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Gregoire signs climate change measure into law
May 4 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kathie Durbin The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash. With a flourish of her pen Thursday, Gov. Chris Gregoire put Washington in the vanguard of states that are acting to reduce their carbon footprints and help slow global climate change. Senate Bill 6001, prime-sponsored by Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, also puts greenhouse gas emission reduction goals into state statute. Gregoire said she is proud that, in the absence of federal leadership, "this Washington, the better Washington," is showing the way on global climate change. "We were asked, 'What can one little state do?' " she recalled. "I said, 'It's got to start somewhere.' What does it mean when one state starts something? It means that others will follow." She noted that Washington has joined four other Western states in a regional effort to reduce greenhouse gases and that New Zealand and Canadian officials have contacted her about working cooperatively to address climate change. The governor praised Pridemore for working tirelessly to build support for the bill and for involving all affected parties in the negotiations that led to its passage. That ensures that the law will work, she said. Referring to those who still question the scientific evidence for global climate change, she quipped, "To the disbelievers, I say: 'The world is not flat.' " Pridemore, in turn, thanked representatives of utilities and consumer and environmental groups for staying at the table during the just-completed 2007 Legislative session to craft a bill they could agree on. He also thanked Gregoire. "This bill would not have happened without the governor's leadership," he said. In February, the governor issued an executive order setting goals for reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions substantially by 2050 and creating thousands of new jobs in the clean energy sector. However, her order did not set hard limits on emissions from new power plants. Instead, Gregoire appointed a task force with broad representation that will spend a year developing proposals for reducing carbon emissions from all sources in Washington, including transportation, which accounts for 47 percent of the state's greenhouse gas "footprint." The team, which has held one meeting, will recommend legislation to the 2008 Legislature. The governor said her executive order, the work of the task force and the climate change bill "go hand in hand, and they make us a leader not only in the nation but in the world." "It's very exciting," said Sara Patton of the Northwest Energy Coalition. "This is a huge step in a very important journey to work toward a stable climate. We're really proud that Washington is the second state to make this commitment." California passed similar legislation last year, but Patton said the Washington law is stronger because it "ratchets down" the emission limit power plants must meet -- 1,100 pounds of greenhouse gases per megawatt-hour of electricity generated -- as technology makes lower emissions possible. The law's most immediate effect will be to set a high hurdle for development of plants using new clean-coal technology. The technology, known as integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), involves breaking down coal or other fossil fuel into its component parts, stripping out harmful elements such as mercury and sulfur, and burning the remaining gas to generate electricity. Richland-based Energy Northwest, a consortium of public utility districts, has applied for a permit to build such a plant in Kalama. But the law would require the company to sequester the plant's carbon emissions by injecting them into the ground rather than releasing them into the atmosphere -- a requirement the company says it cannot meet under present technology. If it fails to do so, it will be required to mitigate the impact of its greenhouse gas emissions by buying a polluting power plant and closing it down. Traditional coal plants will not be able to meet the new standard. Utilities that supply power to Washington customers from out-of-state plants that can't meet the standard will not be allowed to sign new long-term contacts for that power. Electrical generating plants operating in the state as of July 2008 will be exempt from the rule. Utility representatives who took part in the signing ceremony offered guarded support for the measure, saying the likely exclusion of new coal plants from the state's energy future will complicate their efforts to meet increased demand. Although Washington has only one operating coal plant, coal "has always been an option," said Tom DeBoer of Puget Sound Energy. "We'll wait to see if IGCC works." "What Senate Bill 6001 really does from the utilities' perspective is remove a lot of uncertainty," said Pat Reiten of PacifiCorp. The Portland-based utility operates coal-fired plants in the Rocky Mountain states that currently supply some power to Washington customers. Reiten said PacifiCorp expects to need an additional 2,400 megawatts of generating capacity to serve its customers by 2012. Coal, which is cheap and abundant, is one way to meet that demand. "Our hope is to pursue advanced coal technology and to see coal sequestration work," he said. "What's really necessary is a large-scale federal investment in clean-coal technology," including grants for research and development and demonstration projects. Environmentalists agreed. "Everybody who cares about this issue hopes IGCC will live up to its promise," Patton said. Clean coal would help China and other nations reduce their carbon emissions, she said. "We hope it works too," said Craig Engelking of the Sierra Club. "We're saying no to the old traditional dirty coal and we're saying maybe to IGCC if it can actually sequester." Patton said she is confident that Washington, with its abundant hydropower, wind, natural gas and cogeneration, can get by without coal. "We don't need it here," she said. Did you know? - Washington produced 91 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2005, about 1 percent of the U.S. total. - Washington residents were responsible for the emission of about 14 metric tons of greenhouse gases per capita in 2005, much lower than the national average of 25 metric tons. - Transportation accounts for 47 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions. Burning of fossil fuels in homes, businesses and industries accounts for 21 percent. Generation of electricity consumed by those sectors accounts for another 21 percent. Kathie Durbin covers politics and the Legislature. Reach her at 360-759-8034 or e-mail kathie.durbin@columbian.com |