Climate Action This Week: 
  • Transportation Appropriations
  • Preventing Utility Shutoffs in Extreme Heat
  • Responsible Management of Batteries
  • HEAL Act & the Climate Commitment Act
  • Funding Affordable Housing Programs
  • Growth Management Act
  • Opposing the Alternative Jet Fuel Industry
  • Impact Fees to Fund Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities
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Question Title

* Your Information

Pick as many or as few actions as you’d like. Remember to scroll down and click the "DONE" button when you finish.

Thank you for taking action with the 350 WA Civic Action Team!
We expect these first three actions to take 10-15 minutes
📜 1. Budget Advocacy - Making transportation appropriations for the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium - HB 1125

The House Transportation Committee, working across the aisle in a bipartisan way, has included trailblazing funding for rail electrification projects that will improve health for rail workers, port workers, and trackside communities. HB 1125 also includes funds for studying rail alternatives to barge shipping along the Snake River, which will support the recovery of keystone species like salmon and orca and cut greenhouse gas emissions. This bill is a companion bill to SB 5162 which was featured in Monday’s alert. HB 1125 was passed on Monday, so the action today is to thank your Representatives and ask them not to reduce the budget.

✏️ Please click here to contact both of your Representatives using the “Comment on this bill” form and press “Support” in the position button.

📑 The first sentences of the comment should be: “Thank you for including funding for rail electrification projects and for keeping Washington on track to meet its 2030 emission goals. Please do not reduce rail electrification funding for HB 1125.”

Then, include any of the following talking points if you would like to get into specifics, or feel free to write your own.
  • Electrification is important, not only for emissions but also for health. Rail electrification projects will improve health for rail workers, port workers, and trackside communities.
  • Please shorten the barge study timeline so that the mode shift can be accelerated. Any delay in dam removal threatens the survival of these essential salmon runs. 
  • Please allocate $500,000 for a benefit cost analysis of East-West service via Ellensburg, Yakima, and Pasco. 
  • Please free up the $50 million currently specified for the ultra High Speed Rail project so that it can be used on all rail projects. Ultra HSR is a vision for 2050, and we need faster, more frequent rail service in time for 2030 goals as well.

Question Title

* Did you contact both of your Representatives about HB 1125?

📜 2. Preventing utility shutoffs for nonpayment during extreme heat - HB 1329

This bill would prevent utility companies from cutting off power to buildings during extreme heat events.

We are following the lead of Front and Centered on this bill.

✏️ Please click here to contact your Senator using the “Comment on this bill” form and press “Support” in the position button.

📑 The first sentence of your comment should be: “Please ensure that HB 1329 is placed on second reading, pulled to the floor for a vote, and vote yes in support.” 

Then, choose from the following talking points or come up with a few of your own:
  • The goal of this bill is to prevent buildings from losing power that is needed to run cooling systems when areas are suffering from extreme heat. In this way, they hope to reduce negative health impacts from extreme heat.
  • It also provides that utilities must reconnect previously disconnected power when there is an extreme heat advisory.
  • It mirrors previous legislation that prevents utilities from shutoffs during extreme cold temperatures.

Question Title

* Did you contact your Senator about HB 1329?

📜 3. Providing for responsible environmental management of batteries - SB 5144

This bill requires battery manufacturers to manage and pay for a responsible recycling program for single use and rechargeable batteries which will be convenient, free and accessible for Washington residents. For more detail, see Zero Waste Washington’s factsheet.

We are following the lead of Zero Waste Washington on this bill.

✏️ Please click here to contact both of your Representatives using the “Comment on this bill” form and press “Support” in the position button.

📑 The first sentence of your comment should be: “Please ensure that SB 5144 is placed on second reading, pulled to the floor for a vote, and vote yes in support.” 

Then, choose from the following talking points, or feel free to write your own:
  • Batteries are becoming incredibly important as we move into a renewable energy future. We are using more and more batteries of all sizes and we need to recover the critical minerals they contain, not throw them in landfills.
  • This bill will make recycling batteries convenient, free and accessible for all Washington residents, including overburdened communities.
  • By recycling the materials in batteries and decreasing the need to mine raw materials, the bill will decrease greenhouse gas emissions, other pollutants, and landscape destruction.
  • By making battery manufacturers responsible for the lifecycle of their products, the bill creates a financial incentive for manufacturers to make batteries that last longer or are easier to recycle.
  • Proper handling and recycling of used batteries help prevent the release of toxic materials into the environment.
  • Use of lithium batteries is on the rise as we move into a renewable energy future. A responsible recycling program will help remove them from the waste stream where they can ignite fires in collection trucks and solid waste facilities, creating safety problems for workers.

Question Title

* Did you contact both of your Representatives about SB 5144?

