OF
OF PEOPLE
OF PEOPLE AND IT POWERED A WHOLE LOT OF HOMES.
PAT DOORIS EXPLAINS HOW WE'RE
GONNA KEEP THE LIGHTS ON THE
SUPERHOT FURNACE THAT BURNED AN
ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF COAL OVER 40
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. >>
YEARS. >> NEAR BOARDMAN, OREGON IS
DARK TONIGHT.
DARK TONIGHT. IT WAS THE ONLY PLACE IN THE
STATE WHERE COAL WAS BURNED TO
MAKE ELECTRICITY.
MAKE ELECTRICITY. THE OWNER OF PORTLAND GENERAL
ELECTRIC SHUT IT DOWN FOR GOOD
IN MID-OCTOBER.
IN MID-OCTOBER. I VISITED THE PLANT IN
OCTOBER OF TWENTY NINETEEN
WHICH IS WHY YOU WON'T SEE
ANYONE WEARING COVERED MASKS OR
SOCIALLY DISTANCING IN THIS
VIDEO.
VIDEO.
VIDEO. ONE OF THE WORKERS SORRY TO SEE
BOARDMAN GO WAS THERE AT THE
BEGINNING.
BEGINNING. DAVE BOLLS WINTERTIME
SUMMERTIME WHEN THEY REALLY
NEED THE POWER WE'RE ALWAYS
RUNNING.
RUNNING.
RUNNING. >> THERE YOU KNOW SO IT'S BEEN
KNOWING THAT WE'VE BEEN
PROVIDING THIS FOR PORTLAND
GENERAL ELECTRIC IN THE CITY
PORTLAND BASICALLY ELECTRICITY.
PERSONAL PRIDE IN
ACCOMPLISHMENT.
ACCOMPLISHMENT. >> COAL PLANTS ARE DIRTY FOR
THE ENVIRONMENT BUT THEY ARE
ALSO DEPENDABLE, MUCH MORE
DEPENDABLE THAN WIND OR SOLAR
OR HYDRO SOURCES.
YET MAJOR UTILITIES ARE MAKING
THE MOVE TO THOSE RENEWABLES
PRESSURED BY CONSUMERS LAWSUITS
AND CHEAPER RENEWABLE ENERGY.
STILL, THE BOARDMAN SHUT DOWN
WAS NO DOUBT A SAD DAY FOR THE
HUNDRED AND TEN EMPLOYEES WHO
WORKED HERE WHEN IT WAS FULLY
STAFFED.
STAFFED.
STAFFED. SO WHAT'S IT LIKE HAVING AUTZEN
OFFICIALLY CLOSED NOW?
>> I THINK FOR THE EMPLOYEES AT
THE PLANT AND MANY PEOPLE WHO
HAVE WORKED WITH THE BORTMAN
PLANET FIJI OR OF COURSE IN THE
LAST THREE YEARS IT'S
BITTERSWEET.
BITTERSWEET. >> SPOKESMAN STEVE CORSON
POINTS OUT THE UTILITY AND ITS
WORKERS KNEW THE END WAS COMING
FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS AFTER PGE
AGREED TO THE SHUTDOWN AS PART
OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAWSUIT
WITH THE SIERRA CLUB.
CESIA KEARNS BATTLES
COAL AROUND THE NORTHWEST FOR
THE SIERRA CLUB AND TOLD ME
LAST YEAR IT IS IMPORTANT TO
SHUT DOWN THIS PLANT.
>> AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
THE ENTIRETY OF THE NATION'S
COAL FLEET, IT'S PRETTY
SIGNIFICANT TO HAVE THE ONLY
COAL PLANT THAT EXISTS IN
OREGON TO BE COMING OFF LINE.
>> YOU COULDN'T TELL BY LOOKING
AT THE SMOKESTACK BUT THE
BOARDMAN COAL PLANT DID PUMP
OUT BETWEEN ONE POINT FIVE AND
TWO MILLION TONS OF CARBON
DIOXIDE A YEAR, ALL OF IT
INVISIBLE THAT MADE IT THE
SINGLE BIGGEST POINT
OF GREENHOUSE POLLUTION IN
OREGON.
OREGON.
OREGON. BUT IT'S ALSO TINY WHEN YOU
CONSIDER WORLDWIDE
CONSIDER WORLDWIDE CARBON EMISSIONS FROM
COAL PLANTS IN 2018 TOTALED 10
GIGATONS.
