Lawmakers join Al Gore's crusade to ease climate change

Al Gore and his "inconvenient truth" about global warming were mentioned both admiringly and derisively by state senators Saturday as they signed up Washington for the crusade to combat climate changes.

The Senate voted 35-13 for the Legislature's major global warming legislation of the session.

It has the strong backing of Gov. Chris Gregoire, who is working with fellow western governors on the issue, and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who is working with the nation's mayors to ease greenhouse emissions. King County Executive Ron Sims hopes to cut emissions in the county by 80 percent below current levels by 2050.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, said the House is eager to study the Senate legislation. She said she lives on the Pacific coast and is plenty worried about rising sea levels.

The Senate measure sets state goals to reduce greenhouse gas emission, requires the Ecology Department to set standards for electric utilities, creates a tax credit for consumer-owned utilities that invest in energy efficiency measures, and create an office of state climatologist. It would promote "clean energy" jobs, reduction of petroleum purchases, and use of plug-in electric hybrid cars.

The bill also would address how the state could join other states that allow power companies to buy, sell and trade "credits," allowing them to emit a certain amount of pollution in exchange for others producing less.

According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, 12 states already have set emission targets, including Oregon, California and Arizona.

Gregoire wants Washington to reduce greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. By 2035, she wants a reduction to 25 percent below 1990 levels; and by 2050, she wants a reduction to 50 percent below 1990 levels.

"It's about all of us coming together and making sure we're working together with a set of goals that we can all embrace and make sure that Washington state is doing its part" to combat climate change, the governor said last month in signing an executive order that would dovetail with the legislation.

Gregoire's order also calls for full implementation of laws passed in 2005 and last year, including more stringent car emission standards and construction of "green" energy-efficient buildings.

Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, prime sponsor, said the bill allows the state to join in a West Coast effort, dealing with an issue where the national government has lagged.

"This is not about global warming _ it's about climate change," he said. "We are changing the climate of the planet."

Using the title of Al Gore's Oscar-winning movie, book and lecture, "An Inconvenient Truth," he and others called for a strong response from the state, the West's second largest.

Washington is vulnerable to climate change because of its long coastline and because dwindling snowpack threatens the economy of Eastern Washington and power production, Pridemore said.

"This is an inconvenient truth. There is a problem for the world, for the polar bear, for the state of Washington. This (legislation) is part of the answer."

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, agreed. "This is just one step on the road for Washington state to face the inconvenient truth that humans are altering the climate of the planet. It is my deep belief that confronting it in an honest way will dramatically transform our economy, ultimately in a positive way."

Critics called it overreacting and said it could drive up power bills and hurt the economy. Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, said it's a trendy issue, but that sponsors haven't thought through the impact on regular people.

"It's polar bears and Al Gore and a cause celebre and Hollywood," he said. "I want to know what it does for jobs and for working people. What will it do to electric rates for the family that is living paycheck to paycheck?"

Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, said the emission goals will be treated as mandates, and will drive up power costs.

"I fear it will have a detrimental effect on industry and jobs," he said.

Twelve Republicans and Sheldon voted against the bill. The measure was backed by the other 31 Democrats and Republicans Don Benton, Mike Carrell, Cheryl Pflug and Pam Roach.

The House, meanwhile, passed the "Clean Air-Clean Fuels Act to combat pollution and promote clean energy. The vote was 79-18. It now goes to the Senate.

"Our economy loses $30 million a day to import dirty fossil fuels that pollute our air, increase cancer rates and cause global warming," said Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, the sponsor.

The measure would:

_Direct state agencies to reduce fossil fuel use by at least 25 percent by 2020 and require most government vehicles to use biofuels or electricity by 2015.

_Replace 700 old diesel school buses.

_Boost the emerging biodiesel industry.

_Help ports pollute less.

_Involve the University of Washington and Washington State University researchers in long-term analysis and planning to ease impacts of global warming.

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The Senate bill is SB6001. The House measure is HB1303.

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On the Net:

Legislature: http://www.leg.wa.gov

Governor: http://www.governor.wa.gov