100% Clean Electricity Bill passes Washington House of Representatives
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Josh Chetwynd
Bill will make state a cleaner and healthier place to live
Environment Washington
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State House of Representatives today passed the 100% Clean Electricity bill, E2SSB 5116. The bill requires utilities to obtain 100 percent of their electricity from carbon-free energy sources and features key near-term targets to eliminate coal from the grid by 2025. It also compels utilities to be 80 percent carbon-free by 2030. This result follows a Senate version of the bill, which passed in that chamber in March. The two bills will now need to be reconciled and approved by both legislative bodies before being sent to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature.
Bruce Speight, Environment Washington director, issued the follow statement:
“Washington State’s future will be a lot brighter with the passage of the 100% Clean Electricity bill. Every day, we see more evidence that a society powered by renewable energy is within our reach. The passage of this bill puts us one step closer to that reality while making the Evergreen State a cleaner and healthier place to live.
“We applaud this bill because, unlike the Senate version, the House requires utilities to transition to 100 percent clean electricity rather than just setting a goal. We are also grateful it removes an exemption for a fossil natural gas plant in Clark County.
“We urge state leaders to adopt the house bill. We need bold action for clean energy in Washington in order to assure healthier, more vibrant communities and a livable future for kids growing up today.
“It’s 2019. We have the technology, the know-how and the power to capture clean, abundant renewable energy from the sun and the wind. We can do it more efficiently and less expensively than ever before. To that end, we thank Rep. Gael Tarleton, Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, Sen. Reuven Carlyle and Sen. Guy Palumbo for their leadership in getting Washington closer to a cleaner energy future. We are excited to work with them to finish the job and make Washington the fourth state to commit to 100 percent clean energy.”
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Environment Washington is a statewide, membership-based environmental advocacy organization.
