NW Power Council deadlocks over proposal

Members of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council have deadlocked over a plan that calls for 85 percent of the region’s new power needs over the next 20 years to be achieved through conservation. Council spokesman John Harrison said the eight members of the panel voted 4-4 during a meeting in Spokane on Wednesday on whether to release the plan to the public for 60 days of comment. The members from Montana and Idaho voted against the proposal, while the members from Washington and Oregon voted for it. Harrison said the panel will meet again in a few weeks to continue work on a plan for meeting the region’s future energy needs. The Portland-based council drafts a regional power plan every five years for the four states. The next one is due by the end of this year.