Fighting Bad Energy with Good Energy

            President-elect Donald Trump has declared many policy changes to begin within in first hundred days of his administration, even going so far as to create a ‘contract’ with the American people which he shared via social media – his premier platform. With his selection of Myron Ebell – a prominent climate-change-denier - Trump’s influence is already being felt, even before the January inauguration. A New York Times report cites Mr. Ebell’s opinions on the EPA’s regulatory impact:

In the interview in Paris last year, he said he hoped whoever was elected president would “undo the E.P.A. power plant regs and some of the other regs that are very harmful to our economy.”

            The hard-lined stance on de-regulating one of our most important regulatory agencies prompts massive actions on a state level to keep our nation moving in the 21^st century towards healthy energy policies. While on a federal we may shift towards lax regulation, states can still move towards more green and renewable sources, exceeding the bare national requirements. There is no better state to model after than Washington.

            Presently, Washington State receives nearly 70% of its energy from renewable sources, producing energy from a myriad of different technologies, rather than a single source. Hydroelectricity is the prevailing source (accounting for nearly 30% of our entire nation’s hydroelectric power). But wind power also accounts for nearly 10% of the state’s production. Recent investments in biomass and tidal sources have led to a burgeoning of new energy sectors beyond the traditional solar/wind approach of most renewable sources. And although nuclear is not considered a renewable source, it is a green energy in the mind of most environmental sciences – Washington claims home to the only nuclear power for more than 500 miles.

            These sorts of infrastructure by no means appear overnight, but they have created the least expensive energy market in the country and one of the cleanest, while not hampering jobs. Washington is rated the 5^th highest for petroleum refining potential (the amount of infrastructure existing for petroleum manufacturing), yet the state is not dependent on oil or natural gas sources. While not all state economies can directly match Washington, the effect on petroleum industries is not as severe as conservatives might infer from a green switchover.

            The beauty of Washington’s green energy is its state driven mentality – the changes experienced over the past decade were largely implemented during the Bush presidency, a time when gas prices were at a national low, and our environmental regulations were considerably tamer than today. Yet at a state level, Washington has been able to achieve a prosperous energy sector – independent of a Presidential mandate. Other states should look to the past decade of legislation in Washington, as we venture into a new presidency that is looking to de-emphasize the way we treat our environment. After all, we all share only one planet – best we can do is treat it well.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/science/myron-ebell-trump-epa.html?_r=0

http://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=WA