OLYMPIA – State Rep. Sharon Shewmake has been appointed to serve on the Joint Committee on Energy Supply and Conservation by acting Speaker of the House John Lovick. Shewmake (D-42nd, Bellingham), who was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2018, will add the new position to her current legislative portfolio, which includes serving as vice chair of the House Committee on Rural Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, as well as seats on the Transportation Committee and Environment and Energy Committee.
According to the Legislature’s website, the Joint Committee on Energy Supply and Conservation “review(s) plans proposed by the governor for programs, controls, standards, and priorities for the production, allocation, and consumption of energy during any current or anticipated condition of energy supply alert or energy emergency, and make recommendations back to the governor for review. The committee either approves or disapproves any request from the governor regarding a declaration of a condition of energy emergency. [It also] receives information related to the state or regional energy supply situation.”
“Providing and conserving energy are vital issues in Whatcom County, as they are in the entire state,” Shewmake said. “As a professor of economics and energy policy at WWU, I’m grateful to be in this position to put my academic background to good use in ensuring that our district and our state will have the best energy policies possible in place in times of emergency.”
The word “Joint” in the committee’s title refers to the fact that the group comprises members from both the state House and Senate. Official meetings will take place at least once a year or more often during times of potential or declared energy supply emergencies.
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