ABSTRACT

The US Department of Energy is examining and developing numerous measures to conserve energy. These energy conservation measures can have a variety of impacts on the natural and social environment. This chapter presents the results of over fifty interviews conducted in Seattle and Yakima, Washington. Personal interviews with community leaders in Seattle and Yakima, Washington, served as data for the research. The community leaders interviewed in both Seattle and Yakima pushed it beyond its original boundaries and the study became an examination of factors that could cause a broad societal transformation. Impact of conservation measures on local governments was a widely recognized community impact. Most of the people interviewed in Seattle believed that energy conservation would produce many new jobs. This would be particularly true of retrofitting programs, installation of district heating and Integrated Community Energy Systems, and housing and land-use modifications.