McCoy takes statewide-management role as member of Clean Energy Leadership Council

Snohomish County lawmaker joins search for 21st century economic development

August 10, 2009

OLYMPIA – State Rep. John McCoy keeps plunging deeper and deeper into the hard work of harnessing strategies for:
  * Developing strong new energy.
  * Launching stalwart new industry.
  * Encouraging sturdy new jobs.

McCoy, a Snohomish County Democrat who already chairs the House Technology, Energy & Communications Committee, has been named to a seat on the governor’s new Clean Energy Leadership Council. McCoy was appointed to the Energy Leadership Council by House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle.

The Tulalip legislator will join other members of the panel in preparing a strategy to cultivate and maintain the clean-energy sector here in the Evergreen State.

“It seems as if only yesterday we were all worried about the terrifying technological terrors that the year Y2K might rain down on us,” McCoy said in recalling many peoples’ fears 10 years ago that the turn of the numerical century would crash computers and send us all into some kind of end-of-times techno-tailspin.

“Didn’t happen. And now here we are, almost a tenth of the way through this new century,” he continued.

“We’ve got very serious, very committed work to do in bringing the public and private interests together to encourage very serious, very committed investment in clean energy. It’s true that we’re among the leading states in terms of availability and production of sustainable energy. But the last thing we should be doing right now is resting on any laurels.”

McCoy said he wants the new council, among its other duties, to thoroughly investigate public-private partnerships for developing green-energy jobs and alternatives.

Other legislators – as well as representatives from the clean-energy sector, a public university, a venture-capital firm engaged in making investments in clean-energy companies, and a professional-services firm that serves clean-energy technology – will work with McCoy on the Clean Energy Leadership Council.

The council will develop an interim clean-energy strategy and send its first set of recommendations to the governor and the Legislature by this coming December. Final recommendations and a working strategy are due by December 2010.

According to McCoy, the top challenge facing Washington right now in this arena is that “a lot of random, uncoordinated work is being carried out. I’m sure some of it – maybe most of it – is terrific work and all that. But we need to get focused. We need Washington to speak with one voice. We need teamwork in the competition for 21st century jobs and industry.”

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