State turned a vital corner on path to clean energy
Editorial by KC Golden of Earth Share organization Climate Solutions, courtesy of the Seattle P-I.
Washington’s transition to a clean energy economy shifted into high gear this year with an impressive package of forward-looking legislation coming out of Olympia. Bipartisan majorities delivered clean cars, high-performance buildings, efficient equipment and solar energy incentives.
The timing couldn’t be better. These clean energy policies will help us reduce the economic and military costs of oil imports, which are siphoning the strength out of our economy. Meanwhile, climate disruption — caused by burning fossil fuels — is melting our snowpack and threatening our food, energy and water supplies. Like most crippling addictions, our fossil fuel dependence is reaching an ugly dead end.
It’s also a time of great promise for economies that get ahead of the clean energy curve. The alternatives to fossil fuels are coming of age: Smarter, cleaner energy solutions are becoming widely available and affordable. Renewable energy sources and efficient energy systems are emerging as bright lights on our economic horizon.
We stand at a crossroads. By embracing smart, efficient energy choices, we can position Washington for success in the clean energy economy of the future. Or we can prolong our dependence on fossil fuels and face an increasingly costly tangle of economic, environmental and security problems.
So the 2005 Legislature will be remembered for turning Washington toward the clean energy path. Our vehicles, buildings and equipment will be more resource-efficient — keeping more energy dollars circulating through the state’s economy instead of sending them to Houston or Riyadh. And our clean energy industry will grow — especially in rural areas, which will profit from harvesting renewable resources for energy-hungry cities.
The Clean Car bill was heralded as a major environmental achievement. But it’s much more than that. In the future, new cars will consume less fuel and produce less pollution. They’ll cost less to own and operate. They’ll reduce our dependence on oil.
Clean cars will help us fix a gaping hole in our economy. Currently, Washington spends more than $20 million every day to import oil and gas; that’s more than the state spends on K-12 education. As the parent of two school-age kids, I can’t help but wonder what that money could do for schools if we weren’t wasting so much on fuels. Saving just one day’s worth of oil and gas imports in Washington would save enough money to pay off the Seattle Public Schools’ budget shortfall.
Clean car standards are a classic win-win situation. Citizens all over the state, legislators from both parties and a wide spectrum of businesses, civic groups and local governments worked together to pass them.
In our political culture, it’s all about the war between special interests. The story of any particular battle is a tale of winners and losers.
Continue reading this story from the Seattle P-I:
State turned a vital corner on path to clean energy