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Monday, Jul. 27, 2009

Chopp disputes renewable hydro comments

By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer

The buzz on the west side of the state today is that House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, is backpedaling from remarks he made in Pasco last week about energy policy.

Apparently, the environmental community got bunched up over Chopp’s telling the Tri-City audience he thinks hydropower ought to be counted as renewable for electrical utilities trying to meet targets imposed by voter-approved Initiative 937.

The initiative was approved by about 52 percent of the state's voters in 2006 and required electric utilities with 25,000 or more customers to meet targets for the use of renewable energy and energy conservation.

But it didn't allow hydropower to be counted toward those targets, and many Eastern Washington lawmakers have worked to change the law since it was passed.

Here are a few direct quotes from Chopp in response to an audience question about whether the Legislature is moving toward classifying hydropower as renewable:

-- "Why it gets classified as not renewable is beyond me."

-- "It clearly is renewable and why it isn't classified as such is absurd."

-- "In California they can count our hydropower as renewable, but we can't count it here."

Later, he said about Initiative 937, "I think the public which passed Initiative 937 probably didn’t realize everything that was in it."

Chopp is now telling the environmental community he didn’t say what he said, or mean what he meant.

A source who asked not to be identified forwarded to me an e-mail from environmental lobbyist Clifford Traisman assuring the environmental community that Chopp is still on their side. From: Clifford Traisman [mailto:clifford@wcvoters.org]

Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 12:02 PM

To: '<937defense@lists.onenw.org>'

Subject: FRANK CHOPP'S COMMENTS IN PRESS ON 937

Importance: High

Friends, by now many of you might have seen the below article that has been emailed around over the past day. Upon receiving it myself, I immediately forwarded it to Frank Chopp’s Chief of Staff to ask, "what gives?" Frank called me back immediately to personally let me know that his comments were completely misconstrued and taken out of context by this Tri Cities reporter (who apparently has a history of doing this sort of thing). Frank told me the following good news:   As during last session, he has no interest in repealing or decimating I-937. To the contrary;

- He does not support amending the Initiative to allow existing hydropower to count towards the standard, as this article suggests. He further recognizes that to do so, we could need a standard around 90%!;

- He agrees with and supports the policy goals in 937, primarily that its purpose was to build off our existing resource base and to develop new sources of energy in Washington State and benefit from the green jobs and economic development that comes with it;

- He has not shifted his position since session: He continues to have no interest in weakening I-937;

- He refutes the comments attributed to him in this story (including the reference to Nuclear power);

- He will be communicating all of this directly to Chair John McCoy (WCV’s Legislator of the Year, for those who haven’t yet heard that).

So, some good actually came out of this article: We have direct confirmation that Frank will continue to work with us constructively to find a resolution to all of this next session, should a bill have to move through the Legislature. Remember, it was the House that held strong for us throughout this mess and its our expectation that they will continue to do so.

Thanks!

Clifford

Chopp also made a comment on this Seattle PI blog that noted the Herald's story.

Joel,

Your posting does not accurately reflect my position on these issues. For example, I strongly support requirements and incentives for new renewable energy sources of wind and solar power. This past session, I repeatedly supported the environmental community's position regarding the proposed, though not enacted, changes to Initiative 937. And while I was in the Tri-Cities, I heard from proponents of several solar energy projects and companies.

Please call me to schedule a time for us to discuss your concerns. My district office phone number is 206-729-3223.

Frank Chopp

I did call Chopp’s district office to discuss what Chopp thinks I got wrong, and the staffer who answered the phone said Chopp couldn’t talk to me today, but that he’d put in a "scheduling request."

Stay tuned.

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