Clean Energy Solutions

Wind farms like this one at Stateline Wind Project near Walla Walla provide emission-free renewable energy while serving as an economic boon for rural areas. Photo: Stateline Wind Project.

Washington is at an energy crossroads. The state's demand for electricity is projected to increase steadily over the next decade at a rate of 1.3 percent per year. Washington's hydroelectric system cannot keep pace with this growth, especially when faced with a drought, as it was in 2001.

Vouching For Renewable Energy And Energy Efficiency
In June 2001, WashPIRG Foundation and approximately 100 Washington residents sent a clear message to national leaders about federal energy policy by testifying at one of only four public hearings held nationwide for the public to speak out about the Bush administration's energy plan. "This plan is dirty, dangerous, and doesn't deliver for consumers," said WashPIRG Foundation's Executive Director Robert Pregulman in his testimony at the hearing in Seattle.

The next month, WashPIRG Foundation released Keeping the Lights On: Smart Solutions for Washington's Energy Needs. The report revealed that state utilities and other businesses spent nearly $14 million from 1997 to 2001 lobbying for weak energy policies in Washington.

In February 2002, we released Generating Solutions: How States Are Putting Renewable Energy Into Action. The report showed that a national standard increasing the use of renewable energy to 20 percent of the U.S. energy supply by 2020 would benefit Washington's environment and economy.

We released this report, along with an analysis of state renewable energy potential written by the Union of Concerned Scientists, at a news conference that included activists standing beside a giant inflated model of an oil derrick. At the conference, WashPIRG Foundation staff and activists called for a national energy policy that prioritizes increased energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy from sources such as the sun and the wind.

In November 2002, WashPIRG Foundation voiced our opposition to the Bush administration's regulatory attacks on the Clean Air Act, which aim to allow older power plants to continue operating without modern pollution controls, even when significant upgrades are made to them. This action received coverage in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.