Washington State Republican Party

Resolution in Support of the Operation of Columbia Generating Station, a Carbon-FreeSource of Affordable Electricity

                                          March 25, 2019

WHEREAS, the State of Washington, its businesses, utilities, residents, customers and ratepayers rely on a dependable supply of electricity at affordable prices.
WHEREAS, the Washington State Republican Party supports utilizing as much electricity as economically feasible from carbon-free generating resources.
WHEREAS, Energy Northwest, a Joint Operating Agency of the State of Washington, is committed to producing electricity from carbon-free generating resources.
WHEREAS, Energy Northwest operates Columbia Generating Station, a nuclear power plant that is the largest source of carbon-free electricity in the State of Washington after the state’s natural and renewable supply of clean hydroelectric power.
WHEREAS, Columbia Generating Station is capable of delivering 1,207 megawatts of continuously available power to the grid, with annual power generation equivalent to approximately 10 percent of the electricity generated in Washington and 4 percent of all electricity used in the Pacific Northwest.
WHEREAS, Columbia Generating Station has an exemplary record of safe and reliable operation, producing enough low-cost, carbon-free electricity each year to power a million homes or the entire city of Seattle, while emitting virtually no greenhouse gases.
WHEREAS, an economic analysis performed by the Nuclear Energy Institute found the Columbia Generating Station contributes $475 million in annual economic output to the State of Washington; will provide $8.9 billion in economic benefits to the state through 2043; supports 2,830 jobs in the state and approximately 4,000 jobs across the United States; is an economic
engine in the state and region; and “has long been a vital part of the region’s energy portfolio, providing 100 percent carbon-free electricity since it began operating in 1984.”i
WHEREAS, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, following extensive safety and environmental technical reviews, and onsite inspections, found that Columbia Generating Station can continue its safe and reliable operation through 2043.
WHEREAS, the Washington State Republican Party has found that the continued operation of Columbia Generating Station is essential to ensuring the region receives a continuing supply of affordable, carbon-free electricity.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Energy Northwest should take all possible steps to ensure the continued safe and reliable contribution of Columbia Generating Station, through its lifecycle, to the northwest clean energy mix, as approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ADOPTED by the Washington State Republican Party on this the ____ day of __________ 2019.
 

SIGNED: ____________________________________
 

i Economic Impacts of the Columbia Generating Station. An Economic Analysis by the Nuclear Energy Institute.
January 2018.