Washington is 100% Ready

By: Jesse Piedfort, Chapter Director

With the Pacific Northwest experiencing increasingly fierce and frequent wildfires, shellfish loss from ocean acidification, and warmer winters, the need to act on climate has never been more urgent. While the problem can seem daunting, we can take solace in the fact that we know the solutions and have a unique opportunity to implement them in 2019.

Numerous studies at the state, federal and international level broadly agree that the first step to a clean energy future is to eliminate climate pollution from our electricity grid while steadily electrifying other sectors of the economy. With the Trump Administration moving in the wrong direction, it’s never been more important for cities and states to step up and lead for a cleaner future.

November brought greater Democratic majorities to Olympia, providing an opportunity to make history by passing legislation introduced by Rep. Gael Tarleton and Sen. Reuven Carlyle that will move Washington State to 100 percent clean electricity.

What does a 100% clean Washington look like?

• Phase coal power out of our electricity by 2025, speeding the closure of some of the dirtiest coal plants in the American West, including the Colstrip plant in Eastern Montana.

• A requirement that all of our state’s utilities get 80 percent of their electricity from clean energy by 2030, ensuring that fossil fuel-friendly utilities like Puget Sound Energy, Avista and Pacific Power don’t replace that coal with new fracked gas plants.

• More assistance for low-income Washingtonians and investments in more heavily impacted communities transitioning away from fossil fuels;

• Washington State’s electricity fully powered by 100% clean energy by 2045.

The rapid and continuing drop in the price of wind and solar power means that this transition isn’t just possible - it’s affordable. Battery storage has also advanced, balancing our grid and helping provide electricity when we most need it. We’ve only scratched the surface of energy efficiency opportunities, reducing energy use and electricity bills in every corner of the state. We don’t need to sit around and wait for technology to bring us to a clean energy future - the solutions are now at our fingertips.

This isn’t just the right thing to do for the sake of a stable climate - it’s an immense economic opportunity. Nearly 83,000 Washingtonians work in clean energy right now, making clean energy a larger employer in the state than Boeing (65,000 employees), Microsoft (45,000) and Amazon (50,000). Moving to 100 percent clean energy will continue to grow these family-wage jobs and make Washington State a clean energy hub for decades to come.

Washington State won’t be alone in the move to 100 percent clean; two states (Hawaii and California) have already passed similar policies. Here in Washington, Edmonds, Spokane, Bellingham, and Whatcom County have already pledged to go 100% clean, as have iconic Washington businesses like REI, Starbucks, and Microsoft.

While the path forward is promising, we know fossil fuel-friendly utilities will be fighting this bill at every step of the way. Legislators in every part of the state need to hear from constituents like you to get this bill across the finish line. Sign up here to learn how you can get involved.

Photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash