John,

Today marks the beginning of Washington's 2022 legislative session. Over the next sixty days, our state's leaders and representatives will consider and pass important legislation impacting the stability, health, and safety of our communities. 

WCV and our partners join together every year as the Environmental Priorities Coalition to collectively push four key priorities during this time. Here are our goals for 2022: 

LORRAINE LOOMIS ACT FOR SALMON RECOVERY requires tree buffers that are tall and wide enough to shade rivers and streams. It also requires new standards that prioritize improving ecological conditions instead of mitigating habitat loss.

TRANSPORTATION FOR ALL focuses on supporting transportation systems that reduce pollution, improves multimodal choices like biking, walking, and public transit to improve access for everyone. 

GMA SPRAWL LOOPHOLE aims to remove a loophole in our state's Growth Management Act that allows counties to illegally build sprawling developments that encroach on farmlands, forests, and critical habitats. 

RENEW ACT applies graduated fees for packaging manufacturers based on how easily reusable their products are. This bill will also shift recycling costs away from ratepayers and onto the manufacturers who created the problem. 

We also want to highlight the priorities of our partners which include: 

BUY CLEAN AND BUY FAIR ​​(Led by: Washington BlueGreen Alliance) creates a reporting system with vital information on the environmental and labor impacts of structural materials used in state-funded infrastructure projects. 

ENERGY FOR ALL (Led by: Front and Centered) establishes access to home energy as a basic need and an essential resource that should be accessed in full dignity without uncertainty about affordability and threats of disconnection. 

We need you to get involved and there are plenty of ways! Call your legislators and share your support for the priorities above. And join us for Environmental Lobby Days to join a group of passionate people who want to make sure our legislators are acting on climate. Sign up here.

We hope you will take this opportunity to make your voice heard and hold our legislators accountable. 

Onward, 

Kat Holmes
Field Director

P.S. Follow the Environmental Priorities Coalition on Facebook for more ways to take action and on Twitter to receive urgent news and updates.