— from Foster Hildreth, OPALCO General Manager —
The Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) Board of Directors support renewable power, electric vehicles, carbon reduction and protection of our Salish Sea. Washington’s Initiative 1631 is a step in the right direction to reduce carbon pollution and promote clean energy, despite flaws in the current version of the bill.
We’d like to see the legislation coming from this initiative do more to reduce carbon pollution and channel more of the funds collected back into renewable programs. However, passing
I-1631 now moves Washington forward in alignment with OPALCO’s vision for investments in renewable energy in place of fossil fuels for the health of our membership and the sustainability of our remote island communities. It will provide incentives for fuel switching (beneficial electrification) as costs for propane and gas increase – and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, electrification of our ferry system and remove barriers for siting new renewable energy projects.
The intent of I-1631 is consistent with OPALCO’s long history of stewardship of our archipelago.
As residents of the Salish Sea, we are committed to protecting our sensitive environment and want clean water and clean air to benefit all inhabitants of our region, including the Orcas whales and all of the creatures who are impacted by carbon pollution.
We understand that not all of our peers in the electric power industry are supporting this initiative in its current form. We agree with our peers that some of the language of this bill needs improvement and we want to see greater support for renewables and siting for renewable projects, consideration for displaced workers and environmental justice for the communities that will be impacted by this measure.
However, we feel that we cannot afford to delay legislature any further that would begin to address the critical issues such as clean air, clean water, cleaner transportation options and energy efficiency upgrades for homes and businesses that this measure will invest in. The legislation coming from this initiative will save our membership money on their overall energy bills and will make strides to reduce carbon in our environment.
While we hope for more, we support I-1631 and whole-heartedly commit to working with our legislators to build on this foundation toward a healthier Washington for all.
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I can’t believe that OPALCO supports the increase of the cost of gasoline by somewhere around $.40/gal. It was $3.96/gal at Island supply this week. What is that $3.15 on the mainland? Up it to $4.36 and things get crazy again. (As if they are not already.) The cost of oil for the ferry and trucking will skyrocket. We will have to pay more for a ferry fare and more for the groceries to be shipped out here to the islands.
The working man and low income people will be hit hardest. I, myself, would rather spend my money differently or save it.
The major polluters are exempt from the penalties/regulations. It is a political game collecting the money and will be a political game doling the money out. There is no clear plan on who gets the funds. The companies that don’t get the exemption will just move out of state and startup somewhere else. Those jobs will leave the state.
I thought OPALCO was asking all of us to reduce the use of electricity so we could get a better rate from the Bonneville Power Administration. Converting to electric vehicles makes use of more electricity thus increasing our load from Bonneville. I know I’m fuzzy on this, but it doesn’t make sense at some level.
Why is the solution to everything “Lets raise Taxes”?
Why is OPALCO taking a stand on this? It may be a Co-op, but it does not represent my view on this. Seems if they want to represent me they should ask first.
Vote No on I-1631!
We understand that not all of our members will agree with this FEE on the biggest carbon polluters. However, OPALCO members will see their total energy costs go down as they switch from fossil fuels to electricity for heating and transportation. OPALCO’s vision for healthy, sustainable island communities is focused on clean, renewable power and local resilience. OPALCO is working with the County on the Comp Plan, with the WSF on electrification of the ferry fleet and supporting our membership with increasing incentives to “Switch it Up” and leave fossil fuels behind. Learn more: https://yeson1631.org/learn/faqs/.
Unfortunately, as OPALCO members “see their total energy costs go down” their pollution will go up. Where do you think that increased energy will comes from? All hydro generation is already in full use supplying current loads. There is no more hydro available. It will come from fossil fuels!!! “Leaving fossil fuels behind” is a long way off and will not happen until we find ways to store electricity produced by sun and wind generation.
OPALCO’s position is just not reality.
There are exemptions for manufacturing and “trade-exposed businesses, those companies that have to compete on a global scale,”…. the costs for this will be completely absorbed by consumers. As Rick says above The working man and low income people will be hit hardest as prices at the pump skyrocket and utilities co. raise rates to offset the costs of switching to “clean energy”.
I’m all for a meaningful way of putting the squeeze financially on the biggest polluters, but this is a joke…
I will be voting no.