All done? Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom and click the “DONE” button to submit your actions!
We think these next two actions will take 10-15 minutes
📜 4. Budget Advocacy - Frontline Climate and Environmental Priorities - SB 5187; HB 1140

The HEAL Act and the Climate Commitment Act require that at least 35% – with a goal of 40% – of climate and environmental funds benefit overburdened communities. Yet only a small fraction of the budgets released so far are explicitly directed to “overburdened communities.”

We are following the lead of Front and Centered on this budget request.

Final Capital, Operating, and Transportation budgets must be passed by both the House and Senate by Sunday, April 23.

On Monday we asked you to email the six budget writers in both chambers; today we ask you to reach your own legislators. You may use the same talking points for each comment form.

✏️ Please click here to contact your Senator using the “Comment on this bill” form for HB 1140. Select just your Senator and select “Support” in the position button. The first sentence of the comment should be “I applaud the House budget proposal of $10 million toward the Community Assembly Pilot Program and ask the Senate to adopt it also.” Then, use the talking points below to write your comment.

✏️ Please click here to contact your Representatives using the “Comment on this bill” form for SB 5187. Select both of your Representatives and select “Support” in the position button. The first sentence of the comment should be “I applaud the following Senate budget proposals and ask the House to adopt them too: $26.3 million toward capacity grants to engage in the HEAL Act through the Environmental Justice Participation Fund & $38.6 million for the Participatory Budget Grant Program.” Then, use the same talking points below to write your comment.
📑 Please include the first talking point in both HB 1140 and SB 5187 comments. Then choose 2-3 of the remaining bullet points for both bill comments, or feel free to write your own:
  • In your final budget, I encourage you to include: 1) $5.5 million to build environmental justice into the Growth Management Act (GMA), currently in the Senate operating budget, and $41 million for climate planning in the GMA, reflected in the House budget; 2) $300,000 to develop recommendations on a design for a statewide energy assistance program that is in the House operating budget; 3) Full funding for agencies engaged in the HEAL Act as reflected in the Senate operating budget
  • The HEAL Act and the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) require that at least 35% – with a goal of 40% – of climate and environmental funds benefit overburdened communities. Yet only a small fraction of the proposed budgets are explicitly directed to “overburdened communities.” Please ensure that the final biennial budget follows through on your legal obligations and funds strategies designed to address the needs of those hit first and worst by environmental harms and risks in Washington State.
  • Please clearly and explicitly label all funds that are intended to benefit vulnerable populations in overburdened communities and please require CCA Expenditures Tracking, i.e. require detailed tracking and reporting on which communities are intended to benefit and how. This will support the long term goal of more direct participation in decision making by those communities.
  • Each two-yearly budget cycle presents a powerful opportunity for the Washington State Legislature to reflect its values. I appreciate that some of your budget proposals fund important frontline priorities, but there’s work to be done to ensure the final budget meets obligations under law to benefit overburdened communities.

Question Title

* Did you contact your Senator about HB 1140?

Question Title

* Did you contact both of your Representatives about SB 5187?

📜 5. Providing a local government option for the funding of essential affordable housing programs - SB 5334

This bill would allow cities and counties to pass a special excise tax on short-term rentals that must be used exclusively to fund the costs of affordable housing programs including, but not limited to, homeless housing assistance, temporary shelters, and other related services. Most short-term rentals could be utilized as long-term rental properties which would help to increase the housing stock and would likely help to stabilize or possibly reduce rental prices. This bill would allow counties and cities to mitigate some of the harm that is caused to their communities by short-term rentals by obtaining funds from the people who are most profiting. The bill allows for an exemption for one short-term rental based on the owner’s age and/or income.

350 WA CAT recommends the following action.

✏️ Please click here to contact both of your Representatives using the “Comment on this bill” form and press “Support” in the position button.

📑 The first sentence of your comment should be: “Please ensure that SB 5334 is placed on second reading, pulled to the floor for a vote, and vote yes in support.” 

Then, choose from the following talking points, or feel free to write your own:
  • Money collected from the special excise tax must be used exclusively for the operating and capital costs of affordable housing programs including, but not limited to, homeless housing assistance, temporary shelters, and other related services.
  • Most short-term rentals could be utilized as long-term rental properties which would help to increase the housing stock and likely help to stabilize or possibly reduce rental prices. This bill allows counties and cities to get funding to mitigate some of that harm to their communities through funding specifically from the people who are most profiting.

Question Title

* Did you contact both of your Representatives about SB 5334?

All done? Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom and click the "DONE” button to submit your actions!
We think these last three actions will take 10-15 minutes
📜 6. Improving the state's response to climate change by updating the state's planning framework - HB 1181

This bill will add a goal of climate change and resiliency to the listed goals of the Growth Management Act (GMA) and add a climate change and resiliency element to the list of elements that must be included within the comprehensive plans that certain counties and cities must adopt under the GMA. HB 1181 means that these cities and counties will need to address the adverse impacts of climate change on people, property, and ecological systems, and identify actions the jurisdiction will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled. This bill also requires the Department of Ecology to update their Shoreline Master Program guidelines to address the impacts of sea level rise and severe storms.

