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Historic climate legislation passes U.S. House of Representatives

June 26, 2009

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved climate and energy legislation that will create millions of clean energy jobs and implement the first market-based solution to cut carbon pollution in America’s history. The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) passed the House by a vote of 219-212.  The bill, which included many Inslee-sponsored amendments and provisions, will now be sent to the U.S. Senate for their consideration later this year. 

Mr. Inslee is Washington state’s only representative on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee.  For a decade, Inslee has advocated for an new American clean energy future through a national New Apollo Energy Project.  Recently, Inslee helped this bill move through the Energy and Commerce Committee and on to approval in the House, and his amendments and provisions were crucially important to advancing the legislation and earning broad support for it.  The bill’s success today is the culmination of his efforts over many years. 

Chairman Henry Waxman of the Energy and Commerce Committee praised Inslee for helping get this bill passed.  “Mr. Inslee has worked successfully with members representing disparate interests and geographies to find workable solutions that helped lead to the consensus product we have today.”

“Since coming to Congress,” said Inslee, “I have worked to harness America’s innovative genius to create new, clean energy jobs in our state, break our country’s dependence on foreign oil and make this country the world leader in clean energy technologies.”  

“This bill is a huge victory for Washington state,” said Inslee. “In the Northwest, neither the melting Cascade snowpack, nor acidifying ocean waters, nor beetle-ravaged North Cascades forests could have waited much longer for us to act.  The price of inaction is too high.  Thankfully, today, America has begun a New Apollo Project to move the country toward a clean energy future and away from outdated fossil fuels.” 

In addition to new environmental protections, Washington state is projected receive $3.2 billion in clean energy investments and grow 34,000 jobs as a result of the bill passed today and the earlier American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to recent a study by Center for American Progress. 

Many of Inslee’s ideas and programs to help the people of Washington state are in the final bill:

• Creation of a Clean Energy Bank that will give breakthrough clean energy technologies the financing they need to get to commercial-scale deployment.  The bank will create new American innovations and the jobs that will bring consumers new energy options and accelerate the clean energy revolution.  This will help Washington's business and technology innovators, including developers exploring promising algae-based biofuels, enhanced geothermal and renewable ocean energy technologies.
• Ground-breaking allowance rebate provisions to protect jobs in local energy-intensive and trade-intensive industries, such as producers of aluminum, steel, and pulp and paper products.  This innovative policy, developed in partnership with Rep. Mike Doyle, of Pittsburg, PA, is critical to effectively preserving industrial competitiveness, while maintaining appropriate incentives for manufacturers to reduce their emissions.
• Provisions to speed construction of high-priority, high-voltage transmission power lines by allowing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to site interstate transmission lines that are needed to access remotely located renewable energy resources in the American West.
• $20 million for a national wood stove changeout program to help families who heat their homes with wood-burning stoves to upgrade to cleaner models.  This program will cut emissions, improve public health and save money for families in rural areas.  For example, ninety five percent of the population of the Makah tribal reservation in northwest Washington rely on wood stoves for heat and can benefit from this program. Funding is for five years.
• Loan guarantee and grant program for advanced transmission technology, including superconductor technology that would make high-efficiency, underground transmission lines more cost-effective. Local producers of superconductor technology, like Infinia Corporation in Kennewick, could benefit from this provision.
• Creates the National Bioenergy Partnership (NBP), whose Pacific region office will be managed by the Washington State University Energy Program.  The NBP will coordinate regional research efforts into bioenergy sources and methods. 
• A clarification to federal law to ensure that states who wish to pursue feed-in tariffs to promote renewable energy development are not blocked from doing so.
• Provision to study and reduce black carbon (soot) emissions, a public health threat and oft-forgotten but significant contributor to global warming. 
• $1.5 billion per year for energy research, development, and deployment.
• A Renewable Energy Standard for the U.S. federal government.  Federal agencies will now acquire twenty percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.  This amendment was pushed by the Inslee-led Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (S.E.E.C.) and was brought forward by Reps. Titus (D-Nev.), Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M).

After this vote, Congressman Inslee will be working with state leaders and other members of Washington state’s federal delegation to pass the bill through the U.S. Senate and bring a Clean Energy Innovation Center, as created by the bill, to Washington state.  Washington state, with its internationally renowned technology sector, is well-positioned to get at least one such research center in our state.