Tom Owens, the funds collected by the fee on large carbon polluters will be invested in solar and wind energy, probably also some tidal energy. Some will also be invested in sustainable forestry to address forest fire which we’re seeing more of (and getting smoke from) due to hotter, dryer summers. As more droughts occur and loss of snowpack occurs, we will have less power from the large hydro we’ve come to depend on. OPALCO can receive funds from the policy which will help more of us to have renewable energy. Energy efficiency measures can cut our energy use in half. This is the direction the world is going and the direction we need to go as well, to address changes in our climate and to stay competitive in the world economy.
The negative ads people may be seeing on TV or receiving in their mailboxes, to scare people from voting YES on I-1631, are funded by the oil industry. Make sure you look at the small print – Phillips 66, BP, etc. Please know that. It’s one good reason to vote YES on 1631.
I’m responding to Rick Boucher and Luther Bliss here: There are good reasons for the exemptions in the policy. The one remaining coal plant in WA State, TransAlta, is being phased out – there will be no more coal by 2025. Putting the fee on that coal plant would slow that transition. The other exemptions are to prevent certain industries from leaving the state, not just because of the loss of jobs, but also because if those industries go to another state or out of the country, they will be polluting more than they are here in WA State. As it is, the policy will raise $1 billion a year to transition us off fossil fuels to solar and wind energy, and possibly also tidal power, geothermal, whatever renewable energy we can build on in our state. It’s a big step forward in transitioning off fossil fuels, which is why I support it. I would like to see us completely off of fossil fuels now, but that’s not where we are.
The policy was created by about 250 groups including environmental, labor, low-income advocates, tribes, faith and community groups. At most, we might pay as much as $10/month more at the pump per household if the oil/gas industry passes along some of the fee from the policy. There are provisions in the policy to ensure low-income households are not impacted by an increase at the pump. As for those who aren’t low income, can we afford to pay some more now to benefit greatly in terms of cleaner air and water, more support from OPALCO, and staying competitive in the world economy regarding energy, also creating tens of thousands of new jobs – our children’s future, literally.
If anyone in our community feels they cannot afford that, maybe we can set up a community support fund. Gas prices are increasing weekly as it is. Why is that happening now?
This is not a joke. Truly, it is not. It is a historic big step in toward transitioning off fossil fuels. Don’t let the negative ads funded by the oil industry scare you. I will be voting YES and encourage everyone to please vote YES on 1631!
We would be the first state in the country to enact a policy like this, which was painstakingly created to safeguard people working in the fossil fuel industry and low-income people, to respect the wishes of the tribes, and do something big in the most sensitive way possible. I was with the international trade union delegate at the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development promoting this type of “Just Transition” for healthier people on a healthier planet 20 years ago. Now is our moment, I feel, to start really moving in that direction. Please vote YES on 1631.
A couple of additional points: (1) The policy is for a fee, not a tax. The difference is that with a fee, the funds collected legally must be used for the purpose for which they’re collected. They can’t be shifted to some other priority. (2) Battery storage technology exists and it’s improving all the time.
I applaud OPALCO’s support for 1631. One has only to look at the recent UN/IPCC report on climate change to see that it’s “all hands on deck” to address the threat. This is a chance for Washington, and for states, to show leadership that has been surrendered by the federal government.
Thank you OPALCO for your vision and leadership.
Every penny saved by keeping fossil fuel prices low, increases their use and burdens the environment. When and how does this debt ever get paid back? To date, we have accrued a huge charge account against every living thing that requires the temperature range that the has Earth uniquely provided, but the “canary in the mine” is dying. Fish runs are changing affecting whale populations, ocean acidification is affecting calcium-based shelled creatures, tropical insects are moving north bringing diseases, and we want cheaper gasoline?
What is unique about I-1631 is that unlike the carbon tax initiative, I-732, it focuses on those hardest hit by the reallocation of jobs and who are already living in fossil fuel-polluted areas and suffering the ills that pollution causes. Our clean air and affordable fossil fuels in the Islands comes at the expense of others. How long is this to continue? Are you suggesting they simply move (if they could) and writing off the mainland live here?
Yes, some industries escape the charge because to do so would (1) make them un-competitive with out-of-state industries in the same business and so (2) make them move whereupon jobs exit the state. All laws of this sort do rough justice in order to avoid unanticipated consequences. As clean energy projects increase in Washington, those now working in the fossil fuel industry can retrain and move into the future. I-1631 earmarks funds for that. You are not looking at the final picture.
I-1631 is a transitional law. It is designed to take us to the beginning of a less-polluting and (for many) a less unhealthy environment. Health costs are a built-in side effect of a fossil fuel economy. We all pay for this in reduced productivity, increased health premiums, and for many, shortened life spans. Focusing only on the cost of fossil fuel is too narrow to measure the costs and benefits of I-1631.
