June 2024 Newsletter
Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board Reflects on 2023 and Looks Ahead to 2024
The Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board submitted a first-of-its-kind report to the Oregon Legislature this month, outlining the board’s work over the past year and looking ahead into 2024 and beyond.
For more than 40 years, the federal government produced plutonium for America’s nuclear weapons program at the Hanford Nuclear Site in southeast Washington. Since 1989, focus at Hanford has shifted to waste cleanup, which is expected to take decades and billions of dollars. Because of the site’s proximity to Oregon and the Columbia River, the state has a critical role in the cleanup process. Oregon’s Hanford priorities and policies are established and communicated by the Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board and the Oregon Department of Energy’s Nuclear Safety and Emergency Preparedness Division.
In the new report to the legislature this year, the OHCB and ODOE (pictured below at Hanford's B Reactor) provide a brief history of the Hanford site, summarize actions taken in 2023 by the board and the agency, and provide a high-level look ahead at expected developments in 2024 and beyond. On the horizon, we'll be watching a number of key issues, including negotiations around a holistic path forward for treatment and disposition of tank waste, a research building that's close to the Columbia River that has high levels of radiation under its floor, preliminary cleanup decisions on the river corridor at the last operable units associated with three reactors, and more. Learn more on our blog and in the board's full report.
Grounded Podcast: Oregon Cherries and Tractor Tech
It’s June, which means it is cherry season in Oregon! In fact, cherry and fruit production is a big deal for Oregon. Our lands along the Willamette Valley, as well as Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge, are renowned for their idyllic conditions that have supported a thriving fruit industry in Oregon for generations.
But why are we talking about cherries on Grounded, a podcast about energy? It’s because in recent years, fruit growers have been challenged by increasingly worse wildfires and extreme weather conditions, such as the 2021 heat dome. These events are connected to the changing impacts of climate change, which put at risk the quality of cherries and the amount that growers are able to be harvest and bring to market.
Although growers are optimistic about this year’s harvest, farmers and fruit growers across the state have started to look to new ways of doing business and turning to innovation and technology to help sustain their farms, orchards, and the food production on which we all rely.
On this episode of Grounded, join host Bryan as he heads out to the Columbia River Gorge to attend the annual Cherry Pre-Harvest Tour and see an all-electric, autonomous tractor. Check out our blog to listen to the episode, see photos, and watch the e-tractor in action!
Save the Date! ODOE Public Budget Meeting July 29
As we reach the half-way mark for our 2023-2025 biennial budget, the Oregon Department of Energy is already working on its Agency Request Budget for the 2025-2027 biennium.
ODOE will hold a public budget meeting online on Monday, July 29, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. to review the request budget that we'll submit to the Governor's office this summer. More information, including log-in details, will be available on our budget webpage ahead of the meeting. There, you can also learn more about the budget process, how we're funded, and our past budget history. You can also sign up to receive email updates.
ODOE's Deanna Henry Retires After 31 Years of Public Service
After over 31 years of dedicated public service here at the Oregon Department of Energy, Emergency Preparedness Manager Deanna Henry is retiring this month.
Deanna’s contributions to the agency and our state are immeasurable. Her expertise, dedication, and leadership have been instrumental in shaping our emergency response strategies and protocols. She led the effort to develop Oregon’s first Fuel Action Plan for responding to emergencies that affect liquid fuels – a plan that’s been held up as a national model for other states. Through her decades of work, Deanna has safeguarded Oregonians and strengthened the resilience of our agency. To say she will be missed is an understatement.
We give our profound thanks for her public service as she heads off into a well-earned retirement!
Deanna is pictured below, second from right, during a Cascadia Subduction Zone Preparedness Exercise in Lincoln County.