350 WA CAT recommends the following action.

✏️ Please click here to contact your Senator using the “Comment on this bill” form and press “Support” in the position button.

📑 The first sentence of your comment should be: “Please ensure that HB 1181 is placed on second reading, pulled to the floor for a vote, and vote yes in support.” 

Then, include the following talking points or feel free to write a few of your own:
  • This key common sense bill must be passed without further delay. The science is overwhelming that urgent measures are required to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and to mitigate its effects. This bill will empower our larger cities and counties to take climate into account when developing growth management plans and protect them from ill-informed opposition.
  • We cannot continue with business as usual. This moderate bill should have been passed several years ago. Please don’t let it fail once again.
  • This bill focuses in part on transportation which is a major source of GHGs in our state.

Question Title

* Did you contact your Senator about HB 1181?

📜 7. Promoting the alternative jet fuel industry in Washington - SB 5447

SB 5447 would provide tax credits for alternative jet fuels with lower carbon emissions than conventional jet fuel. It is designed to promote the development of the low carbon fuel industry in Washington state and is intended to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft. Unfortunately, that is an unrealistic and problematic strategy. For more detail about the problems with this approach, see the talking points below, or longer versions here and here.

We are following the lead of the 350 Seattle Aviation Team on this bill.

✏️ Please click here to contact both of your Representatives using the “Comment on this bill” form and press “OPPOSE” in the position button.

📑 The first sentence of your comment should be: “Please OPPOSE SB 5447”.  

Then, choose from the following talking points, or feel free to write your own:
  • This bill would cost the state $8M in lost revenue and nearly $2M to implement. This is a wasteful and inappropriate use of state incentives and funds.
  • The Lummi Nation has requested SB 5447 be put on hold until air, water, and land rights are spelled out in the bill. We need to respect tribal rights.
  • The aviation industry should be made to take financial responsibility for its pollution. This would incentivize it to develop non-polluting solutions such as electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell electric propulsion planes. Airbus and Zero-Avia are developing such planes but Boeing has shown no intent to do so, and has no incentive when we taxpayers subsidize their polluting practices. 
  • It would be more cost effective, and better for the environment if the legislature developed faster, cleaner and more frequent regional rail travel. For example, funds should be used to improve north-south Amtrak Cascades service, the east-west rail corridor via Stampede Tunnel, and the rail network in Southeast Washington. Four advocacy groups have suggested specific revisions to the Governor’s proposed 2023-25 Transportation Budget. “Rail Revisions to the 2023-2025 Transportation Budget”: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MFo1gieUSL1O0HK4OuzIgpLEkCzbXbmQrokZz5qeBPY/edit. The legislature should adopt these rail solutions, they will have a greater impact on greenhouse gas emissions than the production of 20M gallons of biofuel per year.
  • Alternative jet fuels provide only very modest reductions in GHG emissions and do nothing to reduce the contrails and cirrus clouds which are responsible for more than half of jets’ warming effect, or for the other impacts such as noise and local pollution impacting primarily low-income communities near airports.

Question Title

* Did you contact both of your Representatives about SB 5447?

📜 8. Authorizing impact fee revenue to fund improvements to bicycle and pedestrian facilities - SB 5452

This bill adds bicycle and pedestrian facilities that were designed for multimodal commuting as an intended use as public facilities for which impact fees can be used. SB 5452 would improve safety outcomes for non-vehicle commuters, such as pedestrians and cyclists. 

350 WA CAT recommends the following action.

✏️ Please click here to contact both of your Representatives using the “Comment on this bill” form and press “Support” in the position button.

📑 The first sentence of your comment should be: “Please ensure that SB 5452 is placed on second reading, pulled to the floor for a vote, and vote yes in support.” 

Then, choose from the following talking points, or feel free to write your own:
  • Impact fees can already be used for pedestrian and cycle paths that go along roads. This simply allows them to be used for paths that do not go along roads.
  • This would allow for impact fees to be used to expand infrastructure for bikes, scooters, and pedestrians, which could provide convenient alternatives to using existing roadways & relying on gas-powered transportation.
  • From personal experience: When riding bikes on roadways alongside cars, the air quality isn’t great, since you’re breathing in exhaust fumes. There are also safety concerns when riding a bike alongside heavy, metal vehicles. Also, since roadways have been primarily built to accommodate cars, it can be tricky to navigate infrastructure that often hasn’t been built with cyclists in mind. Having more infrastructure built specifically for cyclists & pedestrians would help to solve these issues.

Question Title

* Did you contact both of your Representatives about SB 5452?

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* Phew, you made it, thank you! Please click “Done” to record your actions and let us know if you have any issues or comments.

-- The 350 WA Civic Action Team

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