\n</blockquote><p> The Portland General Electric Co. figured it would cost </p><meta charset="utf-8"/><p> <a href="">about $500 million</a> to upgrade the plant to meet expected post-2020 pollution regulations and decided it wasn't worth it.</p><p> The state has been <a href="http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/electricity.cfm/state=OR">relying heavily on hydroelectric power for a while now</a>, so this isn't a revolution, really. As the chart below shows, in 2005 only 8 percent of Oregon's electricity came from coal. Nearly 70 percent came from hydroelectric power.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><br/> But it's still nice to have one more coal-free state. Oregon joins <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vermont_and_coal">Vermont and Rhode Island</a>. Who's next? Check <a href="http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/states/hf.jsp?incfile=sep_sum/plain_html/rank_use_per_cap.html">this chart</a>. Maine, Washington, D.C., and Idaho all use very small amounts of coal.<p> <em><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Boardman_Oregon_coal_plant_at_Carty_Reservoir.jpg">Image</a> by Tedder from Wikimedia Commons</em></p><br/><br/>
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