Climate Action This Week: 
  • Budget Advocacy: Weatherization Plus Health
  • Transit-Oriented Development
  • Transitioning to Clean Energy
  • Extending the Clean Energy Transformation Act
  • Middle Housing
  • Addressing Historical Housing Discrimination
  • Budget Advocacy: Regional Rail Improvements
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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!
These first three actions should take about 10 - 15 minutes.
📜 1. Budget Advocacy - Invest in Housing, Jobs, and Climate Action Through Weatherization Plus Health

Weatherization Plus Health is a successful program established by the legislature in 2015. By combining improvements to conserve energy, such as installing insulation, with health measures, such as replacing old carpet and improving ventilation, the legislature created a win-win investment and program. At the same time, over 375,000 Washington households living in poverty need weatherization services. Because of limited funds, the program serves fewer than 1% of these households each year. Legislators are being urged to invest a minimum of $46 million in Weatherization Plus Health for the 2023-2025 biennium. See Shift Zero’s information sheet.

We are following the lead of Shift Zero on this budget request.

For this budget action we ask that you email both of your representatives and your senator and urge them to support the $46 million budget request.

✏️ Please click here to contact both of your Representatives using the “Comment on this bill” form for HB 1147, Concerning the capital budget, and press “Neutral” in the position button.

✏️ Please click here to contact your Senator using the “Comment on this bill” form for SB 5200, Concerning the capital budget, and press “Neutral” in the position button.

📑 The first sentence of your comment should be: “Please support investing a minimum of $46 million in the Weatherization Plus Health program for the 2023-2025 biennium.” Then add one or two of the following sentences or feel free to write your own:
  • The Weatherization Plus Health Program creates jobs and supports workforce development while delivering essential structural repairs, energy efficiency upgrades, as well as health and safety improvements. It helps address the decline of Washington’s affordable housing stock, preventing homelessness in every county in Washington and in seven Tribal Nations.
  • Weatherization Plus Health lowers emissions by reducing energy use and supporting fuel switching from unhealthy and inefficient fuel sources like oil, propane, and wood. We must ensure that all residents are included as our state transitions to a clean energy economy.  However, the program is significantly underfunded, currently serving fewer than 1% of the over 375,000 Washington households living in poverty who need weatherization services.

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* Did you contact both of your Representatives about Budget Advocacy: Weatherization Plus Health?

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* Did you contact your Senator about Budget Advocacy: Weatherization Plus Health?

📜 2. Promoting Transit-Oriented Development - SB 5466

This bill will create flexible standards for cities to allow mid-sized apartment buildings within three-quarters of a mile of transit stops with frequent service, and larger buildings within a quarter-mile of light rail stations. The bill will also remove off-street parking requirements, streamline permitting, and incentivize affordable units through a grant program. For more information, see this Sightline Article.

We are following the lead of Homes4WA on this bill.

Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Housing on Thursday, March 16, 8:00 AM.

✏️ Please sign in here to support SB 5466 before Thursday, March 16, 7:00 AM, and select “Pro” in the position button. 

✏️ Miss this deadline or wish to leave a comment? You can still sign in here, select “Pro” and leave a comment before Friday, March 17, 8:00 AM.
📑 The first sentence of the written comment should be: “I support SB 5466.” Then choose the first talking point and 1-2 additional sentences from the options below, or feel free to write your own:
  • Removing parking requirements around public transit sites helps to reduce costs, increase the number of units that can be built, and encourages the use of public transit. Please RESIST any amendments that would remove the parking requirement prohibition.  
  • Transit-oriented development focuses on increasing housing density around public transit infrastructure. Given the major investments in public transit that Washington made last year through the transportation package, this is the ideal time to pair building new housing around these new transit investments.
  • This bill creates flexible standards for cities to allow mid-sized apartment buildings within three-quarters of a mile of transit stops with frequent service, and larger buildings within a quarter-mile of light rail stations.  
  • The flexibility comes from the focus on Floor-area-ratios (FAR) which is a measure of total floor area of the building divided by the lot site. More floors and wider buildings have higher FARs, narrow buildings and less floors lead to lower FARs. The bill requires that development across the entire TOD region reaches an average, allowing for more flexibility in how cities can direct growth in these areas.
  • It would prohibit local requirements for off-street parking for all building types and uses within the three-quarter-mile radius transit station areas.
  • To incentivize affordable housing development, the bill offers an automatic 50 percent increase in allowed FAR for housing affordable to people earning 60 percent of area median income (AMI).
  • To protect communities from displacement pressures that could be exacerbated by the bill’s FAR allowances, it would require that cities preemptively take the actions defined by a 2021 bill that established new anti-displacement standards for local planning. 
  • To incentivize apartment developments that offer 20 percent of their homes at rents affordable to people earning 80 percent of AMI, the bill establishes a competitive grant program.
  • To streamline permitting, the bill exempts from SEPA review most development projects in transit station hubs and transit station areas as long as they are consistent with local comprehensive plans.

