The Spokane City Council tonight (Monday) will consider a proposal to waive building and construction permit fees for certain green energy projects.
Council President Ben Stuckart’s ordinance would waive fees for solar energy and electric vehicle charging station projects. The goal is to provide incentives for homeowners and developers to invest in renewable energy sources.
Stuckart announced his legislation during a public event last month.
“These permits don’t equate to very much, but they’re one additional hoop that someone must jump through to invest and install these systems in our government," Stuckart said.
"We need to give the same community effort that we gave to recruiting Amazon and Boeing in economic development projects to sustaining our economy and sustaining our environment that we have, building the energy economy of tomorrow and protecting the environment that we are fortunate to inhabit,” he said.
The ordinance calls for the permits for solar and electric vehicle projects to continue to be waived until the majority of energy in Washington comes from renewable sources. The measure defines those sources as hydroelectricity, wind, solar, ocean wave, geothermal, landfill and sewage treatment gases, biodiesel and biomass.