Democratic presidential candidate and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill Tuesday that aims for 100% carbon-free electricity in the state by 2045 and 100% coal-free electricity by 2025.
Inslee, who has centered his presidential campaign around climate change, touted the bill as evidence of his ability to lead on the issue.
“I’m really the only candidate that on day one said that I’m going to make this the number one job of my administration … I’m the only candidate to get something done on this,” Inslee said in an MSNBC interview Tuesday. “There’s a lot of talent in the field. I’ve already identified 18 potential vice presidents.”
Hawaii, California, and New Mexico have enacted similar legislation aiming for 100% clean energy by 2045.
Achieving total clean energy is an easier task in Washington, which already has one of the cleanest electric grids in the country, than in other states or nationwide. About 71% of the state’s electric production in 2017 came from hydropower, while less than 6% came from coal, according to the New York Times. Nationwide, coal accounted for 30% of electricity generation.
Inslee’s presidential campaign last week unveiled a plan to move the U.S. to 100% carbon-neutral power by 2030 and 100% “clean, renewable and zero-emission energy in electricity generation” by 2035.
The Washington governor is not the only candidate in the crowded presidential field to propose aggressive action to address climate issues.
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke released a plan last week to combat climate change that includes $5 trillion in investments. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are among the candidates who have signed on to the Green New Deal, the bold but vague plan championed by progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. that aims to transform the economy to address climate change.
Despite other candidates often discussing climate change, Inslee maintains that he is the leader in the field on the issue.
“Where one Washington is stalled, another is leading the way,” Inslee wrote in a campaign email to supporters Tuesday. “I want to bring that kind of Washington leadership back to Washington, D.C. It’s why I’m running – because our future can’t wait.”
RealClearPolitics’ Democratic presidential primary polling average finds Inslee with 0.5% support. He has qualified for the first round of Democratic National Committee debates in June through earning at least 1% in three polls but has not yet amassed at least 65,000 individual donors to his campaign, the DNC’s alternative qualification standard.
