PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon regulators are endorsing Portland General Electric’s plan to close its coal-fired power plant at Boardman by Dec. 31, 2020. The state Department of Environmental Quality decided Thursday that the guaranteed early closure date justifies a smaller investment in new pollution controls between now and then.
The Oregonian says the fate of Oregon’s only coal-fired plant now moves to the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission, which will vote next week.
The closure is expected to help air quality from Mount Hood to the Columbia River Gorge to Hells Canyon.
It will also have consequences for ratepayers. PGE says closing the relatively low-cost coal plant and finding reliable replacement power could increase electricity rates as much as 4.5 percent.
