Take heart, Kermit - it's getting easier being green

Electric cars have been around in one form or another since before anyone thought about refining gasoline from crude oil. But during a century notable for cheap gas, tail fins and coast-to-coast freeways, internal combustion ruled.  It’s still the dominant mode of motorized transportation in the U.S., of course, but day by day, hybrids and fully electric vehicles are taking market share.  The Legislature gave the technology a boost by passing Rep. Deb Eddy’s HB 1481 in 2009, and EV charging stations can now be found up and down Washington’s Electric Highway, and in more and more of the state’s communities. 

And, as this photo shows, the Legislature has taken its own advice.  The Chevrolet Volt being juiced up near the back door of the John L. O’Brien Building, where most state representatives are officed, belongs to freshman Rep. Kristine Lytton of Anacortes.  But you don’t need to run for office to top off your battery in Olympia; there are four more charging stations on the Capitol campus that are available to the public, and another eight at the new Gateway Park across the street from the Department of Enterprise Services building, just off I-5. 

To read this story in Spanish, click here. 

House boosts Kittitas County solar project

A bill to give a financial lift to a major solar power project near Cle Elum won easy approval in the House Monday.

The bill, by Rep. Deb Eddy of Kirkland, doubles the renewable energy credits for power from the Teanaway Solar Reserve. That should significantly help backers obtain construction financing for the project, which will create jobs in Kittitas County.

“The entire electrical system is in the midst of a transformation,” Eddy said.  “The introduction of wind power into our grid was only the beginning.  The Teanaway project will bring utility-scale solar generation into the Washington mix, helping raise the profile of this renewable.”

The 80-9 vote for HB1365 sends the measure to the Senate. A similar Eddy bill cleared the House in the 2011 regular session but died in the Senate, as discussed in a June article in The Daily Record in Ellensburg.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Looking for a career that soars?

This week we saw the first Dreamliner taking off Paine Field on its way to Japan and there are many other 787s in the works. So far there are 50 airlines that want a combined total of 821 Dreamliners.  Boeing, its partners and providers will need a strong, talented and highly skilled workforce to build all these planes.

With these Washington aerospace facts, there will be jobs-a-plenty for many years to come: 

+      Greater Seattle boasts one of the highest concentrations of aerospace firms in the world.

+    Washington's aerospace cluster is represented throughout the production value chain from machine shops to tier I suppliers and one of the two largest commercial aerospace manufacturers in the world.

+    Washington state is home to more than 6,000 aerospace engineers.

+    Washington state is home to final assembly operations for Boeing Commercials' 737, 747, 767, 777 and the new 787.

+    Washington's aerospace industry has the largest concentration of aerospace workers in the U.S. - more than 1/6 of all U.S. aerospace workers are employed in Washington state.

House Democrats feel all those jobs should go to Washingtonians, so this year Rep. Deb Eddy sponsored a bill that created the Aerospace Loan Program (ALP) and they’re accepting applications now.

The program offers education loans for residents seeking training through the Washington Aerospace Training and Research Center at Paine Field in Everett.

Students can receive up to $4,800 for 12 weeks of training to enhance their existing job skills or earn certificates in various aerospace production fields. After completion of the program, ALP recipients have up to three years to repay their loans.

For more information:

Read the Everett Herald’s story, Aerospace Loans Available Soon to Students

Go to the program’s website

To read this blog post in Spanish, please go here.

Eastside town hall tonight

Reps. Ross Hunter and Deb Eddy, along with Senator Rodney Tom, are hosting a town hall tonight at Bellevue City Hall at 6 p.m.

Their focus will be the state budget and education reform, but folks from the 48th district are welcome to come with questions about anything.

"Fill 'er up" is sooo 2009

Next year you may be charging up your car instead of gassing up.

It's been a long time coming, but soon, electric vehicles will be hitting what will likely be the first electric highway in the nation.

For several years, legislators such as Rep. Deb Eddy have been trying to put in place an infrastructure that would support mainstream use of electric vehicles. Last year, she pushed successfully for a bill to encourage our state and local governments to seek funding for charging stations and other necessary EV infrastructure.

Now, with the help of a $1.3 million federal grant, I-5 will become one of the first major corridors to feature charging stations that will allow drivers of EVs (such as the upcoming Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt) to drive from the Oregon to Canadian borders.

More info on the EV Project and in today's news story.

On the road again

Just like yesterday when the Governor signed a slew of education reform bills at Auburn High School, today’s bill-signing ceremony is on the road. The focus, fittingly, is on transportation, and officials and stakeholders gathered in Bellevue late this morning.

The governor signed the 2010 supplemental transportation budget, bringing the total 2009-11 budget to a record $8.5 billion. The $1 billion rise over last year comes mainly from new federal funds and is expected to generate 3,000 jobs.

“With this $8.5 billion plan, we’re building on the momentum of last year’s budget, which was already a record level of investment,” says Rep. Judy Clibborn, chair of the Transportation Committee. Officials estimate that last year’s construction season was the largest ever, as investments from the 2003 Nickel and 2005 TPA gas-tax packages hit their peak.

Most of this year’s increase comes from $590 million in federal grants to bolster high-speed rail along the I-5 corridor. On top of that, a $30 million grant from the feds will help Seattle’s Mercer Street project, and $35 million will go toward the North Spokane Corridor in Spokane. Both projects were deemed crucial to regional economic competitiveness.

“Today’s package of bills prepares us for the future,” Clibborn says, noting that the SR 520 bridge project continues to advance and that a streamlined tolling process is now in place for use on future projects.

