Climate Action This Week: Agricultural Overtime; Transportation budgets; Cap and Invest; Zero Emissions at Ports and No Automation; Calling all Constituents!

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* 1. Agricultural Overtime: SB 5172

This is a common sense Senate bill that addresses overtime for farm workers and needs to pass the House. 

It’s scheduled for an executive session in the House Committee on Labor & Workplace Standards on either Wednesday, March 24, 10:00 AM or Friday, March 26, 8:00 AM (pending committee schedule).

Please call or email the following key Committee members to ask them to vote YES on SB 5172.

If you’re calling and you reach voicemail, be sure to speak slowly and clearly and say the bill numbers. And be sure to let them know if you are a constituent of their district!

Click here to send an email to key members of the committee.

If the above link did not work, please address your emails to:

Chair, Rep Mike Sells (D-38) – (360) 255-0152 – Mike.Sells@leg.wa.gov
Vice Chair, Rep. Liz Berry (D-36) – (206) 709-5260 – Liz.Berry@leg.wa.gov 
Rep. Dan Bronoske (D-28) – (360) 786-7958 – Dan.Bronoske@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self (D-21) – (360) 786-7972 – Lillian.Ortiz-Self@leg.wa.gov

Script: I’m contacting you to urge you to vote YES on SB 5172 being voted on in Wednesday’s or Friday’s Executive Session. I strongly support this bill.

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own. 
  • Farm workers are essential workers, and should be paid for working overtime. This bill would allow that to happen with a phase-in approach, beginning January 1, 2022. 
  • This bill would address the deeply racist historical wrong of excluding farm workers from labor protections.
  • The State Supreme Court ruled in November 2020 that dairy workers are entitled to overtime pay. This bill will extend that to other agricultural workers.

  Chair, Rep Mike Sells (D-38) Vice Chair, Rep. Liz Berry (D-36) Rep. Dan Bronoske (D-28) Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self (D-21)
I called
I emailed

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* 2. Transportation budgets 2021-2023: HB 1135 and SB 5165

Yes, we had this in Monday’s set of actions but we’re bringing back because we’re hearing that discussions around the transportation budget have gotten sticky. If you didn’t get to it yet this week - now’s your chance. If you did get to it, it doesn’t hurt to do it again with different talking points (like the Amtrak Cascades Long Range Plan!). Or take a breather ;-) And thank you! 

The House and Senate Transportation budget bills will have executive sessions in their respective committees this week. Both make transportation appropriations for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium but are related to much larger multi-year proposals. The House proposal includes more support for multimodal solutions to transportation.

Each committee needs to hear from us that it’s time to prioritize greenhouse gas reductions in the Transportation budget. The talking points below apply to both committee hearings.

The House Transportation budget is scheduled for an executive session in the House Committee on Transportation on Thursday, March 25, 3:30 PM.

Follow this link to provide a written comment on HB 1135 via the legislative website before Wednesday March 24, 3:30 PM.

“Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support HB 1135. Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own. 

The Senate Transportation budget is scheduled for an executive session in the Senate Committee on Transportation on Thursday March 25, 4:00 PM.

Follow this link to provide a written comment on SB 5165 via the legislative website before Wednesday March 24, 4:00 PM.

“Position” - please select “Other”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I have concerns about SB 5165. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own. (Bonus points for including the Amtrak Cascades Long Range Plan!)
  • Transportation is responsible for the largest portion of our state’s carbon emissions. It’s time to prioritize greenhouse gas reductions as a goal of our transportation planning.
  • The House budget is our best bet if we want to actually reduce traffic congestion; make our transportation system affordable for our State and our families; provide mobility options for the many people in our State who don’t drive; promote health and fitness; reduce traffic collision deaths; create more jobs; and reduce pollution causing climate and community damage.
  • We can’t solve congestion by building more roads and more lanes.
  • Demand for better multimodal transportation has never been greater.
  • We are healthier when we build infrastructure for walking and biking.
  • The Amtrak Cascades Long Range Plan can deliver a proportionate, achievable and impactful transportation solution to the climate crisis, in a timeframe that really matters for our state. This bill should include funding for the Amtrak Cascades Long Range plan update.

