February 2021 Newsletter

Oregon Ranks Among Top Ten for Electric Vehicle Support

In two new reports this month, Oregon landed among the top 10 states for implementing policies and actions that support transportation electrification. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s new State Transportation Electrification Scorecard, Oregon ranks at No. 9. Plug in America’s new Top 25 States Supporting the EV Driver report boosts Oregon to No. 3.

The ACEEE released its first-year scorecard analyzing all 50 states and Washington, DC with a point system that evaluates various efforts, including charging options, incentives like rebates and tax credits, and utility funding for EVs and EV charging adoption in low-income areas. Oregon scored 14.5 out of 17 possible points in the Planning and Goals category, highlighting Oregon’s commitment to continued work and improvement. Plug in America’s report outlined its top 25 states supporting EV drivers, with Oregon coming in at No. 3 after California and Massachusetts. The report tallies states that are leading in policy measures implemented for EV infrastructure and drivers as well as EV education and outreach.

The road to achieving our EV adoption goals is long, but these scores signal Oregon has made some significant and important first steps to improving access to cleaner, greener transportation for all Oregonians. Read more on our blog.

Oregon Department of Energy to Present 2021-2023 Biennial Budget on March 1

ODOE is scheduled to present our biennial 2021-2023 agency budget to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 1. During our presentation, we'll provide an overview of how our agency serves the state and its energy goals, and how our budget dollars are spent. Tune in to watch the presentation online.

The subcommittee will be accepting public comments on ODOE's budget at its meeting on Wednesday, March 3. Meetings are being held virtually, but Oregonians are welcome to submit written testimony and sign up to submit oral testimony in person through Microsoft Teams. More information on the options for weighing in are available in the meeting agenda.

Learn more about ODOE's budget and find related links on our website.

A Bright Future for Agrivoltaics

In our 2020 Biennial Energy Report, we highlighted some of the cool stories happening around energy in Oregon. One of our stories was about Oregon State University's research around "agrivoltaics."

Oregon State University researchers and students, led by Associate Professor Chad Higgins, are studying situations where Oregon farms can blend solar energy and agriculture for mutual benefit. Professor Higgins reports that they want to accomplish four things: more food, better food, less water use, and more energy. So far, the school’s research is showing that marrying solar panels (photovoltaics) and agriculture – into agrivoltaics – has promise for some of Oregon’s important crops, with potential benefits for farmers and the environment.

Read the full story on our blog or in the agriculture section of the Energy Report.

Spotlight: National Engineers Week

February 21-27 is National Engineers Week, which was established by the National Society of Professional Engineers 70 years ago. Here at ODOE, we love STEM (science, engineering, science, and math) careers – and there are plenty of engineering career opportunities in the energy sector, from energy efficiency design in buildings to work with energy utilities to operations and maintenance of energy generation equipment. We're celebrating ODOE's two stellar engineers, Stephanie Kruse and Blake Shelide (pictured below at a pre-2020 event), who both serve as members of our Planning & Innovation Division. Learn more about them and other ODOE staff who have a background in engineering on our blog.

ODOE Nuclear Safety Experts Serve in Leadership Roles

Among many other important roles, the Oregon Department of Energy’s Nuclear Safety and Emergency Preparedness division is responsible for technical review of Hanford Nuclear Site cleanup efforts and potential effects on the Columbia River and Oregon, staffing the Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board, and representing Oregon on the Hanford Advisory Board and the Hanford Natural Resources Trustee Council. Recently, individual team members have been elected to serve in leadership positions for the Hanford Advisory Board and Hanford Natural Resources Trustee Council.

Tom Sicilia, ODOE’s resident hydrogeologist, was elected to serve as Chair of the River and Plateau Committee of the Hanford Advisory Board; ODOE ecologist, Sara Lovtang, is the current Chair of the Hanford Natural Resource Trustee Council; and Jeff Burright, the department’s nuclear waste remediation specialist, is Chair of the Public Involvement Committee for the Hanford Advisory Board.

ODOE is proud that our hard work and dedication has positioned our experts to serve in strong leadership roles that will protect Oregon’s interests in the Hanford cleanup – and our important natural resources.

Reports from Around the Agency

We're hiring. We are currently recruiting for an Energy Conservation Manager to lead our Energy Efficiency and Conservation Team in ODOE's Planning & Innovation Division. Learn more and apply by March 8.
Happy Birthday, Oregon! Oregon is 162 years young this year, so we celebrated with some energy history highlights from our 2020 Biennial Energy Report.
It may seem like summer is far in the distance, but we are already recruiting for a team of interns to join our agency this summer. We're looking for interns to help with a renewable energy facility GIS map, boost our data visualization tools, create a guidebook for electric school buses, and assist with a natural resources damage assessment. Learn about each opportunity and apply by March 16 through our website.
The Oregon Renewable Energy Siting Assessment (ORESA) project team recently published a detailed winter update about the project, including information about several webinars with recordings available on the ORESA website. The assessment phase of the project will be wrapping up soon and the team will be turning to the development of the mapping and reporting tool, which is described more in this two page summary. Please sign up for our email list so that you can hear about upcoming webinars and engagement opportunities!
This month's ice and snow storms across the state were brutal, and we're grateful to Oregon's utility crews working hard to get the lights back on in our communities. Here at ODOE, we activated our Oregon Fuel Action Plan to work with industry to ensure fuel continued to be delivered to first responders and critical services.
While we don't endorse specific car makers, this electric vehicle commercial with Will Ferrel cracked us up. We're coming for you Norway – as of November 30, Oregon has more than 32,000 registered EVs on our roads.
Speaking of EVs, we were excited to hear Portland General Electric's announcement of $2.3 million in Drive Change Awards for electric transportation and education. Learn more on the Go Electric Oregon blog.
On February 4, ODOE Director Janine Benner moderated a panel on flexible building-integrated grids during the National Association of State Energy Officials' Energy Policy Outlook Conference. It was a great opportunity to learn more about grid-interactive efficient buildings, which ODOE also discussed in our 2020 Biennial Energy Report.
ODOE Senior Policy Analyst Adam Schultz presented as part of a panel on energy resilience to the House Committee on Energy and Environment on February 10. If you missed it, you can watch the video online.
With the 2021 Legislative Session now in full swing, you can find ODOE's legislative priorities for the session on our website.
Volunteers are currently being recruited to serve on the Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board. The 20-member board provides input to the U.S. Department of Energy and its regulators on the Hanford Nuclear Site cleanup. Learn More.
The Energy Facility Siting Council, a governor-appointed volunteer council responsible for the review and oversight of large-scale energy facilities, is also recruiting potential news members. Submit an interest form through the Governor's office, and contact Todd Cornett, ODOE's Assistant Director for Siting and the Council Secretary, with questions.
COVID-19 continues to influence how Oregonians live their daily lives. ODOE's Salem office remains closed to public walk-in traffic, but our services remain available. ODOE meetings are being held remotely. Keep an eye on our online calendar and sign up for emails to receive meeting notices and information on how to participate.