legislation | Olympic Peninsula Environmental News

WA public lands commissioner scales back order protecting older forests

Posted on September 26, 2026 by Al Bergstein

The Seattle Times reported on the 24th about the change in rules for older forests, due to the extreme budget problems Olympia is facing. The head of DNR is caught between the legal requirements of his job as currently legislated and the demands of environmental activists wanting to protect remaining older growth forests. The money from this logging helps cities like Port Angeles meet their budgets for critical local services. It will be up to the legislature to fix this problem starting in January. If you care about this, you should write your state Senator and Representatives now.

“Without the (legislative) tools Upthegrove is pursuing, the roughly 55,000 acres could be included in timber sales after 2030. Staff estimates based on similar forests suggest that with no change to state policies, managing these 55,000 acres in ways other than traditional harvest would result in tens of millions of dollars lost.“

Read the whole story in the Seattle Times. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Times.

WA-Public-Lands-Commissioner-Story

Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, legislation, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: Dave UptheGrove, DNR, logging, timber | Leave a comment »

Protection Island: 1st Public Meeting with Randall’s staff.

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Al Bergstein

Read the whole article on my new Substack site: https://olyopen.substack.com

Citizens showed up to be treated to a Zoom rather than a real person in attendance. Photo courtesy of Darrell Smith.

On Wednesday, Sept 23rd, the opponents of the land transfer proposal that U.S. Representative Emily Randall is getting ready to introduce into Congress, finally got an opportunity to talk directly to her staff about their points of view. It did not go well.

Staff members had originally said they would have one person there, so people came expecting to hear them and instead were only allowed a “Zoom” call, and Representative Randall decided not to attend at all. (Congress is currently out so she was in the area). If the staff would have simply started by saying they would not be in attendance, perhaps a larger audience would have attended online.

Her staff gave a short overview of the “process” that the draft bill is going through at the moment, stating that:

It was a process started in 2025. (it was not made public until spring 2026).
It was already going through the backchannels of Congress to prepare for Randall to present it to Congress.
“There is a long way to go”. One staffer said.
Finally, “It’s only the start of the process and you still have an opportunity to put your feedback into it.”

The last sentence received a roomful of boos from the 30 or so people in attendance.

I think that the staff member did not fully understand that a bill that was being discussed behind closed doors for over a year by Ron Allen of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and the Representative of hundreds of thousands of constituents who have not had a chance to comment on it , was not at a point anyone would call, “the start of the process”. The bill is very far along the “process” and Representative Randall still has not held a public meeting with her present to discuss it at all. Once proposed into Congress, the public will have little opportunity to realistically kill this proposal as the meetings are likely to be held in Washington D.C. and Randall is making no promises yet to hold meetings throughout her district.

There is also the small fact that Chairman Allen has donated over $1000 for the last two years, along with the Jamestown S’Klallam donating over $9000 to her campaign. This makes the whole sordid issue seem like a back room deal done for money and votes. No one other than the Tribe has asked for this transfer to happen. Other S’Klallam Tribes apparently were not consulted nor have weighed in as to why they are getting nothing out of this, odd because it is part of the “usual and accustomed” land from the 1855 Treaty that all of them share.

Ron Allen himself has said that other tribes like the Makah and Lummi have been looking at this to decide whether to ask for other National Wildlife Refuges. When asked whether Representative Randall was in talks with them as well, since the Makah, Quinault, Hoh and Quileute are in her district, her staff did not reply.

The meeting was hosted by Lorna and Darrell Smith. Lorna was one of the original people who worked with Eleanor Stopps to create the wildlife refuge in the 1980s. Without their work, the Tribe would have no opportunity to ask for it back, as it would have become a white man’s subdivision.

Many people got up to ask questions of Randall’s staff. Very few questions were answered. No one asking them was in support of the transfer. One surprise guest was Marcia Kelbon, who is the independent running for the State House position given up by Steve Tharinger. Mrs. Kelbon stated she was opposed to the land transfer. It was gratifying to see a person running for state Congress come out and state a position on the issue.

What is Randall thinking? Neither Clallam nor Jefferson County commissioners have come out in support of this, mainly due to the extremely negative public feedback on this proposal. And Senator Murray and Cantwell have yet to weigh in.

This entire exercise is a P.R. disaster for the young, naive Representative Randall. While she has been anointed the Representative of the 24th district, she is a shadow of the former representative, Derek Kilmer. Kilmer had better political instinct than to take on an issue like this without getting significant public input first. Unfortunately, no one was willing to run against Randall, so the Democrats gave us no choice but to not vote or support her.

Filed under: Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, First Nations, Jefferson County, legislation, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: Hoh tribe, makah tribe, Port Gamble S'Klallam tribe, Quileute, Quinault | 2 Comments »

Judge allows transfer of land in wildlife refuge to SpaceX, for now – NY Times

Posted on September 21, 2026 by Al Bergstein

As we see across the nation, the Trump administration is dumping National Wildlife Refuges to private entities like SpaceX. This Trump nominated judge is going along with it. The plaintiffs will be appealing up the court system. It raises the question of why is U.S. Representative Emily Randall running the playbook of Project 2025 and attempting to dump our local national wildlife refuges to the privately held Jamestown Tribe? Especially since we are so close to an election that we are hoping will turn the tide in Congress?

SpaceX’s operations have caused significant damage to the fragile bird habitat surrounding the launch site, according to a New York Times investigation. A rocket launch in 2024 sent debris flying into the refuge, crushing birds’ nests and igniting a small fire, the investigation found.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/judge-allows-transfer-of-land-in-wildlife-refuge-to-spacex-for-now

Filed under: Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Government, legislation | Tagged: Emily Randall, protection island, U.S. Representative Emily Randall | 5 Comments »

New Canadian Tariffs Crush State Businesses

Posted on August 26, 2026 by Al Bergstein

Trump’s insane tariff battle hurts the very businesses who love his deregulation.

Today’s Seattle Times has an article detailing the crushing blow to Washington State businesses due to King Trump’s personal vendetta with our Canadian neighbors.

Washington State does a huge business with Canada, from exports of a wide variety of products to tourism. Canada is our number two trading partner (China of course is first but much a lot of that trade is made up of Boeing planes). Many of these tariffs hurt industries that have loved having Trump’s deregulation to do away with environmental concerns. It appears that Trump has bit the hand that has fed him.

Times columnist Danny Westneat stated in his article on the tariff war:

Last year, Canadian visitors to Seattle plunged by 600,000, from 1.7 million in 2024 to 1.1 million, Visit Seattle announced last month. Canadian tourist revenue dropped by $215 million just in Seattle, the group estimated.

We just were recovering from that previous fiasco in the last months, but now it may be even worse than that.

A separate article behind the Times paywall points out that the hardest hit agricultural industry is shellfish, and the largest shellfish grower is Taylor Shellfish. This blog has documented over the last twenty years the lobbying against regulations on their industry, including undermining Marine Resources Committees in the north Sound while buying their support by offering to help with the restoration of Olympia Oysters. Their employees showed up to jeer anti-net pen lecturers and a manager of their Jefferson County operations attacked anti-net pen leaders like Alexandra Morton. The company has fought lawsuits by local landowners in the Hood Canal and Puget Sound that have attempted to slow their relentless conversion of virgin bays and shorelines into industrial monoculture aquaculture farms. The industry has spent a minimum of tens of thousands of dollars lobbying in Olympia and Washington D.C. with success. As significant employers in these small rural counties they have supported both Democrat and Republican politicians who hew to their demands in Olympia. I have no doubt that they supported and were thrilled at Trump getting elected a second time. They likely saw his new regime as one that would finally eliminate environmental regulations entirely. And that has been happening.

Now, they unfortunately have found out the cost of that support.

Trump’s insane decisions have not only affected the shellfish industry but might also sink our local paper mill. While I am not clear how much of their output gets shipped to Canada, they are owned by a Wall Street firm (Atlas Holdings) that has also owned a Canadian paper mill that is a sister company to Port Townsend Paper. Crown Packaging is a large corrugated packaging facility in British Columbia. Additionally, there may be sawdust supply that comes from mills in Canada by barge, given the strength of the U.S. dollar to purchase Canadian raw materials at a discount to U.S. ones. The mill in Port Townsend runs on a slim profit margin, and a huge tariff could conceivably see the closure of the mill.

