State Sen. Erik Poulsen, D-West Seattle, announced last week that he is leaving the Legislature to serve as government relations director for the Washington Public Utilities Districts (PUD) Association.

The nonprofit association represents 28 public electric and water utilities throughout the state.

First elected to the state House of Representatives in 1995, Poulsen was appointed to the Senate in 2002 and elected to a full term in 2004.

He will step down at the end of the month and start his new job in October.

The 34th Legislative District includes Burien, White Center, West Seattle and Vashon Island.

There was no official indication last week about whom Poulsen's successor in the Senate might be.

But a Seattle political blog suggested that, as chairwoman of the House Health Care Committee, senior 34th District Rep. Eileen Cody, D-West Seattle, would not be interested in moving to the Senate.

This, the blog said, makes it likely that Rep. Joe McDermott, D-West Seattle, will be appointed to fill the vacancy.

Whoever replaces Poulsen must run for election in 2008.

Among those named as possible candidates to succeed McDermott in the House, should be move to the Senate, are Burien City Councilman Jack Block Jr., who did not seek re-election and lost a primary bid for the Seattle Port Commission, Burien City Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak, and Toni Lysen, a former 34th District representative.

For the past three years, Poulsen has served as chairman of the Senate Water, Energy & Telecommunications Committee. In the House, he chaired the Technology, Telecommunications & Energy Committee.

"Erik has been intricately involved with many of the issues affecting PUDs and their efforts to serve the needs of their communities," said Steve Johnson, executive director of the association.

"During that time he has earned the respect of public power, the utility industry and his fellow legislators. We are thrilled he has chosen to share his knowledge and expertise with us by taking on this role."

"He has been an outstanding chair and an incredible advocate for his legislative district," said Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane. "This is a big loss for the Senate and for the entire institution. We'll miss his leadership and his great sense of humor."

"Sen. Poulsen is a strong and trusted legislative ally, and I will miss working with him in the Senate," said Gov. Chris Gregoire. "He is uniquely qualified to represent our public utilities and I wish him the best of luck in his new venture."

Poulsen is best known for brokering a historic agreement in the 2006 legislative session that ended a decades-long impasse over Columbia River water, and for derailing Enron's scheme to deregulate Washington's electric utilities as California did during the late '90s.

"I see this as a continuation of my work to defend public power," Poulsen said. "The state's very first initiative - I-1, which the voters passed in 1930 - established PUDs to democratize electricity.

"I want to help public utilities provide other essential services, such as advanced telecommunications, that still aren't available in many parts of the state."

Poulsen also was one of the first lawmakers in Washington to champion wind, solar and other sources of renewable energy - long before "green power" was in vogue.

"He has passed some of the most groundbreaking solar and wind power incentives in the United States," said Mike Nelson, head of Washington State University's Northwest Solar Center in Shoreline.

"His work has attracted manufacturers to Washington, created new jobs, and made it easier for people to afford renewable energy systems for their homes and businesses."

In addition, Poulsen authored the nation's first "green building" law, which requires new government buildings and schools to be more energy and water efficient.

He also helped start Washington's biofuels industry by shepherding through the Legislature a measure that requires a percentage of ethanol and biodiesel in the state's fuel supply.

And he was the architect of several laws to address climate change, including limits on vehicle and power plant emissions and statewide goals for the reduction of greenhouse gases.

"Erik has consistently been one of the Legislature's strongest voices on global warming and other environmental issues," said Clifford Traisman, lobbyist for both Washington Conservation Voters and Washington Environmental Council. "He leaves behind some big shoes to fill."

Earlier this year, Poulsen played a key role in creating the Puget Sound Partnership, the organization charged with restoring the Sound by the year 2020.

But his effort to stop the expansion of a massive sand-and-gravel mining operation on Maury Island was defeated in the waning hours of the legislative session.

"That may have been the biggest disappointment of my entire political career," Poulsen said.

"Glacier Northwest is moving ahead with plans to barge millions of tons of material from Maury Island, which may jeopardize some of the best salmon habitat we have left anywhere - at the same time we're spending millions to restore habitat that's already damaged. It makes no sense."

Sen. Bob Morton, R-Kettle Falls, a member of Poulsen's committee and the ranking Republican on the Senate Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee, said, "The bills the Legislature recently passed regarding water use in our state were very significant and needed.

"Sen. Poulsen and I worked closely together on this issue, and the only way it was possible for us to accomplish as much as we did was by working in a bipartisan manner. I will miss Sen. Poulsen and his knowledge on the need and means to pursue these types of bipartisan solutions for the people of our state."

Before being elected to the Legislature, Poulsen worked in corporate communications and public affairs for PEMCO Financial Services in Seattle. He also was an assistant to former Congressman Les Aspin, who went on to serve as Defense Secretary under President Bill Clinton, and former Wisconsin Gov. Tony Earl.

During his legislative tenure, Poulsen worked as a freelance writer, strategic adviser to Seattle City Light, and project manager for King County's Department of Natural Resources.

He holds degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.