NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:

January 17, 2013

Contact:

Gregg Small, Executive Director

(206) 443-9570, gregg@climatesolutions.org

Business and Climate Leaders Call on New

Administrator to ‘drive regional climate action’

DOE Taps New Head of BPA for

First Time in Decade

Portland, OR: Business leaders from around the Northwest congratulated Bill Drummond’s selection as

head of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and look forward to working together towards a

carbon-free Northwest. “As a manufacturer of solar modules, we would like to see BPA play an active

role in growing our local renewable energy industry, helping create local jobs and strengthen our local

economy while addressing climate change head on,” Said Gary Shaver, President of Silicon Energy based

in Marysville, WA. “We need to reduce our exposure to the risks associated with fuel costs and

climate disruption.”

The Northwest’s economy and its history were defined by visionary energy infrastructure investments

made by BPA 75 years ago that created a platform for long-term, broadly-shared prosperity.

“Energy infrastructure is of central importance to the region’s economic and environmental future,”

stated Jim Holbery, President and Founder of GridMobility in Redmond, WA. “BPA has the opportunity

to constructively engage with a full spectrum of public and private interests that are working to expand

our Northwest economy and improve energy reliability by adopting smart grid technology.”

Clark Brockman, Principal, SERA Architects in Portland, OR: “The BPA’s role regarding the energy future

of the Northwest cannot be overstated – it is critical. The new administrator arrives on the job at an

exciting time in the region. All of the pieces are in place for a robust and meaningful discussion about

the region’s energy future to take place and move forward.”

Many leading Northwest businesses are committed to environmental excellence, reducing their carbon

footprints, and building sustainable prosperity in the region. They need a strong partnership with the

region’s electric utilities and BPA to accomplish these goals.

“Businesses know that to thrive in the 21st Century they cannot just maintain the status quo, but need to

innovate,” said Ash Awad, Vice President, Energy and Facility Services of McKinstry in Seattle. “BPA can

invest in modernizing the Northwest power grid and drive regional job creation and economic

success by helping us hone our ‘renewable edge’ in clean energy and innovation.”

BPA controls 75% of all the electricity transmission in the Northwest, and manages over 10,000 aMW of

federal resources, all used to serve customers in the Northwest. Since its founding in 1937, BPA has

been foundational to our electrical system. BPA was a pioneer when it was founded and can again

spearhead an energy revolution in the Northwest.

Stan Price, Executive Director, Northwest Energy Efficiency Council, Seattle: “The cleanest type of energy

is using less of it. This region is a natural leader in energy efficiency and clean energy. This sector is a

primary driver for economic development in the region. BPA’s active support is essential to the

continued growth of this vital economic sector.

Alan Hickenbottom, General Manager, Energy Services Group, Christenson Electric, Portland, OR: “BPA

occupies a unique position in the region and we look forward to working with the new administrator.

Taking BPA into its next 75 years will require leveraging all available resources – existing hydropower,

wind, solar, and biomass as well as the foundation of energy efficiency. Successfully integrating all these

aspects will provide a solid foundation for BPA’s continued success.”

“Climate Solutions is proud to partner with these business leaders in calling for BPA to take a leadership

role in reducing the region’s reliance on fossil fuels and pushing our transition to a carbon-free, clean

energy economy,” said Climate Solutions Executive Director Gregg Small, “We are incredibly excited

about the possibility of BPA playing a productive leading role in helping drive energy efficiency and

increase renewables in the region.”

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Climate Solutions is a Northwest-based clean energy economy nonprofit that works to accelerate

practical and profitable solutions to global warming by galvanizing leadership, growing investment and

bridging divides. Since 1998, Climate Solutions has pioneered the vision and cultivated political

leadership in the Northwest for the proposition that clean energy and broadly-shared economic prosperity

can go hand-in-hand. Through our like Business Leaders, New Energy Cities and Harvesting Clean

Energy programs, Climate Solutions builds a powerful constituency for local, regional and national action

on climate and clean energy.