According to the Times article, Washington State sells $460 million in paper and paper board goods to Canada.

The closure of the Port Townsend mill would be an economic disaster to the town and the Peninsula. Many of the mill employees live out of town, due to high costs of living in Port Townsend. Their incomes help prop up not only P.T. but also the towns they live in, like Sequim and Port Angeles.

So we wait to see whether Trump wakes up tomorrow and is given a sound tongue lashing behind closed doors in the White House and changes his mind. He seems to take great relish in attacking “Blue” states like Washington, giving us far less FEMA support for our wildfire victims, the majority of whom likely voted for him, since they live in districts that went heavily Republican in all three of the last elections. While he thinks he is simply hurting Canada, the real victims are his supporters in industries across this state.

Filed under: Around the Sound, Clallam County, Government, Jefferson County, Jobs, legislation, Politics | Tagged: tariff, trump | 3 Comments »

Jefferson County Commissioners Debate & Kill Draft of Wildlife Land Swap Letter

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Al Bergstein

The Jefferson County Commissioners today published a draft of a new version of the letter about their level of support for the proposal to transfer the two National Wildlife Refuges into the sovereign nation of the Jamestown S’Kallam tribe. The final letter would have been sent to U.S. Representative Emily Randall, the politician who has bought into this proposal on behalf of the Tribe, and who has done zero public engagement on this issue. The Commissioners debated the issue and ultimately, after debate, the Commissioners decided not to send the letter and simply pass along the written comments to Representative Randall. This is a positive step, allowing Randall to go get the public input she should have done all along. Randall’s junior status as a Representative has been on display during this entire process, and we are hoping she has learned something from this.

The draft letter significantly tempered their support, clarifying a few key points. For sake of the public understanding the debate, here’s points from the draft letter:

Public Input:

“One central piece of input we’ ve gotten from residents of Jefferson County is a desire for more public engagement about this proposal.” – That is perhaps an understatement.

Importance of the lands in question:

“These sites are not only central to the Tribe’ s heritage but are also integral to the ecological health and quality of life for our entire region.”

Is title transfer necessary?

“…there is concern about losing protections provided with oversight by the USFWS.” Finally the Commissioners are recognizing the very real concerns that moving these lands into sovereign nation status would possibly create.

Hope instead of concrete assurances from the Tribe:

“It is our sense (emphasis mine) that if the island were transferred into trust, the Tribe would continue to manage it to a standard that would meet or exceed federal requirements.” There is absolutely no guarantee that is being given nor could one be enforced if promised once the lands are transferred. It is all based on faith that nothing would ever change. The very fact that this transfer is being considered now is proof enough that some future tribal council would decide on a very different use of Protection Island and Dungeness Spit.

Admission of commercial concerns:

“However, we’ve also heard concerns from several constituents that the Tribe may take a more business- forward approach in managing Protection Island and, in neighboring Clallam County, Dungeness Spit Refuge lands.” Never heard the use of “Business-forward” to describe actual conversion of tide lands into an aquaculture farm before. Also they heard from constituents as if this is a secret project of the Tribe. The Tribe has been very open about this and it has been known publicly for many years. Are the Commissioners that out of touch? Or are they wanting to blame the opposition to the transfer for somehow bringing the Commissioners new information? The answer is “yes” they are trying to blame opponents of the transfer. They did so in the next paragraph:

The Opposition:

“…we have observed a recurring argument among some opponents who use the phrase “public land in public hands” to justify federal retention. Within the context of our region’ s history, there is a certain irony and arrogance in this framing. It overlooks the historical reality of colonization and the systemic dispossession of Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands. To claim these areas are only ” public” when under federal control ignores the thousands of years of stewardship practiced by Tribes prior to European arrival.”

The opposition doesn’t claim that the lands are “public lands”, they are public by definition. The legal national definition of “public lands” which the Commissioners themselves should be aware of is this Statutory definition: Under 43 U.S.C. § 1702, “any land and interest in land owned by the United States within the several States and administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land Management… except... Outer Continental Shelf; and lands held for the benefit of Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimos.”, as stated in the U.S. Code. General federal usage: Commonly refers to all real property owned collectively by the American people and managed by various federal stewardship branches.

The opposition doesn’t appear to be ignoring the historical reality, and anyway, what does that have to do with the proposed transfer of these lands to the Tribe? Does the historical reality dictate that we give back the Wildlife Refuges we fought so hard to create by keeping them from “business forward” real estate development? If there is any irony to be found at all in this it is that the Tribe, who claims to have the protection of these wildlife refuges as their reason for doing it, are already engaged in putting a commercial oyster farm of up to 80000 bags of oysters against the very shores of the Dungeness Spit, burying the bottom where many of the birds we are protecting feed.

Who are these two refuges supposed to be for? They were established to recognize that before the Europeans arrived, and actually before the tribes arrived, this island and Spit were “owned” by the wildlife on them. The birds. The American public are currently protecting the habitat of these animals for all of humanity, not just for a “business-forward” entity, no matter who they are or however many generations they have been here.

Given the definition of the Commissioners in this ill worded paragraph, then *all* lands in the U.S. are not public or somehow deserve to be given back to all tribes because we took them all.

The Commissioners should strike that paragraph. It serves no purpose other than add fuel to the idea that somehow anyone opposing this is anti-tribe or racist. The opposition simply wants this co-management to continue.

Finally

“For these reasons, Jefferson County urges the delegation to carefully consider these complexities before advancing the Act.” As usual, when confronted with public opposition, the politicians decided to simply ask for more information and public input by Representative Randall.

To the public and Commissioners, let me simply state that I know the opposition people quite well. Virtually all of them have worked for and possibly even donated to your campaigns. Most of them own homes and businesses in Jefferson County. They pay taxes to this county. They appreciate that you listen to them as well as you listen to the Tribe, a sovereign nation demanding something that no one but them has asked to be given away.

Here is the DRAFT letter

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Government, Jefferson County, legislation, Protection Island, Straits of Juan de Fuca, Washington State | Tagged: County Commissioners, U.S. Representative Emily Randall | 1 Comment »

Oregon lawsuit could upend federal management of public lands

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Al Bergstein

From the Washington State Standard.

“A new lawsuit challenging a logging project in Oregon threatens to unravel the management plans governing hundreds of millions of acres of federal public land….“They’ve opened Pandora’s Box here,” said Susan Jane Brown, the attorney who filed the lawsuit and serves as principal at Silvix Resources, a nonprofit environmental law firm.”

If there ever was an environmental reason to make sure Democrats take back Congress this fall, this is it. You likely have never heard of this issue before now, but it’s been used to undue numerous environmental protections across the country.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/26/repub/oregon-lawsuit-could-upend-federal-management-of-public-lands/

Filed under: Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, legislation, Politics | Tagged: Government Legislation | Comments Off on Oregon lawsuit could upend federal management of public lands

Meeting held to discuss Protection Island

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Al Bergstein

A large crowd of people gathered at Cape George on Sunday to hear Lorna and Darrell Smith discuss both the history of Protection Island and why they are concerned about the proposed Jamestown S’Klallam Land Transfer that the tribe recently has made public.

In the 1970s and early 1980s Lorna Smith was a key person in the work done to make Protection Island a national wildlife refuge. She acted as the liaison between the Seattle Audubon Society and the two women from Jefferson County that led the battle to get the island designated as a refuge, Zella Schultz and Eleanor Stopps, The thousands of letters of support from both native and non native Americans convinced even normally reticent politicians such as Senator Slade Gorton to help push the legislation through Congress and convince President Ronald Reagan to sign it. It was supported by all members of the Washington delegation and the Republican governor, John Spellman.

Also in attendance on Sunday were two granddaughters of Eleanor Stopps who share Lorna’s concerns. This reporter, who also worked with Audubon photographing the spit in the late 70s, also was in attendance.

