A lot of the coal power that is used in Oregon actually comes from Wyoming and Montana. In order to accelerate the transition towards renewables and promote local job growth, the state legislature is currently considering two bills that would forbid imports of coal power. Elizabeth Hardee reports from Oregon. It’s easy to think of Oregon as a sustainability leader among states. We’re passionate about the quality of our air and water, and we’ve recently become only the second state in the country to adopt a low carbon fuel standard, called the Oregon Clean Fuels Program. With so much attention paid to our health and environment, it might be surprising for some Oregonians to learn that the amount of power we get from renewable resources isn’t 100%; in fact, the state still uses coal for about one third of its power needs. We only have one coal-fired power plant in the state, the Boardman facility, which will stop using coal by 2020. Most of the coal power we use comes from out of state, primarily … Continue reading A transition from coal to clean energy