Controversial clean energy law takes effect in Washington

Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday signed a hotly contested bill to quicken Puget Sound Energy’s transition away from natural gas, leaving in place a provision that critics argued would unfairly benefit the utility’s investors at the expense of ratepayers.

Flanked by lawmakers and labor leaders at a union hall in Kent, Inslee said House 1589 provides the state’s largest utility with a road map and tools “to get out of the fossil fuel business.”

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Under state law, PSE must generate 80% of its energy from renewable energy sources by 2030 and 100% by 2045.

The new law is intended to speed up PSE’s shift toward clean energy, setting the stage for more customers to rely on electric appliances, rather than gas ones, for heating and cooking.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/03/28/controversial-clean-energy-law-takes-effect-in-washington/