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* Did you sign in or leave a comment for SB 5466?

📜 3. Supporting Washington's clean energy economy and transitioning to a clean, affordable, and reliable energy future - HB 1589

This bill would prohibit large gas companies serving more than 500,000 customers from providing gas service to new residential and commercial customers after June 30, 2023. Among other requirements, the utility would also have to report emissions from methane leaks; produce gas decarbonization and electrification plans as part of any rate plan filing after January 1, 2026; and design programs targeted to low income and other vulnerable communities. It also contains worker protections.

We have had real concerns about this bill, which is why we have featured this bill in previous alerts. Fortunately, House Environment Chair Doglio submitted a striker amendment, which is the version of the bill that passed the House.

This improved version is scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology on Friday, March 17, 8:00 AM.

✏️ Please sign in here before Saturday, March 18, 8:00 AM, and select “Other” in the position button.

📑 The first sentence of the written comment should be: “I appreciate the improvements Chair Doglio made in her striker amendment, particularly the elimination of a guaranteed 60% ownership by PSE and its affiliates, and I urge the committee to further strengthen the regulatory power of the UTC.” Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below, or feel free to write your own.
  • I urge the committee to ensure that the bill prioritizes rapid decarbonization.
  • The committee should also ensure that the bill prioritizes protection of utility customers and the public benefit and avoids shifting costs and risks to utility customers.

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* Did you sign in or leave a comment for HB 1589?

All done? Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom and click the “DONE” button to submit your actions!
These next two actions should take about 5 to 10 minutes.
📜 4. Applying the affected market customer provisions of the Washington clean energy transformation act to nonresidential customers of consumer-owned utilities - HB 1416

The Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) already applies to market customers of investor-owned utilities. This bill will extend CETA to nonresidential customers of consumer-owned utilities. The Department of Commerce requested this legislation because they've seen interest from large entities in seeking power outside their local utilities. This bill will close that loophole and prevent companies from side-stepping CETA’s provisions by turning to consumer-owned utilities instead of investor-owned utilities.

Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology on Friday, March 17, 8:00 AM.

350 WA CAT recommends this action.

✏️ Please sign in here to support HB 1416 before Friday, March 17, 7:00 AM, and select “Pro” in the position button.

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* Did you sign in for HB 1416?

📜 5. Increasing middle housing in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family detached housing - HB 1110

For cities planning under the Growth Management Act, this bill will allow duplexes (and 4-plexes if affordable housing is included or the building is near a major transit stop) in cities of between 25,000 and 75,000; and will allow 4-plexes (and 6-plexes if affordable housing is included or the building is near a major transit stop) in or adjacent to larger cities. Cities must carry out an anti-displacement analysis and may obtain an extension for areas at risk of displacement. There are specific exclusions for environmentally critical areas. Here is a link to a post on our Instagram for more reasons why this bill is important for tackling our housing crisis, and why it is a climate issue!

We are following the lead of Homes4WA on this bill.

Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing on Friday March 17, 10:30 AM.

✏️ Please sign in here to support HB 1110 before Friday, March 17, 9:30 AM, and select “Pro” in the position button. 

✏️ Miss this deadline or wish to leave a comment? You can still sign in here, select “Pro” and leave a comment before Saturday, March 18, 10:30 AM.
📑 The first sentence of the written comment should be: “I support HB 1110.” Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or from our Instagram post, or feel free to write your own:
  • This bill will help solve our housing crisis and reduce residential greenhouse gas emissions. Increased density will reduce residential energy needs.
  • The bill will allow 4-plex development in all single-family zoned areas for any city over 75,000 residents and smaller cities that are near cities of over 275,000. It will also allow for developers to build up to 6-plexes in these same areas if at least two of the units are made affordable as defined in the bill or they are within a half-mile of a major transit stop.   
  • The bill will allow 2-plex development in all single-family zoned areas for any city between 25,000 and 75,000 residents. It will also allow for developers to build up to 4-plexes in these same areas if at least one of the units is made affordable or they are within a half-mile of frequent transit. 
  • Increased density often brings up concerns about the removal of neighborhood trees. However, middle housing is often the same size as the pre-existing single-family housing. This means that it can be built in the footprint of the previous building without harming trees. By adding more housing on less land, middle housing leaves more land for trees and greenspace. A recent Seattle tree survey highlighted that development was a very minor factor in tree canopy loss, which shows that more housing and trees can coexist. https://publicola.com/2023/03/02/development-not-a-major-factor-in-tree-loss-police-alternative-pilot-behind-schedule-deputy-mayor-says-harrell-not-interested-in-reelecti/ 
  • Review processes and critical areas regulations will need to be the same for missing middle housing as for detached single-family homes. There are specific environmental exclusions for certain critical areas.

