Take Action for the Methow:

Clean Air, Climate, Forests, and Public Lands in the State Legislature

Week of March 4^th

Governor Inslee has identified a strong package of climate priorities for the upcoming legislative session: 100% Clean Energy, Clean and Efficient Buildings, Clean Fuel Standard, HFC Super-Pollutant Ban, Clean Transportation, and accompanying budget investments. Methow Valley Citizens Council is closely following these bills, in addition to others which impact air quality, water, and public lands in the Methow Valley. We’ll be providing periodic and timely updates on relevant bills and tips on how you can effectively engage with your legislators this session.

Senator Brad Hawkins: (360) 786-7622; Toll-free: (800) 562-6000; brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov

Representative Mike Steele (360) 786-7832,  mike.steele@leg.wa.gov

Representative Keith Goehner (360) 386-7954, email: keith.goehner@leg.wa.gov

Clean Air:

 SSB 5697:  Improving efficiency of solid fuel burning devices.

SUPPORT

Possible Senate Floor Action 

• Prohibits selling or installing solid fuel burning devices that do not meet an emission standard of two grams per hour, beginning January 1, 2021.
• Revises the fee assessed on new solid fuel burning devices.
• Authorizes the Department of Ecology to develop a process to distribute funds from the woodstove education and enforcement account for the purposes of woodstove education and enforcement.

Climate:

Senate Floor Climate Action

SB 5115:  Concerning appliance efficiency standards.

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action 

• Sets energy and water efficiency standards for common consumer products, saving consumers money on utility bills and helping transition our energy system to a cleaner future.

SB 5223:  Concerning net metering (Solar Fairness Act).

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action

• Strengthens net metering standards, protects homeowners, and expands the emerging solar market in the state.
• Solar owners deserve full credit for the power they make. Unfortunately, consumers statewide are often unable to benefit fully from the generation of solar energy on their rooftops and properties because Washington has some of the weakest net metering policies in the nation.

 

SB 5293:  Concerning energy efficiency (Clean Buildings for Washington Act).

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action

• Addresses the built environment, which produces 27% of Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions – our second largest source of emission.
• Addresses natural gas use in homes and buildings with increased conservation programs; spurs retrofits in large existing commercial buildings with performance standards and state incentives; and requires EV-readiness in new buildings.

 

SB 5323:  Reducing Pollution from Plastic Bags.

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action

• One of the four environmental community priorities of 2019.
• Creates a statewide ban on carryout plastic bags, places a 10-cent fee on recycled paper bags, and encourages the use of reusable bags.
• Reduces harm to marine life, cuts down on litter, and prevents problems at recycling and composting facilities.

SB 5397:  Concerning the responsible management of plastic packaging.

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action 

• Requires Department of Ecology to study and then recommend new management techniques for plastic packaging, with the goal of shifting costs off ratepayers and developing a system that will reduce unnecessary plastic packaging and increase recycling of this material.
• Plastic packaging represents a growing environmental problem with impacts on marine environment, litter, and our recycling programs.

SB 5811:  Reducing emissions by making changes to the clean car standards and clean car program.

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action  

• Fully adopts California’s zero emission vehicles standards, which require manufacturers to produce a certain number of zero emissions vehicles each year based on their market sales.

 

House Floor Climate Action

HB 1110:  Reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation fuels (Clean Fuel Standard).

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action   

• Supports the deployment of clean transportation fuel technologies through a carefully designed program that reduces the carbon intensity of fuel used in the state, while cutting down pollutants that harm public health.

 

HB 1126:  Enabling electric utilities to prepare for the distributed energy future.

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action

• Establishes state policy that any distributed energy resources planning process engaged in by an electric utility should identify potential programs to fairly compensate customers for the value of their Distributed Energy resources.
• Create a 10-year plan for distribution system investments and analyze non-wire alternatives.

 

HB 1205:  Reducing Pollution from Plastic Bags.

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action   

• One of the four environmental community priorities of 2019.
• Creates a statewide ban on carryout plastic bags, places a 10-cent fee on recycled paper bags, and encourages the use of reusable bags.
• Reduces harm to marine life, cuts down on litter, and prevents problems at recycling and composting facilities.

HB 1444:  Concerning appliance efficiency standards.

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action   

• Sets energy and water efficiency standards for common consumer products, saving consumers money on utility bills and helping transition our energy system to a cleaner future.

 

HB 1512:  Concerning the electrification of transportation. THANK MIKE STEELE FOR BEING A LEAD SPONSOR

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action 

• Allows municipal utilities and public utility districts to create and offer incentive programs to support the electrification of transportation.
• Also allows investor-owned utilities to submit plans to the Utilities and Transportation Commission that would give them the opportunity to provide electric vehicle infrastructure and incentives that support the electrification of transportation.

HB 2047:  Concerning carbon sequestration on natural and working lands as part of the state’s climate change response.

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action

• Develops a collaborative process to assess and analyze carbon reduction possibilities in the forest sector.
• Better positions the state and landowners in evaluating information and shaping opportunities (e.g., carbon markets) appropriate for reducing carbon pollution and to meet the needs of the specific type of landowner.

 

Clean Water:

HB 1261:  Ensuring compliance with the federal clean water act by prohibiting certain discharges into waters of the state.  THANK BRAD HAWKINS FOR BEING THE SOLE REPUBLICAN VOTE ON THE SENATE VERSION WHICH PASSED ON MARCH 4th!

SUPPORT

Possible House Floor Action  

• Strengthens action to safeguard rivers and streams designated as critical habitat from suction dredge mining.
• Washington lags behind Oregon and other states in regulation of this destructive mining practice.

 

Forestry and Land Management:

 HB 1946/SB 5873:  Concerning community forests. – THANK SENATOR BRAD HAWKINS FOR BEING A LEAD SPONSOR

SUPPORT

Possible Senate Floor Action     

• Creates 6-year pilot program to fund locally-owned community forests able to manage important forestlands for multiple benefits, with biennium reporting requirements.
• Local communities participate in management decisions while ensuring that the benefits created by forest management are secured for local priorities and stewardship efforts.

 

HB 1544:  Addressing the effective date of certain actions taken under the growth management act.

SUPPORT

Possible Floor Action 

• Closes loophole in the GMA preventing permits from vesting for specific changes to a comprehensive plan prior to an appeal to the Growth Management Hearings Board.

SB 5666/SHB 1028:  Modifying the types of off-road vehicles subject to local government regulation. OPPOSE   ASK SENATOR HAWKINS TO OPPOSE

Possible Senate Floor Action 

• • SB 5666 expands the current authority cities and towns with populations under 3000 and counties have for designating any road or highway in their respective jurisdiction as suitable for off-road vehicle use to also apply to wheeled all-terrain vehicle.
  • Both bills raise public safety and environmental concerns from expanded routes for WATVs.

Contact Your Reps!

 

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