The Smiths spent the first hour discussing the rich bird heritage of the island and the Spit, before pivoting to the proposed land transfer and the many questions that need to be answered about this proposal.

The Tribe currently is paid approximately $800,000 a year by the federal government to co-manage the Spit and the island. A month ago the Federal Government authorized over $76 million to support the refuges of the country. Money is there. There is no imminent threat of the government cutting off funds. That would have to be authorized by Congress.

The tribe has already begun requesting the ability to lay 80,000 bags of oysters on the bottom of Dungeness Spit’s inner bay, much to the dismay of bird supporters, who worry that this may cause continued loss of fish and other animals the birds feed upon. Currently, there is a lawsuit moving through the courts to stop this from happening.

In March, tribal Vice Chair Loni Greninger testified in Congress that the co-management has been very successful from both the point of view of the Tribe and the government. So if the working arrangement for co-management is successful, why should the Tribe give up $800k and why should Americans give up one of their 570 national wildlife refuges to the Tribe to become owned by them? How much is the Spit and the island worth to the Tribe and why? The answer might be found in the tribe’s lucrative aquaculture industry, wholly owned by them. While the tribe in their proposal denies having any plans for anything other than the vague term, “conservation” the actual answer to this question might have come from Vice Chair Greninger’s comment to the Port Townsend Leader on April 22nd edition. In it she stated:

“If we’re able to have that fuller ownership instead of co-management, then I don’t have to rely on any other government and their rules and regulations,” she said.

This is exactly what is feared by those who fought so hard to protect this island and Spit. With the tribe in full ownership, we will have no say as to what happens to it, nor if future tribal leaders decide to utilize these environmental treasures for economic gain. While it is understandable that the Tribe once used to forage for seafood there, the differences between subsistence shellfish harvest and modern mechanized aquaculture, with the ability to liquify the bottom with air compressors to get to geoduck, or spread thousands of bags of oysters across hundreds of acres at a time is a far cry from how it once was done.

There is every reason to continue to have the tribe manage the refuges. There is little incentive for Americans to simply hand them over to satisfy a demand. Why is Representative Emily Randall and Senator Maria Cantwell so hellbent on getting this done?

The birds are currently protected, as is the unique ecosystem they rely upon. Why should Americans relinquish this to a tribe that is engaged in the business of oyster, geoduck, crabbing, fish farming and fishing when they themselves are admitting that they want to set their own rules for the use of Protection Island? If the Tribe does get it, will we be on the outside looking in and have no input into protecting birds that live there? Many of us are waiting for more answers.

Filed under: Aquaculture, Around the Salish Sea, Around the Sound, Clallam County, Endangered Species, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, First Nations, Jefferson County, legislation, Washington State | Tagged: jamestown s'klallam tribe, Loni Greninger, protection island, Representative Emily Randall, Senator Maria Cantwell | 3 Comments »

Are Wildlife Refuges in trouble?

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Al Bergstein

An argument that has been used recently to support the notion of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe taking ownership of our two wildlife refuges is that the current administration is not funding support for refuges. This press release seems to show that’s not quite true.

NWRA_PressRelease_NAWCA_051926.pdf Download

Filed under: Environmental Protection, Government, legislation, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: protection island | Comments Off on Are Wildlife Refuges in trouble?

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Proposes Land Transfer of National Wildlife Refuges

Posted on May 18, 2026 by Al Bergstein

This was in the weekend edition of the Peninsula Daily News. Please read the previous posts here to understand our opposition to this proposal.

Filed under: Jefferson County, legislation, Olympic Peninsula, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: Environmental Protection, jamestown s'klallam tribe, National Wildlife Refuge, protection island | Comments Off on Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Proposes Land Transfer of National Wildlife Refuges

Good news! E-Bike Rebates continue!

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Al Bergstein

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) are relaunching WE-bike on March 30. This e-bike rebate program makes e-bikes and certain cycling accessories more affordable for people in Washington state.

People living in Washington ages 16 and up can apply for rebates between March 30, 2026, and March 29, 2027. The program will randomly select applicants monthly starting April 13. Applicants only need to submit one application to be considered for the monthly selections.

Rebates alone will likely not fully cover e-bike purchases. Recipients can reduce the overall cost of e-bike purchases at participating bike shops by $300 or $1,200, depending on income eligibility. They can put rebates toward qualifying models of all three classes of e-bike.

To apply for a $300 rebate, you need to live in Washington state, be at least 16 years old, and have a working email address.

To apply for a $1,200 rebate, you also need to have an income at or below 80 percent of the median for your county. In Jefferson County the Median income is $74,048. 80% of that is $59,238. So many younger people likely could apply for this rebate here in the county.

Qualifying e-bike types

The rebate can be used for qualifying e-bikes, e-cargo bikes, and adaptive e-bikes.

E-bikes have batteries, working pedals and a motor. E-cargo bikes are for carrying cargo or multiple people. Adaptive e-bikes provide extra support or stability.

WE-Bike helped nearly 3,000 Washingtonians purchase e-bikes and related safety accessories in our 2025 pilot program.

University of Washington researchers learned rebates motivated people to buy e-bikes they couldn’t or wouldn’t have otherwise, especially people in lower-income households. Nearly half of rebate recipients surveyed said they used e-bikes to travel to new destinations. In all, we offered rebates to 6,861 out of 37,751 applicants from all 39 Washington counties.

Program funding

This grant program is entirely funded through Climate Commitment Act revenues. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs and improving public health.

Other ways to try e-bikes

E-bike lending library pilot program

While many people are interested in e-bikes, not everyone will be able to receive a rebate through the WE-Bike program. People also may not be ready or able to purchase e-bikes for various reasons.

Programs like e-bike lending libraries can help more people try out e-bikes.

Eligible organizations and businesses in Washington state may apply for funding to create lending library programs for employees or communities.

Here’s the website:

E-bike rebate program

Filed under: Alternative energy., Alternative Transportation, Bicycles, Clallam County, Jefferson County, legislation, Mason County, Washington State | Tagged: adaptive e-bikes, e-bicycles, E-bikes, e-cargo bikes | Comments Off on Good news! E-Bike Rebates continue!

Update on Sen. Murray’s Wild Olympics Bill Advances Through Senate Hearing

Posted on December 12, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Senator Murray’s Wild Olympics Bill Advances Through Senate Hearing on Wave of New Sportsmen Endorsements Calling for Permanent Protection of Wild Olympics.

from the Wild Olympics Coalition:

Dear Wild Olympics Supporter,

We’re excited to share the great news that Senator Murray’s Wild Olympics bill advanced through a key senate hearing this week on a wave of new sportsmen endorsements who sent a letter to the Committee calling for swift passage of the Wild Olympics Act. This brings the total number of Sportsmen endorsements backing Wild Olympics to nearly 40. The successful hearing is a testament to the fact that your calls, letters, emails and social media posts continue to power the Wild Olympics forward. But above all it’s a testament to Senator Murray’s tenacity and her commitment to getting her and Representative Randall’s Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act across the finish line this congress. So please take a moment to like her facebook post on the hearing and thank her in the comments for fighting to protect the Wild Olympics, and then read her full press release on the successful hearing at the bottom of this email below.

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) advanced her Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act through a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Public Lands Subcommittee, a key milestone in the legislative process toward becoming law. The hearing came after a wave of new endorsements from sportsmen organizations—including the Washington Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and the Washington Council of Trout Unlimited—who sent a letter urging the Committee to pass Wild Olympics to protect hunting, fishing and salmon streams for the future against the increasing threats to public land. The new endorsements bring the total number of sportsmen organizations backing Wild Olympics to nearly 40.The Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which Senator Murray reintroduced in May with U.S. Representative Emily Randall (D, WA-06) would permanently protect approximately 125,000 acres of Olympic National Forest as wilderness and 19 rivers and their major tributaries—a total of 464 river miles—as Wild and Scenic Rivers.

