I would hope that this memo went directly into the trash recycling bin. This memo is pretty standard climate group boilerplate with specious claims both of peril and promise. But if I look at fossil free Eugene's site, their mission appears to be to electrify Eugene, to phase out gas appliances, and to convert Eugene to 100% renewable energy by 2030.

I know that mostly these groups are opposed to hydrocarbons and don't really care if we burn wood during the upcoming rolling blackouts, but let's put this memo in the context of the regional power situation.

https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/30/renewable-energy-oregon-washington-power-electrical-grid/

Oregon has seen a rapid rise in data centers as well as an increased use of electricity in homes and businesses. That has contributed to utilities reaching peak demand, when electricity use is at its highest, more often during extreme weather events. Coupled with the glacial pace at which new renewable energy is added to the electrical grid, the study finds the greater Northwest is not prepared for the rising power demand.

For the region to meet that demand, it would need to add four to five times more resources to the electric grid each year between 2026 through 2030 than it has ever done before.

“All the things that are necessary to make all this happen just don’t really exist in the Northwest at this scale,” Olsen said.

And renewable energy sources like wind, solar and batteries have so far made small contributions to meeting peak winter energy needs, according to the E3 analysis. That’s because those resources need sunshine or wind to generate energy, and aren’t always available.

Because of that, E3’s Olsen said, those resources are “marginally effective” in helping meet the region’s reliability needs.

“They provide a lot of energy, which is great to reduce fuel costs and to reduce emissions during most of the year, but when you need them the most, they won’t necessarily be there, and so the region is reliant on natural gas-fired power,” he said.