Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Happy belated Earth Day! Last Friday, I joined the Spokane Earth Day Climate March to join with our neighbors and demand urgent action in combatting the climate crisis. We are seeing the escalating impacts of the climate crisis each year in Washington. We must take steps to ensure that our natural environment thrives long into the future. Last year, the Legislature passed the Climate Commitment Act which puts Washington on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050. However, the impacts of climate change are here now. Read on to learn about some of the steps we are taking right now to mitigate the climate crisis.
Eastern Washington University Eagle Station Opening
To celebrate Earth Day, Spokane Transit held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new state-of-the-art Eagle Station at Eastern Washington University. This facility is serving over 1,000 passengers a day already and can accommodate 100 students at a time. Outfitted with heaters and real-time screens to project route times, this highly visible Eagle red station is part of the larger Cheney Line project. The Cheney Line project will deliver a high-performance transit route between Spokane and Cheney, improving air quality and providing equitable access to education. More folks using transit means less congestion and healthier communities.
Back in November, I worked with Spokane Transit to shoot a promo reel about the benefits of Eagle Station. You can watch the video here.
Vehicles for Rural Communities to Fight Wildfires
Last week, I also attended an event with the Department of Natural Resources to give surplus fire vehicles to rural communities to improve their resiliency to fire. The Legislature changed the law in 2017 to make these kinds of transfers easier. With wildfire season approaching, rural communities know all too well how fast a fire can catch and spread. These vehicles will help keep our rural communities safe from fast moving wildfires.
As always, it’s an honor to serve our community.
Best Regards,
Representative Marcus Riccelli