“The movement behind our Wild Olympics legislation continues to grow year after year thanks to the tireless work of our coalition of sportsmen, conservationists, Tribes, businesses, local leaders, timber communities, shellfish growers, and so many others,” said Senator Murray. “Today’s Senate hearing is a significant step forward for our effort to permanently protect key areas of the Olympic National Forest—a crown jewel in Washington state—while preserving world-class recreation opportunities and supporting local economies. As long as I’m in the Senate, I won’t stop fighting to win the support we need to get our Wild Olympics bill across the finish line and protect these treasured areas on the Olympic Peninsula for generations to come.”

The bill’s inclusion in the hearing came after Senator Murray took to the Senate floor in August to block a public lands package that did not include the Wild Olympics bill. On the Senate floor, Murray said about the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act: “It is a carefully drafted, it’s a thoughtful piece of legislation and the grassroots support for this bill has only grown over the years. That is exactly the kind of bill which should be included in a bipartisan public lands package. I would invite the Senior Senator of Utah to visit the land this bill covers to help protect our Olympic National Forest… I hope in the future we can work together in drafting a public lands bill that does include legislation like my Wild Olympics bill.” Video of Senator Murray’s remarks on the Senate floor is HERE.

Designed through extensive community input to conserve ancient forests and pristine rivers, protect clean water and salmon habitat, and enhance outdoor recreation, the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act would set aside the first new wilderness on Olympic National Forest in over four decades and the first-ever protected wild and scenic rivers on the Olympic Peninsula. With a strong foundation of overwhelming local support, the bill has made steady progress each successive Congress—passing the House with bipartisan support twice before and passing out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last Congress for the first time in the bill’s history.

“The forests, rivers, and wilderness of our region shape how we live, work, and play. And for communities around the Olympic Peninsula, access to these resources can make or break local economies,” said Representative Randall when the bill was introduced in May. “This bill protects the remote wilderness we treasure while ensuring access where it is essential for livelihoods, recreation, emergency response, and cultural practices. Protecting our natural resources also means protecting local economies, livelihoods, and Tribal Sovereignty. I’m grateful to all who have shaped this bill and Senator Murray for her leadership to secure the future of the community we proudly call home.”

Senator Murray and former U.S. Representatives Norm Dicks and Derek Kilmer spent years gathering extensive community input on the Olympic Peninsula to craft the carefully balanced legislation, which was first introduced in 2012. It would permanently preserve ancient and mature forests, critical salmon habitat, and sources of clean drinking water for local communities, while also protecting and expanding world-class outdoor recreation opportunities like hiking, camping, boating, hunting, and fishing. No roads would be closed, and trailhead access would not be affected.

Senator Murray worked extensively with local and regional timber interests to remove any currently viable timber base from the proposal to ensure the legislation would have no impact on existing timber jobs, as confirmed in a 2012 Timber Impact Study by the respected independent Forester Derek Churchill.

Aberdeen Forest Products Consultant and Former Timber CEO Roy Nott said in his July 10th 2019 testimony before the House Natural Resources Committee, “My own experience as a CEO and Entrepreneur is that our area’s natural treasures—which provide world-class outdoor recreation, clean water and our area’s high quality of living—are what give us a competitive edge over other regions in attracting and retaining the talented people new companies require. Wilderness and wild and scenic river protections would help protect and grow the local jobs that depend on our ability to compete for talent against other regions, and they would enhance our recruitment efforts as we work to grow new businesses in the future. And as a former Timber Industry Executive, I appreciate that (the) final compromise proposal was scaled-back to ensure it would not impact current timber jobs.”

Today’s committee hearing came on a recent wave of other new local endorsements also rallying behind the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act against the backdrop of increasing threats to public land. The new additions bring the total number of local Olympic Peninsula & Hood Canal region endorsements to more than 800 endorsers, including the Quinault Indian Nation, Quileute, Lower Elwha Klallam and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribes; now nearly 40 local sportsmen organizations and fishing guides; the mayors of Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Westport and other local elected officials; businesses and CEOs; farms and faith leaders; conservation and outdoor recreation groups; and many others. Additionally, more than 14,000 local residents have signed petitions in support.

Below are just a few of many local testimonials in support of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act:

Chairman Ron Allen, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe: “As stated in the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission’s “Treaty Rights at Risk” report, “Salmon recovery is based on the crucial premise that we can protect what habitat remains while we restore previously degraded habitat conditions. Unfortunately, significant investments in recovery may not be realized because the rate of habitat loss continues to outpace restoration. The resulting net decline in habitat demonstrates the federal government’s failure to protect the Tribes’ treaty-reserved rights.” In an era where we are witnessing unprecedented rollbacks of environmental safeguards on federal public lands, the Wild Olympics legislation would permanently protect some of the healthiest, intact salmon habitat left on the Peninsula. It is our heritage and cultural principles to protect the lands and waters Nature provides, as well as the natural resources she sustains. Therefore, we do continue to support and urge swift passage of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.”

Chairwoman Frances Charles, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe: “The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (“Lower Elwha”) strongly supports the proposed Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. We believe that it represents a fair compromise between potentially competing interests of preservation, economic use, and recreation. This legislation creates 126,600 acres of new wilderness and nineteen new wild and scenic rivers designations in the Olympic National Forest, the Olympic National Park and Washington State Department of Natural Resource-managed land. For Lower Elwha, the most important aspect of these new designations is the increased protection for salmon habitat. And we appreciate that it expressly acknowledges the fundamental interests and expertise of all treaty tribes in the restoration of fish habitat. This is an important complement to our ongoing successes, along with our federal and State partners, in restoring Elwha River fisheries in the aftermath of dam removal.”

Connie Gallant, Chair, Wild Olympics Campaign (Quilcene): “We are so grateful for Senator Murray and Representative Randall’s leadership at this critical time for our public lands. The local momentum for the Wild Olympics Act has never been stronger and the need for its protections for our ancient forests & salmon streams has never been greater.”

Bill Taylor, President of Taylor Shellfish Farms (Shelton): “The Wild Olympics legislation will help protect our state’s shellfish industry, including hundreds of shell fishing jobs in Hood Canal alone – and many more in related industries like processing, shipping, and sales. It protects the rivers and streams vital to the health of our hatcheries and to the health and restoration of Puget Sound. Our oyster beds depend on the clean, cold, silt-free water that drains off Olympic National Forest into Hood Canal. Protecting these watersheds allows our industry to grow, expand and continue to benefit the economy and ecology of Washington State.”

Ashley Nichole Lewis, Bad Ash Outdoors (Taholah), Sportsmen For Wild Olympics and Member of the Quinault Indian Nation: “Wild Olympics protects the Olympic Peninsula’s ancient forests, free-flowing rivers and salmon streams for the future,” Nichole Lewis stressed. “It will protect fishing, boating and hunting access without closing any roads, but it also permanently protects some of the last healthy upstream salmon and steelhead habitat left on the peninsula.”

State Representative Steve Tharinger, 24th Legislative District (Sequim): “It is easy to see and understand the ecological value of the Wild Olympics idea, conserving clean and free-flowing rivers, but what is sometimes missed is the economic value that maintaining places like Wild Olympics brings by attracting people to the special outdoors of the Olympic region. I want to thank REI and Patagonia for engaging local community leaders like myself to help design the map, and for recognizing that encouraging people to get out and enjoy the special places in the Wild Olympics proposal brings economic benefits to the communities I represent.”

Fred Rakevich, Retired logger and 49-year veteran of the timber industry (Elma): “I am a retired logger who worked for fifty years in the timber industry. I have also fished and kayaked most of the major rivers in the Olympics. I was born and raised in Grays Harbor, but have traveled halfway around the world. In all my travels, nothing impressed me more than the natural beauty of the Olympic Mountain Range and the clear running waters that begin their journey flowing toward the lands below. Timber is and always will be part of the Olympic Peninsula’s proud heritage. But our ancient forests and wild rivers are the natural legacies we will leave to our children and grandchildren. The bill protects our natural heritage while respecting our timber heritage.”

