Gov. Gregoire�s statement on Department of Energy stimulus award

For Immediate Release: June 24, 2009

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire released the following statement on the $24.3 million in federal stimulus funding awarded to the state of Washington today by the Department of Energy to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects:

�This investment is great news for the state of Washington. This funding is critical to moving Washington toward a green-energy economy, promoting energy independence, and supporting our clean energy businesses. It will help our state achieve considerable energy savings while sustaining or creating a significant number of jobs.

�I commend our state delegation, especially Senator Patty Murray for her leadership in the Senate Appropriations Committee and her commitment to securing funding to promote clean energy technology and energy efficiency. I also thank Energy Secretary Steven Chu for acknowledging these important projects, and look forward to further strengthening our partnership with the Obama administration to advance clean energy and energy efficiency projects.

�Investments like these are important not only for our environmental health, but for the health of our economic future. It�s this type of investment that the U.S. House Energy and Climate bill would build off of to seize the opportunity to develop 21st century energy technologies, create jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and arrest global warming. I continue to urge House members to support that legislation.