Coal free Oregon

Sometimes a lawsuit is exactly what a company needs to do something right. Portland General Electric (PGE) has now proposed a plan to close the Boardman coal plant at an earlier date than originally planned.

The Boardman coal plant is the last remaining coal plant in Oregon and accounts for 15 percent of PGE’s power generation. But the coal plant pumps a generous portion of pollution into the air, and having a plan to close it down and reduce emissions would be beneficial to environment.

Oregon prides itself on its natural beauty, and we need to stop putting all of these emissions into the environment. Boardman is Oregon’s largest generator of greenhouse gas emissions, smog and haze.

PGE wants to terminate the coal plant in less than 10 years. In addition to the Boardman plant shutting down by 2020, PGE’s proposed plan is looking at cutting down the release of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide by more than half in 2014. Sulfur dioxide will be cut down by 75 percent by 2018.

Nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide cause haze and acid rain, and while these things are horrible realities of the Boardman coal plant, it is important to acknowledge that PGE is planning on cutting down on the emissions the plant produces even before the plant closes its doors.

PGE is under scrutiny, however, because it faces a lawsuit from the Sierra Club and others who are saying that efforts and expansions for more power at the coal plant in 1998 and 2004 did not come with pollution controls, creating damage in the area. Recently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cited PGE because of Boardman’s pollution controls.

This plan is reasonable and timely. With the schedule the plan lays out, it gives PGE some time to figure out another energy source—one that does not do the same amount as damage as a coal plant.

Coal is used because its large supply makes it easy to obtain, and it is relatively cheap compared to other resources. Pending EPA approval of its plan, PGE is looking at alternatives to coal. Some possibilities to use as a coal alternative include wind, solar and biomass energy.

Generally speaking, there is not a shortage of wind in Oregon. Because wind does not require any fuel, it can generate electricity as long as there is air blowing. Wind turbines, however, are expensive at first and can create a lot of noise. There is also the possibility of birds flying into the turbines. The use of wind as an energy source could also just play a small part in the replacement of coal.

Another possibility to replace the coal energy is biomass. Biomass is the utilization of energy stored in organic matter. It is, essentially, recycling at its finest. Some examples of biomass include wood (such as sawdust), crops, animal waste, bone and leaves. Biomass is pretty much found anywhere, and while burning it may produce carbon dioxide just as fossil fuels do, it produces less harmful pollutants. It could be just the answer Oregon is looking for.

Solar energy is another energy possibility. One option to utilize solar energy is solar panels on the roofs of buildings. While the initial cost of solar energy can seem steep to some, it is cheaper because it does not need fuel. Solar energy is also completely pollution-free, which is a big change from coal’s high pollution rate.

It is definitely a good development that PGE is pushing for an earlier shut-down date than 2040 for the Boardman coal plant. With the plan of closing by 2020 and reducing emissions along the way, it seems that PGE is doing something right, even while under severe scrutiny.

Hopefully, the plan will get approved and PGE will be able to move forward in finding another energy alternative to coal—ideally, one that will be cost-efficient and lower on the pollution scale than the coal plant was. PGE has made mistakes in the past with the coal plant, but it is important to recognize the good the company is trying to do now.?