Re: “Renewable energy industry banking on more grants” (thenewstribune.com, 12-9).
While the news on our economic recovery has not been great, clean energy has been doing its part to create jobs and clean our environment. Despite this success, a critical federal incentive for renewable energy, like wind and solar, was set to expire at the end of this year [.
In order to continue the growth of clean, renewable energy and to maintain and create tens of thousands of jobs, the renewable energy industries, environmental community, labor movement and others joined champions in the House and Senate, like Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Reps. Jay Inslee, Norm Dicks, Rick Larsen, Jim McDermott, and Adam Smith in a tremendous push to extend these wind and solar incentives.
Thanks to the leadership and hard work of these elected officials, this program was extended for another year. We will see more projects such as Harvest Wind in southern Washington, and increased investment in local companies such as Nucor Steel in Seattle and CFG Holdings in Bellevue, which received funding for solar projects.
Washingtonians were lucky last week to have true renewable energy champions looking out for their clean air, environment and their jobs.
(Shute is an advocate with Environment Washington.)