July 2022 Newsletter
New Interactive Tool & Report Connects Oregon Renewable Energy Potential with Development Considerations
A public partnership with the Oregon Department of Energy, Oregon Department of Land Conservation & Development, Oregon State University’s Institute for Natural Resources, and the U.S. Department of Defense has published new educational materials that will help local governments, Tribes, communities, policymakers, agencies, energy developers, and other stakeholders access important information and considerations for potential renewable energy in Oregon
Housed on Oregon Explorer, the new interactive online reporting and mapping tool combines data on renewable energy, military training areas, economic development, land use, natural resources, community characteristics, and other important considerations.
Users can explore hundreds of data layers, generate a site-specific report, and learn about the renewable energy considerations for potential projects both onshore and offshore. While the ORESA project will not supplant the permitting information required in regulatory processes or decisions, the project resources will provide information to ongoing siting and permitting processes and future policy conversations for renewable energy. Access to quality data early in the process is critically important for ensuring that renewable energy is developed responsibly, balances state and local concerns, is administratively efficient, considers cumulative impacts, and includes appropriate engagement with affected communities.
In addition to the interactive mapping and reporting tool, the project report summarizes key findings, data, stakeholder perspectives, and analysis on renewable energy across the state. Read more on our blog.
Yay for 50K! Oregon Reaches Electric Vehicle Milestone
Oregonians are continuing to make the switch to electric vehicles, with more than 50,000 registered electric vehicles on Oregon roads as of the end of April 2022. Data from the Oregon Department of Transportation show electric vehicles charging up in all 36 Oregon counties, from Curry to Wallowa, Clatsop to Malheur.
Following Governor Brown’s 2017 executive order to bolster electric vehicle adoption, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 1044 in 2019, which outlined bold EV targets for the state – including at least 250,000 registered EVs by 2025 and an increasing share of new vehicles sold each year.
Just a decade ago, Oregon had fewer than 1,000 EVs on our roads. As more model options roll off assembly lines over the next few years, including more trucks and SUVs, we expect we’ll see adoption among Oregonians continue to rise.
Federal, state, and local incentives, including the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's EV rebate program, are making EVs more accessible to Oregon families. For some models, stacked EV rebates drops the cost to less than a similar gasoline vehicle.
Learn more on ODOE's blog.
Oregon Global Warming Commission Analysis Shows Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goal is Within Reach
Thanks to Oregon’s recent bold energy and climate change policy advances, the state is projected to meet its 2035 greenhouse gas reduction goal, according to a recent analysis for the Oregon Global Warming Commission.
With grant funding from the U.S. Climate Alliance, the commission is working with consulting firm SSG to develop an economy-wide, Oregon-specific model that forecasts the potential emission reductions from existing and new mitigation actions the state could take. The analysis will inform development of a Roadmap to 2035 designed to provide decision-makers with recommendations for future actions the state should take to reduce Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions.
While the final Roadmap will be completed this fall, data incorporating 14 adopted and in-development programs and regulations into the model show that Oregon is on track to meet the state’s goal to reduce emissions to at least 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2035.
Among the programs and regulations included in the modeling are House Bill 2021, which requires Oregon’s investor-owned electric utilities to provide customers with emissions-free electricity by 2040, and the Climate Protection Program, which sets a declining limit, or cap, on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels (e.g., gasoline, diesel, natural gas, and propane) used throughout Oregon. The modeling assumes that state-adopted policies to reduce emissions in Oregon will be fully implemented without setbacks or delay.
Said Commission Chair Catherine Macdonald, “Oregon climate leaders have worked hard to pass new legislation and take executive action to get our state on track to meet our climate goals. While the modeling shows we’re on our way, there is no margin for error and it’s critical that agencies and commissions have adequate staffing and funding to ensure that the programs and regulations they administer are implemented as planned in an affordable, equitable, and efficient manner.”
Read more on the commission's website.
ODOE Monitors Safety of Oregon Uranium Mine and Mill Disposal Sites
Oregonians may be surprised to learn that for a very brief period in the late 1950s/early 60s, there were two active uranium mines in southern Lake County along with a uranium mill in Lakeview. While the sites are long since closed, the Oregon Department of Energy’s Nuclear Safety and Emergency Preparedness team, along with partners from federal and state agencies, completes annual inspections of the disposal sites. ODOE hydrogeologist Tom Sicilia recently conducted this year’s site visit at the mill tailings disposal cell and the former mine sites.
The mill in Lake County operated very briefly, from late 1958 until 1961, and mining at the two mine sites stopped around 1965, but a uranium tailings pile remained next to the mill. In 1976, areas of elevated radioactivity were discovered, and the tailings pile was covered with about two feet of dirt. Between 1968-1988, the mill tailings and contaminated soil were excavated and moved to a disposal cell about seven miles outside of Lakeview. A compacted soil layer was added to limit radon escape and water percolation into the tailings, and a rock cover was added to protect the soil from erosion.
The mines, meanwhile, sat for several decades – the pits filling with acidic water and containing elevated levels of radioactive materials. Due to the threat contamination posed to nearby Augur Creek, in 1995, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added the two mines to its cleanup priorities list, and cleanup occurred over the next decade or so, ending in 2005.
ODOE had a resident inspector in Lakeview for nearly a decade to oversee the cleanup. Now, ODOE staff and their federal and state counterparts conduct regular inspections to ensure cleanup activities remain protective and the cover over the mill tailings does not erode. ODOE staff also review the results of water sampling that occurs at both the mill and the mine sites.
Learn more about Nuclear Safety and Emergency Preparedness in Oregon on our website.
