Volunteers from our Board of Trustees joined staff in Olympia last week to advocate for legislation to help Washington realize a cleaner, healthier, more resilient future. Joining our government relations team and state director, Mike Stevens, on a wet January day were trustees Diani Taylor, Byron Bishop, Kathleen Hebert and David Thacher.
There’s always a lot happening at the capitol when the Legislature is in session, and last Wednesday was no exception. We were lucky to be there on a day when one of our top priorities reached a major milestone: After hours of floor debate, the House of Representatives passed the Clean Fuel Standard (HB 1110), a key piece of climate legislation left over from the 2019 session. This is one of four bills we are advocating for in partnership with the Environmental Priorities Coalition.
Trustees observed some of the Clean Fuels debate from the House gallery before heading into an afternoon packed with meetings – with republicans and democrats, representatives and senators. They spoke with committee leaders about another important piece of climate legislation under consideration this year: the Climate Pollution Limits bill (HB 2311/SB 6272), which will update Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets to bring them in line with current science.
To achieve carbon neutrality in Washington by 2050 and do our part to minimize global climate impacts, our legislature must set a bold and strategic path. Setting science-based climate pollution limits is a key step on the road toward net zero emissions. It also charts our course for maximizing the carbon-storage potential of some of our state’s greatest assets: forests, farms, shorelines and wetlands. Washington’s natural and working lands can play a huge part in fighting climate change, and they must be part of future climate policy.
Speak up for nature this session:
Each Washington resident is represented by two representatives and a senator in Olympia, depending on the district in which you live. These legislators work for you, and they want to know what you think about bills they’re considering.
How to get in touch:
Not sure who represents you in Olympia? Use this map to find out before you begin.
Email: Send your two representatives and your senator an email – their addresses are on this list
Phone: Call and leave a message using the legislative hotline: 1-800-562-6000
There’s no need to be an expert! Speak (or write) from the heart about why nature is important to you, and include bill numbers as appropriate.
In addition to highlighting the clean fuels and emissions limits update, both crucial to our continued shared efforts to tackle the climate crisis, trustees advocated for Healthy Habitats, Healthy Orca (HB 2550). A recommendation from the Orca Task Force, this policy is about leaving our environment better than we found it – for the benefit of future generations, our region’s dwindling orca population and the salmon so critical to their survival.
Our cherished orca and salmon depend on cool, clean, abundant fresh water in our rivers - and Washington’s forests are essential to this cycle. Healthy forests also help clean our air, sequester carbon, power our outdoor recreation economy, and support rural jobs.
Even at the close of the wettest January since 2006, the memory of recent summer wildfires is still fresh in our minds, and we discussed the continuing need to fund fire prevention and preparedness with legislators as well. A bill in the House (HB 2413) proposes to establish a dedicated funding source to help Washington state get ahead of our wildfire challenges, instead of being reactive, and we urged support for it.
Trustees spoke with lawmakers about the dedicated wildfire funding bill and the others from their perspectives as business owners, investors, parents and grandparents. These issues touch everyone in Washington: we all want air free of wildfire smoke and pollution. Nobody wants to lose our iconic orcas and salmon. And we all want our children’s children to have a livable future. With many thoughtful, passionate leaders in the House and Senate dedicated to setting Washington on the course to a better future for nature and people, we are hopeful for great progress this session.
Add your voice to ours this session! Sign up to stay in the loop with occasional updates on our most important policy priorities. And meanwhile, follow the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.
photos by Brittany Gallagher
