Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is deadlocked on a new regional energy plan that leans heavily on conservation.

Meeting in Spokane Wednesday, the council decided that the plan needs more analysis before going out for public comment. That came after a tie vote that stalled the release of the plan.

That document estimates that the region can get as much as 85-percent of the new energy it will need in the next 20 years by conserving and becoming more efficient.

Council President Bill Booth said after the vote that's the easiest route to regional energy self-sufficiency.

Bill Booth: “Conservation, if it can be achieved, takes the place of having to build new generating resources then to meet the current and future needs as the region continues to grow.”

The plan says the region will have to put much more money into conservation to achieve those kinds of savings.

The proposal says the rest of the demand for energy could be filled by new natural gas plants, wind and other sources.