Inslee made right choice

The Spokesman-Review July 3 editorial criticized Gov. Jay Inslee for vetoing an unbalanced study of the costs of the Energy Independence Act, adopted by the voters in 2006. The language of the proviso directing the study looked only at the costs, not the benefits, of our state’s renewable energy targets.

The Climate Legislative & Executive Workgroup (CLEW) will be looking at the Energy Independence Act along with our state’s other greenhouse gas reduction policies. We will consider the costs, benefits and greenhouse gas reductions attained by all of these laws.

The Energy Independence Act has diversified our state’s electrical generation portfolio and grown a clean energy sector that has created new, good-paying jobs in Washington. A study that looks just at the costs of the act would provide little value to legislators as we consider what, if any, changes should be made to the law to improve its functioning for our state’s businesses and ratepayers.

It would waste legislative auditors’ time and money to conduct a one-sided study of the Energy Independence Act when a more comprehensive study is underway by the CLEW and an outside consultant.

Gov. Inslee made the right call in vetoing this duplicative and unbalanced study.

Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon

Burien, Wash.