View source for 2006 Washington Initiative 937

{{ElectionsWA}}
'''Ballot Initiative 937''' (official name '''Initiative measure no. 937''', known as '''I-937''') is a successfully passed [[clean energy]] initiative  in the [[United States|US]] state of [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]], appearing on the ballot in the November [[2006 elections]]. It passed with 52 percent of the vote [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/default.aspx/id/15652935/].

==Content of the proposal==
The initiative requires large [[Electric Utility|utilities]] to obtain 15% of their [[electricity]] from new [[renewable resource]]s such as [[solar energy|solar]] and [[wind energy|wind]] (but excluding [[hydro power|hydro]]) by 2020 with incremental steps of 3% by 2012 and 9% by 2016. It also requires that utilities undertake all cost-effective [[energy conservation]].<ref>[http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/initiatives/text/i937.pdf Full text of Ballot Initiative 937] (.pdf)</ref>

==Precedents==
Washington State was the second state to pass renewable energy standards. Similar legislation has been enacted in at least 20 other states including the following. (The table is sorted by date and then by descending percentage. I-937 is included in bold for easy comparison.)
<table border="1" width="100%" id="table1">
	<tr>
		<th bgcolor="#99FF66">State</th>
		<th bgcolor="#99FF66">Name</th>
		<th bgcolor="#99FF66">Enacted</th>
		<th bgcolor="#99FF66">Percentage</th>
		<th bgcolor="#99FF66">By</th>
		<th bgcolor="#99FF66">Comments/Source</th>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Maine]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>30%</td>
		<td>2000</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Arizona]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>1.1%</td>
		<td>2007</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Massachusetts]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>4%</td>
		<td>2009</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Connecticut]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>10%</td>
		<td>2010</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Iowa]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>~10%</td>
		<td>2010</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[New Mexico]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>10%</td>
		<td>2011</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[New York]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>24%</td>
		<td>2013</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Nevada]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>20%</td>
		<td>2015</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Minnesota]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>19%</td>
		<td>2015</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Montana]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>15%</td>
		<td>2015</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Colorado]]</td>
		<td>[[Colorado Amendment 37 (2004)|Amendment 37]]</td>
		<td>2004 </td>
		<td>10%</td>
		<td>2015</td>
		<td>First ballot initiative<ref>[http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/clean_energy_policies/the-colorado-renewable-energy-standard-ballot-initiative.html The Colorado Renewable Energy Standard Ballot Initiative<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref></td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Texas]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>~4.2%</td>
		<td>2015</td>
		<td>5.88 GW</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[California]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>20%</td>
		<td>2017</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Rhode Island]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>16%</td>
		<td>2019</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Delaware]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>10%</td>
		<td>2019</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Maryland]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>7.5%</td>
		<td>2019</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[New Jersey]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>22.5%</td>
		<td>2020</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Hawaii]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>20%</td>
		<td>2020</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>'''Washington'''</td>
		<td>'''I-937'''</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>'''15%'''</td>
		<td>'''2020'''</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Washington, D.C.]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>11%</td>
		<td>2022</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>[[Pennsylvania]]</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
		<td>8%</td>
		<td>2020</td>
		<td>&nbsp;</td>
	</tr>
</table>
Unless indicated otherwise, data are from <ref>[http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/clean_energy_policies/state-clean-energy-maps-and-graphs.html State Clean Energy Maps and Graphs<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Supporters==
Supporters included the following:<ref>http://www.yeson937.org/content.jsp?content_KEY=1977</ref>

