OLYMPIA – The Washington Senate today approved a bill to set Washington state on a path to 100 percent clean energy.
Senators voted 28-19 in favor of Senate Bill 5166, sponsored by Sen. Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle). The bill would require all electric utilities in Washington to transition to a 100-percent, carbon-neutral electricity supply by 2030 and to 100-percent carbon-free electricity by 2045.
“Nothing is more important than leaving the world in a better place for our children,” said Sen. Liz Lovelett (D-Anacortes). “This legislation takes a tremendous and consequential step forward to improve our energy future. We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change in our forests and shorelines. Now, we are leading the way toward innovative solutions that remove emissions and ensure healthier communities and habitat for the benefit of all.”
Senate Bill 5166 would make Washington one of the first states in the nation to commit broadly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity while adopting a precise action plan to do so. It is also the most extensive measure on climate action that Washington’s Legislature has adopted since 2008, when it committed the state to reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels.
The bill is part of a wider package of Senate legislation to make a meaningful reduction in Washington’s carbon footprint. Having passed the Senate, it now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
