FCWPP Alert: OPPOSE SB 5805, which could fast-track coal export terminals

FCWPP Alert: OPPOSE SB 5805, which could fast-track coal export terminals

Please contact your state Senator to oppose SB 5805, which could pave the way for massive coal export terminals and the Pit to Pier gravel mine on Hood Canal by allowing their permit applications to be fast-tracked for approval.  The full Washington State Senate will vote on SB 5805, possibly very soon and the vote is expected to be close.

Talking points:

   1. With proposals currently pending to ship tens of millions of tons of dirty coal through Washington each year, expediting the permitting process for major projects is the last thing Washington state legislators should be doing.  Instead we need to preserve the requirement of environmental review.

   2. SB 5805 weakens existing law that requires net environmental benefit and support from local legislative authorities to be eligible for expedited review.

Please ask your state legislators to vote against SB 5805.  The bill is available at: (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5805&year=2013 ).

Bill sponsors are: Senators Hobbs, Sheldon, Holmquist Newbry, Rivers, Dammeier, and King.

Legislators’ email addresses are in the form:  , so, for example, Sen. Rodney Tom is  Rodney.Tom@leg.wa.gov.  Or you can leave a phone message for your Senator, using the the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000.  To find the names of your current legislators (several are new following the elections last November and you may be in a new legislative district due to redistricting), go to the leg.wa.gov website (http://www.leg.wa.gov/pages/home.aspx), select Find Your Legislator, and enter your street address.

There is also a new feature this year on the leg.wa.gov website for sending comments about a particular bill to your legislators.  On the leg.wa.gov site, choose Bill Information and then enter the bill number and Search.  When the window for that bill appears, choose Comment on this Bill.  You will need to register with a password the first time you use this feature.

Thanks for all you do.

Sincerely,

FCWPP Legislative Committee