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U.S. Congressman Jay Inslee speaks to Mithun Staff
05.17.2010 Mithun
Mithun was honored to welcome Congressman Jay Inslee to their offices on May 3rd, 2010. Congressman Inslee, who has represented Washington State at the federal level for more than a decade, is a leading member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and an active green jobs and clean energy proponent. The co-author (with Bracken Hendricks) of the book, Apollo’s Fire, Igniting America’s Clean-Energy Economy, Congressman Inslee spoke candidly about his stance on breaking the United States’ dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels.
Growing concerns around climate change and economic uncertainty render the upcoming decade a pivotal time in history. The Congressman predicted that the world is about to engage in a “second technological adventure,” the first having been the challenge of sending a man to the moon. With China and several European countries making strides in energy efficient technologies, Inslee was asked whether the U.S. is in a political climate to compete for market leadership. Likening it to the Kentucky Derby, he stated that “we are still in the starting gate” – the first step being the passing of the Clean Energy Bill, currently pending in the Senate. According to Inslee, the bill would move the U.S. economy away from coal, oil, and energy wasted on inefficient buildings while creating new green collar jobs.
Describing architecture as a “higher professional pursuit” with a “noble purpose”, Inslee emphasized the integral role of architecture in creating a clean energy economy. Citing Mithun’s projects IslandWood and Lopez Island’s Common Ground as examples, Inslee stressed the need for more efficient building codes and economically, environmentally and socially sustainable design. Policy, he stated, is integral to incentivizing green building practices. He advocated for rebate programs to retrofit existing homes, more transit oriented development, and questioned why, if cap and trade worked for sulfur dioxide, would it not also work for carbon dioxide? Net-zero homes having become common in Germany, Sweden, and Japan shows that making these practices affordable is achievable by changing perception and thus, market conditions; more demand drives up the competition, resulting in more affordability.
His visit coming just days after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Congressman, a proponent of alternative energy, pointed out that, “when there’s a windspill, no one gets hurt”. Investments in alternative energy being critical to jumpstarting the economy, he identified the biggest obstacles to progress as the fear of failure to solve the existing problems and of not being able to create jobs in new industries. Inslee remained confident about the U.S. ability to innovate. “Americans”, said Inslee, “have always done well in times of transition”, but emphasized the importance of timeliness of making moves this year. As China moves toward dominating the clean energy space, he warned that “we’ll be trading our addiction to Saudi oil for an addiction to Chinese lighting.”
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