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House concludes what
citizens already know: Hydropower
is green, renewable
Amendment to Senate measure
affirms 'green credentials' of Washington's
top power source
In an unexpected turn of
events Friday,
Senate
Bill 5840 was amended to include hydropower as part of Washington's
green energy portfolio. Opposition to the change cite Initiative 937,
which excluded hydropower as a green, renewable energy source.
Reps.
Joel Kretz and
Shelly Short supported the bill as amended and are pleased
some of their Democrat colleagues supported the House Republican
proposal and voted in favor of the amendment adding Washington's top
power source to the list of "green" energy sources.
"We enjoy fairly inexpensive energy in our state, compared to locations
that do not have the innovative approach to generating power through
water," said Kretz, R-Wauconda. "It's a victory for our
state to show the nation that not only are we looking for new and clean
energy sources, but we are ahead of the pack when it comes to low-carbon
energy generation."
"This is a huge win for our state, our energy producers, our rate
payers, and future job creation," said Short, R-Addy.
"This is going to help keep utility rates down at a time when
hard-working families need every penny of savings they can get.
This also places our renewable energy goals for the next decade within
reasonable reach."
Initiative 937, passed by voters in 2006, imposed new restrictions on
Washington’s utilities in an effort to reach targets of specifically
selected energy types. Using a series of incremental steps, Initiative
937 would require that 15 percent of Washington’s energy meet its
definition of “renewable” by 2020. Hydropower was not included in the
initiative's definition of an "eligible renewable resource."
However, Senate Bill 5840, as amended by the House, would require
hydropower be included in the list of eligible renewable resources
alongside wind and solar.
The bill will now be sent back to the Senate for concurrence with the
amendment.
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For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7252
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