The Pacific Northwest, and Seattle in particular, have a very progressive view on energy. You see it everywhere: From news broadcasts to speeches from political officials to platitudes from company officials.
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) provides energy to about 750K customers in the populated areas of WA state, including Seattle. They have about $3B annual revenue.
Yet a staggering fact is this: In 2007, 46.7% of PSE energy came from fossil fuels. And in 2017, that figure was 58.9%. Yes, that is correct: PSE reliance on fossil has increased in the last decade.
In 2017, PSE got 37.6% of its fuel mix from coal, and 21.3% from natural gas.
In 2007, PSE got 37.4% of its fuel mix from coal, and 9.3% from natural gas.
For all the talk and all the investment, this is going backwards.