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* 3. Concerning the Washington climate commitment act (Cap and Invest): SB 5126

This bill creates a cap and trade program requiring large greenhouse gas emitters to buy allowances at auction for each metric ton of emissions above a gradually decreasing cap. It was weakened with give-aways to industry in the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday this week.

Tell your Senator to oppose SB 5126, Cap and Invest - we need genuine carbon reductions, not road projects!

Script: I’m writing to ask you to oppose SB 5126.

Here are some talking points to include:
  • The integration with California will take years. And we pay them to join. Is that the best use of our state funds?
  • Offsets and allowances allow polluters to continue their emissions-producing activities in BIPOC and low-income communities, with resulting adverse impacts on their health and wellness.
  • Cap and Invest programs, like California’s, have failed to meaningfully reduce emissions. Instead they allow polluters to buy time to continue polluting. Even California regulators recognize this!
  • Direct regulation of polluters would be a more effective way of reducing greenhouse gases and co-pollutants.
  • SB 5373 Washington Strong would be a more effective way of raising revenue and directing spending toward meaningful climate and resiliency investments.
  • Sacrificing frontline communities for the sake of raising revenue for roads by means of a business-friendly policy that does not meaningfully reduce emissions is a travesty.

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* 4. Zero-Emission Cargo Handling Equipment: SB 5026

SB 5026 would ban public financing of fully automated container handling equipment, and promote zero and near zero emissions human operated equipment on our docks. This bill is going to a final House vote within days. It needs your help to get it over the line and get the bill passed!

Please click here to comment on this bill and ask your representatives to vote YES. When you “verify” your district, you can select which of your elected leaders to communicate to. For this House bill, select your two Representatives. 

“Position” - please select “Support”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support SB 5026 and urge you to vote Yes. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own: 
  • Public money should not be used to help private companies eliminate Washington taxpayer jobs through automation, which would lead to the loss of up to 90% of jobs on marine terminals that handle containers. 
  • Zero emissions equipment at our workplace means health protections for International Longshore and Warehouse Union members and other workers, clean air for communities near container ports in Washington State, and a move to address climate change. 
  • Responsible zero-emissions development of clean marine terminals preserves jobs for essential workers on the docks, and contributes to a post COVID-19 economic recovery.

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* 5. Calling all Constituents! 

Although the Building Electrification HB 1084 will not be moving forward this legislative session, our legislators need to know that it’s time to act to protect communities and move us on a path beyond fossil gas. 

Please email or call all three of your legislators and let them know the safety concerns of so called “natural” gas. 

Not sure who your three legislators are? Look them up here: Legislative District Finder.

If you’re calling and you reach voicemail, be sure to speak slowly and clearly. Here are several talking points you can include: 
  • Buildings in Washington are now our fastest-growing source of carbon pollution and we should have a choice on how we want to heat our homes that doesn’t include fossil fuels.  
  • On average, over the 3 years 2016-2018, a gas pipeline incident killed someone, sent someone to the hospital, and/or caused a fire and/or explosion every 4 days nationwide.  
  • Homes with gas stoves have ​50 percent to over 400 percent higher nitrogen dioxide levels in their indoor air than homes with electric stoves, which can lead to heart failure and asthma.
  • One hour of cooking on a gas stove produces ​nitrogen dioxide levels that would be illegal if found outdoors​.
  • Children in homes with gas stoves have a ​42 percent increased risk of asthma symptoms​.
  • We deserve to breathe clean air where we work, go to school, play and live.
  • Meeting our statutory greenhouse target of net zero by 2050 means reducing our use of fossil gas. Please pass legislation that will help us actually achieve the reductions we need.

  My senator My representative My other representative
I called
I emailed

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* Thanks for taking action with us!

-- The 350 WA Civic Action Team

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