2025 Legislative Session
Overview
The Legislature is working on many bills at once during a long session, as well as creating a new 2-year budget. Here are a few major threads we are following:
Protect CCA Funding. Make sure it is used only on projects that reduce GHG and/or improve environmental justice. Some areas of interest for funding: weatherization plus health, home electrification and appliance rebates, funding for home electification navigator, multi-modal transportation options, forest sequestration
Protect Advanced Clean Trucks Rule (Environmental Priorities Coalition).
Green Amendment. Add an amendment to the Bill of Rights in the State Constitution that recognizes and protects the rights of all people (and future generations), to pure water, clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments.
Transit Oriented Development, to allow more people to live near frequent transit. The sticking point in the past has been around affordable housing, where either developers are required to make a percentage of units affordable, or they are given a "density bonus" for building affordable units. (Sightline, Futurewise)
Remove Parking Requirements. Developers are required to add parking, which adds to the cost of construction. If the requirements are repealed, developers can decide for themselves how much parking they need. (Sightline)
CURB - CUmulative Risk Burden. Requires more monitoring for pollutants, specifies which communities have been disproportationately harmed and what protections they should receive, directs Ecology to deny new permit applications that would add cumulative pollution and directs Ecology to work with applicants to reduce pollution over time. (Front & Centered)
Right to Energy. Ensure energy assistance for low-income residents in Washington.
PSE Decarbonization Planning. This was a target of I-2066, not clear what will happen.
Transit Rider Representation. Require public transit agencies to have at least two people who actually ride transit on the board, one whom is transit-reliant, and one who is from an organization that serves transit-reliant communities.
End Uneccesary Driver License Requirements. Prohibit all employers from requiring driver’s licenses for jobs when driving is not an essential job function.
Free To Walk, jaywalking reform.
Fast, Frequent, Reliable Amtrak (Rail Can’t Wait Campaign)
Funding for Forest Sequestration.
Recycling Reform Act - follow on to the WRAP Act for producer responsibility for packaging.
Right to Repair for digital electronic products and wheelchairs.
Bottle Bill. Deposit system for beverage containers.
Sewage Spill Right to Know (Environmental Priorities Coalition)
Energy Labeling of Residential Buildings. Houses listed for sale come with energy usage declarations. (People for Climate Action).
Thermal Energy Networks. Establish decision-making criteria and guidelines to support effective, efficient, and equitable initiation and deployment of these neighborhood scale decarbonization projects.
Community Solar (Olympia Community Solar).
One good way to follow along on climate bills during the Session, and also to give your input and help the bills get passed is to join 350 Washington's Civic Action Team, which sends out bi-weekly action alerts during the session.