Rob Elam

Rob Elam: Business as usual is broken. Now, more than ever, innovation and entrepreneurship are being asked to lead America forward. And as the financial center migrates from New York City to Washington D.C., the Obama administration is investing heavily in clean technology and green infrastructure as critical drivers of job creation.

In this time of opportunity, Washington state has fallen well behind Oregon and California in our ability to incubate and grow clean tech companies. I co-founded Propel Fuels in Seattle in 2004, and recently moved our headquarters to Sacramento.

Why?

As with any emerging industry, clean tech companies must look to conduct business in regions with specific advantages. In the energy field, policy matters.

In our case, Propel worked with the State of California -- the third largest fuel market in the world -- to access incentives for the deployment of low-carbon fuel infrastructure. California shares Propel’s  vision for a clean energy future, seeking to level the playing field against big oil and utility incumbents.

With the vast majority of the new federal economic stimulus dollars requiring matching funds from either state or private sources, Washington is strategically flatfooted in a time of much needed economic opportunity. It is critically important that policy makers learn from our west coast peers and act now.

The complexities of policy making aside, Washington can send an immediate “open for business” signal to emerging clean tech companies by simply becoming a customer. This commitment provides certainty and base load revenue for companies that benefit our local economy, environment and quality of life.

With the city, county or state as a customer, funding innovation and growth becomes a much easier endeavor. As an example, Propel has built the largest network of alternative fueling sites in Western Washington, yet we count no local or state government vehicles as customers.

In California, the state’s largest public fleets actively seek out our sites. In California, the state is a Propel customer.

I regularly take calls from my Washington clean tech peers asking how they can access the California market. The frequency is increasing.

Cities like Sacramento and Portland are aggressively recruiting new businesses based on progressive energy policies.

The “Seattle Delta”, the large and growing gap between rhetoric and action, has become widely acknowledged in clean energy investment circles. It’s time to reverse this trend and take strong steps to energize our legendary entrepreneurial capabilities.

Washington has the ability to right the ship and return to a leadership position in clean technology. We have world leading entrepreneurs. We have a well developed and committed early-stage clean tech funding network. Our community overwhelmingly shares the values of economic prosperity balanced by environment and high quality of life.

It’s time for our political establishment to do the work required to position Washington as a leader in the new energy economy.

Rob Elam is co-founder and President of Propel Fuels. Opinions expressed in guest posts are those of their authors, and don't necessarily reflect the views of TechFlash or its staff.