Everett, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited Helion Energy’s cutting-edge fusion energy research and manufacturing facility in Everett. Murray toured the Helion facilities and met with staff to discuss their groundbreaking work to harness fusion technology as a source of clean electricity. Murray discussed the transformative possibilities of fusion energy and talked about the Fusion Energy Act, legislation she was a lead sponsor of, which will help support the development of commercial fusion facilities and was signed into law by President Biden earlier this month. Murray also discussed the billions she secured to propel clean energy solutions in this year’s spending package. 

By TODD MYERS at Washington Policy Center

What does it cost to generate solar power in Seattle? Conrad Swanson, a writer at the Climate Lab project at the Seattle Times, claims to answer that question in a recent article.However, if you read the entire article, Swanson never provides an actual price, saying only that costs for solar have come down.

If you ask someone the price of something and they only say, “its cheaper than it was,” you can be pretty sure it is still expensive. Solar in Seattle – especially rooftop solar – is very expensive.

New initiative connects residents with free resources, including experts and tools, to get prepared for fire season.

Representatives from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) joined San Juan County fire district partners, emergency management, the National Park Service, and San Juan Islands Conservation District on Wednesday for the local launch of Wildfire Ready Neighbors – an initiative to help bolster community preparedness ahead of wildfire season.

“We’re excited to bring this much needed resource to San Juan County because no one is immune from the impacts of wildfire,” said Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz. “The San Juan Islands face a unique challenge as they are a designated wildland-urban interface, where our homes and development intersect with undeveloped and often dry wildland, creating a dangerous situation. With the population steadily growing, the time to make our homes wildfire ready is now.”

By TODD MYERS @ Washington Policy Center

If we want a stark example of Washington state’s needless waste in climate policy, perhaps the best place to look is at the many expensive and duplicative policies on electric vehicles. In addition to the tax on CO2 emissions which caps on how much gasoline can be sold in the state, there is the low-carbon fuel standard which subsidizes installation public EV charging stations, tens of millions in state subsidies for EV purchases, and the state’s 2030 goal to have 100 percent of vehicle sales be electric (which the state Department of Commerce itself says cannot be met).

On top of all that, add Washington’s adoption of California’s zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate which takes effect in 2026. Not only is Washington very unlikely to meet the first required target in 2026, the Department of Ecology may have illegally made the rules more restrictive.

Washington state adopted California’s requirement that 100 percent of new vehicles be electric or plug-in hybrid (EV & PHEV) by the year 2035. The regulation mandates a gradual increase, starting with a 35 percent requirement in 2026.

It is unlikely that the state will meet even that initial goal, and attempting to do so is likely to be extremely expensive. The state’s own analysis shows Washington is behind where it needs to be to achieve the 2026 target.