August 7, 2008
Governor calls for fuel reduction, hiring freeze
Gov. Chris Gregoire called on state agencies Monday to reduce fuel use by 5 percent, and banned non-emergency travel. She also froze hiring to fill job vacancies and asked directors to shelve plans to purchase new equipment and avoid signing all but emergency personal service contracts.
The governor called upon the presidents of higher education institutions, boards and commissions, and the state’s separately elected officials to develop their own plans to reduce fuel consumption and to impose similar freezes, according to a press release from her office.
In response, UW President Mark Emmert issued a statement, saying, “We all recognize the economic issues we face and the wisdom of approaching expenditures at this time with caution. Therefore, we intend to comply with the governor’s request and do our best to limit state spending in the key areas identified. We already have been reducing expenditures on energy and conserving significantly in this regard and will continue to do so. We also will limit hiring in state-funded positions, though we will need to make sure we are providing essential services for students.
“We hope, of course, the signs of the economic slowdown turn around and we are able to sustain our recent positive momentum on initiatives that benefit our students and our community.”
