ABOUT E2
E2’s Pacific Northwest Chapter was founded in 2009 and has since grown to nearly 1,000 members and supporters. Since its founding, the chapter has advocated for policies in both Oregon and Washington State that reduce climate pollution from across the economy while sending strong market signals to drive clean energy innovation, job growth, and investment.
Chapter Leadership
Erik Wohlgemuth
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Erik Wohlgemuth
E2 Chapter Director
Erik Wohlgemuth is the Chief Operating Officer at Future 500, a global nonprofit that engages diverse stakeholders in achieving market-based solutions to social and ecological issues. He is a trusted counsel to executives and policymakers across sectors for his expertise in aligning change agents around mutual objectives. Erik earned an MBA, MEM and a BA in history from Yale.
Alex Wall
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Alex Wall
E2 Chapter Director
Alex Wall is the founder and managing member of Wall Law, LLC, and former General Counsel for litigation support and software development companies. Alex helps businesses, shareholders and individuals avoid legal issues, comply with regulatory schemes, and defend themselves. Prior to moving to Portland where he resides with his wife and fellow E2 member and Oregonian Marie Kent, Alex was a litigation attorney at the internationally-known law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP, in Manhattan. Alex was introduced to E2’s New York Chapter, where he was active for several years, before helping found the Pacific Northwest Chapter. Alex grew up in the state of Maine, where he developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors and perceived a need for humans to learn new ways to be economically productive in greater harmony with nature. Alex holds a B.A. from Colby College, a J.D. from the University of Maine, a privacy certification from the IAPP, a certification in the French language from the French government, as well as certifications in litigation support technologies. He loves languages and culture and is currently enjoying learning Mandarin.
Chris Dennett
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Chris Dennett
E2 Chapter Director
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Chris is a Principal in North Highland’s Strategy practice. He is a communication strategist, with broad industry experience including manufacturing, financial services, sports apparel, and health care. His areas of expertise include strategy development and business modeling, program management, change leadership and a talent to bridge the gap between complex analysis and story-telling. His area of special interest is of mission-driven companies that emphasize environmental stewardship in their “triple-bottom line” business model. Chris became Chapter Director for the Pacific Northwest Chapter in January of 2010 and has actively been leading advocacy work in Oregon from clean fuels to a state-wide carbon pricing mechanism.
Gina Williams
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Gina Williams
E2 Chapter Director
Gina comes to E2 from the community and brings a lived-experience of having grown up in the haze of Los Angeles smog during the 70’s. She remembers cloudy glasses of water sometimes boiled before drinking. Gina watched the impact the Clean Air Act of 1970 had (voted 73 to 0 in the Senate) in transforming Los Angeles into a healthier city within her lifetime. Gina moved to Seattle area in late 80’s falling in love with clean air and natural beauty. Gina has loved serving the community in many capacities to include human relations and diversity work; long time board of director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound; and in her many roles over the years doing her day job at Puget Sound Energy.
Eric Berman
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Eric Berman
E2 Chapter Director
Eric Berman is an active investor and board member for E8, a Seattle-based community of investors whose mission is to accelerate the transition to a prosperous and cleaner world by investing in and fostering emerging cleantech enterprises. Since 2006, E8 has facilitated more than $43M in investment in more than 100 cleantech companies across North America. Eric is also the primary force behind MyFlightbook, an online logbook for pilots to track their flying, with over 100,000 pilots tracking more than 10M flights. Prior to joining E8, Eric led teams at Microsoft and Expedia through 2005. Eric has degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from MIT and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Stanford.
Our Issues
- Growing the clean energy economy
- Reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions
- Improving carbon sequestration on the Pacific Northwest’s natural and working lands
- Decarbonizing the transportation sector
- Decarbonizing the built environment
Our Work
- In February 2021, E2 released the latest version of Clean Jobs Oregon, a report that detailed employment in the state’s clean energy economy, including energy efficiency, renewable generation, and clean fuels and vehicles. The report also included data on clean energy job losses in Oregon driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout.
- In November 2020, E2 released Clean Jobs Washington 2020, a report that details employment in the Golden State’s clean energy economy, including energy efficiency, renewable generation, and clean fuels and vehicles. The report also included data on clean energy job losses in Washington driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout. The report received strong media coverage, including from the Seattle Business Magazine and the Daily Herald.
- In February 2020, a delegation of 19 E2 Oregon members and supporters traveled to Salem for meetings with Governor Kate Brown and 42 legislative offices on both sides of the aisle to advocate for the passage of a strong Cap-and-Invest carbon pricing program and aggressive executive action should the Legislature fail to act.
- In July 2020, two E2 Oregon members provided testimony in support of strengthening Oregon’s appliance standards at an Oregon Department of Energy virtual hearing, which was called for by Governor Brown’s Executive Order on Climate Action (EO 20-04).
- In October 2020, 38 E2 Oregon members and supporters signed onto a letter in support of a well-designed and strong Cap-and-Reduce Program to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the largest sources across Oregon’s economy. E2 members and staff also delivered supportive testimony at an Oregon Department of Environmental Quality virtual town hall on the topic.
- Building on our success championing a Clean Fuels Program in OR, E2 has advocated in support of a clean fuels standard in WA over multiple legislative sessions, delivering the business case for reducing the carbon-intensity of transportation fuels. In addition to support letters, an E2 member testified before the Washington House Committee on Environment & Energy in 2019.
- In January 2019, an E2 member testified before the Washington House Committee on Environment & Energy in support of a clean fuels standard proposal, delivering the business case for reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels
- In December 2018, E2 hosted a briefing for legislators and staff in Salem, Oregon. The briefing included an overview of Clean Jobs Oregon, an economic analysis of carbon pricing programs across North America, and perspectives on a Cap-and-Invest carbon pricing program from an investment strategist.
Recent Success
- In 2020, E2 was a central business voice in the successful push for executive action on climate in Oregon, leading to Governor Brown’s EO 20-04, an ambitious and wide-ranging executive order to reduce emissions from across Oregon’s economy and prime the state’s clean energy sector for accelerating and sustained growth.
- In 2019, E2, primarily through the production of our clean energy economy jobs report, engaged with the coalition that helped pass Washington’s SB 5116, which requires Washington’s utilities to be self-generating 100% clean energy by 2045. Also in 2019, Washington passed an electric vehicle tax incentive extension and a bill to increase the energy efficiency of large commercial buildings.
- In 2016, E2 elevated the business voice to help pass Oregon’s Clean Electricity and Coal Transition Act, which transitions Oregon’s largest utilities off coal-fired electricity by 2030 and requires those utilities to generate 50% of their electricity from clean energy sources by 2040.
GET INVOLVED
Interested in learning more? Want to help us advance our climate and clean energy goals in the Pacific Northwest?
Reach out to Mountain West Advocate Susan Nedell to begin receiving updates about supporting E2’s policy efforts in your area – including attending upcoming events, participating in advocacy campaigns, receiving our email newsletters, and more!
