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Article: From Washington State: National Model for renewable energy.(TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS)
- Article from:
- State Legislatures
- Article date:
- February 1, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 National Conference of State Legislatures. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Washington suffered a severe energy crisis in 2001. Shortages in California and the lowest water levels in the Columbia River since the 1940s, which placed severe limitations on the hydropower industry, were the causes. The result is a national model for renewable energy.
"This energy crisis spurred interest in alternatives and everyone got involved in energy conservation," says Washington Senator Karen Fraser.
In 2005, Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law what has been touted as the most progressive renewable energy legislation in the country. In early spring, two bills worked their way through the legislature at a steady clip with bipartisan ...