March 2020 Newsletter
McMinnville Water & Light Hosts Tour for ODOE Staff
Earlier this month, members of the Oregon Department of Energy team spent a day touring the McMinnville Water & Light facility, Cascade Steel Rolling Mill, and the Riverbend Renewable Gas Plant.
The immersive tour included stops inside a power transformer yard, the operation center of a landfill that turns gas into electricity, and most impressively, as close as you can get to an electric arc furnace that uses electric power to heat scrap metal to over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Each of these facilities are leading their industry in energy conservation, innovative technology, and customer service. It was a highly educational and exciting day, and the ODOE team enjoyed learning about their work in person.
Many thanks to McMinnville Water & Light General Manager John Dietz, Electric Division Manager Scott Rosenbalm, and Power Resource Manager Jaime Philips for hosting the tour. Learn more about the facilities visited and see photos on our blog.
COVID-19: Stay Home, Save Lives
The COVID-19 virus has drastically changed how Oregonians live, work, and play. The Oregon Department of Energy building is now closed to the public following Governor Brown's executive orders to encourage social distancing and reduce the spread of the virus – but our services remain available. Find contact information on our website and reach out to our staff by phone or email. Energy utilities and services across Oregon are also continuing to provide essential services for our communities. Thank you for your hard work during this difficult time!
Share Your Views: 2020 Biennial Energy Report
The Oregon Department of Energy published its inaugural Biennial Energy Report in 2018. In the report, we covered energy by the numbers, climate change, transportation, resilience, and more. As we gear up to publish our 2020 “BER” by November 1, we want to hear from you! What did you like about the 2018 BER? What would you do differently for 2020? Do you have burning energy-related questions we should cover in the new report? Please complete our online survey by April 25.
ODOE Activates Oregon Fuel Action Plan
Earlier this month, the Oregon Department of Energy was notified that a Kinder Morgan pipeline that supplies fuels from Portland to the Eugene area was leaking. Kinder Morgan shut down the pipeline and worked with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency to begin repairing the pipeline and clearing contaminated soil. ODOE activated our Oregon Fuel Action Plan to assess whether the pipeline break would affect diesel supply in Eugene – thankfully, the pipeline was repaired and no special distribution plan was needed. The action plan outlines the steps we would follow to acquire and distribute petroleum to essential services during an emergency. The plan can be fully activated for large-scale events (like a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake) or scaled down for more localized issues like this. During this period of uncertainty with the COVID-19 outbreak, ODOE will continue to monitor Oregon's fuel situation to ensure sufficient motor fuels are available. Read more on our blog.
ODOE Attends Town Halls and Tribal Council Meeting Regarding Arlington Landfill
Last month, ODOE issued a Notice of Violation to the Chemical Waste Management landfill in Arlington for accepting radioactive materials in violation of state law. On March 4, Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety Ken Niles and Nuclear Waste Remediation Specialist Jeff Burright presented at Town Hall meetings hosted by the Gilliam County Court in Condon and Arlington. Representatives from Chemical Waste Management were also on hand to share the latest information and to answer questions from the public. On March 11, Ken was joined by ODOE Director Janine Benner for a meeting with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council regarding the landfill, which is located on former Tribal land. ODOE expects to have an update on the Notice of Violation process later this spring.
Activities for Kids
If you're home with school-aged kids, ODOE has fun, free activities available on our website – including a custom Oregon energy coloring book, a home energy audit, crossword puzzle, and more. If you would like hard copies of any of the activities, drop us a line. Send us your mailing address, which activities you'd like, and how many kids you have at home. We will accommodate requests as long as we have supplies available!
Serve on the Energy Facility Siting Council
The Energy Facility Siting Council, a governor-appointed volunteer council responsible for the review and oversight of large-scale energy facilities, currently has one vacancy. EFSC reviews renewable and non-renewable electric generating projects, high voltage transmission lines, gas pipelines, underground natural gas storage, and other projects. EFSC-jurisdictional facilities are some of the biggest infrastructure projects in Oregon, and are critical to the generation and supply of regional energy needs. State-level oversight of these projects helps ensure Oregon has an adequate energy supply while also protecting our environment and public safety. 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.
Reports from Around the Agency
Some ODOE meetings have been postponed or canceled due to the COVID-19 virus and social distancing measures. Other meetings, including the April 9 Energy Advisory Work Group meeting and the April 24 Energy Facility Siting Council meeting, will be held remotely. Keep an eye on our online calendar for meeting notices and how to participate.
Last week, the Oregon Fire Marshal suspended the state's ban on self-service at gas stations. Self-service at Oregon gas stations isn't mandatory – but lifting the ban on self-service will allow gas stations to continue serving Oregonians if they don't have enough staff due to the COVID-19 virus.
The Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program continues to process incoming rebate requests, with over $800,000 in rebates reserved. The program team will be releasing an additional $375,000 in available rebate dollars for non-income restricted residential customers at 8 a.m. on April 15.
Oregon counts! The 2020 Census is in full swing. Please be sure to fill out your Census form – an accurate count ensures that Oregonians receive their fair share of federal resources for the next decade.
ODOE Facilities Engineer Blake Shelide provided training to engineers, designers, architects, and others on Oregon's new energy code in Southern Oregon on March 2. The training was hosted by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and Trane Oregon.
Members of our Planning & Innovation Division met with NW Natural representatives on March 9 to discuss the utility's work on increasing renewable natural gas production and use in the system. Several members of NW Natural had recently traveled to Europe, where renewable natural gas use is leading the way to reduce carbon from the natural gas network.
Will Oregon's solar boom lead to a solar recycling boom? Our interactive Oregon Solar Dashboard shows how much the solar industry in Oregon changed over the last 20 years. As panels start to show their age, what happens next? Read more on our blog.
As we take a turn into spring, now is a good time as ever to think about sealing and insulating your home or office. Weatherization isn't just for the colder months – it helps keep your place cool in the summer, too. Check out the latest tips on our blog.
We were excited to see the Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative celebrate its first of three planned electric vehicle charging stations in Burns! #GoElectricOR
ODOE's emergency exercise for the Columbia Generating Station Nuclear Power Plant was postponed this month. The exercise, which would have been graded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be rescheduled for a later date.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Energy Advisory Work Group | April 9, 2020 | Via Webinar
Energy Facility Siting Council | April 24, 2020 | Via Webinar