GIGATONS.
GIGATONS. THAT'S 10 BILLION METRIC TONS.
ISN'T THAT JUST A DROP IN THE
OCEAN?
OCEAN?
OCEAN? >>
OCEAN? >> WELL, YOU MIGHT THINK ABOUT
A DROP IN THE OCEAN BUT THE
OCEAN IS COMPRISED OF DROPS.
AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE
ENTIRETY OF THE NATION'S
COAL FLEET, IT'S PRETTY
SIGNIFICANT TO HAVE THE ONLY
COAL PLANT THAT EXISTS IN
OREGON TO BE COMING OFF LINE
AND A COAL PLANT IS COMPRISED
OF TONS OF COAL.
>> BOARDMAN BURNED A SPECIAL
LOW SULFUR COAL TO CUT DOWN ON
POLUTION.
POLUTION.
POLUTION. THE PLANT WENT THROUGH LOTS
OF IT FIVE AND A HALF TONS A
MINUTE WHEN IT WAS RUNNING.
TYPICALLY HAD FIVE HUNDRED
THOUSAND TONS ON THE GROUND
WAITING TO BURN.
YOU CAN SEE THERE ESPECIALLY ON
THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PICTURE
IT'S NEARLY ALL GONE NOW.
THE COAL WAS BROUGHT IN USING
TRAINS ONE HUNDRED CARS LONG
FROM THE POWDER RIVER BASIN
MINES IN SOUTHEAST MONTANA AND
NORTHEAST WYOMING WHEN YOU HOLD
IT.
IT.
IT. IT
IT. IT FEELS SURPRISINGLY LIGHT
SORT OF LIKE PIECES BURNED WOOD
LEFTOVER IN A FIREPLACE INSIDE
THE PLANT MACHINES PULVERIZE IT
INTO A FINE POWDER.
>> THEN IT SPRAYED INTO A
BOILER.
BOILER.
BOILER. IT'S A BIG FURNACE WHERE IT
BURNS AND HEATS WATER UP ABOVE
THE HEATED WATER TURNS INTO
STEAM WHICH SPINS A TURBINE
THAT TURNS A GENERATOR AND
MAKES ELECTRICITY.
MAKES ELECTRICITY. WHEN THE PLANT WAS RUNNING FULL
OUT AS IT WAS WHEN I TOURED IN
2019 IT CREATED ENOUGH POWER
FOR FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND HOMES
EACH MOMENT THAT IT'S RUNNING
NOW THAT POWER SOURCE IS GONE.
>> IT'S A BIG GAP TO FILL BUT
IT IS ONE THAT WE'RE CONFIDENT
THAT WE CAN FILL BOTH IN TERMS
OF THE NEAR TERM, THE RESOURCES
THAT WE'VE GOT LINED UP NOW AND
OVER THAT LONGER TERM AS WELL.
PGE WILL BUY EXTRA HYDRO POWER
OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS TO
REPLACE THAT LOST COAL POWER.
>> IT'S STILL WORKING ON WHAT
HAPPENS AFTER THAT.
BOARDMAN IS THE FIRST BUT NOT
THE LAST COAL PLANT TO CLOSE IN
THE WEST OVER EIGHT YEARS.
TWELVE PLANTS WILL SHUT DOWN
TAKING DOWN ENOUGH DEPENDABLE
COAL ELECTRICITY TO POWER THREE
POINT EIGHT MILLION HOMES.
INSTEAD THE POWER COMPANIES
WILL RELY ON RENEWABLE
RESOURCES WHICH WILL BE GOOD
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT BUT NOT
NEARLY AS DEPENDABLE.
EXPERTS SAY WE WILL HAVE A ONE
IN FOUR CHANCE OF BLACKOUTS BY
THE YEAR TWENTY TWENTY SIX PAT
DOORIS JOINING US NOW.
>> SO PAT, TWO QUESTIONS RIGHT
OFF THE BAT.
WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE WHO WORK
THERE?
THERE?
THERE? ARE THEY DO THEY ALL GET LAID
OFF?
OFF?
OFF? AND
OFF? AND THEN SECONDLY BROADER WHAT
DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE AVERAGE
PGE CUSTOMER?
PGE CUSTOMER? ARE THEY GOING TO NOTICE
ANYTHING ON THEIR BILL?
