BEF was founded in 1998 to fund new renewable energy resources and watershed restoration projects. Former Senator Mark Hatfield chairs the BEF Board. Although BEF maintains a strong collaborative relationship with the Bonneville Power Administration, they are separate organizations. The Climate Trust is a nonprofit organization formed in 1997 in response to landmark Oregon legislation requiring new power plants to counter their global warming pollution impact. This innovative legislation limits the amount of CO2 that a new power plant can release.
Carbon dioxide is the primary gas leading to global warming.
Power plant developers can comply with the standard by making a payment to The Climate Trust, which uses the funds for projects that reduce atmospheric CO2 levels. These projects are called offsets because they offset the release of CO2 from the new Oregon power plants. This project is one of five offset projects that the Trust is contracting for CO2 offsets with funding from the Klamath Cogeneration Project, now operating near Klamath Falls, Oregon. The other projects include renewable power generation and CO2 recovery from landfill gas, internet-based car pool coordination in the Portland metropolitan area, and two projects involving the permanent capture of CO2 by forests. Portland, Ore. - The Climate Trust Board of Directors has approved a contract with Klickitat County Public Utility District No. 1 for a project which will reduce levels of global warming pollution in the atmosphere.