OLYMPIA— A new report that ranks states by their relative impact on the environment shows that Washington state is a leader in the green movement, ranking near the top in more than a dozen different metrics.

The 2011 Competitiveness Greenbook, produced for the Association of Washington Business, examines everything from the number of clean energy jobs and per capita emissions to the number of solo automobile commuters and the amount of venture capital attracted for clean projects.

Washington placed among the top five in six of the 23 categories, and it placed in the top 10 in more than half of them. The results confirm a 2007 Forbes report that ranked the state third greenest in the country behind Vermont and Oregon, which tied for first.

The findings also underscore the need for policy makers to carefully consider any changes to the state’s environmental policies, said Chris McCabe, one of AWB’s government affairs directors on environmental issues. “Washington is already a leader in many environmental categories, and that’s something we should be proud of,” McCabe said. “The Greenbook makes a compelling case for taking a balanced approach going forward that not only considers Washington’s environmental health, but its economic health as well.”

One of the reasons Washington is so green is the abundance of renewable hydroelectric power: 75 percent of the state’s electricity comes from renewable resources, the second-highest percentage in the nation.

Some additional Greenbook highlights show that Washington ranks:

• 2nd highest in the amount of growing stock on timber land
• 2nd highest in the amount of above-ground tree biomass on timber land
• 4th highest in the amount of venture capital attracted for clean projects
• 4th lowest in the share of solo automobile commuters
• 5th lowest in the number of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per capita

“The Greenbook is evidence of what we already knew — Washington has some of the strictest environmental policies in the country,” said AWB Government Affairs Director Grant Nelson. “In fact, Washington generates less than three-tenths of one percent of the world’s greenhouse gases,” Nelson added. “Not only is that a tiny fraction of the total, but the number is smaller now than it was a decade ago. We’re clearly moving in the right direction on the environment. But we must temper our policy changes with the state’s economic needs, including our ability to create and retain good-paying jobs.”

To obtain a copy of the 2011 Competitiveness Greenbook, contact AWB at 1.800.562.6100 or visit the AWB online store.


About the Association of Washington Business
Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 7,350+ members representing 650,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit www.awb.org.