May 2023 Newsletter
Working for Oregon's Clean Energy Future
As Oregon moves toward a clean energy future, including 100 percent clean electricity by 2040, we’ll need a robust workforce to help make it happen. Oregon will need electricians to install and maintain electric vehicle charging infrastructure, engineers and construction experts to build and maintain solar, wind, battery, and other clean resources to support the grid, and energy efficiency technicians to reduce our energy consumption to help keep energy costs low – among many other potential family-wage jobs.
In our 2022 Biennial Energy Report, the Oregon Department of Energy looked into current local perspectives on workforce and supply chains in Oregon, with a special lens on the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused unprecedented global economic disruptions. While much of the economy bounced back to pre-pandemic levels within a couple of years, some challenges remain in Oregon’s energy sector around workforce and supply chains. ODOE spoke to numerous energy sector stakeholders who shared the sector changes and the challenges they are facing. Feedback centered around four main focus areas:
Oregon organizations and businesses are struggling with recruitment, retention, and training for workers.
The sector will need to consider what opportunities are available for energy businesses and workers as the industry transitions to a low-carbon future.
The industry is endeavoring to train and attract new energy sector workers.
Organizations and businesses sometimes struggle to procure equipment, components, and materials they need to construct, install, and maintain energy systems.
While the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis reports that job growth has cooled slightly in recent months, the Oregon labor market remains tight with historically low unemployment and job openings often outnumbering job seekers. At the same time, there’s a generational transition occurring as experienced workers move into retirement – which means there will be gaps in workforce needs for some energy industries.
The good news is that recent federal investments, including the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, will be rolling out programs to help bolster clean energy jobs over the next several years.
Other national programs are offering funding now in preparation for the clean energy transition and those federal investments. Learn more on our blog.
ODOE Facilities Engineer Lends Expertise in Development of 2024 International Energy Conservation Code
Oregon Department of Energy Facilities Engineer Blake Shelide has been sharing his energy code expertise with the International Code Council as it leads development of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code.
The Council is the largest international association of building safety professionals, and serves as a source of model codes and standards that ensure safe, affordable, and sustainable buildings across the world. The Council, through a “Consensus Committee,” is working on developing an updated International Energy Conservation Code, which provides the basis for many state and local codes, and will help reduce energy use and emissions in the built environment for future decades. The code is typically updated every three years.
Blake has been serving on the overall Consensus Committee and as Vice Chair of the HVACR (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, plus Water Heating) Subcommittee. Blake brings a wealth of expertise to the role. He is a licensed mechanical engineer in Oregon and provides technical support for several ODOE programs, including energy codes and energy efficiency standards. He has experience working as a design engineer and consultant, as well as serving as a corporate energy manager for a large industrial manufacturer — which involved engineering and implementing energy efficiency projects, tracking energy consumption, and performing energy audits.
The committee has considered proposals that will increase the energy efficiency of building equipment, provide more efficient building envelopes, provide pathways for electric or electric-ready buildings, and support grid-interactive demand response-capable buildings. The committee will continue refining the proposed code and provide additional opportunity for public review and comment before finalizing the code this fall.
Oregon’s involvement in these national codes and policy discussions has been valuable – it keeps us informed about national trends and provides an opportunity to share the Oregon experience. The development process allows for open public proposals and voicing of differing perspectives, so Oregon can be part of the conversation around policy options and can hear important stakeholder positions.
ODOE Team Participates in Annual Hanford Emergency Drill
On May 18, ODOE members from across the agency — led by the Nuclear Safety & Emergency Preparedness Division — gathered to participate in the annual emergency exercise for the Hanford Nuclear Site.
Each year, ODOE activates the Agency Operations Center to practice how we’d respond in the event of an emergency at Hanford. For more than 40 years, the federal government produced plutonium for America's nuclear weapons program at Hanford. The production process created large aounts of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste, so the focus at Hanford has shifted to cleanup. The site is located along the Columbia River, about 35 miles north of Oregon’s border. A significant incident at the site could affect Oregon communities, so ODOE and our partners would work to provide guidance to those communities, including any potential issues with crops or dairy milk.
This year, ODOE practiced as if our usual Radiological Event Manager, ODOE Asssistant Director Max Woods, couldn’t report to the AOC because he was out of state in a different time zone. ODOE Hydrogeologist Tom Sicilia stepped in to serve in that role and led the team in practicing analyzing data incoming from Hanford, developing a press release to inform Oregonians about the incident, and connecting with the counties closest to the Hanford site. NSEP team members were also onsite at Hanford to monitor the situation and report back to the team in Oregon.
