New investments in a cleaner Washington

As proponents of Cap & Invest, we are closely tracking both the implementation of Washington’s cap on emissions, AND the acceleration of investments in our clean economy — not only public but also private. Washington already ranks as the best state in the country, with the fastest-growing economy. Investments in renewable energy, clean transportation, and sustainable agriculture can help keep our state #1 in the nation.

Recent headlines are encouraging. They highlight new investments by the state of Washington and other public agencies, as well as new investments by companies that see the promise of clean economy innovation:

BP to more than double renewable diesel production at Cherry Point refinery

bp America says they “will spend $269 million at the Cherry Point refinery in Whatcom County to produce more renewable diesel, a biofuel, and make other improvements that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 7%.”

Link light rail expands with three new stations in northeast Seattle

Sound Transit says, “We’re just getting started – 25 more light rail stations will open in the next three years to the east, south and further north. For now, welcome U District, Roosevelt and Northgate!”

Neste to acquire US based Agri Trading to strengthen its renewable raw material trading and sourcing to serve increasing customer demand for renewable and circular solutions

Neste says, “With this transaction, Neste is collecting and turning even more locally sourced feedstock into renewable products to power America’s transport system, keeping new greenhouse emissions out of the atmosphere and cutting pollution.”

WA Department of Commerce Clean Energy Fund: Development, demonstration and deployment of clean energy technology

The DoC’s Electrification of Transportation Systems program provides grants to local governments, tribal governments, and retail electric utilities for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The faster we move to replace combustion cars, trucks and buses with electric vehicles, the sooner we can stop exporting WA dollars for oil imported from other states.

Commerce Clean Energy Fund awards grants to 18 innovative electricity grid modernization projects benefiting Washington communities

The WA Department of Commerce says, “Many of the projects will contribute to grid resilience and enable flexibility and reliability of power for emergency services in the face of wildfires and other natural disasters, particularly in rural and underserved communities.”

A new electric bus plant in Ferndale

Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu said the Regional Economic Partnership is preparing “shovel-ready projects” to take advantage of business opportunities as the global economy transitions to 21st-century industries. “We are fully committed to bringing more clean-tech industries to this region.” Governor Jay Inslee called the new factory “a moral victory” against climate change.

And then there’s this, from GeekWire:

Can we innovate our way out of the climate crisis? Venture capitalists sound off on saving the Earth

Climate tech companies across the globe and the Pacific Northwest have been landing big checks for carbon-reducing technologies. Over the past 12 months, climate-focused businesses in Washington, British Columbia and Oregon have netted more than $742 million in VC dollars, according to GeekWire research.

We could go on, but you get the idea: Washington’s clean future is green in more ways than one. If you know of new projects we should highlight, please tell us at  info@cleanprosperouswa.com.

And plan to join us for our next webinar, to be held Wednesday, November 10th on the topic of decarbonizing transportation, and featuring WA State Senate Transportation Chair Steve Hobbs. Details and a registration link to come!