Northwest power panel calls for conservation

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council released its plan in Portland for public comment.

The panel has representatives from Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington State.

Every five years it produces a long-term energy plan to guide the BPA, the largest electricity supplier in the region.

The plan envisions that adopting more energy-efficient technology and practices could offset 85 percent of the demand for new electrical generation in the Northwest in the two decades ending in 2030.