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HOUSE FLOOR ACTION
ESSB 5583: Improving the effectiveness of water bank and exchange provisions
Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT
•A water bank, administered through the Trust Water Rights
Program, is a mechanism that provides flexibility for supplying water
to instream and out-of-stream demands and protects a water right holder
from relinquishment while the water is managed through the bank.
•This bill clarifies how a water bank operates and provides a consistent statewide system for managing banked water.
E2SSB 5735 Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (a.k.a. formerly Cap and Invest).
POSITION: SUPPORT
•This Governor's-request legislation was weakened in the Senate to
the point of a study bill that does not accomplish any reduction in
global warming pollution.
•The House can do better and still has the opportunity to move
forward with making enforceable the emission limits committed to in
last year's Climate Action and Green Jobs law.
ESSB 5840: Modifying the Energy Independence Act.
Technology, Energy and Communications Committee: Possible Public Hearing
POSITION: OPPOSE
•Despite the bill essentially gutting I-937, the Clean Energy
Initiative, environmental groups are prepared to negotiate a
slimmed-down bill to address stakeholder interests; which the Senate
process did not afford.
•Bill includes “loadgrowth” provisions
that would make future bump-ups to the standards essentially
meaningless. We are opposed to these provisions.
2SSB 5854: Reducing climate pollution in the built environment (a.k.a. Efficiency First).
Technology, Energy & Communications Committee: Public hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT
•This bill passed out of the Senate 45-5. Its companion (HB 1747) passed off the House floor with bipartisan support.
•The bill is a balanced approach to achieve energy efficiency
in new and existing buildings, which will stimulate our economy and
save residents and businesses money through energy savings.
SSB 6036: Concerning water cleanup planning and implementation.
Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee: Possible Executive Action
POSITION: OPPOSE
•This bill allows for cleanup of water bodies around the state to be delayed for decades
•Terms of the bill violate EPA policies under the federal Clean Water Act and could lead to litigation
SENATE FLOOR ACTION
HB 1456: Preventing the conversion of certain natural resource lands.
Government Operations & Elections Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT
•Fully contained communities are threatening working lands and rural
communities all over Washington. The recently released 2007 Census of
Agriculture reports that WA loses an acre of farmland every seven
minutes.
•HB 1456 would prevent new fully contained communities from being
developed on natural resource lands, helping to reduce the pressure to
urbanize these working lands.
2SHB 1481: Regarding electric vehicles.
Environment, Water, and Energy Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT
•Passed out of the House 71-23. Promotes the use of electric
vehicles through the creation of an electric infrastructure that will
support the use of electric vehicles. This approach was recommended by
the Governor’s Climate Advisory Team (CAT) and will spur economic
development while reducing emissions.
•One element of the bill is to promote having the state motor pool
switch to electric vehicles in the future and to provide electric
infrastructure at all of the state owned motor pool lots.
2SHB 1580: Establishing a pilot local water management program in one qualified jurisdiction.
Environment, Water, and Energy Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT
•Water is a limited and publicly owned resource that is asked to
meet many demands. Water policies must fairly balance multiple needs
for critical fish habitat, agriculture, industry, and use in our homes.
•This
bill establishes a pilot project for collaborative water management in
the Walla Walla basin to enhance instream flows for fish while also
providing flexibility and certainty to water users.
E2SHB 1747: Reducing climate pollution in the built environment (a.k.a. Efficiency First).
Environment, Water and Energy Committee: Possible public hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT
•This bill passed out of the House with bipartisan support. Its
companion (2SSB 5854) passed out of this committee and then off the
Senate floor with a vote 45-5.
•The bill is a balanced approach to achieve energy efficiency in new
and existing buildings, which will stimulate our economy and save
residents and businesses money through energy savings.
SHB 1838: Creating a raffle only limited recreational rainbow trout fishery in Spirit Lake.
Natural Resources, Oceans & Recreation Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: OPPOSE
•Spirit Lake, the largest among some 40 lakes that surround Mount
St. Helen’s, is the focus of an unprecedented, international project to
study long term ecological recovery in the wake of a major, volcanic
disturbance. Opening it to sport fishing now would compromise nearly 30
years of scientific research into the lake’s natural recovery process.
•WDFW has tried unsuccessfully since 2004 to get the Forest Service to
open Spirit Lake to fishing; so now proponents have now turned to the
Legislature to try to open this internationally significant scientific
gem to fishing.
