Washington State's most effective climate law is under attack.
Are you getting tired of continual efforts to undermine the state’s incredibly successful clean energy law, Initiative 937? Well, here they come again. The Washington State Senate is about to vote on a slew of bills to slash the clean energy standards and roll back nearly a decade of progress.
Passed by the people (ie. YOU!) in 2006, I-937 has ushered in a renewable energy boom. Washington has received over $8 billion in clean energy investments, creating thousands of jobs and generating nearly $150 million in public tax revenue, especially in rural areas. It has pushed utilities to all-time-record energy efficiency accomplishments, saving money for families and businesses. And, I-937 remains the most effective law Washington has on the books for cutting carbon pollution.
Despite all this success, some senators want to allow power sources that aren’t renewable – such as natural gas and nuclear – to water down the ways utilities can meet the renewable energy standard. These senators want to give credit for pre-existing projects, or for improvements that would have been or should be made regardless of the law. Others would make the standard meaningless by counting all existing hydropower. All these attacks on I-937 would thwart the voters’ intent to diversify and build on our renewable energy base.
