Crist favors end to coal in Washington by 2015

Cheryl Crist, an Olympia Democrat who is making her third run for the 3rd Congressional District seat, has called for an end to burning coal at the TransAlta coal plant in Centralia within five years.

At a rally and panel in Olympia Saturday, Crist also said the voices of the plant’s workers should be included in negotiations over tax credits and environmental regulations. “We’ve got to protect union jobs as we move away from coal,” she said.

Both the House and the Senate have proposed eliminating the Canadian-owned coal plant’s annual $5 million tax break.

Her main concern, Crist said, is the environmental impact of the plant. TransAlta is the state’s largest source of greenhouse gases and mercury pollution.

Kathie Durbin