Washington has really taken a leadership role in developing innovative energy solutions.
We’ve gone from producing virtually no wind power at all to the fifth largest producer in the country in the last couple of years. There’s biofuels production and research. Our port in Vancouver is just humming with the equipment that is necessary for the construction of the wind turbines. It’s been a wonderful opportunity for creating jobs in a whole lot of areas as well as providing new ways for people to meet their energy needs. It’s also a new tax base for those rural areas and communities that are now producing wind power. All around, it’s been very helpful to our state.  We’re really proud to have stepped up to the challenge, but there’s a whole lot more to do.

How has Washington taken such important steps in such a short time?
We put in place a tax incentive. We put in a portfolio for our public utilities for a percentage of energies to be renewable. The combination of those two things have lead us to where we are today.

Given all the debate going on about the Stimulus Plan, shouldn’t we be investing in alternative energies, new infrastructure, and establishing our energy security?
I set a goal for us to have 25,000 green jobs by 2020. We did a study to see how many green jobs we now have in Washington, and we’re actually at 47,000 jobs already. It just shows you that once you make a commitment, once you show those who want to invest in that kind of opportunity, it happens.

A lot of people say now is the time for us to stop and not be aggressive about this. I say now is the time for us to seize the opportunity. Sixteen billion dollars went out of the state of Washington last year because of our reliance on fossil fuels. Imagine if we could retain some of that buying power in our state with our own capacity. Imagine how this would prepare us for when we come out of this recession with a true green economy not just here in my state but across the country.

That’s a point Boone has been hammering home since he launched the Pickens Plan.
He’s exactly right. Thank goodness for his foresight and leadership. I hope that along with the agenda of the new President, all of us work together to come out of this with a new economy.

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED, CONDENSED, AND EDITED BY ERIC O’KEEFE