April 2018 Newsletter — Energy Info

New Electricity Resource Mix Is Up!

Slicing and dicing electricity information can get complicated really fast. While our agency completed a full website redesign and update in January 2017, it took us a little longer to figure out how to better display information related to where Oregonians' electricity comes from. After many discussions with stakeholders across the state, we're happy to launch a new way to view Oregon's electricity resource mix. Check it out! And thanks to everyone who has reviewed early concepts and offered input as the new site took shape.

Oregon's Biennial Energy Report Is Taking Shape

The Oregon Legislature has charged the Oregon Department of Energy with developing a comprehensive report on the state's energy outlook. The first edition of our new Biennial Energy Report is due November 2018. We'll publish the report every two years.

To prepare for our upcoming publication date, over the past six months, the Oregon Department of Energy has:

Sought input and guidance from people across Oregon. So far, more than 300 people have offered their thoughts, requests, and recommendations. This input helps us focus on issues important to Oregonians.
Used that feedback to develop a draft table of contents to help ensure the report includes information of interest to readers.
Begun compiling components of the report and evaluating industry data.

As we continue our work, it's a good time to check in with Oregonians about our progress. Visit our Biennial Energy Report webpage to take a look at the draft table of contents and offer feedback. Are we covering the areas you're most interested in? Do you have suggestions for us as we build out these high-level topics? Please share your two cents, and let us know of any interesting stories of how some of these critical energy topics are being addressed by businesses, nonprofits, or local governments near you. We won't be able to incorporate all suggestions, but we will certainly learn from them.

We'd love your comments by May 15, 2018. To offer feedback: askenergy@oregon.gov.

NGA and ODOE Bring Together COUs for Resiliency Roundtable

Earlier this month, a group of consumer-owned utility managers and representatives from the National Governors Association and the state gathered in Eugene for a discussion on local energy resiliency.

The Eugene Water & Electric Board hosted the meeting at its waterfront headquarters, which provided a calming backdrop to a conversation about catastrophic events. Also encouraging: hearing about steps utilities are taking to improve their resilience and create a culture of preparedness.

Information from the meeting will be used in a new guidebook being developed by the Oregon Department of Energy as part of a larger project between ODOE, Central Lincoln PUD, and the NGA. The guidebook and an associated website will document energy resiliency planning efforts in the state while identifying actions that small- and medium-sized utilities can take to enhance resiliency.

Update from Today's Energy Advisory Work Group Meeting

ODOE's Energy Advisory Work Group met earlier today at our agency's Salem headquarters. The meeting included an update on the state's Climate Policy Office, which was authorized in the 2018 short legislative session, and the latest progress ODOE and other state agencies are making on implementing directives from the Governor's built environment and zero-emission vehicle Executive Orders.

The meeting also included a discussion of legislative concepts the agency is working on for the 2019 session. ODOE is currently shaping three different concepts: the first updates the state's Small-Scale Energy Loan Program; the second offers changes to how appliance standards are adopted; the third provides clarification related to thermal renewable energy certificates.

Informative descriptions of each concept are available on the Energy Advisory Work Group section of our website. See the "meeting materials" link under today's date.

Questions or comments about the concepts? We'd love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts at askenergy@oregon.gov.

On April 26, several ODOE staffers and two members of the Energy Facility Siting Council stopped by the Klondike III Wind Project on their way through the Gorge for the April EFSC meeting. Everyone had the opportunity to step inside a nacelle that was set up on the ground and into the base of a turbine.

That project is just a slice of the renewable energy being produced in the area. The tour group also passed by several Columbia River dams and an under-construction solar facility. At 99 acres, the solar facility doesn't reach the threshold for state jurisdiction. However, there are several solar projects that do meet state jurisdiction currently under EFSC review - compared to last year at this time, when there were none.

Reports From Around the Agency

The Built Environment Efficiency Working Group will hold a public meeting May 8 in Salem. The BEEWG is an interagency group focused on implementing the directives in Governor Brown's Executive Order, signed last November, to accelerate efficiency in Oregon's buildings and homes. At the May 8 meeting, BEEWG members will gather public input on the adoption of a cost analysis tool that can be used by agencies to evaluate directives in the EO. More details on our blog.
Also in May, a Rulemaking Advisory Committee set up to provide input to ODOE on the Energy Facility Siting Council's carbon dioxide emission standards will meet. The meeting is scheduled for May 15 in Salem, and details are available on our website.
For our latest episode of Grounded, ODOE podcaster Jenny Kalez visited Lebanon to chat with Brian Trice, Executive Director of the Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition. Listen and learn about the Coalition's work in Oregon, how the Advanced Transportation Technology Center at Linn-Benton Community College plays a role in alternative fuels, and this year's Green Transportation Summit & Expo, which wrapped up earlier this month. The episode is available online, or subscribe to our Grounded podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Come work with us! If you love energy and working with a dedicated team, check out our open positions on our website.
In early May, we will receive the guidance we need from the Oregon Department of Administrative Services to help us put together our "current service level" budget, which is due back to DAS by May 31. That will help us draft our "agency request budget," which is due to the Governor's Office by August 1. Stay tuned for an announcement of public gatherings in June to discuss what's in our 2019-21 budget request. Information about ODOE's budget will be posted on our website, and here is a great introduction to the state budgeting process from DAS.