The Cooler Washington Agenda                 

At the top of our list for the 2008 session will be continuing to find real solutions to global warming in Washington.

Climate Action & Green Jobs          

This bill creates a structure and timeline for implementing the state’s global warming pollution reduction goals, and creates a program to prepare Washington workers for good jobs in the clean energy economy.

Accountability: The bill would make the Washington State Department of Ecology responsible for achieving the state’s emissions reduction goals. It would direct Ecology to develop responsible limits on all major sources of global warming pollution in the state.

Regional solutions: The legislature would affirm the state’s participation in developing a regional market-based pollution trading system with numerous other western states and Canadian provinces through the Western Climate Initiative.

Responsibility: requires reporting by major emitters of greenhouse gas emissions.

Opportunity: The bill would create a competitive grants-based training program, to train and transition workers to clean energy jobs.

Local Solutions to Global Warming

In order to achieve the State’s goal to significantly reduce global warming pollution, responsible decisions need to be made to reduce driving and promote more efficient, livable communities.

Local Solutions to Global Warming would add a goal of reducing climate impact to the Growth Management Act and identify reducing global warming as an important aspect of comprehensive planning.

The choices made in local land use and zoning plans about where a growing population will live and work and how they will go a long way in reducing transportation and building emissions.

Energy Efficiency 

More efficient use of energy can slash global warming emissions while saving consumers money:

Affordable Efficient Appliances: The most energy-efficient models of refrigerators, furnaces, commercial clothes washers and freezers often cost more than standard models. Sales-tax exemptions on certain high-efficiency appliances and equipment will help cover the cost gap.

Promoting Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings will provide incentives for state and local governments to invest in energy efficiency in their facilities, which ultimately saves taxpayer dollars and reduces the state’s carbon footprint.

Cleaning Up Puget Sound

Last year, the Governor and Legislature created the Puget Sound Partnership. While the Partnership works to deliver a 2020 clean up plan in September, Environment Washington is supporting a bill to improve enforcement of existing laws:

• Require relevant state agencies to track enforcement actions, including information about how many requests are made for voluntary compliance before an enforcement action is imposed.
• Feed that information into a performance audit that would explicitly include public and stakeholder involvement opportunities in the agencies' work. 
• Provide additional funding for Department of Ecology to hire more enforcement officers. 

Evergreen Cities

As our population grows, trees are replaced with impervious blacktop and concrete. Meanwhile climate change is increasing runoff pollution and flooding. Trees in our cities are one of the most cost-effective ways to improve our water quality, air quality and our quality of life.

The Evergreen Cities Act restores, retains and establishes more trees and forests in our communities by creating:

Inventory and assessment: directing the Department of Natural Resources to develop a statewide inventory and assessment of our communities’ forests, providing critical technical assistance for local government ordinance and forest plan development.

Regional performance standards: Department of Community Trade and Economic Development convenes advisory committee and creates rules for eco-regional performance standards for tree retention, forest restoration, urban forest canopy, ordinances and management plans to achieve environmental objectives.

Tree ordinances and management plans: Local governments are funded to update or adopt tree ordinances and urban forest management plans to meet these standards.

Choices for Commuters Stuck in Traffic

In the wake of the defeat of Prop. 1, there is a broad consensus that tolling will play a much bigger role in funding future transportation projects.  In order to ensure maximum mobility, flexibility and equity for consumers, Environment Washington will view all regional transportation measures according to the following principles:

• Tolling revenue from 520 should be flexible to fund transit as well as road improvements;
• Variable tolling should be approved to allow better management of new highway capacity;
• A new 520 bridge shall not increase general purpose capacity;
• Any governance reform proposals must not interfere with Sound Transit’s ability to seek voter approval of more revenue for rail transit in 2008; and
• All transportation decision-making shall be consistent with the state’s climate emissions reduction goals under Senate Bill 6001.