Casey Weigel, Owner & Head Guide of Waters West Guide Service (Montesano) and member of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics: “Through hard work and our passion for our rivers and fishing, my wife and I have grown our small business enough to be able to help 3 other year-round and seasonal local guides support families, who love fishing just as much as we do. I support the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act because our rivers and our salmon are our lifeblood and, without them, businesses like ours, the local jobs they support, and the dollars they bring into our local economy would dry up. The Wild Olympics proposal would simply make the current safeguards protecting our rivers on the Olympic National Forest permanent. That’s all it does. It doesn’t change access or cost timber jobs. And if it did, I wouldn’t support it, because my family works in the timber industry. There are many challenges facing our rivers and salmon, with lots of debate and millions of dollars spent trying to help restore clean water and habitat downstream. But one basic, simple piece of the foundation we can put in place now that won’t cost any of us anything, is to permanently protect the healthy habitat on the federal lands upstream against any misguided attempts to develop them in the future. That’s why I am a proud supporter of the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. For Our Future.”

State Senator Mike Chapman, 24th Legislative District (Port Angeles): “I have been very excited about the economic & recreational opportunities Wild Olympics will bring to the Olympic Peninsula. With REI and Patagonia’s support, our corner of the world is now attracting visitors from all over. Wild Olympics is our future, for fresh air, clean water, pristine forests, and future generations!”

Dave Bailey, former President of the Grey Wolf Fly Fishing Club in Sequim, WA & co-founder of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics: “People think that because our salmon streams on Olympic National Forest appear as they’ve always been, that they are safe. Unfortunately, that’s the furthest thing from the truth. There are determined threats underway to sell-off public land, roll back current safeguards and open these sensitive spawning streams to small hydropower development, industrial clear-cutting and more road building once more. That’s bad for fish, game, and sportsmen. This legislation is critical to preserve what we have.”

Douglas Scott, Owner of Exotic Hikes and The Outdoor Society (Hood Canal): “Outside my door, the river, forests and mountains of the Olympic Peninsula beckon me to hike and climb. In the Northwest corner of the contiguous United States, far from the hustle and bustle of the big cities, our glacial-fed rivers, full of salmon and surrounded by majestic eagles constantly inspire millions of locals and visitors to the region. Each year, over four million outdoor recreation enthusiasts head to the region, hoping to find a slice of natural beauty in pristine forests and impossibly gorgeous river valleys. As an author, tour guide and advocate for the Olympic Peninsula, I have witnessed the importance of nature and outdoor recreation in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks to the support outdoor enthusiasts from all walks of life, passing the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act will help ensure that even more of the stunning scenery will be protected and accessible for all. I am proud to Support the Wild Olympics. Come visit and fall in love with the beauty of rainforests, wild rivers, and breathtaking adventures and you will too.”

A fact sheet on the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is available HERE.

Filed under: Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, legislation, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: Congress, Senator Patty Murray, Wild Olympics Act, wild olympics coalition | Comments Off on Update on Sen. Murray’s Wild Olympics Bill Advances Through Senate Hearing

Washington’s last coal power plant will transition to natural gas – Washington Standard

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Al Bergstein

The Washington Standard is reporting on the conversion from coal to natural gas for the Chehalis power plant. The roots of this go back to the 2000s, when People For Puget Sound (I was a board member and lobbied for our legislative priorities) , The Sierra Club and many other environmental groups started lobbying to shut down the plant.

Finally, almost 20 years after we started the efforts we are just now seeing the conversion discussed as happening soon. There was no mention in the article about *when* the conversion would happen, only that it *is* going to happen. The company (a Canadian firm) waited until the very last month of the very last year before they would have legally been mandated to announce the conversion rather than the shut down of the plant. It has to be asked whether or not the Legislature, in their 2011 agreement couldn’t have simply pushed the deadline to 2012 and we could have seen the coal particulate gone 13 years ago? How many more cases of cancer did we see and have to pay for medical bills between then and now? We’ll never know.

Obviously, this shift to natural gas, another fossil fuel, only minimally reduces our need on those fuels or the harm to the environment. It does reduce the particulates in the smoke that causes cancer, but continues to accelerate our slide towards an unstoppable global warming scenario.

Once again, our politicians acted with no urgency, in the benefit of a foreign corporation who exploited their lack of urgency to the last minute they could. Wonder how much lobbying money went to the swing votes in that legislation? Again, who knows. Those politicians are long gone, maybe even to the company itself. It is no wonder that the voters continue to see little value in the political class who seem undermine every effort to protect the environment and take the lobbying money thrown at them by the very people they are supposed to be protecting us from being harmed by their industries.

“And so it goes.” Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five

Filed under: Alternative energy., Climate Change, Environmental Law, legislation, Politics, Washington State | Tagged: coal power, coal_to_natural_gas_conversion, environmental_lobbying | Comments Off on Washington’s last coal power plant will transition to natural gas – Washington Standard

Sportsmen Fight Trump Plan To Log Roadless Headwaters on Olympic Peninsula Public Lands

Posted on September 8, 2025 by OlyOpen

Another day, another threat from the Trump administration to open public lands, revoke roadless areas to open them to cutting on Federal forests. This press release is from the Sportsmen for Wild Olympics.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 8th, 2025

QUILCENE, WA—September 8th, 2025: Today, Sportsmen for Wild Olympics released a new map with photos illustrating the devastating impacts that developing key roadless backcountry public lands on Olympic National Forest could have on critical headwaters of prime trophy fishing rivers and public access on the Olympic Peninsula. The group is calling on Congress to pass the Wild Olympics Act as a proactive solution to permanently protect these lands.

“This map tells Congress and the Administration: protect the Olympic Peninsula’s public lands—don’t privatize or develop them,” said Ashley Nichole Lewis, a Quinault Indian Nation fishing guide and spokesperson for Sportsmen for Wild Olympics. “It gives our fellow sportsmen and women something to fight for, not just against—a lasting solution to threats we are confronting right now.”

The urgency comes as the Trump Administration announced a shortened comment period ending September 19th on their plans to rescind the Roadless Rule in order to log & develop sensitive spawning habitat on public lands, a key federal safeguard for undeveloped backcountry areas across national forests, including Olympic National Forest. The new map with photos highlights & names the critical ancient forest roadless headwaters & salmon streams on Olympic National Forest that are now threatened by the Trump Administration’s plan to lift protections for these backcountry public lands prized by Olympic Peninsula sportsmen for the clean water, critical habitat & access they provide.

What is the Roadless Rule?

The Roadless Rule, established in 2001, protects undeveloped areas of national forests from new road construction and logging. These “roadless” areas are often rugged backcountry landscapes that provide crucial habitat for fish and wildlife, protect water quality, and offer remote hunting and angling opportunities. Removing these protections opens the door to industrial development in some of the last remaining intact, healthy forest lands in the country.

“Rescinding the Roadless Rule is yet another attempt to hand over our essential public resources to special interests—at the expense of salmon, clean water, and future generations,” Lewis said.

The coalition—comprising thousands of local and regional hunters and anglers, and over 30 leading sportsmen organizations—has already punched well above their weight earlier this year playing an outsized role in the national backlash opposing the unprecedented threats to public lands coming from both Congress and the Administration. Lewis says these threats highlight exactly why the group supports the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, recently reintroduced by Senator Patty Murray and Representative Emily Randall.

“The different public land sale efforts in Congress and the new plan to strip protections from 59 million acres of core forest headwaters nationwide—including lands on the Peninsula—show that they will use any tactic to privatize or exploit our public lands,” Lewis said. “This map shows what that would actually look like. Congress & the White House must reverse course and pass Wild Olympics to permanently protect these critical salmon streams instead.”

The Wild Olympics Act, developed with years of local input, would enhance hunting and fishing access while permanently protecting some of the last, best intact salmon-spawning habitat left in the Lower 48. Importantly, it would not close existing roads or cost timber jobs. It has broad local support with over 800 local endorsements.

The new map & photos show how the Wild Olympics proposal would protect key areas such as South Quinault Ridge, Moonlight Dome, and other core ancient forest headwaters & rivers vital for hunting & fishing on the Peninsula —areas the Administration now plans to open for logging by rescinding the Roadless Rule.

