Thanks to your continued support, the Solar Jobs Bill (HB 1048 & SB 5499) is making process moving through the legislature.
The Solar Jobs Bill has been designated as “necessary to implement the budget,” so the bill is free from deadlines like last week’s end of the regular session. Both HB 1048 and SB 5499 are still active in the new “special session” that began this week. We only have a few weeks left now to pass the Solar Jobs Bill.
In the House, the bill is under consideration in the Finance Committee. In the Senate, we’re gathering steam and hope we can soon move the bill out of the Energy, Environment, and Telecommunications Committee. Now, we need solar champions in every corner of the Senate demanding the chance to vote for solar.
Will your state senator be a solar jobs champion?
Please ask your state senator if you can count on his or her support for the Solar Jobs Bill (SB 5499). You can contact any senator who represents districts where you live or work. Here’s how:
- Look up your senator on the legislature’s District Finder tool.
- Fill in your address to find your senator’s first and last name.
- Be sure the “district type” is set to Legislative.
- Your senator’s email is first.last@leg.wa.gov.
- Call your senator TODAY and ask if you can count on their support the Solar Jobs Bill.
- If your senator supports solar jobs, please thank them and urge them to demand their colleagues for a chance to vote on solar. It’s time to schedule a vote.
Talking points
Tell your senator that solar means business for every corner of Washington. The Solar Jobs Bill will:
- Create 2,875 new jobs, or 25 jobs per megawatt of solar power.
- Generate nearly $150 Million in payroll across WA.
- Keep over $630 Million of our energy dollars in WA, as utility rates escalate over the 30-year lifetime of a solar system.
- Bring home nearly $10 Million of federal tax credits through the federal solar investment tax credit.
- Deploy approximately $630,000 of new revenue into local towns through sales tax on solar energy system purchases.
- Turn every $1 invested in solar into $20 in economic activity, according to Western Washington University’s Center for Economic and Business Research.
- Curbs climate pollution, keeps our air clean, and eases the burden on the declining supply of freshwater to Washington’s dams.
More information
Learn more about the campaign for the Solar Jobs Bill at Solar Strong WA: solarstrongwa.org.