Rep. Deb Eddy, an Eastside legislator who also attended the bill signing, said the 520 funding bill is an especially important success. She was one of the leaders in brokering a compromise to free up the funding for use on related Eastside projects.

“We’ve got construction workers needing jobs and construction jobs ready to go. We’ve got thousands of commuters and businesses who want us to put the studies back on the shelf and get these projects going. Though we still have unresolved issues on the west side of the bridge, it’s critical we move forward on those pieces of the project that are finalized and I’m very happy we came up with a strategy to do just that.”

For a complete rundown of the transportation bills signed today click here (PDF).

Why 520's general-purpose lanes matter

State Rep. Deb Eddy explains.

Want to give your legislators a piece of your mind?

You read the news. You know the state is facing enormous challenges. You have opinions and you want to share them with people who can use them, right? Many of our legislators are hosting meetings in the next week and they'd love to hear from you.

Tonight
Town Hall at 6:30 with the 48th LD delegation (Senator Rodney Tom and Reps. Ross Hunter and Deb Eddy) at Kirkland City Hall (123 5th Avenue)

Town Hall at 6:30 with Rep. Tim Probst of the 17th LD at the Creekside Estates Clubhouse (5101 NE 121st Ave, Vancouver)

Tele-town hall at 6 with Rep. Marko Liias from the 21st LD


Saturday
Town Hall at 10 a.m. with the 49th LD delegation (Senator Craig Pridemore and Reps. Jim Moeller and Jim Jacks) at the Public Service Center, 6th floor commissioners hearing room (1300 Franklin Street, Vancouver)

Coffee hour at 10 a.m. with Rep. Bob Hasegawa from the 11th LD at Renton Village Starbucks (601 S. Grady Way, Renton)

Town Hall at 11 a.m. with Rep. Deb Wallace from the 17th LD at Fisher's Landing Transit Center (3510 SE 164th Ave, Vancouver)

Town Hall at 10 a.m. with Rep. Steve Conway from the 29th LD at Bates Community College South Campus (2201 S 178th St., Tacoma)


Tuesday, January 12
Tele-town hall at 6:30 with Rep. Pat Sullivan from the 47th LD


Thursday, January 14
Tele-town hall at 6:30 with Rep. Ruth Kagi from the 32nd LD

Rep. Deb Eddy does the electric slide

Powerpoint slides about electric vehicles, that is.

Today, Rep. Deb Eddy spoke to a packed room of entrepeneurs, policy leaders and others who are leading the charge in designing the next generation of automobiles.

Smart-minded and green-minded folks around the world are looking to electric vehicles (EV) as the likely mainstream choice for car consumers in the near future. There are numerous policy and technological challenges yet to be resolved, and Rep. Eddy has spent countless hours working on the policy pieces.

Last session she passed HB 1481 which sets in motion the effort to create the infrastructure needed to encourage use of electric vehicles. Rep. Eddy plans to continue working on this issue in the upcoming 2010 session.

Other speakers at the Sustainable Communities Initiative and Clean Cities Conference included former Governor Slade Gorton, Congressman Jay Inslee and former King County Executive Ron Sims. There were numerous cars and technology models on display as well.

Photos from Rep. Eddy's community forum on 520 project

With so much in the news about the SR 520 floating bridge project, Rep. Deb Eddy has been fielding a growing number of questions from constituents. Last night she hosted and facilitated a community forum so Eastsiders could get an update on the project and speak with local political leaders and project staff from the state Department of Transportation.

WSDOT presented an overview of the project and Rep. Eddy talked about the political landscape related to decisions such as the design for the west side of the bridge and how to fully fund the project.

About sixty Eastside residents showed up, including Rep. Judy Clibborn, chair of the House Transportation Committee. Eddy's fellow legislators from the 48th legislative district, Senator Rodney Tom and Rep. Ross Hunter, also participated.

A couple of calendar announcements

June 10Rep. Reuven Carlyle is hosting an informal coffee hour for Phinney Ridge residents at Herkimer Coffee (7320 Greenwood Ave) starting at 8 a.m. A short tour of the nearby Phinney Center will follow. Carlyle plans to host several similar coffee meetings throughout the 36th legislative district.
June 11 Reps. Ross Hunter and Deb Eddy, along with Sen. Rodney Tom, are hosting a Town Hall on Thursday evening at Redmond City Hall (15670 NE 85th Street) starting at 7 p.m.

License plate fees might be rolled back

In 1997, legislators approved a bill requiring folks to replace their license plates (for most vehicles) every seven years. The argument from the State Patrol was that the reflective coating on license plates deteriorates over time making them hard to read at night.

Sounded reasonable. The problem? Replacing the plates costs vehicle owners about $10. The other problem? If you want to keep the same license plate number, it costs another $20.

Rep. Deb Eddy checked into this after she started receiving a flurry of calls from constituents who are just now being hit with the tab. She found that the costs to vehicle owners just wasn't adding up.

Now, Eddy is co-sponsoring two bills heard in the House Transportation Committee this afternoon. The first eliminates the mandatory replacement rule and reduces the plate replacement fee to $2 (the actual cost of manufacturing the plate). The second bill eliminates the $20 fee for keeping the same plate number.

"I joined Rep. Herrera on this bill because, while there are good reasons, maybe, for these charges,it is the number one complaint that we get about the Department of Licensing," says Eddy. "We lose in goodwill whatever we may gain in luminosity. Rep. Herrera and I are going to be asking for solid evidence to refute or defeat this bill, not just assertions about 'safety'.”