Washington House OKs 100% Clean Energy by 2045
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – The Washington House has passed a measure that seeks to eliminate fossil fuels like natural gas and coal from the state’s electricity supply by 2045.
The measure – a key piece of Gov. Jay Inslee’s climate agenda – passed on a 56-42 vote Thursday. It passed the Senate last month on a 28-19 vote, on the same day that Inslee announced he was running for president. Because the bill was amended by the House, it heads back to the Senate for a final vote.
Washington, which relies heavily on hydroelectric power, already generates more than 75 percent of its electricity from carbon-free sources. The measure would require utilities to eliminate coal as an energy source by the end of 2025 as the first step toward a goal to provide carbon-free electricity by 2045.