Governor Gregoire addresses the Blue-Green Alliance

June 21, 2008

*As Written*

Good afternoon, and thank you, Rick (Bender), for the kind introduction.

I�m happy to be here today. Today is the Summer Solstice � the first day of summer!

Just in case you hadn�t noticed -- spring skipped us this year and we went straight from winter to summer. It wasn�t my idea. In fact, I issued an Executive Order against it -- but it was ignored.

Anyhow, the bright side is we should have plenty of water � unlike California which has declared a statewide drought.

I�m very pleased to speak to such a unique coalition of men and women -- and believe me you are unique.

Not so very long ago, few would have predicted�

�That the likes of the Sierra Club and the Northwest Energy Coalition would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Steelworkers of America, or the International Association of Machinists, or SPEE-AH, or the Washington State Labor Council�

�Or that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Climate Solutions not only would join forces, but would bring in consumer and poverty-rights advocates to help.

What in the world is happening?

What is happening is that our world is changing � and changing quickly. And you�re among the Americans who see it very clearly.

The world�s climate is changing, and so is the nation�s economy.

Gas prices keep rising, and the payrolls of the Big Three auto makers keep falling.

Working families are stretched to the max -- and every year, hedge-fund and oil company profits max out.

At the White House, they keep trying to cut health care for children who need it, and cut taxes for wealthy people who don�t need it.

Yes, things are changing, and what�s that saying? �Change is inevitable � except from a vending machine?�

More seriously, a better saying is this: �If we don�t create change -- change will create us.�

And that�s why we�re all here today � all here to talk about creating change -- unions, environmentalists, advocates for consumers and the poor � all here to talk about joining forces to create a new, green economy...

�To reduce our dependence on foreign oil to protect our climate, and our air and water...

�To make our world safer by not depending on the natural resources of foreign countries�

�And to transform our economy so thousands and thousands of Washingtonians can feed their families by working in good, green-collar jobs.

Some have called this notion a pipe dream. But the people in this room know better.

For starters, you know that we can�t just keep doing what we�ve been doing.

It�s our moral obligation to do what we can right here in Washington to slow the release of greenhouse gases warming our planet and changing our climate.

And it�s the very essence of what it means to be a Washingtonian and an American to shift our economy to reduce our use of fossil fuels.

We�re pioneers. We�ve always been pioneers, and we must continue to be � As always, our survival depends on it.

The auto industry is finding that out in a very tragic way.

In 1991, GM, Ford and Chrysler employed more than 630,000 workers in the United States. By last year, the total was barely 240,000. In Detroit alone, six of every 10 auto industry jobs are just flat gone.

And you have to wonder � does the Big Three get it, even now?
Did you see the new commercial for Dodge Trucks? -- They call it �Let�s Refuel America.�

If you spend $30,000 on a new, eight cylinder pickup, the dealer will guarantee you three years of gas at $3.

Never mind that the math doesn�t work since most people will drive that pickup for 10 years after, and likely will be buying very expensive gas each and every one of those years�
�(as if $3 a gallon isn�t expensive)

What grabbed me about that ad is the cynicism behind it. Hey Americans, don�t look ahead! Let�s not build something that consumers actually need and want to buy.

But that�s not how we do things in Washington. We never have -- and we never will. And that�s why we have a resilient economy even as states like California struggle.

We look ahead and plan for the long term � whether it�s Boeing betting the company on a new passenger jet that burns 30 percent less fuel�

�Or AFS Trinity of Bellevue, which has developed a plug-in hybrid that is nothing short of amazing. I rode in it a few weeks ago, and let me tell you -- it is fast, it can go 40 miles without a battery charge, and it can go 150 miles on a gallon of gas.

�Or an innovative small company like 3-Tier here in Seattle, betting that their software can help utilities and developers locate and operate renewable energy projects by providing them with the best available forecasts of how much wind, water and sunshine will be available, every hour.

Believe me, we�re seeing some big picture results already.

� Did you know that Washington is among the top five generators of wind power in the country?

� Did you know that Forbes Magazine recently ranked Washington among the three greenest states in the country?�

�Defined as: The lowest carbon footprint per capita, the strongest policies to promote energy efficiency, the cleanest air, and the most buildings per capita with LEED certification.

� Did you know that last year I ordered state agencies to aggressively speed up the purchase of hybrid and biofuel-powered vehicles?�

And we are now the leading state in the nation in the use of these vehicles, and we have saved more than 96,000 gallons of fuel in the last year alone.

� And did you know we are among a dozen states that require all new cars sold in Washington to be Clean Cars that spew far less C02?

Unfortunately, the White House has blocked the new laws, and we have joined with the other states to sue the EPA over the issue. I�m confident we will prevail. And we must prevail. Vehicle tailpipe emissions account for about half of greenhouse gases emitted in our state!

Of course, the biggest single thing we�ve done recently is our Climate Change Initiative.

I just signed this landmark legislation � which is designed to do no less than help transform Washington into a state that addresses Climate Change and creates thousands of new Green Collar jobs at the same time.

Among elements of this bill is exploring and setting the stage for a cap and trade system for carbon emissions.

This isn�t some trendy idea. This isn�t optional, like tinted windows or extra cup holders. This is about our future, about our children, about good, family wage jobs that will stay in this state. Just ask the laid-off auto workers in Detroit about business as usual!

And we intend to get in on the ground floor and be a leader in developing the technology to reduce our climate-changing emissions.

In fact, we�re already well on our way.

There is a newly remodeled building down in often cloudy, rainy Olympia -- the new headquarters of the PUD association -- that has a solar array on its roof.

I was there on a cloudy day and I was amazed to see that, even then, they were producing almost three times as much power as they were consuming.

The solar power cells on their roof were built by REC Silicon, one of the largest, most sophisticated solar power manufacturers in the world, and guess what?

They were built at REC's manufacturing facility in Moses Lake. REC recently expanded and now has over 350 employees in Moses Lake with plans to add another 170. They will soon decide whether to build a second plant in Wallula, which would employ another 300 employees.

When I kicked off my legislative effort on this legislation last year, I did it at McKinstry in south Seattle. They�re expanding like crazy, hiring skilled workers, and focusing on improving the efficiency of the buildings they work on, saving money and reducing pollution for their customers.

The fact is, thousands of workers in our state already possess the vast majority of skills and occupations necessary to reduce global warming and make the shift to a clean energy economy.

For instance, constructing wind farms creates jobs for sheet metal workers, machinists and truck drivers, among many others. Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings through retrofitting relies on roofers, insulators and electricians, to name a few.

The state of Washington isn�t going to create these green-collar jobs. That will be the work of our world-class entrepreneurs.

But we are laying the groundwork to help make it happen. We don�t know yet � and we can�t know yet � what all those jobs will be. But we can provide the investments, the incentives, the training, and the education to make it happen.

You in this room have provided much of the momentum to move Washington to the forefront of this new economic and environmental vision. I ask you to rededicate yourself to helping is in our next steps�

�When I bring forward the next set of legislation to keep Washington rolling forward. Let�s continue to work together, to struggle together, and to dream together about a clean, green and prosperous Washington.

Thank you!