John,

More than 500 volunteers gathered on the Capitol steps for Environmental Lobby Day in January 2019 to call for bold action for the Southern Resident orcas, reduction in plastic pollution, 100% clean electricity, and oil spill prevention.

For the upcoming 2020 legislative session, the Environmental Priorities Coalition will continue fighting for policies that will help address the climate crisis and help sustain a healthy environment for all.

Join the fight this legislative session: Sign up to be a Legislative Session Activist!

The 2020 Environmental Priorities are…

CLEAN FUELS NOW
The transportation sector is responsible for nearly half of our climate and air pollution in Washington. We need our transportation to be clean, affordable, and accessible. A Clean Fuel Standard will require fuel producers and importers to reduce pollution from the fuels that power our transportation system. It is a tested and effective policy that would clean our air, give us more options to fuel our vehicles (such as electricity and local renewable biofuels), create economic development, cut climate pollution, and move us beyond oil.

REDUCE PLASTIC POLLUTION
Our local waterways, ocean, and recycling systems are overloaded with plastic pollution. Thin plastic bags that are used for just a few minutes and then thrown away pose a particular problem: only 6% ever get recycled. Single-use bags enter into our waterways and the ocean where they clog the stomachs of wildlife. They also clog recycling equipment where they are costly to remove and are the major contaminant in our commercial compost. The Reusable Bag Act would eliminate thin carry-home plastic bags at all retail establishments and help Washington address a growing recycling crisis.

CLIMATE POLLUTION LIMITS
Climate action requires carbon reductions across the board and deep investments in healthier natural landscapes—shorelines, forests, and farms. This means setting credible and ambitious climate pollution limits, providing clear direction to meet these limits, and investing in nature-based solutions like trees and soils to capture excess carbon. This priority will update the state’s greenhouse gas limits to reflect current science and lay groundwork to reach net zero carbon emissions and beyond.

HEALTHY HABITAT HEALTHY ORCAS
With our beloved orcas facing extinction, bold actions to increase salmon populations are needed. After decades of development-related habitat loss, we seek passage of a new standard, net ecological gain, to protect and restore habitat and leave our environment better than we found it for future generations. We will work with state and local governments to implement this key Orca Task Force recommendation to accomplish results now and in the future. 

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Join us in calling on our legislators to support these environmental priorities, and together we can build a climate-resilient community here in Washington.

Onward,

Darcy Nonemacher
Government Affairs

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