Washington Solar Businesses Ready to Roll with Clean Power

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Environment Washington

 

Seattle – As the Obama administration readies its final Clean Power Plan to limit carbon from power plants, Washington solar businesses joined hundreds of other solar businesses nationwide in issuing a letter to the White House, pledging their support to help meet reduced carbon pollution and speed the transition to clean energy in Washington.

“As solar power installers, manufacturers, designers, aggregators, product suppliers, and consultants, we welcome the EPA’s unveiling of the Clean Power Plan,” reads the letter, organized by the advocacy group Environment Washington. “This plan is a critical step toward transforming our energy system to one that protects our health and environment, and that of our children.” 

To address the growing threat of climate change, the U.S. EPA proposed its Clean Power Plan last June and is expected to issue a final plan as early as next week. A recent study by Environment Washington Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group found that combined with other existing and proposed policy, the Clean Power Plan as proposed would put Washington on track to reduce carbon pollution 19% by 2025. In doing so, Washington would help put the US within reach of meeting its international commitment to reduce global warming pollution 26 percent by 2025.

States will have the flexibility to meet the limits introduced by the Clean Power Plan as they choose. Businesses signing the letter said the proposal could dramatically accelerate the development of clean energy across Washington.

Solar power is on the rise across the state, where every week another new home or business goes solar. According to the latest solar jobs census from the Solar Foundation, the solar industry employed more than 2,400 people in Washington in 2014.

Environment Washington’s counterparts around the country recruited more than 600 solar businesses nationwide to the sign the letter.  19 solar companies doing business in Washington signed into the letter.

“The climate crisis demands that we fulfill our vast potential for solar energy,” said Rob Sargent, energy program director with Environment Washington, “and the businesses here in Washington and across the nation are ready to rise to the challenge.” 

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Environment Washington is a statewide, citizen based advocacy organization working for a cleaner, greener, healthier future. For more information, please visit www.environmentwashington.org