Dear friends and neighbors,
The 2021 legislative session was a landmark year in the fight against climate change. During the short 2022 session, we continued that work by passing legislation targeting greenhouse gas pollution from landfills & buildings. With the climate crisis upon us, we must do all we can to protect Washingtonians from the harms of climate change, air pollution, and environmental degradation.
Climate Commitment Act
Last year, we began Washington’s transition to a cleaner, greener energy future by enacting carbon pricing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This session, we are accelerating implementation and ensuring Washington’s tribes have a larger role in charting the future. We’ve now built a model for our states and other countries to follow to reduce greenhouse gas pollution around the globe.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Pollution
This session, we invested over $714 million to help reduce emissions and promote climate resiliency throughout the state, including more than $100 million to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure and another $58 million for solar energy infrastructure projects that benefit low-income communities.
I was also proud to co-sponsor or champion several bills to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, fight climate change, and transition to a clean energy future:
- HB 1280 ensures we consider clean all-electric building options for new public facilities.
- HB 1619 expands energy efficiency standards to more household appliances to reduce pollution and energy costs for Washington households.
- HB 1663 requires large municipal landfills to reduce methane emissions by capturing it before it pollutes our atmosphere.
- HB 1799 reduces methane emissions by helping to redirect our surplus food to families who need it, while repurposing organic waste for composting at local farms and reducing plastic contamination in the compost stream.
- HB 1768 makes it easier to complete public energy conservation projects that pay for themselves with the energy savings.
- SB 5722 sponsored by our own Sen. Joe Nguyen, helps us reduce greenhouse gas pollution and energy costs for low-income families by improving energy efficiency & performance in existing buildings.
- SB 5910 speeds up the availability and use of renewable hydrogen.
Transformative Transportation Investments
This year, we also passed historic transportation investments to meet urgent transportation needs for the 34th district. Thanks to our federal and local partners, the West Seattle Bridge is on track to reopen later this year. New state transportation investments will complement this work by accelerating transit projects in our communities such as King County Metro’s upcoming RapidRide bus service on Ambaum, 16th, and Delridge.
We prioritized improving the reliability of the ferry system, constructing new ferries, and enabling them to run on electricity instead of diesel fuel that pollutes our air and our climate. We invested in improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in communities that have historically seen underinvestment, such as White Center, and significantly increased grant programs to fund safe infrastructure such as safe walking and biking routes for kids to get to school. Finally, we took big steps forward in planning for a future high speed rail system connecting Seattle with Portland and Vancouver, BC.
Election Year Communication Restrictions
Each election year, there are certain restrictions on legislator communications to prevent the use of state resources for election purposes. These restrictions include a freeze on my legislative Facebook account and my legislative webpage, meaning these pages cannot be updated beginning May 16, 2022, until after the general election in November.
But I’m still here to help! Please continue to reach out to me or my office directly by clicking here or (564) 888-2362 if there’s anything I can do to assist you or your family. You’ll also be able to find loads of information and access to state & local resources on my website → housedemocrats.wa.gov/fitzgibbon.
Thanks for reading!
Joe Fitzgibbon