West Coast Global Warming Initiative

PRESS RELEASE
March 9, 2004
Bill LaBorde, NW Energy Coalition
KC Golden, Climate Solutions

Washington Legislature Passes Historic Global Warming Bill

Limits on carbon emissions from new power plants among strongest in the nation

OLYMPIA - Today Washington's House of Representatives gave final approval to a landmark bill requiring new power plants to mitigate 20 percent of their emissions of carbon dioxide, the principle pollutant responsible for global warming.

Substitute House Bill 3141 received strong bipartisan support in both the House (69-27) and in the Senate (40-6). It now goes to Gov. Gary Locke, who has supported the bill throughout the legislative process and is expected to sign it into law.

Bill LaBorde, Climate Campaign director for the NW Energy Coalition, called the bill's passage an important symbolic as well as substantive victory in the fight against the environmental, economic and public health effects of global warming.

"The bipartisan votes this bill received in both houses of the legislature show that the battle over the reality of global warming is over," LaBorde said. "There's a strong consensus emerging that not only is global warming real, but it's a phenomenon that's already affecting our environment, health and economy here in the Pacific Northwest."

While the environmental community has long advocated greenhouse gas regulations, big business, utilities and industries directly affected by global warming -- such as the ski industry -- joined in this year, LaBorde stressed.

"I think that's why a very conservative, Republican-controlled Senate voted for this bill by a 40-6 margin," he said.

The bill follows a two-year effort by the state's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council and Department of Ecology to write new power plant siting rules requiring thermal power plants to mitigate or offset a given percentage of their carbon emissions. Under SHB 3141, power plant developers must mitigate 20 percent of their emissions themselves or pay a third party to do so at a rate initially set at $1.60 per metric ton.

Eligible mitigation projects could include preservation of forests, financing of alternative energy and energy efficiency projects, landfill gas recovery and conversion of dirty diesel buses to natural gas or electric hybrid fleets.

The increased cost of new ”dirty“ power plants will help level the playing field for clean renewable energy projects and conservation programs that reduce power demand.

Passage of SHB 3141 marks an important milestone, but much work remains to be done. After the Governor signs the bill into law, the siting council and Department of Ecology must draft new rules for implementation. And though power plants are the Northwest's fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, automobiles remain the single largest source, accounting for about 60 percent of all global warming pollution in the region, experts say.

"Limiting emissions from new power plants is a good start," said Climate Connections director KC Golden, a former director of energy policy for Washington state. "Further limits on global warming pollution from transportation and energy production will help us build healthier communities and a stronger economy.

"The legislature, the governor and the business community deserve tremendous credit for taking this positive first step." Golden said.

Return to Climate Change