in John Day, set to open this summer. Due to high transporta- tion costs, however, it can be expensive to implement torrefaction in less-wooded terrain. Just driving the bio- mass three hours from the dry pine forests of John Day to the sage desert of Board- man would cost about $300 per load — and that doesn’t include the costs of cut- ting, loading or chipping the lumber. Because of that, “you’re at a loss for every single ton of biomass you use,” said Krumenauer. That proved a fatal blow to the transformation of the Boardman plant. It would simply cost too much to transport tons of torrefi ed biomass to be worthwhile. Torrefaction was axed from consideration, and with it any hope that the plant would remain in operation. “That story is over,” said Corson. “We will decom- mission it.” Human cost For all the environmental benefi ts, the closure of the plant has a human cost. In addition to prior staff reduc- tions, Boardman employs 67 full-time workers who earn an average salary of nearly $110,000 per year — well above the county, state and national averages. In addi- tion, contractors and local vendors, such as Board- man’s fuels and lubricants distributor, will also lose an important customer. “Those are coveted jobs,” said Morrow County Com- missioner Don Russell, who said the plant has helped support the Boardman econ- omy for decades. Plant manager Dave Rodgers said he was able to send his children to col- lege thanks to a career at the plant. His daughter now works for NASA and his son is an accountant in Portland. In addition to providing livable paychecks, Portland General Electric supported the community in other ways. “If you needed some- one to coach a Little League team or be involved in the local chamber of commerce, there’s always been PGE employees involved in that,” said Commissioner Russell. When the plant closes, Corson said some employ- ees will retire, some will be FRESH MEAT SPECIALS OF THE WEEK 80/20 LEAN GROUND BEEF FAMILY PACK ‘NO EMPLOYEE IN GOOD STANDING WILL LEAVE THE COMPANY WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF OUR SUPPORT AS THEY MAKE THIS TRANSITION.’ $ 99 2 Steve Corson | Portland General Electric spokesperson transferred to other plants around the state and others may attend Blue Mountain Community College, where Portland General Electric is funding a scholarship program. “No employee in good standing will leave the com- pany without the benefi t of our support as they make this transition,” said Corson. A new wind Even though the coal plant will close, residents of Morrow County are already preparing for a new energy future. The county will con- tinue to remain an important seat in the regional energy transmission system, and for Portland General Electric . “We’ll have a very strong presence in Morrow County for a long time to come,” said Corson. As part of the state’s push toward renewable energy and away from high emis- sions produced by coal, Portland General Electric and Pacifi c Power, along with organizations such as the Oregon Environmental Council, Northwest Energy Coalition and Sierra Club, came together to support the 2016 Oregon Clean Electric- ity & Coal Transition Plan. The plan called for Oregon to double the use of new renewable energy in the state to 50% by 2040 and end coal generation entirely. Portland General Electric developed its own goal to reduce 80% of its 1990 level emissions by 2050. To help meet that mark, they part- nered with NextEra Energy. According to NextEra, the company is the “world’s largest generator of renew- able energy from the wind and sun.” The company has a generation capacity of 21,000 megawatts, a major- ity of which is produced by their 119 wind farms spread across North America. The two companies are working together on build- ing a renewable energy facility across both Morrow and Umatilla counties that would be one of the coun- try’s largest. The 380-mega- watt Wheatridge Renewable Energy facility will convert wind and solar energy to produce roughly two-thirds of the energy that the coal plant did — with none of the air pollution emissions. Port of Morrow Director Ryan Neal said Wheatridge, and projects like it, “are crit- ical to the growth and econ- omy of the region.” The new energy facil- ity will also have an impact through Strategic Invest- ment Program agreements that will help fund educa- tional programs for Mor- row County students. A SIP agreement means that after the fi rst $25 million in tax- able income, the companies will pay a portion of their income to local entities in lieu of property taxes. The county has a 15-year SIP agreement with Wheat- ridge. If built to its full potential, the project could lead to nearly $5 million in annual SIP payments to Morrow County. Legislation When Gov. Kate Brown signed the Oregon Clean Electricity & Coal Transi- tion Plan in 2016, she com- mitted Oregon to be the fi rst state in the nation to end coal-fi red power. Rebecca Smith saw the Boardman closure as a sign that “Oregon was on the bleeding edge” of America’s transition away from coal. “In Oregon, we like to do it our own way,” she said. “We’re not following the ‘California solution’ or any- thing like that. We’re like, ‘OK, we have this much hydro, we have these peo- ple, these are our costs, these are the protections we want, this is how we’re going to approach it.’” Across the country and the world, the eco- nomic argument for renew- able energy is strengthen- ing, while the economic and environmental arguments for coal weaken. The cost of generating solar energy has dropped 89% in the p ast decade, while wind power costs have dropped 70%, according to global fi nancial advise rs at Lazard. A com- pany that generates power with solar energy rather than coal now makes an addi- tional $69 per megawatt hour. “I see this as the future of electricity generation,” said Smith. “Oregon is moving towards cleaner, and frankly cheaper, electricity.” Companies have noticed the economic forces at play. Over the next two decades, more than 30 coal proj- ects from Montana to Ari- zona are scheduled to close. Many, like in Boardman, are closing well before the end of their design life. “The push for decarbon- ization and clean electricity is also happening globally,” said Smith. “And Oregon is defi nitely part of that march forward.” In Morrow County, that march includes the clo- sure of the state’s last coal plant and the construction of one of the nation’s largest renewable energy facilities. The closing is hard for people like Rodgers , who spilled a career’s worth of sweat at the plant, and for Russell, who must pay the county’s bills and balance its budget. But both said there is a sense of pride in Board- man and hope for the future of energy production in the region. “I can honestly say I feel really proud about what we did here” said Rodgers. Later, he noted that “change happens … life goes on.” Nick Rosenberger is a reporter with the Cata- lyst Journalism Project at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. WHOLE BONELESS PORK LOIN T-BONE STEAK OR NY STRIP STEAK $ 99 1 lb $ 99 7 lb lb GROCERY BUSH BAKED BEANS SELECTED VARIETIES 28OZ 2 FOR $ 00 4 MIX A SIX CREATE YOUR OWN 6-PACK FROM 36 DIFFERENT NORTHWEST CRAFT BEERS $ 99 9 FRESH PRODUCE NW BING CHERRIES $ 3 99 lb HAPPY FATHERS DAY! STOP BY FOR OUR FATHERS DAY WEEKEND SPECIALS! YOU CAN VIEW OUR FULL AD SEVERAL WAYS ONLINE AT www.MainStSelect.com facebook.com/MainStSelectMarket IN STORE find our printed ad 191 S. Main Ave., Warrenton 503-861-2271 ww.MainStSelect.com
