Today, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop for the 2010 Legislative Environmental Priorities.
This is an effort put on every year by a coalition of statewide organizations, who advocate for the top issues needing attention by legislators.
The room was full at this event, held at the Gwinn Hall on Seattle Pacific University. We listened to a panel discussion by four of the most active environmental advocates in the legislature including - Rep Hans Dunshee, Rep Sharon Nelson, Rep Skip Priest, and Rep Rolfes.
We also heard from newly elected King County Executive, Dow Constantine. He impressed on us, the importance of the work this coalition does. He gave the example of fighting against the gravel mine on Maury Island. That group fought this battle for about 10 yrs and recently won a decisive victory in court. He said it teaches the lesson that even with seemingly hopeless situations to "Never,never give up!"
The 2010 Environmental Legislative Priorities Coalition will be advocating for 3 major efforts this session. They are the following:
• Safe Baby Bottle Act -
This act would phase out BPA in baby bottles, food and beverage cans, and other consumer products.
• Working for Clean Water -
The Working for Clean Water bill is about creating jobs, rebuilding local economies, and cleaning up polluted waterways.
• Sustain Environmental Protections in the Budget
We aim to ensure Washington's budget sustains core environmental protections that safeguard the health of our families, communities and economy.
There area also many other issues that are important coming up during this challenging session of importance, such as Aquatic Lands Act and Revenue issues.
Environmental Lobby Day is coming up on January 26th. It is a very rewarding excercize to participate in, and the efforts of citizens during this event makes a tremendous difference to passing good legislation. Citizens visit their legislators, and it means a great deal to them to hear directly from constituents who are well informed about the bills. And it's lots of fun too!
Check their website at the following address www.environmentalpriorities.org for more details on the bills and what you can do to help. It's your government!
Contact the Coalition at:
Kerri Cechovic, Washington Environmental Council
(206) 631-2607 kerri@wecprotects.org
or
Media Center
Press Contact:
Nicole Fallat
Communications Director
nicole@environmentalpriorities.org
(206) 631-2625
1402 Third Avenue, Suite 1400, Seattle, WA 98101
info@environmentalpriorities.org
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