I am happy to see the Washington State Legislature take up a bill (HB1211) to achieve 100 percent renewable energy in our state.

This is a great investment in our future and with the costs of renewables dropping rapidly (something that doesn’t happen with fossil fuels), it makes great economic sense. Thanks to abundant hydropower, we already have a clean grid, but we can close the gap and demonstrate that it is possible to go 100 percent renewable while maintaining reliability and ultimately lowering costs for consumers. And with lots of Washington companies providing clean energy products and services, we can help drive innovation and economic growth.

This is why I am an investor with E8, a group that focuses on early stage clean tech companies. Free markets are wonderful but imperfect, and the market currently doesn’t account for the long term harms done by fossil fuels, which is something policy can address and HB1211 is a good start.

Eric Berman

Woodinville