WHAT WHAT WILL PEOPLE NOTICE
FROM THEIR HOMES ON THIS PLAN
CLOSE.
CLOSE.
CLOSE. >>
CLOSE. >> OKAY.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. FIRST THING ALL THE EMPLOYEES
THEY'VE KNOWN THIS IS COMING
FOR 10 YEARS AND THERE WERE
ABOUT 110 PEOPLE WORKING THERE
WHEN IT WAS AT ITS HEIGHT.
ABOUT A THIRD OF THOSE HAVE
MOVED ON TO OTHER JOBS.
THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE
RETIRING AND THERE'S GOING TO
BE MAYBE 20 OR SO.
IT'S MINOR STANDING WHO ARE
GOING TO BE LAID OFF.
THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WORKING
THERE RIGHT NOW AS THEY
CONTINUE TO DECOMMISSION IT
SOMETIME IN TWENTY TWENTY ONE.
BY THE WAY, THEY'RE GOING TO
TURN IT OVER TO A DEMO COMPANY
AND THE WHOLE PLACE IS GONNA BE
TORN DOWN.
TORN DOWN. NOW AS FAR AS CUSTOMERS I'M
TOLD THE CUSTOMERS WON'T SEE
THIS ON THEIR BILLS RIGHT AWAY
BECAUSE AUTZEN DID HAVE A COST
ASSOCIATED WITH IT AND THOSE
COSTS ARE GOING TO GO AWAY.
BUT THERE'S A NEW COST
OF FINDING THE POWER TO REPLACE
THE BOARDMAN COAL ENERGY.
AND SO IT'S UNCLEAR EXACTLY
WHERE THAT ALL SHAKES OUT.
>> SO WE DON'T KNOW IF THOSE
ARE GOING TO GO UP, IF THEY'RE
GOING TO GO DOWN, THEY'RE GOING
TO STAY THE SAME.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF KIND
OF UNKNOWN AND HERE WE ARE
CLOSING THIS PLANT.
SO THE PLAN IS MOVING FORWARD
WITH A LOT OF UNKNOWNS ON THE
HORIZON.
HORIZON.
HORIZON. IS THERE A FEAR THAT MAYBE THIS
IS ALL HAPPENING TOO QUICKLY OR
THOSE JUST THE TYPES OF RISKS
YOU HAVE TO TAKE IF YOU WANT TO
MOVE FORWARD AND START
OPERATING WITH CLEANER ENERGY?
>> WELL, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION
AND THE ANSWER IS IT DEPENDS ON
WHO YOU ASK.
>> THERE ARE SOME WHO SAY WE
ARE GOING WAY TOO FAST AND WE
ARE RUSHING HEADLONG INTO
ROLLING BLACKOUTS BECAUSE IN
THE DEAD OF WINTER WHEN THE
WIND'S NOT BLOWING AND THE
TEMPERATURES ARE COLD AND
PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING MORE
ENERGY FOR THEIR FURNACES, WE
GET SOME PROBLEMS.
AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER
SAME THING WHEN YOU HAVE A
SCORCEHD HEAT WAVE AND THE
WIND'S NOT BLOWING AND THERE'S
NOT VERY MUCH WATER TO RUN THE
HYDRO.
HYDRO.
HYDRO. THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO
SAY THERE COULD BE TROUBLE ON
THE OTHER SIDE.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO SAY LOOK,
WE ARE REALLY QUICKLY RUINING
THIS PLANET THAT WE LIVE ON.
AND IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING
IMEDIATE AND DRASTIC TO GET
THESE GREENHOUSE GASES UNDER
CONTROL, IT'S GOING TO BE TOO
LATE.
LATE.
LATE. SOME PEOPLE THINK IT'S KIND
OF SORT OF ALREADY TOO LATE.
AND SO THERE'S A BIG BELIEF
THAT THE ENGINEERS WILL FIGURE
THINGS OUT AS FAR AS BATTERY
STORAGE OR STORING WATER AND
HAVE A REUSABLE HYDRO THAT KIND
OF THING.
OF THING.
OF THING. AND THAT WE MIGHT AS WELL GO TO
THE FUTURE NOW BECAUSE THERE IS
LOTS OF SUN WHEN THE SUN IS
SHINING THERE'S WIND WITH THE
WINDS BLOWING.
WINDS BLOWING. THE KEY IS CAN YOU HARVEST IT
AND SAVE IT FOR WHEN