Seattle – Governor Gary Locke crafted a legislative proposal designed to respond to the ongoing plight in the availability of energy in Washington state. A new Washington Institute study, The Governor’s Energy Proposal: An Independent Analysis, concludes that the program lacks two important things.

First, it reveals an unwillingness to accept that in the near –term there is no quick fix possible and some pain will be felt.

Second, the plan lacks a commitment to create a supply and demand interaction within a true market economy for energy. This would address the source of the problem and create a long-term solution. The governor’s plan does not even address the reasons supply has not kept up with demand.

The study shows that the governor correctly identifies some of the causes for the growing energy plight, yet he misses others and his proposed “package” to provide “enough energy for Washington,” offers little long-term relief. It does nothing to address the fundamental underlying problem with the state’s energy system and is distracted by unrelated agendas.

The study examines the reasons the Governor identifies as the cause of this current situation, analyzes the six key areas of his proposal, and offers several steps the governor and legislature should take this session.

“Governor Locke’s plan correctly identifies some of the root problems for Washington’s energy crisis, but then goes on to ignore any effective solutions for those problems,” states Research Fellow and author, Scott Fallon. “His plan proposes measures that would have little or no effect, even if all were fully implemented at once, and often have nothing to do with the root issues,” added Fallon.