Puget Sound Energy recently announced its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2040.

The company has developed a measurable plan to achieve this goal while ensuring the company can continue to meet customer needs. This plan prioritizes a transition from coal, new product and resource development, and cleaner transportation in Washington.

“We can create a better energy future, which is why we are committing to reducing our carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2040,” said PSE President and CEO Kimberly Harris. “PSE is prepared to pave the way while also empowering our customers with simple and concrete actions they can take in their daily lives to lower their footprint. By working together, we can preserve and protect our environment for generations to come.”

PSE’s carbon-reduction plan includes:

· Transition from coal: With the retirement of Colstrip Units 1 and 2 by July 2022 and the shutdown of Centralia Power Plant in 2025, PSE will be nearly 90 percent clean.

· New product and resources: PSE will build on the popularity of programs like “Green Direct” that allow large-scale customers to subscribe to renewable energy projects.

· Cleaner transportation: With 43 percent of carbon emissions in Washington coming from transportation, PSE aims to accelerate the growth and adoption of electric vehicles, and invest in of cleaner alternatives to diesel and other fuels.

for commercial and industrial uses to ensure buses, ships, ferries and trains can be as green as possible.

Some of these efforts PSE can and will do on its own. Others will require policy changes at the state level to ensure carbon-reduction goals can be met. Since building its first hydroelectric plant at Snoqualmie Falls in 1898, PSE has been a leader in renewable resource development. PSE is currently the third largest utility owner of wind power in the nation and has one of the country’s largest energy efficiency programs. These programs have helped customers conserve nearly 5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity — that’s enough to power the city of Bellevue for three years.