(The steep forested slopes of the Moonlight Dome Roadless Area forms the critical headwaters for both the East and West Forks of the Humptulips River (seen ok the left), one of the top ten Trophy Fishing Rivers in Washington State).

The map also reveals that 300,000 acres of Olympic National Forest have been identified as eligible for sale under different plans by the Administration and some members of Congress during earlier drafts of the budget bill passed earlier this year. While the land sale provision was struck from the budget, proponents continue to push this idea forward.

The unprecedented threats to public lands recently sparked Senator Murray to throw down the gauntlet in the Senate, announcing she will block any public lands legislative package that comes out of Utah Senator Mike Lee’s Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee unless it includes her Wild Olympics bill, a move that galvanized local supporters to pull out all the stops to get it done this Congress.

Lewis hopes the map inspires more hunters and anglers to join the thousands who have already signed their petition.

“The outdoor community is powerful. Our fishing and hunting guides are pillars of this community. The same places we work the hardest are the ones we return to after the day is done—because we love them. Let’s use that collective power to ensure a single pen stroke can never take our public lands away. Let’s pass the Wild Olympics Act.”

###

HOW TO FIGHT BACK.

1) Sign the WildOlympics.org/wild-olympics-petition/ telling Congress ancient temperate rainforests of the #WildOlympics aren’t for sale & to permanently protect Olympic Peninsula #publiclands & rivers against travesties like this in the future.

2) Those who can afford it PLEASE WildOlympics.org/DONATE to fuel our fight. We helped defeat this four years ago. Help us defeat it again & pass the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act to permanently protect ancient forests & salmon streams once & for all.

3) SUBMIT A COMMENT AT PORTAL LINK Comment Period Ends Sept 19th. Tell USDA to uphold the Roadless Rue to protect Olympic Peninsula Ancient Forests & critical salmon nurseries that were already centuries-old when our nation was born.

For more information, including a rolling list of articles from sportsmen outlets covering the threats to public lands, visit: SportsmenForWildOlympics.org/threats

Sportsmen For Wild Olympics Members Include:

Waters West Guide Service (Montesano)

Bad Ash Outdoors (Tahola)

Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association

Northwest Guides & Anglers Association

The Washington Wildlife Federation,

Izaak Walton League (Gr. Seattle Chapter) Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, (Washington Chapter)

Association of Northwest Steelheaders,

The Gray Wolf Fly Fishing Club (Sequim)

SAGE Fly Rods

Doug Rose Fly Fishing (at request of family)

Bad Ash Fishing (Tahola)

Washington Council of Trout Unlimited

Little Stone Fly Fisher (Port Townsend)

Johnson Guide Service (Sequim)

Olympic Peninsula Skagit Tactics (Forks)

Able Guide Service (Seiku)

Mike Z’s Guide Service (Forks)

Brazda’s Fly Fishing

Angler’s Obsession (Forks)

Sea Run Pursuits

Peninsula Sportsman Guide & Outfitting Service (Port Townsend)

Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters (Port Angeles)

The Wild Steelhead Coalition

Piscatorial Pursuits (Forks)

Able Guide Service (Sekiu)

LimbSaver

Oly Women On The Fly

WA Council of Fly Fishers International

Puget Sound Fly Fishers

Coastal Cutthroat Coalition

Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Protection, Government, Jefferson County, legislation, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: Era of Trump, Roadless Rule, Trump Administration, Wild Olympics Act | 3 Comments »

Tribes exempted from Trump Bill

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Al Bergstein

From Ai today.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” includes several exemptions and protections for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribal communities, particularly related to Medicaid and SNAP (food assistance) programs:

Exemption from Medicaid and SNAP work/community engagement requirements: AI/AN beneficiaries, including those served by Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal, Tribal Organization, and Urban Indian Organization programs, are exempted from new work requirements that apply to other Medicaid and SNAP recipients. This exemption recognizes the economic challenges and limited job opportunities in many tribal communities, especially on reservations[1][3][5].
Protection of cost-sharing exemptions: The bill maintains existing exemptions for AI/AN individuals from Medicaid cost-sharing when they receive services directly from IHS or tribal health providers or through contract health services[3][5].
Exemption from more frequent Medicaid eligibility redeterminations: AI/AN beneficiaries are exempt from the requirement that Medicaid expansion adults undergo eligibility redeterminations every six months, reducing administrative burdens on tribal members[5].
Recognition of tribal governments for tax credit purposes: The bill grants tribal governments parity with state governments in determining whether a child has “special needs” for adoption tax credits, supporting tribal families[7].
Delays and flexibilities for Alaska Native communities: The bill includes delayed cost-share penalties and additional flexibilities in SNAP for Alaska Native beneficiaries to ensure continued access to benefits[8].

These provisions aim to uphold federal trust and treaty obligations to tribal nations, recognizing the unique circumstances of tribal communities and their reliance on federal health and nutrition programs. The exemptions help protect thousands of Native Americans from losing critical benefits due to work requirements or administrative changes included in the broader bill[1][3][5][8].

Sources
[1] Big, Beautiful Bill Act passed, Native American benefits protected https://knpr.org/politics/2025-07-03/big-beautiful-bill-act-passed-native-american-benefits-protected
[2] Final Reconciliation Bill Permanently Expands LIHTC, NMTC and … https://www.novoco.com/notes-from-novogradac/final-reconciliation-bill-permanently-expands-lihtc-nmtc-and-oz-incentive-but-does-not-include-htc-provisions
[3] House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Including AI/AN Protections for … https://www.nihb.org/house-passes-reconciliation-bill-including-ai-an-protections-for-tribal-medicaid/
[4] [PDF] 1 This Act may be cited as the ”One Big Beautiful Bill 2 Act”. 3 4 The … https://rules.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/rules.house.gov/files/documents/rcp_119-3_final.pdf
[5] Senate Passes Reconciliation Bill with Exemptions for American … https://ncuih.org/2025/07/02/senate-passes-reconciliation-bill-with-exemptions-for-american-indian-and-alaska-native-people-from-community-engagement-requirements-for-snap-and-medicaid/
[6] What’s in Trump’s Big Policy Bill? – The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/30/upshot/senate-republican-megabill.html
[7] [PDF] The One, Big, Beautiful Bill – House Ways and Means Committee https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-One-Big-Beautiful-Bill-Section-by-Section.pdf
[8] U.S. Senate Votes to Approve ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ – Native News Online https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/u-s-senate-vote-to-approve-big-beautiful-bill-heads-back-to-the-house-for-vote
[9] H.R.1 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): One Big Beautiful Bill Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1
[10] Senate GOP Passes Sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act | Insights https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2025/07/senate-gop-passes-sweeping-one-big-beautiful-bill-act

Filed under: legislation | Tagged: Government Legislation, legislation, tribes | 4 Comments »

Legislative Roundup

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Al Bergstein

2025 Session Recap

From the Puget Sound Partnership: The 2025 Session of the Washington State Legislature has adjourned Sine Die on April 27. A robust budget deficit and debates about state spending and revenue dictated the session’s flow and outcomes, especially in the final weeks. Due to concerns about implementation costs, many bills aligned with Puget Sound recovery failed to pass and many more were trimmed back to reduce the associated workload. And the final budget included a series of budget cuts that will slow the work of Puget Sound recovery. At the same time, several new policies and budget items survived the legislative process and will provide benefits to Puget Sound recovery, including:

Ongoing funding to various state natural resource agencies to support interagency cooperation on environmental permitting of habitat restoration projects.
A new round of capital investments in habitat restoration and clean water infrastructure through programs like Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration, Floodplains by Design, Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program, Stormwater Financial Assistance, Centennial Clean Water, and Remedial Action Grants.
Closure of a loophole in the Growth Management Act (GMA) to ensure local government plans are consistent with recent amendments to the GMA.
New investments in state capacity to monitor toxic chemicals from stormwater and implement measures to reduce those toxics.
Extension of the riparian task force and investments in voluntary riparian restoration efforts.

This online newsletter contains subpages for each of the Action Agenda topic areas listed at the top of the page. Each page includes a narrative description of themes and an interactive bill watchlist. The final budget page also includes a full breakdown of budget details.