In the exercise scenario, there was a “criticality” at a laboratory in the 300 Area of the Hanford Site (south end) that resulted in multiple injuries and local shelter-in-place orders, but was ultimately unlikely to affect Oregon. We always hope we'll never have to put our emergency response into action, but these exercises help ensure we'll be ready.
Energy Facility Siting Council Reviews New Proposed Transmission Lines
The Oregon Department of Energy and Energy Facility Siting Council are reviewing two new proposed state-jurisdiction transmission lines, one along the Columbia River and a second in Jackson County near Medford. ODOE and EFSC have received Notices of Intent, the first step in the public siting process, for each proposed facility.
Cascade Renewable Transmission, LLC is proposing the Cascade Renewable Transmission Line, an approximately 100-mile, 320-kilovolt line that would be buried beneath parts of the Columbia River.
PacifiCorp is proposing the Lone Pine to Whetstone Transmission Line, a 230-kilovolt line with two potential routes ranging from 10 to 12 miles in Jackson County.
With the Notice of Intent phase, ODOE and EFSC hold public information meetings to provide an overview of a developer's proposed facility and offer an opportunity for the public to make comments or ask questions. For the Cascade Transmission Line, two information meetings were held earlier this month. Recordings of the meetings are available online, and the public may submit comments on this phase until June 1. ODOE and EFSC will hold a public information meeting for Lone Pine to Whetstone on June 7 in Medford and online. Addtional information is available on ODOE's website, and the public may submit comments on this phase through July 7.
There will be future opportunities for public engagement as each facility moves through the public siting process. Learn more and view these and other state-jurisdiction energy facilities on ODOE's website. You can also sign up to receive updates on energy facility siting and specific facilities by email.
Reports from Around the Agency
Join our team! Keep an eye on ODOE's website for open recruitments and please share with your networks.
May 8-12 was Public Employee Recognition Week. We enjoyed celebrating our work and thanking our colleagues for their public service. Many thanks for all you do on behalf of Oregon.
In case you missed it, ODOE hosted two open houses this month on federal funding Oregon expects to receive for grid resilience projects. More information, including recordings of the webinars and relevant materials, are available on ODOE's website.
Our friends at the Oregon Department of Transportation have a new rebate program for community electric vehicle chargers launching June 13. The program will lower the cost of buying, installing, and maintaining EV charging stations at multifamily homes and publicly accessible parking areas throughout the state. Learn more.
ODOE Facilities Engineer Blake Shelide and Program Analyst Will Mulhern attended the U.S. Department of Energy's 2023 National Energy Codes Conference in Chicago. Conference topics ranged from how energy codes can support decarbonization efforts to how federal funding investments can advance code work.
ODOE Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety and Emergency Preparedness Max Woods was in Richland earlier this month, representing Oregon at the National Governors’ Association Federal Facility Task Force spring meeting. Following the meeting, task force members took a tour of Hanford Nuclear Site to see first-hand progress toward site cleanup.
ODOE Senior Energy Policy Analyst Amy Schlusser traveled to Washington, DC earlier this month for a state-federal summit on Advancing Toward 100% Clean Energy, hosted by the Clean Energy States Alliance, U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The Energy Facility Siting Council, a governor-appointed volunteer council responsible for the review and oversight of large-scale energy facilities, is recruiting for a new member. Contact Todd Cornett, ODOE's Assistant Director for Siting and the Council Secretary, with questions.
The Energy Advisory Work Group met on May 8 to discuss the latest progress on federal funding, ODOE's budget, the legislative session, and more. More information on the work group is available on ODOE's website.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is holding several webinars on Inflation Reduction Act programs that will advance clean energy initiatives in rural America. Learn more.
The Bonneville Power Administration's Science and Energy Education Grant application is now available through June 30, 2023. Non-profit organizations, schools, government organizations, and others working in the area of education for K-12 students (where BPA has a physical presence or provides service) are eligible to apply.
Oregon's Senate Committee on Energy and Environment is encouraging young Oregonians to get involved and share their views with committee members. Students from kindergarten to 12th grade can sign up to tell the committee, virtually or in person, about an energy or environment issue that is significant to them. Sign up online to participate.
ODOE has several 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. ODOE is also working on launching two new heat pump programs this year. 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.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Energy Facility Siting Council | June 1, 2023 | Via Webinar
Energy Code Stakeholder Panel | August 15, 2023 | Via Webinar
Other Stakeholder Groups (click to see details)
Current Rulemakings (click to see details)