As Valentine’s Day approaches, legislators are thinking green

House Democrats were on a roll this evening as they successfully passed more bills to boost the state’s green jobs sector.

Earlier this session, the House passed the Jobs Act, sponsored by Rep. Hans Dunshee, which funds energy-efficiency projects in schools and other public buildings and would create 38,000 jobs all over the state.

Tonight, an additional four jobs bills were given the go-ahead, all related to the renewable energy field.

HB 2420 recognizes the forest products industry as a “green” one, and expands the definition of “clean energy” to include energy derived from forest products, such as woody biomass. Sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Kenney, it is meant to ensure that Washington’s working forests and related timber jobs will continue to have a vital role to play as the economy transitions to more and more green jobs.

HB 2481, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, authorizes the state Department of Natural Resources to enter into long-term contracts with private companies to create biomass energy from state timber lands. These long-term contracts will give companies the confidence to invest in Washington, and create more stable timber-industry jobs while producing home-grown energy to lessen our reliance on imported sources of fuel.

HB 2676 and HB 2677, both sponsored by Rep. Maralyn Chase, permit utilities to loan customers money to pay for energy or water conservation projects. The savings on the customer’s utility bill can then be used to make payments on the loan. This provides an incentive for people to undertake these projects in their homes, meaning more work for the contractors who do them.