Read the whole thing at

https://legislativenewsletter-wa-psp.hub.arcgis.com

A point of view from the Washington Policy Center (a conservative group), but worth noting for it’s summary, which seems pretty balanced in it’s analysis…(would welcome a critique of their POV)

Climate and Environmental Spending: Ambitious but Costly

The budget allocates $1 billion in spending to climate and environmental programs, and does not change significantly from the previous budget. The Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which imposes a tax on CO2 emissions, is projected to generate approximately $1.6 billion in revenue according to the department of Ecology. The additional tax is passed onto consumers through higher fuel and energy prices.

Washington Policy Center’s research estimates that the tax on CO2 emissions adds 40 cents per gallon to gasoline prices, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income households. While the budget funds rebates for low-income families, these are insufficient to offset the regressive nature of the tax. Furthermore, the effectiveness of these investments in reducing emissions is poor, according to the Department of Ecology’s own research. Policymakers should prioritize effectiveness and consider redirecting funds to more immediate priorities, such as infrastructure or tax relief.

Fiscal Sustainability and Taxpayer Impact

The budget’s 6.5% spending increase outpaces the state’s economic growth rate (projected at 4.5% annually). This trajectory risks depleting overall reserves, projected to drop from $3.2 billion to $2.2 billion by 2027, but does add money to the state’s rainy-day fund. The four-year budget outlook shows a potential multi-billion shortfall unless revenues grow unexpectedly, or spending is curtailed. This raises the specter of future tax increases, particularly given Washington’s already high sales, property, and business taxes.

The budget’s reliance on one-time revenues, such as federal grants and the revenue from CCA auctions, masks structural imbalances. When these funds dry up, taxpayers may face pressure to backfill programs rather than cancel them. Washington Policy Center recommends adopting a sustainable growth model, such as tying spending increases to inflation plus population growth, which would cap biennial increases at 5-6%. This approach would preserve reserves and reduce the need for future tax hikes.

Conclusion: A Missed Opportunity for Reform

The 2025-27 conference budget reflects prioritizes spending over fiscal discipline. While investments in education, health care, and climate programs address pressing issues, their scale and structure raise concerns about affordability, efficiency, and long-term consequences. Taxpayers, already grappling with high costs of living, deserve a budget that maximizes value through competition, innovation, and accountability.

Despite record revenues, the budget proposal offers little in the way of tax relief for Washington families and businesses. The state’s tax burden has risen steadily in recent years, driven by increases in property taxes, sales taxes, and a controversial new capital gains tax. With billions in increased in spending over the next four years, lawmakers could easily afford to return some of that money to taxpayers-or at least pause new tax hikes.

Read their analysis of the whole budget items (more categories they analyze) at

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/the-washington-state-2025-27-budget-proposal-is-out-and-legislators-are-still-spending-money-the-state-doesnt-have

Filed under: Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Government, legislation | Comments Off on Legislative Roundup

Washington Audubon’s 2024 Legislative Agenda

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Washington Audubon has announced it’s critical policy priorities aimed at safeguarding our environment and promoting sustainable practices. In the upcoming 60-day session, they are focusing on the three priorities on the Audubon Washington legislative agenda, as well as the three priorities on of our partners at the Environmental Priorities Coalition (EPC).

Climate and Clean Energy: Back the continuation of the Climate Commitment Act, ensuring substantial investments in climate mitigation and adaptation. Support the Fair Access to Community Solar Act, empowering low-income Washingtonians in the clean energy transition.
Coastal Conservation: Increase support for Puget Sound restoration (ESRP) and endorse the WRAP Act to combat plastic pollution. Support legislation establishing a bottle deposit system in Washington State.
Sagelands Stewardship: Provide necessary funding for conservation districts, enabling private landowner voluntary stewardship. Allocate $10M for the creation of a Shrub-steppe Habitat Carbon Storage and Avoided Conversion grant program.

As a member of the EPC, Audubon also advocates for the three EPC environmental priorities this year: Hold Oil Companies Accountable, 100% Clean School Buses, and the WRAP Act.

You can support these issues by writing a letter of support at this link:

Email Your Legislators to Support Audubon’s 2024 Environmental Priorities | Audubon Washington | Audubon Washington

Filed under: Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, legislation, legislature | Tagged: Climate Commitment Act, Environmental Priorities Coalition, Sagelands Stewardship, WRAP ACT | Comments Off on Washington Audubon’s 2024 Legislative Agenda

Bad bill on watersheds needs your input.

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Oddly, Senator Kevin Van de Wege is promoting a terrible bill, (SB5517) which would dramatically alter the issue of the instream flow rule. Eastern Washington has been trying for years to get something like this through but the Dems have been not been willing to support it. Now, with Van de Wege co-sponsoring this bill, it seems possible. Below you will find a Sierra Club overview of the problems with this bill. I am surprised if the Tribes support this. My guess is that the farmers of the Dungeness valley are behind this and getting Kevin to promote it. With only two sponsors my experience tells me it’s just a straw dog that Kevin did for them. We encountered this same kind of bill a few years ago regarding gravel bed “management” by farmers down on the Chehalis River. The tribes killed the bill. But it’s not to say that there ought to be a solid showing of dislike for this.

Please contact Kevin’s office and also put your comments in down at the State web site.

. Quick action – sign in “CON”

Go to the SB 5517 Sign-In webpage. (this is a direct link to the SB 5517 specific sign on)
Choose CON as your position
Fill in the remaining boxes: First name, Last name, Email, Address, and Phone
Leave Organization blank
Check the box “I’m not a robot”
Finally, hit submit!

Filed under: Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, fisheries, legislation | Tagged: Olympic Peninsula, Salmon | 5 Comments »

Swelling school of seaweed farmers looking to anchor in Northwest waters – Salish Current

Posted on December 20, 2022 by OlyOpen

There is so much more to this issue. Are we really wanting to trade off our waters for animal feed or fertilizer? Better speak up now.

Prospective kelp growers who want to join the handful of existing commercial seaweed farms in the Pacific Northwest are having to contend with a lengthy permitting process. It’s gotten contentious in a few cases, but even so, at least a couple of new seaweed farms stand on the cusp of approval. Their harvests could be sold for human food, animal feed or fertilizer. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

See also: Can kelp farming help save our marine environment? Richard Arlin Walker reports.
(Salish Current, 10/7/22)

Filed under: Aquaculture, Around the Salish Sea, Around the Sound, Government, legislation | Comments Off on Swelling school of seaweed farmers looking to anchor in Northwest waters – Salish Current

Net Pen Aquaculture Industry Targets DNR’s Hilary Franz

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Al Bergstein

In a series of articles across multiple platforms, the net pen aquaculture industry and their allies have targeted Washington State’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Commissioner Hilary Franz for attack and lawsuits after her controversial decision to end net pen aquaculture of Atlantic salmon in Puget Sound and Hood Canal.

Posts on LinkedIn (which does not allow critical rebuttal) by Jeanne McKnight, a PR specialist that works for the aquaculture industry, along with articles in SeaWestNews about the benefits of net pen aquaculture point to a new attack on Franz by the industry. Past Chairman of the Pacific Aquaculture Caucus Peter Becker also weighs in with his opinion in a long reply to McKnight’s original post.

The articles and posts point out that Franz came from a law degree background and not the “fisheries science industry”, so as not to be capable of deciding for an industry that has long been in the driver’s seat regarding influencing the regulators charged with regulating them. Cooke did an excellent job in the past of dividing to conquer the regulators by helping legislate multiple agencies to regulate multiple aspects of each farm, ending in a fiasco of collapsing nets due to poor maintenance and escaped fish. Franz rightly decided that Cooke should be banned from the near shore waters and shorelines of the State because of that incompetence. Her agency is charged with protecting those wild stock resources (along with other agencies).

The articles also raise smear tactics based on her decision by saying she ‘cherry picked’ the tribes in support of her decision (not even notifying the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe who are partnering with Cooke Aquaculture for a sable fish net pen in Port Angeles harbor). This blog believes that Franz will exempt the Jamestown in the near future and allow them to create net pens for black cod as long as Cooke is not part of the business model.

