This report, published by Discovery Institute's Reasonable Energy program and co-authored by NCEA Senior Fellow Jonathan Lesser and Mitchell Rolling, examines the economic consequences of net-zero energy policies in Washington and Oregon.

The study finds that both states' plans to eliminate fossil-fuel energy sources and reach zero energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 would double existing electricity demand at a projected cost of $549.9 billion — a burden shouldered by Pacific Northwest households and small businesses.

Key findings include:

• Average household electric bills could increase by 450% by 2050
• Small business electric bills would rise from roughly $600/month to nearly $4,000/month
• The resulting global temperature reduction would be less than 0.003 degrees Celsius — too small to measure
• Meeting the same electricity demand with natural gas and nuclear would cost $85.9 billion — one-sixteenth the cost of an all-renewables approach

The report concludes that both states would be better served by abandoning net-zero mandates and investing in reliable, lower-cost electricity from natural gas and nuclear generation.