Olympia — The Sierra Club and other critics of coal-fired power delivered an estimated 10,000 signatures from consumers to Puget Sound Energy on Wednesday, urging the private utility to wean itself off coal-fired power from Montana.
The environmental group held a short late-morning event in the state Capitol Rotunda and handed out a failing grade to PSE for its use of coal power to fill about 30 percent of its electrical demand in Washington. But it also gave the privately owned utility higher grades for effort – including an A-minus for use of wind energy, B-minus for solar and B-plus for energy efficiency programs.
Club spokesman Doug Howell said the goal is to encourage PSE to keep moving toward renewable energy as it has been, and away from coal.
Bob Guenther of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers joined the event but said he is concerned that any transition from coal be accompanied by a program to boost alternative power production in Washington state and avoiding a spike in power rates that drives out industry from Washington.
Guenther, who is from Lewis County, said tighter federal environmental rules are in the works that put some power plants at risk and he wants to ensure any transition for replacing the Montana power doesn’t kill jobs; he noted a coal plant at Centralia will operate until 2025 under a phase-out agreement with the state.
Mary Moore of the League of Women Voters in Olympia said a coal-free Northwest would lead to less air and water pollution.
The state Utilities and Transportation Commission told PSE in February that regulators need more information to know that continued use of coal-fired electricity from Montana is justified — or that it is not — over the long term.
In a non-binding letter to PSE, the UTC said PSE’s analysis of its energy and investment needs came up short and was inconclusive when it came to investments in four power plants located at Colstrip, Mont.
In a mid-range scenario, the UTC said PSE would need to invest $24.1 million by 2015 another $45.6 million by 2018 in its two older plants. In more expensive scenarios, it could have to invest $130 million by 2015 and $71.1 million more by 2018 in its two older plants. The UTC said it wanted more information on costs associated with closing down the plants, too.
Last month, Olympia Mayor Stephen Buxbaum wrote a letter — backed by his City Council — to PSE chief executive Kimberly Harris to commend its steps to use cleaner energy. But he also asked about its transition away from coal and what would be needed to get entirely out of coal.
PSE provides electricity in all or part of eight Western Washington counties including Thurston, and the company has contended its least cost option for ratepayers is to continue operating the Colstrip facilities.
“We’re happy to hear from our customers no matter the channel,” PSE spokesman Grant Ringel said Wednesday of the petitions. “We hear from our costumers every day that they want cleaner energy and that they want affordable bills. That’s what we’re continuing to try to provide as regulations change, as technology changes and as the world changes.”
Gov. Jay Inslee issued an executive order in April in his quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and he ordered agencies to work with utilities toward ending the use of coal power in Washington. He also named PSE’s Harris to his carbon-emissions reduction task force.
“It’s good to have a seat at the table and be able to represent what we’re hearing from our customers – both on the strong desire to have cleaner energy and to afford the bill at the end of the month,” Ringel said.
