Spring 1986 RAIN Page 55 theologian, as speakers. Although the conference primarily dealt with the spiritual and personal aspects of the Green perspective, it also helped spark additional Green organizing activity within the region. It helped bring new members into the Cascadia Green Alliance in Seattle, revitalizing activity there, and helped catalyze the creation of a Green organization in Portland, the Portland Greens. New Regional Power Plan Adopted The Northwest Power Planning Council, after a year long process of publishing its studies and considering public comment, adopted the 1986 Northwest Power Plan. The plan was developed because of major changes in the Northwest since the adoption of the council's first plan in 1983. One change has been uncertainty in the aluminum industry, which uses 15% of the region's electricity, another is non-completion of two nuclear power plants included in the 1983 portfolio, which because of litigation and possible financing problems are now considered back-ups. Removing barriers to then- completion are goals in the event of very high growth of energy use. However, cheaper projections for coal powered electrical plants (considered second least desirable in environmental impact, to nuclear power), make this unlikely. The new plan calls for a regional approach to power shortage and surplus management that would pool public and private resources. Conservation would be a priority even for sectors with surplus electricity such as the Bonneville Power Administration (which has cheap hydropower), to avoid having private utilities build expensive new plants for their fast growing areas of service. Some priorities are: setting conservation standards for new buildings; encouraging state standards for refrigerator, freezer, and water heater efficiency; demonstrating the cost effectiveness of renewable resources (wind, geothermal, solar); and studying eleetrical power sales and purchases between regions. For more information or copies of the 1986 Northwest Power Plan, contact the Public Information Division of the Northwest Power Planning Council, 850 SW Broadway, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97205, or call Judy Allender at 800-222-3355 (Idaho, Montana, or Washington), or at 800-452-2324 (Oregon). Oregon Peace Network The Oregon Peace Network grew out of the Northwest Spring Peace Gathering held at Breitenbush Retreat Center in March 1985 (see RAIN XI:3, page 34). The network is designed to share information and strategies among various peace groups operating throughout the state. The network is currently working on three projects: the second annual peace conference to be held at Breitenbush, May 1-4; a monthly newsletter; and a statewide peace directory, planned for publication this summer. For more information, contact Peter Moore, 333 State Street, Salem, OR 97301; 503/371-8002. Oregon Looks to the Future State governments generally do not give a lot of attention to long-range planning. “Looking to the future” usually means the next fiscal year. But in the face of severe hardship due to Oregon's difficulty in adapting to a rapidly changing economy, especially with regard to the timber industry, state policy-makers began to recognize that some form of long-range planning was in order. So in 1983, the Oregon Legislature created the Commission on Futures Research to strengthen and improve long-term economic planning and develop policy options for the state. The commission has recently released a report called “Emerging Trends: New Oregon Perspectives for the Year 2010.” For the first two years the commission was headed by Douglas Strain, the maverick high-tech entrepreneur who is president of Electro Scientific Industries and a primary force in futures studies in Oregon. Five task forces are made up of a cross-section of leading figures in government and industry. The report identifies emerging trends in the five task force areas: Education and Human Resources, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Government and Taxation, Communication and Transportation, and Jobs and Economic Development. It also attempts to articulate a set of several values seen as distinctively Oregonian. An eight-page executive summary of the report is available free from the address below. As we go to press, the commission was still seeking financial sponsorship for the publication of the full 48-page report, so its price was not known. Direct inquiries to Scott Bassett, Budget and Management Division, Executive Department, 155 Cottage Street NE, Salem, OR 97310; 503/378-3119. Buy Oregon Program Goes Statewide The legislature and Department of Economic Development has approved up to $3.75 million from the state lottery to encourage Oregon consumers and businesses to purchase products, materials, and services from within the state. The nonprofit Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO) in Eugene, which established the “Buy Oregon” program there (see RAIN X:4, page 34), has been guaranteed almost a half million dollars to begin setting up a statewide version, called the Oregon Marketplace, to match local retailers with local producers. NEDCO is currently looking for organizations throughout the state to develop and administer programs locally. A five-member committee representing government, business, and citizen interests is being formed to approve local groups for inclusion in the program. Approved programs will receive matching funds from the lottery money for budgets up to $60,000. NEDCO will provide technical assistance and training. Four local programs are expected to get underway in April. Groups or individuals interested in setting up a local program can contact Alana Probst at NEDCO, 357 Van Buren, Eugene, OR 97402; 503/343-7712. A Nuclear Free Oregon? Citizens for a Nuclear Free Oregon is sponsoring the Oregon Economic Conversion Initiative campaign to make Oregon the first statewide nuclear free zone (NFZ). This initiative comes on the heels of defeat of a NFZ ordinance in Portland by the city council last December (see RAIN XI:3, page 34). In addition, the state legislature narrowly defeated a statewide NFZ/economic conversion bill introduced by Representative Wayne Fawbush last year (see RAIN XI:4, page 34). Since government agencies appear unwilling to pass NFZ legislation. Citizens for a Nuclear Free Oregon has been created to take the campaign to the people. The Oregon Economic Conversion Act
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