Turning the tide: Hobbs leading the charge for clean energy

OLYMPIA –Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, feels that his goal of tapping clean and renewable energy isn’t shooting for the moon. In fact, the untapped power could be right in our backyard – and, with a little help from the gravitational pull of the moon – as dependable as night and day.

“The twice-daily changing of the tides pulls millions of gallons of water through the narrow channels and walled inlets of Puget Sound: That’s power,” Hobbs said. “Now we just have to find the proper method to harness this energy.”

Senate Bill 6111, introduced by Hobbs, would add tidal and wave energy projects to the sales and use tax exemptions for machinery and equipment used in solar, wind and fuel cell energy projects. The bill would also order the analyzing and streamlining of current federal and state policies on tidal and wave energy. The findings would be reported to the governor and the 2008 Legislature.

“The voters made it clear last November that they want clean energy. Now it’s the Legislature’s responsibility to actively seek out clean and renewable power for the 21st century and beyond,” Hobbs said. “Tidal energy is an environmentally responsible yet economically feasible source of sustainable energy.”

Hobbs added that seeking energy alternatives from clean and renewable sources can provide the dual benefit of weaning consumers off an addiction to foreign oil while addressing growing global warming concerns voiced by scientists worldwide.

The Snohomish County PUD currently has claims pending on seven of the most potentially powerful underwater power fields in Puget Sound. The utility hopes to harness the power by planting staggered, slow-turning turbines on the ocean floor. The turbines could produce enough energy to handle the electricity needs of nearly every home and apartment in the 44th Legislative District.

Several private agencies have also filed competing claims on underwater fields throughout the sound.

SB 6111 was heard in the Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee today.

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