All these are desperate tactics by an industry under attack both here and in Canada. The long-time work of Dr. Alexandra Morton in Canada, raised scientifically valid hypothesis and proofs over and over again that the industry is partially if not fully responsible for the collapse of wild stocks in many rivers in Western British Columbia while the industry takes credit for 97% of Canadian salmon produced being farm raised (as reported in an article in the industry journal SeaWestNews.) That statistic can also be read to mean that since farmed salmon have arrived 97% of wild salmon have vanished. The question is why is that statistic true? Alexandra Mortons’ research, among others such as Dr. Lawrence Dill, point to the reasons that the industry would rather ignore. Viruses from the farms as well as sea lice coming from the pens that are co-located in passages that the wild salmon have to traverse. The industry here claims that sea lice are not the problem that they are in B.C.

The reality is that this issue is not over yet, though Commissioner Franz’ decision (political though it may be) is not without the possibility of challenge in the courts. Washington State Dept. of Fish & Wildlife (not DNR) having lost a limited case ruling in the Washington State Supreme Court in a unanimous decision that only dealt with whether or not the permit for Cooke had met SEPA standards, the industry believes DNR may not be on the most solid ground to uphold this new decision. Can they argue that the decision was arbitrary and capricious? The industry also sees this as a test to save the geoduck aquaculture industry from a similar fate, as many of the same issues raised in this case could be applied by environmentalists to the near shore. Actually, they already have been but have not yet found the political support to stop the ongoing destruction of our shorelines by geoduck aquaculture illegally supported by both DNR and the Army Corps of Engineers (as decided in recent court battles lost by both agencies. )

Don’t go popping champagne bottles just yet, as we have not seen the end of the industry as it relates to this issue. The arc of justice may be finally bending in the way of environmental protection as it relates to the problems of net pen aquaculture, but the industry will do its best to bend it back to profit over wild stocks.

Filed under: Aquaculture, Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Government, legislation | Tagged: Net Pens Aquaculture | 5 Comments »

Dept. of Nat. Resources Bans Future Net Pen Aquaculture – Major Win for Environmentalists, Tribes, Salmon & Orcas.

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Al Bergstein

Today, Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz made history when she announced a new groundbreaking executive order that will prohibit commercial net pen aquaculture in Washington state marine waters. During the press conference, a question about the net pen proposed by the joint business venture of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and Cooke Aquaculture to create a net pen to farm Black Cod (Sablefish) was deflected with a mention that Commissioner Franz had been in discussions with them on this issue. It was not clear whether they were not going to be allowed to put the pen in under the Tribe’s name or not. Franz also mentioned that upland farming of salmon would likely be approved by DNR. The industry has long stated that this method is not commercially viable at this time.

This ends a long history of industry “spokespeople”, who have been involved with Marine Resources Committees both in Clallam and Jefferson Counties, touting the benefits of these pens and disrupting anyone coming forward to raise concerns, such as when Professor Dill, a researcher from a distinguished Canadian University came to Port Angeles a few years ago to discuss his scientifically based concerns and was shouted down by industry representatives.

While Commissioner Franz’ concerns about ending destruction of the near shore by these farms could easily be carried over to the nearshore beach destruction by industrial geoduck operations over thousands of acres of beaches throughout the Sound and Hood Canal, there was no discussion of that issue today.

This blog has been a long time critic of Commissioner Franz, due to her seemingly lack of concern over industrial aquaculture in our waters. We welcome and thank her for finally taking strong legal action on this issue. It has been viewed both here on the West Coast, nationally and internationally as a major step towards recovering and protecting our waters.

Press Release from the Wild Fish Conservancy, the major group working to end this policy.

“This new policy was announced earlier today by Commissioner Franz at a press conference on Bainbridge Island overlooking the Rich Passage net pens alongside leaders from Wild Fish Conservancy and Suquamish Tribe. The news comes on the heels of another long-awaited and widely-supported decision announced earlier this week by Commissioner Franz that DNR has refused new decade-long leases to global seafood giant Cooke Aquaculture to continue operating commercial net pens in Puget Sound.

“After the incredible news announced earlier this week, it is almost impossible to believe we are now celebrating an even bigger, groundbreaking victory for our wild salmon, orcas, and the health of Puget Sound,” said Emma Helverson, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “By denying new leases to Cooke and bringing forward this comprehensive, bold new policy to prevent commercial net pens from ever operating in Washington marine waters again, Commissioner Franz is ensuring Puget Sound will be protected, not just now, but far into the future for the benefit of generations to come.”

Together, the lease denial and executive order will require Cooke to remove all of their net pen facilities from Puget Sound before the end of year, marking the end of the commercial net pen industry that has operated in Washington state for over 40 years. The benefits of these actions for the recovery of wild fish, water quality, and the greater health of Puget Sound cannot be overstated. Immediately, this action will cease chronic untreated pollution that has been discharged daily at these aquatic sites for over forty years. Finally, these heavily polluted and degraded sites will have the opportunity to heal and begin the process of natural restoration as part of the largest passive restoration project in Washington State.

The decision will also eliminate many major risk factors that harm the recovery of wild salmon and steelhead, including ending the risk of exposure to viruses, parasites, and diseases that are amplified and spread at unnatural levels by massive densities of farmed fish and the risk of future catastrophic escape events in which farmed fish could compete with, attempt to interbreed, or spread pathogens to threatened and endangered wild fish.

DNR’s decision will also restore the public and Tribal access to over 130 acres of Puget Sound that have been restricted by this industry for over forty years. More broadly, Washington’s decision will unite the entire U.S. Pacific Coast in excluding this industry from marine waters. Combined with Canada’s recent commitment to transition open water net pens out of British Columbia waters, this decision also has the potential to eliminate a major limiting factor to wild Pacific salmon recovery at a coastwide, international scale.

“After the news earlier this week, we’ve heard from colleagues all around the world in places like Chile, Tasmania, Scotland, and so many others working to protect their own public waters from the environmental harm of commercial net pen aquaculture,” says Helverson. “Today’s historic decision is setting a new standard that will serve as a model and rallying cry to bolster the efforts of communities and governments around the world working toward this same end and we stand committed to leveraging our massive success to support their efforts.”

Cooke is the same company found at fault for the catastrophic 2017 Cypress Island net pen collapse that released over 260,000 nonnative and viral-infected Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound. Cooke purchased all of Washington’s net pen facilities in 2016 with plans to expand exponentially in Washington waters.

In response to this expansion plan, Wild Fish Conservancy launched the Our Sound, Our Salmon (OSOS) campaign in April 2017 to raise public awareness about the environmental impacts of commercial net pen aquaculture. In 2018, a coalition of over 10,000 individuals and hundreds of businesses and organizations under the banner of OSOS, worked in concert with Tribal efforts, to advocate for Washington’s landmark law banning nonnative Atlantic salmon aquaculture.

In July 2020, in response to Cooke avoiding the ban by transitioning to native species, the OSOS campaign launched a new initiative, Taking Back Our Sound, with the goal of preventing Cooke from receiving new leases. Through this effort, 9,000 individuals and 127 business and organizations called on DNR’s Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz through a petition and direct actions, which included a Bainbridge Island city resolution, to deny new leases to Cooke and to restore Puget Sound for the benefit and use of all. In making her decision over Cooke’s lease request, DNR was required by statute to issue a decision in the best interest of the public.
“It’s clear this victory for wild salmon, orcas, and Puget Sound belongs to no one person or group. Without the separate actions of thousands of individuals, Washington’s Tribal Nations, businesses, organizations, chefs, fishing groups, scientists, elected officials, and so many others working together over the last five years, this would never have been possible,” says Helverson. “It is truly inspiring to see what is possible when the public unifies their voices and works together with the law and science on their side toward the shared goal of a healthier Puget Sound.”

Filed under: Aquaculture, Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, First Nations, fisheries, legislation, Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: Hilary Franz | Comments Off on Dept. of Nat. Resources Bans Future Net Pen Aquaculture – Major Win for Environmentalists, Tribes, Salmon & Orcas.

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