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Gov. Gregoire: Help available now for low income heating assistance

For Immediate Release: October 20, 2005

Governor takes action to assist Washington citizens

SEATTLE - Oct. 20, 2005 - Gov. Christine Gregoire today said help is available today for low income families to help them heat their homes and that no special session is needed to address the issue.

�We have available $36 million today to assist our low income families heat their homes, and I have asked that an additional $7.6 million be transferred to the program to help more people this winter,� said Gov. Gregoire while attending a joint legislative hearing on alternative energy. �I look forward to legislative approval of using the funds I have requested so that we can help even more families.�

The governor in September asked legislators to approve using $7.6 million available in the public service revolving fund as a result of enforcement actions by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) to supplement federal funds available for low-income energy consumers. Legislators must approve the use of these funds.

This money will provide bill assistance and fund weatherization improvements for an estimated 17,000 households in addition to the 72,000 households already served by the state�s LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program). She has also asked Congress to approve additional emergency heating funds.

Gov. Gregoire applauded legislators on holding the joint hearings she requested. �These joint hearings are reaching out to people of the state and hearing ideas from our citizens for long-term solutions, not something shortsighted,� she said. �You can�t get that kind of valuable input locked up in a special session in Olympia.�

Addressing legislators, the governor outlined her agenda to ensure ample, affordable and environmentally responsible energy supplies for a long-term solution to Washington�s overdependence on oil.

�We can build a complete bio-diesel industry in Washington. Farmers can grow oil seeds and canola, providing a valuable rotational cash crop and breaking the cycle of disease for other crops,� she said. �Our entrepreneurs are making investments in a number of communities, but we need to have more infrastructure to crush and refine bio-diesel.�

The governor said markets for co-products like glycerin will provide additional income for the industry, and that demand can be grown. �Our ferry system, public transit agencies like King County Metro and Olympia Transit, private fleet owners like Puget Sound Energy, and individual consumers, are already using bio-diesel,� she said. �By growing, processing and consuming bio-diesel we will keep some of the $25 million a day we spend on oil and gas in our own communities rather than sending it out of state.�

Gov. Gregoire said alternative fuel producers are now working in Washington State with room to grow. She introduced Sunnyside bio-solid farmer Ted Durfey of Natural Selection Farms. Durfey has been growing canola since 2003 and has completed 120 research test plots. Dursey�s farm handles bio-solids of 15 to 16 municipalities, has a compost facility, and 200 acres of organic fruit.

Advantages of operations like Durfey�s include using bio-solids as a soil nutrient, canola oil for consumption or bio-fuel, and canola meal for livestock feed. This makes for a closed loop for dairies as it provides meal for livestock, fuel for machinery, and either bio-solids or manure to fertilize new crop yields. For municipalities, the loop is closed using canola oil for bio-diesel to move crops from east to west.

The governor has already taken other action to help Washingtonians hit hard by high energy prices in the wake of Katrina. She has asked the chief executive officers of four natural gas utilities to join her to discuss ways to work together to address the issue. She is also considering further action for schools, small businesses and farmers for this winter and beyond, she said.

To meet long-term needs, Gov. Gregoire believes wind and solar power are part of the answer. Earlier this year she signed the Wild Horse wind farm permit, which will provide power for up to 73,000 homes, provide 250 construction jobs, scores of permanent jobs, and a tax base for schools and fire districts in Kittitas County.

Last legislative session, the governor signed two pieces of legislation to spur innovation and growth of solar energy in the state. One bill is designed to attract power suppliers and the other to encourage use by consumers.

Gov. Gregoire said that while bio-diesel now only contributes a couple of million gallons per year to a billion gallon Washington diesel market, Washington State is helping the industry develop by investing in research institutions and by forming partnerships like the Bio-products, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, a joint venture between Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

�We�re working to increase both the supply and demand, because as the demand grows, private investment will follow. Washington companies are already investing in refineries and infrastructure in preparation for this day,� she said.

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