Kulongoski Says Improving Energy Efficiency Is Vital

KULONGOSKI  ENERGY  ENVIRONMENT 

By Rob Manning

Portland, OR  June 17, 2008 5:15 p.m.

The battle against climate change may soon get very personal.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski told business leaders Tuesday that he’s going to push for more energy efficient homes and businesses across Oregon. As Rob Manning reports, the governor says improving energy efficiency throughout the state is vital.

Kulongoski told members of two prominent northwest business groups that when it comes to global warming, he needs help.

Ted Kulongoski: “I cannot do this alone. Government cannot do this alone.”

Last year, Kulongoski and other state lawmakers targeted power companies, utilities and gas stations. They set aggressive goals for increasing renewable energy supplies, and they required biofuels at Oregon gas stations.

Then last month, Kulongoski emphasized that global warming would shape how transportation projects are funded. But he says the most important factor is a lot less flashy than new light rail lines, or wind turbines.

Ted Kulongoski: “The single most effective thing we can do to reach our goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ten percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and by seventy-five percent below 1990 levels by 2050 is energy efficiency and conservation.”

Efficiency is already a key theme on the transportation side, with state and federal efforts to reduce fuel consumption. But Kulongoski wants to prioritize efficiency and conservation in another sector that produces lots of greenhouse gases: running the state's homes and businesses.

Specifically, Kulongoski wants to require that all buildings have energy efficiency certificates.

Ted Kulongoski: “You put a sticker on a car and it tells you how many miles per gallon you drive. Why can’t you put a sticker, or a certficate on the home you purchase, or the building you’re going to invest in, that shows you how much you emit? I think most citizens would appreciate knowing it.”

Kulongoski also wants  a state law to require  all new buildings in Oregon produce zero net emissions, by the year 2030. He says companies might buy offsets, or produce energy on-site, through solar panels, but the idea is to dramatically cut energy use.

That initiative raised the eyebrows of Tara Stewart. She’s a national spokeswoman for the mega-corporation, Wal-Mart.

Stewart says her initial surprise reminds her of how some Wal-Mart execs responded to the environmental goals the company set in 2005. 

Tara Stewart: “So, when we said those things three years ago, I can tell you, there were people in the room that were like ‘oh, my gosh, how are we going to get there, what are they thinking?’ And we’re there, in three years. We're hitting a lot of these marks, years ahead of what we thought. 2030, while that seems far off, and seem like a lofty goal, I think the governor has a good thing in mind – you challenge folks.” 

At the same time that Kulongoski was rolling out his dramatic efficiency goals, he was tempering expectations for another ambitious effort.

The Western Climate Initiative includes  seven states and three Canadian provinces. A year ago they began an effort to create a carbon cap-and-trade system across much of North America. But Kulongoski says the initial data collection will take until  at least 2011.

And even then,  state and provincial leaders may not move very fast.

Ted Kulongoski: “I think that some of the states will wait. I think they’re going to watch. I think the two states that probably have the best opportunity to do this are Oregon and California. And I look forward to bringing Washington with us, in this.”

Kulongoski says the Western Climate Initiative is expected to report back publicly in August. That’s also when the governor will get formal recommendations on the best ways to help  home and business owners use less energy.

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