Dive Brief:
- The Washington State Senate has passed a measure designed to give large utilities more options to deal with state requirements that 15% of their power come from renewable sources.
- Under the measure passed by Republican senators, any program or investment which reduces carbon would qualify as "renewable," including conservation and electric vehicle charging stations.
- The measure will now head to the Democrat-controlled House, where the Belleville News-Democrat reports it will likely face stiff opposition.
Dive Insight:
Senate Bill 5735, approved 26-23, makes "modest changes" to Washington state law requiring utilities to purchase a growing proportion of their power from renewable sources, according to the bill's sponsor. The bill gives utilities another way to comply: by investing in programs that reduce carbon.
“We can achieve big results, here and now, today — by making modest changes to our state’s renewable-energy law,” said Sen. Doug Ericksen (R), the bill's sponsor. “We can keep power costs low, encourage the creation of new manufacturing jobs, and achieve the additional benefit of reducing carbon emissions across the state.
Ericksen said the bill corrects the biggest flaws in the state's renewable requirements. He said that although Initiative 937 was introduced as a way to promote clean energy, the initiative provides no incentive to reduce emissions, carbon or otherwise. It also requires utilities to purchase power even though most do not need the power to meet consumer demand.
The result is that wind will increasingly displace clean and abundant hydropower over the next five years, Ericksen said, as utility purchasing requirements rise from the current 3% to 15% in 2020. That means I-937 could mean more carbon emissions, not less, Ericksen said, because a backup power source is required when the wind doesn’t blow and that resource is nearly always natural gas.
“We’ll be displacing clean hydropower with a more expensive source of power that produces carbon,” Ericksen said. “Does that make any sense?"