As to the Trans-Alta plant, that plant is exempted from fees (the tax initiative would have taxed that plant) under an agreement entered into between Trans-Alta and the state guaranteeing (as Sharon pointed out) early closure of that facility. Early closures of un-amortized generation facilities are ver costly, and can result in a business-unfriendly policy that discourages jobs. Nothing is perfect, and there will always be something for someone to complain about.
Tom Owens’ argument is that power generation and supply in the Northwest is a zero-sum game: if we consume hydro, someone else is pushed onto coal. This is simply not the case for us. Our power is BC hydro power through BPA by a route that while connected to dirty power, the direction of current flow displaces coal power on the grid from, say, Trans-Alta or Montana (also being shut down). BC Hydro has excess capacity, and our increase in use does not shrink the pool of available power for others sharing the Northwest grid.
I’m voting for I-1631 and I hope you will too.
Thank you, OPALCO, for endorsing Initiative 1631. As an educator, a mother, and as a global citizen reading the news, I fully support this creative approach by our state to address the impacts of climate change, and to lower our carbon footprint. The questions raised above have been answered in detail by Sharon Abreu, who has carefully followed and researched this process. The positive approach in this Initiative is well thought out and broad reaching, with strong effort made to bring positive economic benefits to our community, while addressing the negative human health and ecological impacts of climate change. Please join me in voting Yes on Initiative 1631.
I am voting YES for clean air, clean water, and for a just transition away from fossil fuels!
Energy efficiency in our homes significantly reduces costs for everyone. Instead of buying more gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks, people will favor more fuel-efficient vehicles. There are more options every year for hybrid and electric cars and trucks. I love my electric car!
More energy storage options are being developed every year. Such as raising concrete blocks when renewable energy is produced in excess, and capturing the kinetic energy of lowering the blocks when more energy is needed. The concrete blocks can even be from recycled materials.
Don’t listen to Tom’s nay-saying. We are resourceful people who can solve most any problem. It is a question of priorities.
OPALCO! Yes! Nice job! Thank you for supporting Initiative 1631! Thank you for recognizing the NECESSITY to embrace clean energy! I really appreciate that this initiative will invest in clean energy infrastructure and cleaning up the environment. I particularly LOVE that it will be charging corporate polluters for all the crap they put into OUR environment.
Hey, I totally get that people are bummed at the prospect that the polluting corporations will trickle down the charges to their customers, cuz yeah, that sucks. But you know what? Effective change is only gonna come if we’re willing to take bold action. Send your complaints to those dirty corporations because THEY will be the ones charging you and THEY are the ones creating so much nasty pollution. Please be mindful that THEY are the reason you will be feeling the pinch at the pumps, not OPALCO.
I applaud OPALCO for looking at the bigger picture and embracing positive change. I will certainly be voting YES to 1631 because I care about our environment and the future of our state. Thank you OPALCO for demonstrating true leadership and concern for the environment by supporting Initiative 1631!
Kudos to OPALCO for supporting 1631.
I do worry, as a low income person, how I will pay for gas and heat when the greedy fossil fuel companies raise the prices on us, but I’m still voting for 1621.
I believe the state and community have solutions and we can creatively solve our problems and leave no one behind. I am glad I live in a state where we are doing what we can to address climate change, and that OPALCO is looking toward clean energy.
We pay relatively low fuel rates compared with other countries. It enrages me that these corporations drill and frack for oil and gas and coal, fouling our waters forever! – then export it all! That is a destructive practice for short term gain (for them alone) and potential permanent loss of our oceans and watersheds through THEIR pollution, when they have known that oil peaked in the early 70s and before. We wanted alternative and clean energy solutions then, and they fought us all the way. Kudos to WA state for fighting back and taking back our state rights.
Yes, the polluters will be passing on this expense to us, but we have been through this before several times – and we chose to consume less fossil fuel. I’m all for the return of economy cars and electric bikes and other great solutions. I’d rather that the earth be protected from these soulless, greedy fossil fuel corporations that don’t even pay federal taxes! Hit ’em in their purse strings!
Thank you for supporting I 1631 OPALCO! I am a mother of two young children and am incredibly concerned about air quality and climate change. I have done my research on this initiative and know that voting YES is one of the most important things we can do right now to make a better future for ourselves and all the young people we know and care about.