Oregon regulators today recommended approval of

s plan to close its Boardman coal-fired power plant by Dec. 31, 2020, saying the guaranteed early closure date justifies a smaller investment in new pollution controls between now and then.

The fate of Oregon's only coal-fired plant -- and largest haze pollution and greenhouse gas source -- now moves to the Environmental Quality Commission, which will vote next week on the plan.

The decision has big consequences for ratepayers: PGE says closing the relatively low-cost coal plant and finding reliable replacement power could bump up electricity rates as much as 4.5 percent.

It will also affect air quality from Mount Hood to the Columbia River Gorge to Hells Canyon, all affected by haze generated by Boardman's emissions.

After lengthy negotiations, Oregon's largest electric utility agreed to drop an option that would have allowed it to install $500 million to $600 million in pollution controls and keep operating through at least 2040.

endorsed by the

explicitly repeals the 2040 option in exchange for far less pollution control -- $60 million to $90 million worth -- and closing by 2020 at the latest.

DEQ said the

has indicated it will approve the plan.

The closure of Boardman, opened in 1977, could set a precedent for closing coal plants nationwide in light of global warming and pollution concerns.

PGE could request the 2040 option again in coming years if a pending

lawsuit or new federal rules up the ante on pollution controls, a point the utility made clear in its offer to the DEQ. But the regulatory hurdles would be formidable, agency officials say.

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