We have a few Governor races coming up in 2016 in states like Montana, West Virginia, Indiana and North Carolina that will be big races but it's important that we also make sure Governor Jay Inslee (D. WA) is re-elected:
http://www.yakimaherald.com/...
Gov. Jay Inslee is proposing legislation to protect state waters by tackling pollution at its source and giving a state agency the authority to potentially ban the worst chemicals in products before they get into the environment.
The state is under pressure by the Environmental Protection Agency to update water quality standards that are partly tied to how much fish people eat.
The state’s draft rule is expected this month. But the governor has said revising that rule alone won’t get at major sources of toxic chemicals that are found in everyday products, or that come from sources not currently covered by the federal Clean Water Act.
As part of his plan, he’s also pushing a toxics reduction bill this legislative session that would give the Department of Ecology new authority to identify chemicals that are most problematic and ban their use if safer alternatives are found. The 105-day session begins Monday.
Rob Duff, a senior policy adviser for the governor, said Wednesday that the state is on target to complete the clean water rule, but “to just do that really won’t be effective.”
This would “go after the source, so we don’t have to dig and permit our way out of the pollution,” he said, adding that it doesn’t make sense to ask dischargers to remove contaminants that they’re not responsible for.
Under the measure, Ecology would come up with a list of up to 150 “priority chemicals,” or ones that raise concerns, according a draft bill released this week.
The agency would then narrow that list down to about 20 of the most problematic and, with public input, create plans on how to reduce their use, ranging from education to potentially a ban. The chemicals must be shown to harm the environment and human health. - Yakima Herald, 1/8/15
Inslee has an excellent environmental record and the voters approve of his carbon tax plan:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/...
The poll shows initial support for a trio of revenue proposals unveiled by Gov. Jay Inslee in the waning days of December. Inslee has proposed a $39 billion budget for the next biennium, with major investments in preschool and smaller class sizes in kindergarten through the third grade. The good news for Inslee:
Seventy-seven percent of those surveyed by the Elway Poll support the governor’s proposal for a 50-cent per pack hike in the cigarette tax plus a tax on e-cigarettes and vapor cigarettes.
-Seventy-one percent said they would support “a new carbon tax on industries that release the most pollution into the air.” The governor has proposed a polluters tax. Republicans, who control the State Senate, are expected to oppose.
-Fifty-seven percent said they would support a capital gains tax on sale of stocks and bonds equal to 7 percent of any profits above $25,000 per individual. The capital gains tax is central to the governor’s revenue proposals.
One piece of bad news for Inslee, perhaps the nation’s most “green” governor. Just six percent listed the environment as the state’s No. 1 issue.
Inslee and the Legislature’s Republicans are expected to tussle for the high ground over how the state spends its money.
A recovering economy is expected to yield about $3 billion over current spending levels.
In 2012, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna wanted to spend increased state revenue on education while holding the line on other parts of the state budget. McKenna is due to speak on education Wednesday at a Washington Policy Center “solutions” conference in Bellevue.
Inslee has proposed spending more on education, but also restoring cuts made during the Great Recession. For instance, Washington State Parks would get an infusion of revenue.
The Elway Poll tried to get at public preferences on how to spend that $3 billion. It found 52 percent support giving much of the money to education, but restoring other state programs. Twenty-five percent want it all spent on education. Twenty-one percent said additional revenue should go to tax cuts.
The state faces two mandates: The Supreme Court, with its McCleary decision, has decreed that the Legislature must fully fund K-12 education. Last November, voters passed an initiative for smaller class sizes, with no provision to pay for it.
Asked by Elway if they were open to tax hikes to pay for these mandates, voters in the poll split down the middle: 48 percent found raising taxes acceptable, with 49 percent opposed.
The Elway Poll was conducted Dec. 27-30, and involved interviews with 502 Washington voters. It has a margin of error of plus/minus 5 percent. - Seattle Pi, 1/6/15
Click here if you want to get involved with Inslee's re-election campaign:
http://www.jayinslee.com/