Environment

With one of the richest, most diverse and beautiful landscapes in the world, we have an important legacy to protect. Governor Chris Gregoire believes the health of our environment must be protected as it is essential to our quality of life and to the strength of our economy. We all need clean air to breathe, water to drink and irrigation to grow the crops we depend on for our tables and for export. Washington is also home to a rich diversity of fish and wildlife species and the unique habitats that support them.

Governor Gregoire also believes that while we protect our natural resources, we must promote fair and effective enforcement of Washington’s environmental laws to ensure a level playing field for those who play by the rules. That’s why her environmental agenda also simplifies our regulatory processes to make it easier to do business.

Climate Action and Green Jobs Bill

In March 2008, Governor Gregoire signed unprecedented legislation making Washington just the fourth state in the nation to adopt comprehensive limits on global warming pollution, and the first state to develop a plan to train the state’s work force for the transition to clean energy. The state must reduce emission levels to what they were in 1990, and then reduce them by another 25 percent by 2035. House Bill 2815 requires frequent emission reports from businesses or agencies releasing large amounts of global warming pollution.

In addition, the bill moves Washington toward energy independence. Washingtonians spent more than $9 billion on imported fuel last year. Governor Gregoire has set a goal to reduce the amount that drivers in Washington spend on imported fuel by 20 percent by 2020. It also requires the Dept. of Transportation to develop strategies to help people who want an alternative to driving in this time of high gas prices have the freedom to reduce their car travel.

In addition, the new legislation encourages the creation of thousands of new “green collar” jobs, and establishes a job growth initiative with the goal of tripling the number of green jobs by 2020. Governor Gregoire has reiterated her goal repeatedly to develop 25,000 new green collar jobs in the next 12 years.

Western Climate Initiative

In 2008, Governor Gregoire joined the governors of six other states and four Canadian Premiers to sign the Western Climate Initiative, the final design for the regional market-based climate program that reduces global warming pollution to promote a thriving economy and protect public health.

As designed, the program is the most comprehensive greenhouse gas cap and trade program designed to date. When it is fully implemented in 2015, it will cover nearly 90% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the WCI Partner jurisdictions. This robust regional program can also serve as a model and impetus for action by the US and Canadian federal governments.

Washington Climate Change Challenge

Governor Gregoire demonstrated her commitment to a cleaner environment by setting ambitious goals to address climate change when she signed an executive order in February 2007 to create the Climate Advisory Team. The team is dedicated to developing action-oriented recommendations that should reduce the severity of global warming. The team’s first report identified 12 actions we could take that, if implemented, would dramatically lower our emissions and save money. The team’s second report will identify those highest priority actions and ways to implement them.

As part of the Washington Climate Change Challenge, the governor mandated that state agencies must purchase hybrid and other energy-efficient vehicles. Washington now has one of the largest fleets of hybrid vehicles in the nation. It’s creating change and saving money. In one year, the state saved nearly 100,000 gallons of gasoline as a result and is setting an impressive example. Metro Transit in King County has placed the largest order of hybrid buses in history. And several Washington counties are replacing aging vehicles with more fuel-efficient models.

Alternate Energy

It’s no secret we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and Governor Gregoire is making Washington a leader in clean energy. In fact, Washington now ranks among the top five states for producing wind power and the top three for manufacturing the equipment to generate solar energy. In spring 2008, Governor Gregoire convened a national summit on clean energy research, sharing Washington’s goals and achievements with leaders across the United States.

Washington has some of the most innovative public-private partnerships in the world. Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland are working together to create a new center for bioenergy and bio-products in the Tri-Cities area. Meanwhile, the University of Washington boasts several programs that are examining the impact of climate change. Efforts to develop new forms of clean energy span Washington state, from a biodiesel plant in Hoquiam to a Moses Lake company that manufactures solar panes, to name a few.

Cleaning up Puget Sound

Since taking office, Governor Gregoire has made significant progress for our air quality and land resources on both sides of the Cascades. In 2006, she created the Puget Sound Partnership, bringing together environmentalists, local government, sportsmen and -women, and tribal and business leaders to restore and preserve the health of Puget Sound. She won passage of a $52 million investment package to address the Sound’s most critical short-term needs. As co-chair of the Partnership, she is actively involved in its work to create a plan that will restore the Sound by 2020.

Governor Gregoire also signed into law legislation that requires health officials to identify and fix failing septic systems near the Puget Sound, protecting the health of both marine areas and the public. A new pilot program provides grants and loans to homeowners to repair or replace failing septic systems.

