Clean Energy Bill Passes WA State Senate-Would Eliminate Natural Gas

Now that the GOP has lost its slight edge in the State Senate, Democrats are following the way of Gov. Inslee and the State House when it comes to variety of topics.

This week the Clean Energy Bill championed by Gov. Inslee passed the Senate by a vote of 28-19 and will now head to the House, where it's expected to pass. The Democrats have had an edge in the House for a number of years, but in the past a Coalition of 23 Republicans and 2 Democrats were able to derail most of Inslee's controversial energy policies.

The Clean Energy Act would eliminate all fossil fuels from the state's energy grid by 2025 including eventually phasing out natural gas by 2045. It also removes heating oil and any other petroleum-based energy generation.

It's curious that it also eliminates coal, as the state has only one coal fired plant in Centralia, and it's already been slated for shutdown in a few years.

The state does derive 75 percent of its energy from "renewable," or carbon-free sources such as hydroelectric and nuclear, but the elimination of natural gas is expected to impact thousands of homes with much higher energy bills.