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Please Contact your Legislators to Protect the Environment and Oppose SB 6406

SB 6406 would modify protections of natural resources and is now in the Senate Rules Committee and may soon be on the Senate floor.  Based on the following provisions in Part Three of the bill, we oppose SB 6406:

1) Section 317(2) (page 82) of the bill proposes striking the current statutory provision that permits citizens and environmental groups the standing to petition the Growth Management Board on issues of protection of aquifers for clean water and other issues. Our experience is that citizen standing is an important component in seeing that environmental laws are enforced.

2) The bill mandates rule-based exemptions to the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). For example, SB 6406 requires that the Department of Ecology (DOE) may not include any new subjects in updating its checklist, including climate change and greenhouse gasses. But DOE would have to increase the existing maximum threshold levels for the construction or location of residential developments, agricultural structures, or construction of a commercial building.

Contacting Senators is most pressing (especially those on the Senate Rules Committee — see below), but the bill may soon reach the House, so contacting House members is also important. Keep in mind that the Legislative Session ends March 8, so things are moving fast.

Thanks for all your help!

Steven Aldrich, Legislative Advocate
Sam Merrill, Legislative Chair
Friends Committee on Washington Public Policy

The following senators voted against SB 6406 in policy committee: Senators Murray, Conway, Fraser, Harper, Kohl-Welles, and Pridemore. Please thank them and encourage them to persist in opposing the bill (four of them are on the Rules Committee).

Senate Rules Committee Members (email addresses are: )

Senator Room Phone
Owen, Brad (D) Chair LEG 220 (360) 786-7700
Prentice, Margarita (D) Vice Chair LEG 312 (360) 786-7616
Hewitt, Mike (R) LEG 314 (360) 786-7630
Brown, Lisa (D) LEG 307 (360) 786-7604
Carrell, Mike (R) INB 102 (360) 786-7654
Conway, Steve (D) JAC 213 (360) 786-7656
Eide, Tracey (D) LEG 305 (360) 786-7658
Fraser, Karen (D) LEG 404 (360) 786-7642
Harper, Nick (D) JAC 226 (360) 786-7674
Haugen, Mary Margaret (D) JAC 305 (360) 786-7618
Keiser, Karen (D) JAC 224 (360) 786-7664
King, Curtis (R) INB 205 (360) 786-7626
Kline, Adam (D) JAC 223 (360) 786-7688
Kohl-Welles, Jeanne (D) JAC 219 (360) 786-7670
McAuliffe, Rosemary (D) LEG 403 (360) 786-7600
Parlette, Linda Evans (R) LEG 316 (360) 786-7622
Pflug, Cheryl (R) LEG 415 (360) 786-7608
Regala, Debbie (D) JAC 233 (360) 786-7652
Schoesler, Mark (R) INB 110 (360) 786-7620
Stevens, Val (R) INB 105 (360) 786-7676
Zarelli, Joseph (R) INB 204 (360) 786-7634
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