Submitted by Methow Valley Citizens Council
The 2023 Legislative Session concluded on April 24. Several key climate and conservation bills emerged that will have short- and long-term benefits to the Methow and Okanogan. The Methow Valley Citizens Council Action Fund, the political arm of MVCC, sent weekly action alerts throughout the session on priority bills that would protect and improve the natural environment and rural character of Okanogan County.
• SHB 1138 passed through the Legislature with broad bipartisan support and will make it easier to respond to droughts when they arise. The bill will make grants available to public entities and federally recognized tribes to reduce current or future hardship caused by drought.
• The passage of HB1460 revitalizes the state trust land transfer program of the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). In the state of Washington, DNR manages over 5.6 million acres of state land which generates revenue for schools, universities and other beneficiaries. Since 1989, DNR has had a budget mechanism to transfer state trust lands to other agencies or counties to be managed for conservation, wildlife habitat, clean water, or recreational opportunities. However, this mechanism has not been officially recognized in statute. The passage of this bill creates a clear path forward for communities like the Methow Valley that want to protect land to work with trust beneficiaries, Tribes and all stakeholders to find solutions. The Methow Valley’s District 7 legislators, Reps. Kretz and Maycumber and Sen. Short, supported this legislation.
• HB 1170 will help to improve Washington state’s ability to respond to the new demands of climate change by updating the state’s integrated climate response strategy. This bill will require agencies to consider climate impacts and improve cross-agency coordination of state response to federal climate resilience funding opportunities.
• HB 1181 is a bill for Okanogan County’s future. This Growth Management Act (GMA) climate bill will require local governments to incorporate climate resiliency measures and reduce emissions equitably in their long-term plans. Although Okanogan County isn’t yet planning under the growth management act (population threshold of 50,000), at its current rate of growth it won’t be too long before it is. This was a priority bill of the Environmental Priorities Coalition (EPC) which MVCC is a part of for the first time this year.
• HB 1176 provides the support for the transition to a green, clean energy economy by developing a work force that can support and deliver this transformation. This bill creates two programs. The first is the Washington Climate Corps network, which will support and grow climate-related service opportunities for young adults and veterans. These service opportunities will help young people and veterans identify a path and develop the skills for playing a role in the new economy. The second creates a clean technology work force advisory committee that will evaluate work force needs to support the transition to a clean energy economy and propose solutions to mitigate the adverse impacts of that transition.
• SHB 1085 will help to reduce plastic pollution by requiring refill fountains in new construction, so that people can easily refill their drinking water bottles. It will also phase out hotel plastic-packaged mini-toiletries and the use of foam-filled floats that are used for docks.
• As part of the budget, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife requested $47 million for biodiversity funding to boost threatened and endangered species recovery through funding of the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). They received half of that amount — $23 million. The SWAP takes a proactive approach to protecting wildlife by focusing statewide conservation actions towards conserving species and habitats before they become rare and listed as endangered species.
• The Washington Recycling And Packaging Act (WRAP) did not pass this legislative session. The act would have established several mechanisms to reduce excess packaging, improved recycling outcomes, and expanded recycling access to more than 360,000 households across the state. A proviso was included in the budget to study WRAP Act components and benefits.
MVCC Action Fund Executive Director Jasmine Minbashian reflected on the three-and-a-half-month legislative session: “Some key legislation that will help us adapt to climate change was passed through this session,” she said. “However, our work advocating for policies that will protect the environment and rural character of Okanogan County continues into the next session. Our hope is that in each session we are engaging more of our local citizens in the legislative process.”
The MVCC Action Fund, in coordination with several other local organizations, has requested state funding for programs and initiatives to be implemented by the Methow Valley Climate Action Plan.