Question Title

* Did you sign in or leave a comment for HB 1110?

All done? Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom and click the "DONE” button to submit your actions!
These last two actions should take about 5 to 10 minutes.
📜 6. Creating the covenant homeownership account and program to address the history of housing discrimination due to racially restrictive real estate covenants in Washington state - HB 1474

This bill will create a Covenant Homeownership Program (CHP) to collect money from the processing of certain county documents and use this money to help remedy racial disparities in homeownership, to study past discrimination and recommend and evaluate program changes. The CHP may provide down payments and closing cost loan assistance. Credit recipients must have household income under 100% Area Median Income (AMI), be first-time homebuyers, have lived or be descended from someone who both lived in Washington state before April 11, 1968 when the Federal Fair Housing Act was passed and was or would have been impacted by a racially restrictive covenant before that date.

We are following the lead of Futurewise on this bill.

Scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing on Friday, March 17,10:30 AM.

✏️ Please sign in here to support HB 1474 before Friday, March 17, 9:30 AM and select “Pro” in the position button.

✏️ Miss this deadline, or wish to leave a comment?  You can still sign in here, select “Pro” and leave a comment before Saturday, March 18, 10:30 AM. 

📑 The first sentence of the written comment should be: “I support HB 1474.” Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below, or feel free to write your own: 
  • In essence, this is a housing reparations bill. The intent is to repair the harm done through racial housing discrimination that the state played an active part in allowing. 
  • The time-period specified for impacted parties is based on both racial covenants (deed restrictions that prevented people of certain races from owning property) and other discriminatory practices that were in place until the Federal Fair Housing Act was passed. The bill lays out a process by which descendants of impacted parties can prove their connections.

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* Did you sign in or leave a comment for HB 1474?

📜 7. Budget advocacy - Regional rail improvements

This year’s transportation budget lacks investments in regional passenger rail infrastructure and operational improvements. Regional passenger rail is an often overlooked solution: it can provide near-term improvements in the climate, public health, the environment, and the mobility of all our citizens. See information from Climate Rail advocates for more reasons why we should invest more in rail improvements.

✏️ Please click here to contact both of your Representatives using the “Comment on this bill” form for HB 1125, Making transportation appropriations for the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium, and press “Neutral” in the position button.

✏️ Please click here to contact your Senator using the “Comment on this bill” form for SB 5162, Making transportation appropriations for the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium, and press “Neutral” in the position button.

📑 The first sentence of your comment should be: “The legislature should devote Climate Commitment Act funds to developing faster, cleaner and more frequent regional rail travel.”  Then add one or two of the following sentences or feel free to write your own:
  • Please devote Climate Commitment Act funds to the north-south Amtrak Cascades service, the east-west rail corridor via Stampede Tunnel, and the rail network in Southeast Washington. 
  • Please include these proposed passenger rail improvements in the 2023-25 Transportation budget: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MFo1gieUSL1O0HK4OuzIgpLEkCzbXbmQrokZz5qeBPY/edit?usp=sharing 
  • Rail travel causes significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than either road travel or aviation and causes less local pollution. Regional passenger rail improvements are one of the most immediate climate measures we can take to reduce vehicle miles traveled for passenger cars, and to reduce short haul flights. See here for more information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G_PFCicECiKgqaf1jxog7iq_X2m629JX/view?usp=share_link 
  • The climate benefits of decarbonizing jet fuel and high-speed rail will not be realized as immediately as the benefits from improving regional passenger rail service. The legislature should act this year to ensure that the improvements in regional rail contribute to our 2030 emission reduction goals.

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* Did you contact both of your Representatives about Budget Advocacy: Regional Rail Improvements?

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* Did you contact your Senator about Budget Advocacy: Regional Rail Improvements?

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* Thanks for taking action with us! Please let us know if you had any issues.

-- The 350 WA Civic Action Team

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