Lawmakers in Olympia last week approved legislation providing the framework to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and create more “green-collar” jobs.
The bill, requested by Gov. Chris Gregoire, creates a system designed to help the state move away from the fuel-dependent economy, said main sponsor Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish.
“The world is going through a transformation as we figure out how to use less energy and produce less pollution. We are moving from a consume-all-you-can economy to a sustainable economy,” he said.
The bill builds upon already existing legislation and has several major components to be implemented at a cost of $3 million.
Under the bill, the state and private sector will be required by 2020 to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to the levels of 1990 and to continue reducing them further.
The Department of Ecology will be responsible for creating a reduction plan.
Dunshee pointed to one possible system, used by California, called “cap and trade,” where companies’ emissions are limited, but credits can be sold by companies that produce less pollution and bought by companies that emit more.
Another part of the bill requires industries that emit 10,000 metric tons or more of greenhouse gas annually to report their emissions, with the exception of interstate and international travel.
Dunshee said the transportation system is a major contributor to the state’s greenhouse-gas emissions. “We have to figure out how to move people without using so much fuel,” he said.
The bill passed the Senate last week with a 29-19 vote and awaits the governor’s signature. However, some critics say the bill may become another unfunded mandate or have adverse effects on businesses.
Some Republicans are also wary that the bill establishes too many regulations.
“(The Democrats) are regulating how we drive, what kind of house we can live in and how much energy we can consume — all in the name of global warming,” Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, said in a statement. “The demand for political correctness forbids thinking outside of the religious mindset of the people who worship nature.”
The bill requires the Department of Transportation to provide guidelines on how to reduce the per-capita number of vehicle miles traveled.
The legislation also intends to raise the number of “green-collar” jobs to 25,000 by 2020 and creates an account for grants that will be distributed to help train workers for those jobs.
The so-called “green” sector continues to develop and isn’t completely identified yet, and the bill will be instrumental in shaping the industry, Dunshee said.
The Washington state Department of Community, Trade &Economic Development will conduct a survey to identify high-demand “green” jobs.
“Some of us are still trying to figure out what that means,” said Jessica Matlock, government relations and communications director for the Snohomish County PUD.
Matlock said the PUD is heavily involved in energy efficiency and conservation, and is developing renewable energy sources. “Our goal is to look in our own back yard,” she said.
What the agency found in its back yard is tidal energy. PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos said the agency is currently one year into a three-year study that may be followed by a pilot project.
The study will help determine which one of seven proposed sites from south Puget Sound to the San Juan Islands will be viable for a tidal-energy project, he said.
Wind is another sustainable energy source the agency is developing. Matlock said the PUD already buys some wind energy, which serves about 5,000 homes in Snohomish County area.
“We do understand that we are part of the puzzle in combating climate change. But we also need to provide low-cost energy to the region,” Matlock said.
Renewable energy is more expensive at this point because of research and development, and the agency will need funding to fulfill the requirement on reducing the emissions.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
