The power of the oil industry continues to contaminate our state legislators, even with Dems in control. Can they push this through, around the objections of a Democrat who apparently doesn’t get the issue of climate change yet?
“The annual push in Olympia to promote electric vehicles and biofuels at the expense of gasoline and “dinosaur” diesel has again failed to woo a key senator who killed the bill twice before. But whether that will matter this time is an open question…This year’s bill, House Bill 1091, cleared the state House of Representatives, 52-46, and passed a Senate committee hearing Tuesday morning. While boosters celebrate the bill’s progress, it may yet land before the Senate Transportation Committee — the place where the idea stalled in 2019 and 2020. The Transportation Committee chairman, Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, declined to put the legislation up for a vote both years, and still isn’t smitten with it. “Levi Pulkkinen reports. (InvestigateWest)
Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: legislation, washington state |
Don’t know if you are aware but one of the largest manufacturers of biodiesel resides in the 24th LD in Hoquiam. Renewable Energy Group is a leader in low carbon fuels and has been advocating for WA to adopt the bill so they can add capacity and jobs at their Hoquiam plant. Another company is looking at a $1.3 billion manufacturing plant in Grays Harbor to make renewable aviation fuel from forest material. So we can fight climate change and build our rural economy right here in the 24th LD and the State of Washington. Two issues I’m very passionate about!
Mike
For the record both Rep Tharinger and I voted for Low Carbon Fuel Standards HB 1091 in the House where it passed with the slimmest of margins 52-46. A bill must have 50 votes to pass the House and 25 in the Senate.
Mike
Al, the bill will bypass Senate Transportation Committee this year and instead has moved straight to Ways & Means. Hobbs voted no in the Environment Committee but it now sits at Ways & Means.
Mike Chapman
Thanks for clarifying this Representative Chapman, and thank you for your vote! While I appreciate the efforts in Gray’s Harbor, I’m skeptical of these “biodiesel” efforts given the history of them in the last 20 years. Then Representative Van de Wege and WSU promoted the “alternative” fuels bill that allowed “forest material” (hog fuel) to be burned for energy. It was an economic failure and also turned out to be a very bad pollutant of fine particles. I don’t blame Kevin for supporting that, it likely “seemed” like a good idea in an era of exploding fuel costs. But it was slipped through as “experimental” (the wording in the original bill) and then mainstreamed later. I have not read anything yet about the processes in Grays Harbor, but will be willing to learn more about what they are doing.