Climate Team’s Report Provides Blueprint for Real Solutions

Today in Olympia, Governor Gregoire released "Leading the Way," the climate strategy from the State’s Climate Advisory Team.  The strategy would deliver $900 million in net benefits, reduce fossil fuel imports by $4.9 billion a year by 2020, and create 30,000 jobs in the clean energy sector.

Environmental and clean energy advocates applauded the report, citing the report’s recommendations for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, creating new “green-collar” jobs and empowering local governments to build compact and transit oriented communities. 

Titled “Leading the Way,” the report is the culmination of nearly a year of deliberation by the Climate Advisory Team (“CAT”) which was created by Governor in February of last year to achieve her goals of reducing global warming pollution, reducing spending on imported fuel by 20 percent, and tripling – to 25,000 – the number of “green collar” jobs in the state. The 25 CAT members -- along with numerous experts from business, utilities, agriculture, forestry, government, the clean-energy industry and the environmental community -- considered a broad range of ideas and concerns while developing the recommendations.

Environmental and clean energy advocates are pleased that two of the four Priorities for a Healthy Washington bills currently under consideration by the Legislature -- Climate Action and Green Jobs and Local Solutions to Global Warming -- directly address key elements of the Advisory Team’s recommendations.

“The Climate Advisory Team recognized it’s going to take strong state leadership to reduce our global- warming pollution and put Washington at the forefront of the clean energy revolution,” said Climate Solutions’ Policy Director KC Golden. “The challenge now is to roll up our sleeves and make sure that these recommendations result in concrete action this year. Passing the two bills is the important first step.”

The Governor released the Climate Advisory Team's "Leading the Way" Interim Report at a press conference today in Olympia. She was joined by the Team’s co-chairs: Ecology Director Jay Manning and Community, Trade and Economic Development Director Juli Wilkerson. Downloadable copies of the report, along with other information that informed the CAT process, are available at the Department of Ecology’s Climate Change website: www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange

The Climate Action and Green Jobs bill, one of the 2008 Priorities for a Healthy Washington, provides an overall framework for Washington’s climate strategy that flows directly from the CAT recommendations.  The legislation (SB 6516 and HB 2815) will establish a program to reduce global warming pollution, providing accountability for achieving the state’s pollution reduction limits; and it will create a green collar job training fund to invest in the Washington workforce and ensure our workers are ready for jobs in the state's growing clean energy economy.  It would also commit the state to reducing vehicle miles traveled and implement other strategies to address the transportation sector. These strategies are essential because transportation accounts for about 50 percent of the state’s global warming pollution.

“Labor is determined to be part of the development of a clean energy economy for Washington and the Northwest that provides good jobs for working people now and into the future,” said Rick Bender, President of the WA State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “We believe in goals toward energy independence and creating an economy that will benefit families and communities. “

The other environmental community Priority that specifically addresses climate change, Local Solutions to Global Warming (SHB2797/ SSB6580) also builds on a “most promising” strategy identified in the CAT report.  This bill will give cities and counties the support and flexibility they need to help reduce global warming pollution by adding the goal of reducing global warming pollution and adapting to the likely impacts of climate change to the State’s Growth Management Act, and providing tools and resources to help local governments address climate change.

“The choices made in local land use and zoning plans about where a growing population will live and work and how they will get around have a huge impact on global warming emissions,” said Futurewise Acting Executive Director Aisling Kerins. “By making good decisions about how our neighborhoods, cities and counties grow we can reduce global warming pollution.”

The draft CAT recommendations also are reflected in two Incentives for Energy Efficiency legislative proposals. One would exempt buyers of the most energy-efficient appliances and equipment from paying state sales tax; the other would make efficiency upgrades in public facilities more affordable for governments, schools and other state agencies.

Another bill, SB 6822, would establish state goals to reduce vehicle miles traveled, or “VMT.” Decreasing per capita VMT between now and 2050 emerged as a Climate Advisory Team priority for the transportation sector.

Audubon Washington : Climate Solutions : Environment Washington : Futurewise : National Wildlife Federation : NW Energy Coalition :  Sierra Club Cascade Chapter : Washington Environmental Council : Washington Conservation Voters : Transportation Choices Coalition