Mapping out our water future

Signing historic legislation, Governor Gregoire in 2006 ended the 25-year stalemate over Columbia River water management, taking significant steps toward adopting water storage management programs while improving the river’s ecosystem. One-third of all newly stored water will be allocated to support stream flows for fish. Two-thirds of newly stored water will be available for new out-of-stream uses such as farming, industry and municipal growth.

In July 2008, the Governor, along with the state’s Department of Ecology, announced additional major water projects intended to shore up water supplies in Eastern Washington. The state committed $15 million to develop a major pump exchange project. The project will divert more water from the Columbia River to Red Mountain, a highly productive grape-growing area, and leave more water in the lower Yakima River for fish populations. The state also invested $1 million to research ways to store millions of gallons of Columbia River water in underground aquifers during the winter months, which would be reallocated when communities and fish need it most.

In addition, the Governor, during the 2008 legislative session, signed legislation to release the largest delivery of new water to towns and farms in the Columbia Basin, as well as for endangered salmon, in three decades. The new law allows up to 82,500 acre feet of water to be withdrawn from Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam, and up to 132,000 acre feet of water in drought years.

Holding the federal government to its promises

The timely and thorough cleanup of the Hanford site is essential to preserving the health of the Columbia River and its salmon runs, the most important in the Pacific Northwest. Governor Gregoire’s efforts to clean up Hanford began almost 20 years ago when, as director of the Washington State Department of Ecology, she successfully negotiated the Tri-Party Agreement, a legally binding contract that ensures federal commitment to the Hanford cleanup project.

Governor Gregoire continues to pursue consistent federal funding as mandated by the Tri-Party Agreement. She works with our congressional delegation to put pressure on the Bush administration to uphold its commitment to the people of Washington state and keep the necessary and promised funding in the federal budget. Cleanup must proceed before irreversible environmental damage is done and to protect the economic livelihoods and health of citizens in the region.

President Bush’s repeal of the 2001 Roadless Rule threatened more than 700,000 acres of our pristine forests. Governor Gregoire, after collaborative efforts were rejected, joined Oregon, New Mexico and California in a lawsuit to force the Bush administration to honor the Roadless Rule that Washingtonians from all walks of life have repeatedly and overwhelming supported. A federal judge in 2006 overruled the president’s repeal, keeping Washington’s forests protected.

Making Washington’s parks accessible

Governor Gregoire has taken steps to improve state parks and make them more accessible to recreational users. She signed a state budget that abolished parking fees at state parks, and provided more funding to keep the parks system clean and fully functioning. Outdoor enthusiasts and communities that rely on recreation and eco-tourism for their economies treasure Washington parks and forests.

Fighting for clean air today, a sustainable climate tomorrow

When Governor Gregoire signed the Clean Car Bill in 2005, Washington joined seven states enacting the strong emission standards for automobiles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that pollute our air and cause global warming. Washington also became the first state in the nation to adopt mandatory green building standards for all new public buildings, requiring them to meet high standards of energy efficiency, water conservation and other environmental protection measures. Green buildings are good for the environment and reduce energy costs, which saves taxpayers money.

Governor Gregoire is a strong proponent of alternative energy and energy conservation, which she believes can improve our environment, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and encourage development of a clean energy economy.

Forest and Fish Project

Governor Gregoire supports the goals of and worked to secure money to implement the Forest and Fish project, a key element in the Washington’s salmon recovery strategy. It provides better protection of water quality and fish habitat along 60,000 miles of streams and across 9.3 million acres of state and private forest lands. The Forest and Fish project also incorporates a rigorous, science-based adaptive management process.

This effort ensures that state forest regulations are consistent with federal laws, including the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. Once again our Washington leads the way—with a farsighted, bold and science-based approach to save our salmon, ensure clean, fresh water, and protect our Northwest culture and timber economy.

Salmon Recovery

The vitality of our salmon populations reflects the health of our water and air. Salmon are an indicator species for the soundness of the state’s environment. Governor Gregoire is proud of the way this state, and particularly its citizens, have responded to the challenge of promoting the recovery of salmon. The real work now begins as we implement the plans we have developed, translating them into real actions with real results. The key to our success has been and must be collaboration. In this way, we can integrate economic and environmental concerns and engender a new kind of prosperity for our state, one that enriches today without impoverishing tomorrow.

Building a Better Future for Washington Families

Washington is well positioned to be the national leader in creating positive environmental solutions, promoting businesses that create clean energy, and developing products that don’t pollute our air and water. We are committed to leaving future generations the legacy of a healthier environment.