Shaping ODOE's Budget
Many thanks to the Oregonians who weighed in this summer as the agency developed our requested budget for the 2023-2025 biennium. ODOE will submit its request on August 1, and we expect to see a Governor's recommended budget in early 2023 before the Legislature takes up the topic during its 2023 legislative session.
Meanwhile, we continue to monitor federal funding that will come into the state from the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. ODOE held two webinars this month to discuss the potential funding and hear feedback about how the agency should prioritize funding opportunities and strategies. Recordings of the webinars are available on ODOE's website. It's not too late to weigh in with your views! ODOE opened an online comment portal to collect feedback — we're hoping to get most substantive comments in by August 3.
Follow ODOE's budget process and IIJA funding process online, or sign up to receive email updates.
Reports Around the Agency
Join our team! ODOE is recruiting – follow openings on our website.
While ODOE works to stand up our new heat pump incentive programs over the next several months, we are pleased to report we are providing $2 million to Energy Trust of Oregon to support a Landlord Provided Cooling Space Initiative. Energy Trust will use the funding for cooling resources at or near multi-family housing communities.
Curious to know where your electricity comes from? ODOE has updated its interactive Electricity Resource Mix dashboard with 2020 resource data. Click through to see the statewide electricity mix, or drill down to your specific electric utility.
We were excited to learn about the Eugene Water & Electric Board's new digital fire lookout tower in the upper McKenzie River Valley. The utility installed an ALERTWildfire camera on a communications tower that will provide a live feed to keep an eye out for potential wildfires. Read more about this important project on EWEB's website.
The Energy Facility Siting Council has been working hard on administrative rulemaking efforts this year. At its July meeting, EFSC approved new standards related to wildfire prevention, preparedness, and response as part of the siting review process (and consistent with Public Utility Commission rules currently under consideration). EFSC also approved new requirements for new and amended site certificates for fossil fuel-powered energy facilities at the July meeting. These new requirements implement HB 2021 directives for future siting decisions related to fossil fuel plants. Get all the details on these rulemakings on ODOE's website.
On July 6, ODOE held its second stakeholder workshop for the Renewable Hydrogen Study required by SB 333 (2021). ODOE will hold a third workshop in August before the report is submitted to the Legislature September 15. More information can be found at the study’s webpage.
On July 12, ODOE Technology & Policy Manager Jessica Reichers served as a panelist discussing opportunities for state agencies to partner and collaborate on zero-emission vehicle adoption at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation's Committee on Environment and Sustainability Annual Meeting in Austin, TX.
On July 13, ODOE Director Janine Benner joined the Center for Strategic & International Studies for their webinar series U.S. States on Energy and Climate. Janine shared information about our 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, Oregon climate and energy programs, and state studies on topics like transmission, offshore wind, and renewable hydrogen.
The Energy Facility Siting Council is in the final review stages before it issues a decision on the proposed Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line, which would be about 300 miles in length and run through five Oregon counties (and one in Idaho). EFSC will meet August 29-31 in LaGrande to continue reviewing recommendations on the Proposed Order and hear testimony from Contested Case participants. Follow the process on ODOE's website.
Also at its July meeting, the Energy Facility Siting Council approved an amendment for the Carty Generating Station to extend the beginning and ending construction deadlines for the facility’s 50-megawatt solar addition. The Carty facility has an existing natural gas-fueled plant, owned by Portland General Electric, that produces electricity for the grid. Following the amendment, the solar addition’s new beginning construction deadline is February 4, 2025 and its completion deadline is February 4, 2028.
On July 18, ODOE Nuclear Safety & Emergency Preparedness Assistant Director Maxwell Woods and Emergency Preparedness Manager Deanna Henry joined the Oregon Fuels Association annual meeting to present on our Fuel Action Plan and our upcoming Energy Security Plan project.
On July 21, ODOE Associate Director for Strategic Engagement Ruchi Sadhir and Electricity and Markets Policy Group Lead Adam Schultz presented on the Oregon Renewable Energy Siting Assessment project to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife team.
On July 28, ODOE held its fourth workgroup meeting for our Small-Scale Renewable Energy Study. The study report is due to the Legislature on September 30 – more information is available on ODOE's website.
The Oregon Global Warming Commission is recruiting members for a Natural & Working Lands Advisory Committee. Learn more and apply by August 5.
In case you missed it, our friends at OEM have a new name: they are now the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, a cabinet-level department reporting to the Governor. We look forward to continuing to work with OEM on our emergency preparedness activities.
More good electric vehicle news: the Oregon Department of Transportation has submitted its plan for $52 million in federal funding for EV charging infrastructure. Learn more on Go Electric Oregon.
ODOE currently has four incentive programs up and running, including the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program, the Rural & Agricultural Energy Audit Program, Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program, and Energy Efficient Wildfire Rebuilding. Learn more about our energy incentives on ODOE's website.
Did you know ODOE's Energy Facility Siting Team is currently reviewing about 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.
The Oregon Legislature assigned ODOE several new studies. Visit ODOE's website to learn more about the studies – including floating offshore wind, small-scale renewable energy, and renewable hydrogen – and sign up for email updates on study progress, public meetings, and opportunities to weigh in.
The Energy Facility Siting Council, a governor-appointed volunteer council responsible for the review and oversight of large-scale energy facilities, is recruiting potential new members. Contact Todd Cornett, ODOE's Assistant Director for Siting and the Council Secretary, with questions.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Energy Facility Siting Council | August 29-31, 2022 | LaGrande & Webinar
Energy Code Stakeholder Panel | September 13, 2022 | Via Webinar
Other Stakeholder Groups (click to see details)
Current Rulemakings (click to see details)