Washington Senate approves measure on energy targets

The bill would ease Initiative 937, which requires large utilities to supply 15 percent of its electricity through renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power by 2020.

The Senate bill, which passed on a 27-21, now heads to the House, where it faces likely opposition.

The bill allows utilities to count conservation efforts and some existing energy sources toward the targets. But it changes some of the goals: upping the percentage of renewable energy to 16 percent by 2020, and adding a new 2014 target of 4 percent and a 2025 target of 20 percent.