Washington Gov. Gregoire Testifies On Behalf Of Green Jobs, Climate Action Legislation

March 17, 2009 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire this morning testified before the state House Committee on Ecology & Parks, urging legislators to move forward with her comprehensive Green Jobs and Climate Action legislative package.

“Climate change is the great challenge of our time. Our environment, our economy, our very way of life is threatened by a changing climate,” Gregoire said. “President Obama has made it clear that he will work with Congress to develop a national cap-and-trade program. At the federal level, a greenhouse gas program is coming. If Washington leads, we are at the table shaping the program.”

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In January, Gregoire proposed legislation that included the following actions to stimulate the creation of green jobs and fight climate change:

• Investments totaling $455 million in the 2009–11 biennium for energy-reducing transportation projects, energy efficiency projects, green buildings and clean-energy technology. Investments will support an estimated 2,900 jobs in 2010 and 2011.

• Limitations on greenhouse gas emissions and creation of market incentives that will drive reductions in climate-changing greenhouse gas pollution through a cap-and-trade system designed last year by the seven states (including Washington) and four Canadian provinces in the Western Climate Initiative.

• Provision of a state tax exemption for the new generation of plug-in electric vehicles, a strategy that encourages Washington residents to purchase efficient and “clean” cars and sends an important signal to the marketplace.

• A partnership with the state’s clean technology industries to identify actions needed to ensure that Washington remains at the cutting edge of the green energy future.

• Asking the State Building Code Council to improve building energy efficiency by 30 percent beyond the 2006 standards.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, passed the Senate in a weakened form, essentially calling for more study of options to address climate change. The House did not pass its own version, but instead chose to work with the Senate bill, which is the subject of today’s hearing.

“I want to thank the sponsors of this bill for their tireless work to take another step toward reducing climate change,” Gregoire said. “We cannot be Detroit, where innovation died. We have put ourselves in a great position to lead the great energy transformation. This is our future, and it’s going to take our combined leadership to get there.”

Source: Washington Governor