Safe for now

Washington state renewable plan avoids watering down 2

Washington state’s Initiative 937, the renewable energy bill voters approved in 2006, looks to be safe from meddling state legislators. From Josh Feit at Publicola:

The state Senate bill I’ve been following all session—the one that supporters like Sen. Chris Marr (D-6, Spokane) says will “amend” I-937 (the voter-approved renewable energy initiative) and Greens say will “gut” I-937—  got tabled in the House appropriations committee on Friday.

Lawmakers have been considering loosening restrictions in the measure, which was meant to ramp up wind and solar energy production in the state. Feit suggests the original plan is safe for now.

Some background on the bill from Publicola:

I-937, passed by the voters in 2006 ..., mandates that electric utilities get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. Hydro was not included on I-937’s list of kosher sources because the intent of the initiative was to develop new sources of green power. Hydro provides 70 percent of the region’s power already. (Additionally, dams are taboo in the environmental community.)

A March 24 AP story recounts some of the legislative tussle. It also dips into the debate over old renewables (hydropower) versus new renewables, an interesting question in the dam-dependent Northwest.

Jonathan Hiskes is a Grist staff writer. He reports, tweets, eats, asks questions, self-promotes, looks out windows, and wonders if it could be like this.

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  1. Wyomite Posted 2:17 pm
    07 Apr 2009

    Not so fast. Senate Bill 5840 is still alive.The very same appropriations committee that tabled the bill Friday pulled it back off Monday"There is probably nobody more surprised than I that this bill is before us today," said Chair Jeannie Darneille in Monday's meeting of the House General Government Appropriations committee.Darneille, a Democrat whose district includes Tacoma, had expressed grave reservations about the bill last week after Tacoma's municipal utility and Clark Public Utiliites, which serves most of Clark County, said the bill would cost its ratepayers tens of millions of dollars in the next dozen years because they would be forced to buy more renewables than customers needed.And it was Darneille who abruptly gaveled her committee closed Friday afternoon, "for the rest of the year," she said, without having offered up SB 5840 for amendment or vote.But after what must have been intense wrangling over the weekend--with sides most likely defined by utility affiliation rather than political party--it was decided that issues with the measure would be worked out in a House/Senate conference. The committee then passed the bill without amendment, and handed it over to the House floor for what will essentially be pre-ordained passage.

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  2. Mark431 Posted 3:42 am
    17 Apr 2009

    Its True that Senate Bill 5840 is still alive. A Democrat whose district includes Tacoma, had expressed grave
    reservations about the bill last week after Tacoma's municipal utility
    and Clark Public Utiliites, which serves most of Clark County, said the
    bill would cost its ratepayers tens of millions of dollars in the next
    dozen years because they would be forced to buy more renewables than
    customers needed. what must have been intense wrangling over the weekend--with sides most
    likely defined by utility affiliation rather than political party. The very same appropriations committee that tabled the bill Friday pulled it back off Monday. hookahs

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