Senate passes railroad legislation to prevent a strike
The Senate has approved a measure meant to avert a railroad strike in eight days — without the paid sick days rail workers have been asking for. Senators passed the bill to force unions to accept a tentative agreement reached earlier this year between railroad managers and their workers and make an imminent strike illegal — without making any changes — by an 80-15 vote. They rejected a measure to offer paid sick leave, 52-43. Both measures required 60 votes to clear the Senate. Both bills cleared the House on Wednesday. Biden applauded the move and vowed to sign it as soon as Congress sends it to his desk — which could happen as soon as Friday. Continue reading at KNKX. (Kent Nishimura)
Washington State Moving On Electric Cars
More than 11% of new cars sold in Washington state are electric, according to the federal government, which said there are 67,000 EVs registered statewide. Electric cars are sold as more earth-friendly and pushed by the government with tax incentives. California has even banned the sale of new gas-powered cars starting in 2035. Gov. Jay Inslee said Washington will do the same, tweeting “Washington set in law a goal for all new car sales to be zero emission by 2030 and we’re ready to adopt California’s (regulations) by end of this year.” Continue reading at Seattle Medium.
Clean Fuel Standard and Climate Commitment Act set to launch Jan. 1
Two new state climate policies intended to work alongside each other to help the state achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2050 by transforming how it acquires and uses energy will officially launch Jan. 1. Signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee in 2021, the CFS and the CCA passed both houses of the state Legislature without a single Republican vote. Brown, the technical lead for the CFS, said regulations target transportation fuel because vehicle emissions are Washington’s greatest source of greenhouse gases, contributing about 45 percent of the state’s total. Continue reading at Peninsula Daily News.
Associated Press
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Senate passes railroad legislation to prevent a strike
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