Washington climate change challenge

Image: power line near Bonneville Dam.

Governor Gregoire has signed an executive order called "Washington Climate Change Challenge."

Someday they might come up with a better name.

Basically this challenge means "rolling back greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020."

Good idea, but a hard step to take due to population growth.

Yes, population growth is a big factor.

Most Northwest electricity used to be "non greenhouse gas emitting" hydro-power.

Dams on the rivers.

We've built just about all the dams we can, but our population keeps growing.

We've outgrown our rivers!

I hear that the percentage of power which the Northwest gets from
hydro-electric sources keeps dropping. It's been dropping for years.

New people means having to get power from new sources.

If we can't build anymore dams, "new sources" has been natural gas, coal and nuclear.

That is in the past at least.

Still, all is not lost. There are more radical things that can be done.

Radical or innovative? Somewhat interchangeable concepts?

For instance, the city of Bellingham is now participating in a special program connected with the power company called Puget Sound Energy.

Pay a bit more than market rate for your electricity and the power company
will funnel money into a special account. This special account buys power from wind turbines and other "green" sources.

Yes it still costs more to get power from things like wind. It costs more than most conventional sources of electricity, in the short run at least.

In the past, the Northwest automatically had the best of both worlds.
Hydro-power was both cheaper and cleaner; or at least cleaner as far as
greenhouse gas is concerned. Now that population has outpaced our
rivers, more of our power comes from burning things, like coal.

Also, the worry about salmon habitat has limited dam operations.

Going green costs a bit more, in the short run at least.

Western Washington University has taken a similar step in its power purchasing.

The city uses power for things like streetlights and sewage plants. I read that electricity accounts for around 65% of the greenhouse gas emissions related to city government, in Bellingham at least.

Amazing.

The city drives so many police cars and "public works" trucks. This wouldn't count buses as that's Whatcom Transit Authority.

I know, there are a lot of streetlights and water pumps in this city.

State of Washington is planning to go beyond just the operations of state government, or electricity. Washington is trying to reduce emissions in every sector of the economy.

It is a challenge; especially with population growth.

Our city's program is a bold start, but more needs to be done. More things on many fronts, including the population front.

I can hear, some social conservatives are saying, "help we're on an economic roller coaster to ruin."

Well, on the transportation front, I like biking better than riding in a car. It may not be as fast, but it's the scenic and healthy route.

Let's be socially innovative.