Pride's True Colors
June means it's Pride Month — a time for reflection, recognition, and celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community. On our blog this month, ODOE Community Equity and Inclusion Analyst Lauren Rosenstein reflects in her own words on Pride Month. Lauren shares:
"To me, the [Pride] rainbow represents the spectrum of what it means to be Queer. I am my own unique color, and I’m also part of the incredibly diverse Queer community that fights so hard to shine, even under clouds of discrimination, fear, and hatred. Feeling part of something bigger, coming together, and working toward something that reaches beyond myself are important to me. It’s part of the reason I’m excited to work at the Oregon Department of Energy and support the agency’s mission of advancing solutions to shape an equitable clean energy future.
That’s what Pride is rooted in: working toward a collective mission to uplift and benefit all communities."
Reports from Around the Agency
Join our team! Keep an eye on ODOE's website for open recruitments and please share with your networks.
We expect ODOE's Rental Home Heat Pump Program to reopen for reservations on July 23. The Oregon Legislature allocated an additional $4 million to the program during the 2024 legislative session. Please sign up to receive program emails to receive updates.
ODOE held an open house on June 3 to provide an update on the development of the Oregon Energy Strategy. If you missed it, a recording of the meeting is available on our website. We expect to host many public engagement opportunities on the Energy Strategy this summer, so please stay tuned on our website and sign up for email updates.
ODOE Senior Policy Analyst Rob Del Mar was pleased to join Fox 12 Oregon for a live-stream interview on June 20 to discuss geothermal potential in Oregon. Check it out.
In case you missed it, the Oregon Climate Action Commission is seeking new members. Learn more about the commission and how to apply on the commission's website.
Applications for ODOE's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program are due July 8, 2024. Eligible applicants include Oregon local governments, and the funds will support projects that reduce fossil fuel emissions, lower energy use, improve efficiency, and build a clean and equitable energy economy. Learn more on our blog!
ODOE was proud to sponsor the Coalition of Communities of Color’s Summer Soiree on May 31. A few ODOE staff attended the event and enjoyed the opportunity to connect with community members and learn more about the coalition’s work.
ODOE also sponsored the Lake County Resources Initiative's 2024 Oregon Rural Energy Network workshop at PLAYA. ODOE Energy Analyst Tom Elliott and RARE Member Alice Weston attended the workshop, which focuses on strengthening relationships in support of rural and agricultural small businesses.
On May 30, a new Clean Tech Manufacturing Task Force focused on leveraging the historic federal investments in climate action and clean energy met for the first time. ODOE Director Janine Benner is excited to be a part of the task force, which is led by Governor Kotek, Senator Wyden, Representative Bonamici, and other public and private partners. Learn more in Governor Kotek’s May press release.
ODOE extends our congratulations to Chris Green, newly named President of the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association. ODOE Director Janine Benner serves as Vice-Chair of the PNWH2 Board, and Oregon looks forward to continuing our partnership with the association to bring clean hydrogen to the region. Learn more.
SenateBill 1525 (2024) adjusted statute to allow standby generators over 25 megawatts to connect to the grid to provide emergency dispatchable power without obtaining a site certificate from the Energy Facility Siting Council. In the bill, public utilities are required to report to ODOE on the operation of such generators each year. Received reports are available on ODOE's website.
Great news from our friends at the Oregon Department of Transportation: the agency opened its first round of grant funding through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, which funds a nationwide network of DC fast chargers for electric vehicles. Learn more on Go Electric Oregon.
As ODOE's new Building Performance Standards Program gets up and running, the agency is hosting public meetings as administrative rules are developed. Learn more and see upcoming meeting dates on our website.
Did you know ODOE's Energy Facility Siting Team is currently reviewing more than a dozen proposed or amended energy facilities? From wind to solar facilities – to combined wind, solar, and storage facilities – you can learn more about the state's process and how to get involved on our website. You can also sign up to receive a monthly facility siting update showing the latest and greatest.
ODOE has several incentive programs up and running. Learn more about our energy incentives on ODOE's website.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Oregon Energy Strategy Engagement | Various this Summer | Via Webinar
Energy Facility Siting Council | July 19, 2024| Via Webinar
ODOE Public Budget Meeting | July 29, 2024 | Via Webinar
Current Rulemakings (click to see details)
Other Stakeholder Groups (click to see details)