Washington state's initiative 937 and the environment: the emerging impact of grassroots movements on national policy

Albany Law Review, Summer, 2007 by Paul D. Trumble

(1) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotations, http://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/mlkquotes.htm (last visited Apr. 7, 2007).

(2) Germany initiated a production-based incentive program where producers of renewable energy receive increased compensation from electric utilities companies for the renewable energy the producers provide to the grid. See Robert Collier, Germany Shines a Beam on the Future of Energy: Nation Gambles on Ampedup Push for Renewable Power, S.F. CHRON., Dec. 20, 2004, at A1; see also Jesse Broehl, Washington State Passes Progressive Renewable Energy Legislation: New Germany-style Production Credit Should Spur Regional Clean Energy Market, RENEWABLE ENERGY ACCESS (Olympia, Wash.), May 10, 2005, http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=28478. The program resulted in a massive demand for renewable energy components, ultimately leading to a worldwide supply shortage. See Broehl, supra.

(3) See S. 5101, 59th Leg., Reg. Sess. (Wash. 2005).

(4) See S. 5111, 59th Leg., Reg. Sess. (Wash. 2005).

(5) See Susan Gordon, Voters Back Policy for Cleaner Energy, NEWS TRIB. (Tacoma, Wash.), Nov. 9, 2006, at B2. Article II of the Washington Constitution authorizes ballot initiatives. WASH. CONST. art. II, [section] l(a).

(6) E.g., Executive Summary, Union of Concerned Scientists, The Washington Clean Energy Initiative: Effects of 1-937 on Consumers, Jobs and the Economy, http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/clean_energy_policies/ washingtonclean.energy-i-937.html (last visited Apr. 7, 2007).

(7) Id.

(8) It is estimated that Initiative 937 will save consumers $1.13 billion on electricity bills and create 2,000 new jobs in renewable energy industries. Id.

(9) Although twenty states currently have legislation requiring a fixed percentage of energy created from renewable sources, only Washington and Colorado have used the ballot initiative as a means of enacting such legislation. See Stephanie Simon, Cities Take Steps to Cool Down Global Warming, L.A. TIMES, Dec. 23, 2006.

(10) See COLO. REV. STAT. [section] 40-2-124(1)(c)(I)(C) (2006); see also The Real Environmental Mandate, N.Y. TIMES, Nov. 26, 2004, at A40.

(11) See, e.g., Thomas L. Friedman, Make History, Arnold!, N.Y. TIMES, Oct. 20, 2006, at A23.

(12) E.g., id.

(13) Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, California: 2006 Initiatives, http://www.ballot.org/(search for "2006 initiatives"; then follow "California" hyperlink) (last visited Apr. 7, 2007).

(14) See id.

(15) E.g., Sarah Jane Tribble, Prop. 87 Loses, Wins Publicity for Alternative Fuels Issue, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS (Cal.), Nov. 10, 2006, at BU1.

(16) Popular media, particularly A1 Gore's recent documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, have alerted many Americans of the severe implications of global warming. AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (Paramount Classics & Participant Prod. 2006). Globally, media outlets continue to report predictions of record temperatures for 2007 and further deterioration of the polar ice caps. E.g., Cahal Milmo, World Faces Hottest Year Ever, as El Nino Combines with Global Warming, INDEF. (London), Jan. 1, 2007.