KC Golden Appointed to Council

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has appointed KC Golden to serve a three-year term on the Council. His term, which begins Monday, March 7, will extend until January 15, 2025. Golden replaces Pat Oshie who announced his departure earlier this year.

“KC has been a leader on Northwest energy and environmental issues for his entire career,” said Inslee. “His expertise in the fields of energy efficiency and climate change make him ideally suited for this critical position. KC will work tirelessly to safeguard our environment for the future enjoyment of Washingtonians by helping ensure our region’s ongoing transition to a cleaner and more efficient energy system.”

Inslee also thanked Pat Oshie for his service on the Council. “Pat was appointed to the Council and quickly assumed a leadership role as Chair of the Power Committee. His expertise as a former regulator, combined with his extensive knowledge of the electric utility industry, was instrumental in guiding the development and completion of the 2021 Northwest Power Plan, which the Council adopted in February.”

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council was authorized by Congress and approved by the legislatures of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington to give the states a stronger voice in shaping fundamental energy, fish, and wildlife policies in the Columbia River Basin. The Council is required by the 1980 Northwest Power Act to develop, and periodically update, a 20-year power plan for the region and a fish and wildlife program to protect all fish and wildlife in the basin affected by hydropower dams.

“KC’s impressive background and reputation precedes him, and we look forward to having him join the Council,” said Guy Norman, Washington Council member and current Council chair.

Golden served as senior policy advisor at Climate Solutions until his retirement in 2018. He also served as a special assistant to the mayor of Seattle for clean energy and climate protection initiatives and as an assistant director in Washington's Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development, where he directed the state's Energy Policy Office. From 1989 to 1994, he was executive director of the Northwest Energy Coalition, a regional alliance working for a clean, affordable energy future.

KC is a leader in the national climate movement, having served on the boards of 350.org and the U.S. Climate Action Network. He also has utility industry experience helping Seattle City Light become the first major carbon-free electric utility in the late 1990s and as a governor's representative to the executive board of Energy Northwest, a regional public power consortium. 

He was one of Seattle Magazine's "Power 25" most influential people and its #1 "Eco-Hero." In 2012, he received the Heinz Award for Public Policy for his lifetime achievement as a climate advocate and policy architect.

KC earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and was a Kennedy Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he received a master's in public policy.

Contact: Mark Walker, Director of Public Affairs, (503) 780-0112