The Roadkill Diet Gals

Kudos for Senators Maralyn Chase and Sharon Nelson! 

Environmental Champions (L-R) Sharon Nelson and
Maralyn Chase shake hands at Chase' swearing in this January

I'm christening you the "Roadkill Diet Busters"! 

Publicola has a great review of their courageous efforts to stop the Roadkill Caucus from undercutting the I-937 Initiative passed several years back.   

http://publicola.com/2011/03/04/filibuster-attempt-of-the-week/

Chase and Nelson offered 24 amendments in a Quixotic attempt to stop the undoing and weakening of the voter approved energy saving intitiative. 

I-937.  This tactic is known as "fillibuster by amendment".

News & Politics, This Washington

Filibuster Attempt of the Week

By Andrew Calkins, Friday, March 4, 2011 at 9:40 AM
3 Comments and 0 Reactions

Lefty senators band together to stall bill that would weaken a voter-approved renewable energy initiative. But conservative senators, led by the Democratic Roadkill Caucus conservatives, band together to pass it.

Last month, we reported on a move by legislators to weaken 2006′s voter-approved renewable energy initiative (I-937)—which required utilities to have 15 percent of their energy load coming from new renewable energy sources by 2020 (with check-ins along the way, including three percent by 2012). The meddling legislation would broaden the definition of “biomass energy facilities” so that facilities can count things like wood pulp as “renewable energy sources.”

The intent of I-937 was to encourage new renewables like wind and solar power, not environmentally problematic sources like wood products.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Brian Hatfield (D-19, Raymond, Grays Harbor, and Pacific County), ran into a wall of unfriendly amendments on Wednesday, offered by the Senate’s liberal duo—Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-34, West Seattle) and Sen. Maralyn Chase (D-32, Shoreline). Ultimately, though, the bill passed 28-19 during Thursday’s floor session.

Hatfield, a member of the ad-hoc conservative Democratic caucus (the self-described Roadkill Caucus) was joined by eight other Democrats, including Road Killers, Steve Hobbs (D-44, Lake Stevens), Jim Hargrove (D-24, Hoquiam), Tim Sheldon (D-35, Potlatch), Mary Margaret Haugen (D-10, Camano Island), Paul Shinn (D-21, Edmonds), and sudden conservative convert Craig Pridemore (D-49, Vancouver) who teamed up with 19 of the 22 GOP senators—passing the bill to change the voter-approved initiative over a thinned-out Democratic caucus.

Republicans Andy Hill (R-45, Redmond) and Steve Litzow (R-41, Mercer Island) voted ‘No’ and one Republican was excused.