Climate and clean energy action in Washington
Summary of and updates on climate and clean-energy policy in Washington State
Climate Solutions is
working to grow Washington's clean-energy economy and protect important state laws already in place that will help us achieve our goals.
Take action to support Jobs Now!
Governor Inslee has released budget priorities that provide critical funding for clean energy innovation, and the House capital budget funds the state’s extremely successful Jobs Now program that puts people to work upgrading schools and public buildings to make them more energy efficient. (Check out some of the successes of this program here and here).
Programs like those supported by the Governor and the House budget have been essential in both investing in next generation clean technology and putting people back to work today. We need the legislature to continue this investment. You can see Climate Solutions and our allies’ budget priorities in detail, and then take action to support Jobs Now.
The Washington legislature is in what should be its home stretch for
the 2013 session. They’ve
already taken a step forward on climate by passing Governor Inslee’s climate
action law yet missed the boat on a commonsense way to save money and
reduce pollution when the
Senate Energy and Environment Committee refused to allow a vote on a bill to
create energy efficiency standards for some appliances.
Power Past Coal
There are now at least six proposals
to turn the Northwest into a fossil fuel highway to Asia bringing the total to 150
million tons of dirty coal that would ship from ports in Oregon and
Washington every year – roughly 60 trains a day.
A groundswell of
opposition continues to grow as awareness of the potential public health and
safety, economic and environmental consequences rises. In cities and towns were
the terminals would be built, along the rail shipping corridor where commuter,
business and emergency response mobility could be severely disrupted by coal
trains, and in communities where additional tanker traffic would interfere with
mobility, people are standing up against carbon dumping and for a clean energy
future.
Governor Kitzhaber, the EPA, the Washington State DNR, and thousands of concerned citizens
are calling on the Army Corps of Engineers to look at the cumulative impacts of
these proposals.
Please
make your voice heard with them today.
