- In The News
- April 2024
Herald Net: Editorial: Federal, state program will put more roofs to work
April 25, 2024
The Herald Editorial Board writes about federal Solar for All funding headed to Washington.
“You might be closer to enjoying the benefits of rooftop-solar power — including a lower electric bill — than you might have realized.
Washington state will receive $156 million in federal funds for new state-managed programs to install rooftop solar on thousands of low- and moderate-income homes, on apartment buildings and other rental homes and build community and tribal solar facilities. The grants are part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s $7 billion Solar for All program, funded through the federal Inflation Reduction Act that Congress passed in 2022.
Gov. Jay Inslee, part of a bipartisan alliance of states called the U.S. Climate Alliance, said the federal investment in solar would ‘save hardworking families billions on their energy bills, improve health, and support local jobs and businesses.’”
About the Alliance
Launched in 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the U.S. federal government’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28 percent by 2025, 50-52 percent by 2030, and 61-66 percent by 2035, all below 2005 levels, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to advance innovative and impactful climate solutions to grow the economy, create jobs, and protect public health, and have a long record of action and results. In fact, the latest data shows that as of 2023, the Alliance has reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent below 2005 levels, while increasing collective GDP by 34 percent, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal of reducing collective greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
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