===Elected officials===
* U.S. Senators [[Maria Cantwell]] and [[Patty Murray]]
* U.S. Congressmen [[Jay Inslee]], [[Adam Smith]], [[Norm Dicks]] and [[Jim McDermott]]
* State Senators [[Luke Esser]] (R), [[Dave Schmidt]] (R), [[Debbie Regala]] (D), [[Bill Finkbeiner]] (R), [[Erik Poulsen]] (D), [[Karen Fraser]] (D), [[Craig Pridemore]] (D), [[Jeanne Kohl-Welles]] (D), [[Karen Keiser]] (D)
* State Representatives [[Toby Nixon]] (R), [[Zach Hudgins]] (D), [[Brian J. Sullivan]] (D), [[Fred Jarrett]] (R), [[Pat Sullivan]] (D), [[Geoff Simpson]] (D), [[Rodney Tom]] (D), [[Dave Upthegrove]] (D), [[Brendan Williams]] (D)
* [[King County]] Executive [[Ron Sims]]
* Seattle Mayor [[Greg Nickels]]

===Civic and political organizations===
* [[League of Women Voters]]
* Kittitas Valley [[League of Women voters]]
* Washington State [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]
* King County [[Young Democrats of America|Young Democrats]]
* [[Republicans for Environmental Protection]], Washington Chapter
* [[Green Party (United States)|Green Party]] of Washington State
* [[Peace Action]] for Washington

===Health organizations===
* [[American Lung Association]]
* [[American Cancer Society]]
* Washington [[Physicians for Social Responsibility]]
===Energy and labor===
* Washington [[Public Utility District]]s Association
* [[Washington State Labor Council]]
* [[United Steelworkers]]
* [[SEIU]] Washington State Council
* [[Apollo Alliance]]
* [[Blue-Green Alliance]]
===Environmental===
* [[Denis Hayes]], Founder of [[Earth Day]]
* [[Audubon Society]] Washington
* [[The Mountaineers (Pacific NW)|The Mountaineers]]
* [[Sierra Club]] - Cascade Chapter
* Washington [[League of Conservation Voters|Conservation Voters]]
* [[Union of Concerned Scientists]]
* [[Natural Resources Defense Council]]
* [[National Wildlife Federation]]

===Faith===
* Earth Ministry
* [[Lutheran church|Lutheran Public Policy Office]] of Washington
* [[Washington Association of Churches]]
* Church Council of Greater Seattle

===Newspapers===
* The ''[[Seattle P-I]]''
* ''[[The Olympian]]''
* The ''[[Tacoma News Tribune]]''
* ''[[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]]''

==Opponents==
Opponents included many small co-op electrical providers (even though the initiative affects only utilities with greater than 25,000 customers) as well as the following:<ref>http://www.nooni937.com/Endorsements.html</ref> 
* [http://www.bbec.org/home.html  Big Bend Electrical Cooperative]
* [[Boeing]] 
* [[Boise Cascade]] 
* Chamber of Commerces: Bellevue, Greater Seattle, Kelso-Longview, Pasco, Spokane Regional, Tacoma-Pierce County, Wenatchee Valley, West Richland Area
* [http://www.mewco.com  Modern Electric Water Company]
* [[National Association of Manufacturers]]
* [http://www.penlight.org  Peninsula Light Company]
* PUDs of Benton, Cowlitz, Franklin, Lewis, and Mason County.
* Representatives [[Brian Blake]] (D) and [[Dean Takko]] 
* Senators [[Jean Berkey]] (D) and [[Mark Doumit|Mark L. Doumit]] (D)
* [[Snohomish County PUD]] commissioner Kathy Vaughn 
* [http://tannerelectric.coop/site/index.php  Tanner Electric Cooperative]
* [[U.S. Chamber of Commerce]] 
* [[Washington Farm Bureau]]
* [http://www.wreca.coop  Washington Rurual Electric Cooperative Association]
* [[Weyerhaeuser]]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.nooni937.com/ No on I-937]
* [http://cted.wa.gov/_CTED/documents/ID_2521_Publications.doc Washington’s Primary Energy Consumption by Source] (.doc)

{{WA2006Elections}}

[[Category:Renewable energy policy in the United States]]
[[Category:Washington (state) ballot measures, 2006]]
[[Category:Initiatives in the United States]]