Zero-Emission Fleet for Washington State

Washington State Governor Gregoire

Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire may be issuing an executive order for the Evergreen state with important environmental and economic implications.  The state fleet would be prohibited from added new gas-powered cars for a 2-year period.  Instead, they’ll be required to look to electric vehicles.  We’re talking about a zero-emission fleet!

There are mixed reviews as to whether this is a good idea, even in “green” Washington State.  For the most part, Gov. Gregoire and others laud the idea of curbing our costly dependence on foreign oil, as well as reducing CO2 emissions.  When looking at the state’s financial records, saving money on gasoline is a very big deal.  Washington State faces more than $2.5 billion in debt, after spending its rainy day funds to get through the 2008-09 financial crisis.

Consider this information from an Op-Ed piece that ran earlier this month:

According to the Washington State Transportation Commission, Washingtonians spent $16 billion in 2008 to buy gasoline and diesel fuel. Worldwide, most oil revenues end up in OPEC government hands. (Imagine the reaction if the Legislature passed a $16 billion tax and wired the proceeds to Saudi Arabia.)

Generally speaking, Washington is a clean, green state.  With ample electricity from hydropower, reliance on fossil fuels is limited in some respects.  Yet, transportation in the region spits out more greenhouse gases than from any other source.  So, in order for the state to reach its emission reduction goals, it needs to closely examine what people drive.

With the technology already available, why not a zero-emission fleet?

Make room for Electric Vehicles in Washington State

Washington is an ideal place for an “experiment” in an electric fleet.  In August this year, Seattle was one of five regions that was tapped to participate in a federally-funded initiative to bring EV-charging stations to the masses.  So, let’s connect the dots.

Since the federal government is providing funding for EV-charging infrastructure for the region, it makes perfect sense to move the Washington fleet from gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles.  And, zero-emission EVs that will be available from major automobile manufacturers over the next few years are a giant step up from the conventional gasoline hybrids with which most people are probably familiar (think Toyota Prius).  When traveling relatively limited ranges, its possible that even the PEHVs will operate on 100% clean Northwest electricity.

Last month, President Obama and President Hu of China announced the U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Initiative.  Both leaders emphasized the “strong shared interest in accelerating the deployment of electric vehicles in order to reduce oil dependence, cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote economic growth.” To further these goals, the Initiative calls for linking “more than a dozen cities with electric vehicle demonstration programs in both countries.”

Through an Executive Order from Gov. Chris Gregoire, Washington state may both align itself with the International initiative, and also position itself as a global leader as being one of the first major regions to require a zero-emission fleet.  Don’t you agree?