In the Oregon State Legislature, since the beginning of the 2015 session, the Joint Committee on Implementing Measure 91 has held a series of informational hearings to better prepare lawmakers to enact the voter-approved initiative that depenalizes the possession, use, and cultivation of marijuana by adults 21 and older. Measure 91 permits an adult to grow up to 4 plants in their home, and as part of the committee’s informational hearings, lawmakers heard from a representative of Portland General Electric, Brendan McCarthy. The investor owned utility serves roughly 70% of the state’s Gross Domestic Product, and Mr. McCarthy has studied the current and future electric power usage associated with indoor cannabis cultivation and shared some of his findings with the joint committee. Our hope in offering this mix of words and music is that as more states permit limited home cannabis cultivation that future small-scale indoor farmers, in a legal context, will be candid with power providers and ensure that their electrical service can safely and most efficiently serve their needs. And when thinking about the carbon footprint of a residential indoor grow in a nation where fossil fuels still provide 70% of our electrical power on average, we hope that legal small scale farmers will exhaust outdoor grow possibilities before choosing to burn coal and natural gas to grow any species of plant in a closet. Some growers have traditionally used indoor cultivation to avoid detection, but with legality, we hope the plant can more frequently return to its rightful place in the sun … Brendan McCarthy is a Government Affairs Analyst for Portland General Electric … (5:42) …