The transition from fossil fuels to clean energy in Washington State has been significantly advanced with an agreement to phase out the state’s only coal-fired power plant in Centralia.
“Over the next 14 years, we’ll scrub the last of the coal from our in-state power production, while working to reduce imports of coal power,” said K. C. Golden, policy director for the environmental organization Climate Solutions.
Opposition to coal is no longer confined to organizations like the Sierra Club, Golden reported. Readiness to “power past coal” has been expressed by the Centralia Economic Development Council, by organized labor, by Transalta (which owns the Centralia plant) and by Governor Chris Gregoire.
“Steady progress in making the clean-energy economy real in the Northwest is a big part of what makes the coal transition possible,” Golden said. “Energy conservation programs are saving energy and money hand over fist, squeezing more value out of the region’s hydropower. Wind power is online. Solar, geothermal, cogeneration, smart grid and tidal energy initiatives are under way.”
At the same time, Golden warned that “coal giants Arch and Peabody have targeted the region for coal export facilities so they can ship the coal we don’t burn – and a whole lot more – to Asia. If they succeed, we’ll be sending a big Northwest thumbs up for huge coal plant investments in Asia that will lock humanity in to catastrophic climate disruption.”
Clearly, major battles lie ahead, but the phasing out of the Centralia plant suggests that clean energy is the wave of the future.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment