OLYMPIA—The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) has selected Rep. Alicia Rule (D-Blaine) as the 2023-2024 Washington State Lead. This position exemplifies a strong dedication to environmental policy in Washington and a demonstrated leadership role within the Caucus.
Rule was selected for this position based on her work on capital projects, advancing outdoor education and other policy. During the 2022 Legislative Session, her bill (HB 2078) directed the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to create a program to award grants to support schools in offering outdoor learning, requiring OSPI to give priority to schools that have been underserved in science education, and encourages the program to work with education stakeholders to develop principles for outdoor education. It passed last March and became law in June 2022.
“When kids learn outside, they don’t just learn biology from tidal pools and math from calculating the sun’s angle,” said Rule. “They learn the value of the land, our responsibility to it and out how healing nature can be.”
“NCEL’s State Leads foster crucial collaboration on environmental policy,” said Dylan McDowell, Acting Executive Director of NCEL. “We are grateful to have legislative leaders committed to uplifting and advancing NCEL’s work in their state, introducing lawmakers to emerging environmental issues, and facilitating collaboration with legislators across the
country.”
Created by and for state legislators, the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes over 1,200 environmentally-committed state legislators from all 50 states and both major parties. NCEL provides venues and opportunities for lawmakers to share ideas and collaborate on their environmental priorities while embedding notions of equity and justice every step of the way.