By Jesse Piedfort, Washington State Chapter Director
On Monday, I had the honor of visiting the beautiful Duwamish Longhouse in South Seattle to witness and celebrate an accomplishment that was years in the making: the Governor’s signing of the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate place for such an occasion - a space that celebrates community, collaboration, and culture.
Thanks to years of tireless advocacy and leadership from tribes and communities of color, state agencies are now required to plan for environmental justice and authentically collaborate with communities to develop strategies to minimize environmental harm. And that environmental harm is real - pollution from highways, industry, and waste disproportionately impact communities of color and low-income neighborhoods, tragically contributing to health disparities and lower life expectancies.
The HEAL Act is a critical step in righting this injustice, and I’m so grateful to advocates like Front & Centered who showed principled perseverance that can be a model for all of us in this work.
And this wasn’t the only big win for climate this year! After three years of organizing efforts, we were excited to finally see a Clean Fuel Standard get over the finish line. This has been a top priority for Sierra Club and will begin the work of cleaning up our transportation fuels while investing in electrification and clean, sustainable biofuels.
Sierra Club volunteers, members, and supporters played an important role this year. Our volunteer district lobby teams met with more than 30 legislators to talk about environmental priorities, and our supporters sent thousands of email messages to legislators. This work is critical in building momentum and shaping the agenda. To those of you who joined the fight -- thank you!
What’s Next, and How Can I Help?
With important wins under our belt, we have a lot to celebrate! But the work of securing a climate resilient future doesn’t stop. Planning for what comes next is well underway. That’s why I wanted to share with you an early preview of what we’re shifting our focus to for the next legislative session, and an update on how you can join the fight:
Following Up on Our Climate Commitment - With the passage of the Climate Commitment Act, Washington is becoming the second state (joining California) to create a cap-and-invest program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Funds will be raised for transit, electrification, tribal-sponsored projects, better air quality monitoring, and investments in overburdened communities.
Despite those positives, there is important follow up work needed. A late compromise amendment somewhat weakened some legal tools for fighting against bad fossil fuel projects; we’ll be focused on shoring up those rules. We were also troubled by Governor Inslee’s decision to issue a partial veto of tribal consultation standards and consent protections for sacred sites and burial grounds. There has been nobody more central to creating a climate resilient future than Washington’s tribal nations. Addressing this must be a top priority.
Buildings: Still A Big Climate Problem - Unfortunately, the Healthy Homes Clean Buildings legislation to address climate pollution from buildings, did not pass this session. This issue is still a top priority for the Chapter, as buildings remain Washington’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.
We have to stop digging our climate hole deeper by powering appliances, heating, and cooling with fracked gas - especially when we have clean electricity as an alternative. This means we need new rules and code changes for new buildings, policy steps to speed up retrofits and increase access to clean, efficient alternatives, and a strong focus on creating good-paying, union jobs and making sure low-income communities are prioritized.
Transportation: Help Salmon, Fund Transit, and Stop Sprawl - Despite a lot of interest, legislators failed to come together to pass a transportation package this year.
This means that once again, legislators have put off the important (and court-ordered) work of fixing our salmon-blocking culverts. These pipes and passageways are important to salmon health because they allow streams to pass underneath our roads -- giving salmon access to important spawning habitat. But many culverts aren’t built to allow salmon to pass through. With our climate warming and salmon struggling, we can’t wait any longer.
We’ll be supporting work to fund culvert fixes, as well as overdue investments in transit, safe instructure for people walking and biking, and much needed road maintenance. What we don’t need more of: unnecessary highway expansion that adds pollution and pavement and exacerbates sprawl.
Our Footprint Grows: How to Play A Role
The work for planning for the 2022 session will get underway as soon as this summer - and we need you more than ever. Join our Legislative Action Team to stay updated and get involved!