Washington House Democrats

McCoy's plan: House gives go-ahead for renewable-energy help

Tulalip legislator says bill helps farms and salmon-recovery

Feb. 28, 2007

OLYMPIA – A boost for renewable-energy projects sought by Washington farmers -- not to mention survival sought by Washington salmon -- won House of Representatives approval today (Feb. 28).

The incentive is contained in legislation sponsored by state Rep. John McCoy that would require electric utilities to provide meter aggregation for net-metering customer-generators. McCoy said the measure is an incentive for individual citizens, as well as small businesses.

The Tulalip Democrat explained that his bill would help make anaerobic digesters on dairy farms more viable financially.

"Net metering will send an important financial boost to our farms, which are some of this state's most important small businesses," McCoy explained. "This bill will also help farmers play a bigger role in strengthening salmon habitat in western Washington."

It's difficult today for farms to get full value for the alternative energy they produce. The challenge arises because of the difficulty the farms have integrating an anaerobic digester into a heavily regulated electric grid. Power-producers have a hard time wheeling the new power to an end user.

The net metering called for in McCoy's legislation means measuring the difference between the electricity supplied by an electric utility and the electricity generated by a customer-generator.

McCoy said that current law defines a net-metering system as either a fuel cell or a facility that produces electricity and thermal energy from a common fuel source. The system might also be a facility set up for the production of electrical energy that generates renewable energy – such as a facility using water, wind, solar energy, or biogas from animal waste as a fuel.

Representatives from Stanwood BioEnergy Producers, the Washington State Dairy Federation, and Northwest Chinook Recovery testified for the measure in committee.

Passed 91-5 by the House, the McCoy legislation (House Bill 1140) now goes to the Senate for more discussion.

For broadcast-quality audio on this issue, or to arrange TV or radio interviews, contact Dan Frizzell, House Democratic Caucus broadcast coordinator, at frizzell.dan@leg.wa.gov or (360) 786-7208.

Contact Clint Robbins, House Democratic Caucus communications specialist, at robbins.clint@leg.wa.gov or (360) 786-7323.