The current clean energy climate has taken a lot of shots at coal. Coal-fire power plants have become less popular all over the world, and every nation from India, to China, to the United States is trying to cut down on its use of coal. However, very few nations have taken the crucial step of making a plan to phase-out coal use entirely. In the U.S., where fossil fuels still cast quite a long shadow, the idea of making a law forbidding the use of coal for energy use is bold, to say the least.
Oregon, though, has taken that step, according to IFL Science.
No More Coal After 2035?
As of time of writing, a law has passed through the state’s legislature that would phase out coal use for power generation by the year 2035. The law would also require that at least 50 percent of the state’s power come from renewable resources. At time of writing, the bill is awaiting the governor’s signature to become a law.
That law might not seem like it would have much of an impact, given that Oregon only has a single coal-fired power plant, but it imports a lot of its power from surrounding states as well. Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, as the three states responsible for most of Oregon’s imported, coal-based energy, might see their production from coal take a hit as well. What ripples that will send into other states, and how it will affect those states’ energy policies, remain to be seen.
