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Washington State is So Over Coal!

April ended with a huge monumental success. Bill 5769 was signed into law and made TransAlta's coal fired power plant in Centralia, WA the last in WA State!
Washington State is So Over Coal!

Coal Bill Signing

 

On April 29, Governor Gregiore signed into law Bill 5769 which puts an end to coal-fired energy production in Washington State. Representatives from TransAlta, including Steve Snyder, CEO of TransAlta; Senator Phil Rockefeller, Bruce Nilles, Sierra Club President, and other representatives spoke on Friday.

Governor Gregiore thanked TransAlta, the citizens and workers of Lewis County, the labor unions, legislators and the environmental community for working together in creation of a bill that is a win:win for all involved. She stated that this bill is not only historic but also the process in which this bill came to be is a model for future legislation.

The Bill essentially does this:

  • TransAlta will stop producing half of the coal power at its Centralia plant in 2020, and the other half in 2025.
  • In the meantime, the company can sell coal power to utilities through long-term contracts to help finance the transition off coal.
  • TransAlta will install pollution controls by 2013 to reduce haze that causes smog and obscures iconic vistas like Mount Rainier.
  • TransAlta will provide $30 million in direct economic development and energy efficiency jobs to the community, and another $25 million to develop clean-energy technology in the state.

    • Although not a perfect Bill, it does set a precedent for future closures of coal-fired power plants and a frame work for compromise among such diverse parties.

    We all at CoolMom are proud of the work and effort put in to making this Bill a reality and are thankful that CoolMom could play a part in these efforts.

    A HUGE thank you to Earth Ministry and especially their Director and special lady, LeeAnne Beres. Thank you for all the hard work and effort put into this Bill. Without you Friday would never have happened!