Northwest Power and Conservation Council

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is a regional organization that develops and maintains a regional power plan and a fish and wildlife program to balance the Northwest's environment and energy needs. Based in Portland, Oregon, the Council was created in 1980 when the U.S. Congress passed the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act.^[1] The Council's main task is to develop a 20-year electric power plan that will guarantee adequate and reliable energy at the lowest economic and environmental cost to the Northwest. Member states of the organization are Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Power plan

The Council updates the 20-year electric power plan every 5 years and is in the process of working on the 6th regional update. The new plan aggressively targets energy efficiency and predicts that 85 percent of the new demand for electricity over the next 20 years in the Northwestern United States can be met by using energy more efficiently.^[2] The 6th plan was unanimously approved by the Council on February 10, 2010.^[3]

See also

• Western Climate Initiative
• The Climate Registry

References

1. ^ NW Council. "Northwest Power Act". Northwest Power and Conservation Council. http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/NorthwestPowerAct.asp. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
2. ^ Sickinger, Ted (2009-08-11). "Efficiency can help Northwest meet 85% of new electricity demand". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/08/efficiency_can_help_nw_meet_85.html. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
3. ^ Preusch, Matthew (2010-02-10). "Conservation efforts will play key role in meeting Northwest's energy needs". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/02/conservation_efforts_will_play.html. Retrieved 2010-03-06. 

External links

• Official page