J. Thomas Ranken
Seattle Business
April 2015
Washington broke ground on the Grand Coulee Dam in 1935, paving the way for the state’s industrial boom across aerospace, agriculture, timber, retail and more. Eighty years later, the dam is now the nation’s largest hydroelectric facility, generating 21 billion kilowatt-hours annually — five times the output of the Hoover Dam.
Businesses and residents across the state benefit directly from the Grand Coulee Dam’s output through some of the lowest electricity rates in the nation. Those low rates, however, come at a price. Inexpensive electricity makes it difficult to justify energy infrastructure investments.
In 2013, the Washington Legislature passed a $40 million Clean Energy Fund to accelerate economic and employment growth while also addressing the state’s aging infrastructure. The question on everyone’s mind is: Is it working?
Read the full article on the Seattle Business website to find out.