Senate Democrats seek solution to ‘unequivocal’ climate change

OLYMPIA – Recognizing that climate change will have severe environmental and economic impacts in Washington in coming decades, Senate Democrats have introduced an omnibus measure aimed at keeping the state a leader in addressing the problem.

“The word is out: Global warming is unequivocal,” said chair of the Water, Energy & Telecommunications Committee Sen. Erik Poulsen, D-West Seattle, citing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that came out last week. “Washington is particularly vulnerable to it, because of our dependence on snowpack for summer stream flows and because the expected rise in sea levels threatens our coastal communities. We can’t stand back and wait for disaster to happen. The time to act is now.”

The bill would:

• Significantly reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions by establishing statewide targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, 2035 and 2050.
• Lessen Washington’s dependence on foreign oil by setting a target of 2020 to reduce state expenditures on imported fuel by 20 percent over current spending, to keep more of our citizens’ energy spending here at home.
• Create thousands of jobs by setting a goal to triple the clean energy sector jobs in the state by 2020.
• Set rigorous performance standards. The bill would establish a greenhouse gas performance standard for new natural gas and coal plants, as well as for power purchases by utilities.
• Inspire an immediate statewide response to the problem. The governor’s executive order is recognized in the legislation to provide the mechanism to accomplish these goals.
• Unite Washington with other climate change leaders. Washington will work with other Western states to achieve a regional approach to emission targets and an emissions trading program.
• Lend a hand to utilities. The bill affirms utility programs that expend funds for mitigation of emissions.
• Offers incentives to utilities. The bill provides an incentive for utilities to invest in cost-effective conservation and energy efficiency technologies.
• Helps Washington lead by example: The state will accelerate electrification of transportation by purchasing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) for state agency use.
• Recognize the importance of addressing climate change by creating the Office of State Climatologist, who will provide information about drought response, emergency preparedness, flooding and other climate-related impacts.

Washington has taken several steps in the past few legislative sessions to combat climate change, Poulsen said, including: requiring automobiles to meet tough emissions standards; developing and maintaining one of the best energy building codes in the nation; promoting the use of energy-efficient appliances; and promoting the use and production of renewable fuels and energy.

“But we can and must do more,” Poulsen said. “The evidence of humans’ contributions to this problem cannot be ignored. This bill says Washington is prepared to continue to be a leader in tackling a problem that is wreaking havoc on our environment and, if ignored, has the potential to do the same to our economy.”

The Senate Water, Energy & Telecommunications (WET) Committee will hold a work session at 3:30 p.m. today at in Senate Hearing Room 4 on plug-in hybrid technology with the following participants:

• King County Executive Ron Sims, speaking about King County’s climate change initiatives
• KC Golden, Climate Solutions, and Rich Feldman, Apollo Alliance, setting the stage on climate change and how PHEVs can help
• Robert Babik, director of vehicle emissions issues, General Motors, speaking about PHEV research and the Chevrolet “Volt”
• Steve Johnson, executive director, Washington Public Utility District Association, talking about how utilities will play a central role in reducing our dependence on oil
• Jim White, utility expert, discussing electrical capacity and PHEVs
• David Kaplan, V2Green, describing the potential of plug-ins and control technologies
• Ron Johnston-Rodriguez, Port of Chelan, describing the port’s support for PHEVs and their converted vehicle, which will be on campus that day

Poulsen’s omnibus bill, which has yet to be assigned a number, is scheduled for a hearing before the WET Committee at 10 a.m. next Tuesday, Feb. 13, in Senate Hearing Room 4.

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