What people are saying about Washington STRONG…
The WA STRONG Act has support from local government officials, farmers in rural communities, healthcare providers, faith leaders, scientists, environmental justice advocates, conservationists, industry officials, and many more.
Guillermo Rogel
“We know that the best way to identify a working solution is to talk to people on the front lines and Senator Lovelett has done just that. This bill follows in the footsteps of the Clean Energy Transformation act and President Biden's Executive Order by ensuring that climate investment create target benefits for the statewide in the frontline communities that face the greatest fossil fuel and climate impacts to ensure Washington meets its environmental and climate goals. This also helps ensure that we're investing in a just transition to a sustainable economy that are protected investments rather than general funds that support lower income households and fossil fuel workers with the greatest barriers and transition to clean energy homes, transportation and jobs. Lastly, this bill acknowledges that we need many strategies to reduce emissions and create regulatory authority for limiting emissions at the same time that we're investing.”
David Mendoza
“We are committed in the Nature Conservancy to seeing the state implement a range of policy mechanisms for addressing the climate crisis. We're here today in support of 5373. We think it's really crucial that Washington meets out statewide emissions reductions targets, but as we've seen implemented elsewhere taxes alone aren’t really enough to get us there. So for that reason we are really appreciative of the changes in the subsequent draft that allows an the Dept. of Ecology to to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and institute emission standards so that goals are being met.”
Vlad Gutman
“There are many positive components to the proposal including an ambitious price on carbon, important set-asides for investment in environment justice communities investments in transit, transportation electrification, and other decarbonization pathways.”
Clifford Traisman
“We appreciate your bringing this forward on a bill that tackles the revenue needs in a way that invests in climate and economic recovery. And in many ways this bill does just that…Move it forward. Now is the time.”
Washington State Democrats
Unanimously passed a resolution for Washington STRONG in January 2021
“The Washington State Democratic Party Central Committee supports green bond programs like Washigton STRONG… [which uses] the WA State Health Disparities Map, recommendations from the Environmental Justice Task Force, and emerging socioeconomic data from the coronavirus crisis to inform-decision making and prioritize spending on communities that have historically been most impacted by environmental harm and economic harm…”
Jill Boudreau
“Washington Strong is an incredible economic investment tool that can generate billions in funding to specifically help rural Washington communities, by building the climate-conscious infrastructure needed to support that growth, accommodate remote workers through broadband, and catalyze business post-pandemic, throughout the entire state. Resilient infrastructure yields significant return on investment.”
Joshua Morris
“According to projections from the national Audubon Society, robins and at least another 153 bird species that occur in Washington, are vulnerable to extinction due to climate change. The birds are telling us it’s time to wake to the immediacy of our situation. Washington Strong is the only bill under consideration right now that allows to immediately make big investments in climate solutions, just as important as a strong equity and justice focus that would invest in vulnerable populations, tribes and rural communities. Washington’s transition to a clean economy can’t leave anyone behind.”
Don Schwerin
“The Ag and Rural caucus supports 5373 for three reasons. 1: Washington Strong is an infrastructure bill. It’s a jobs bill, it sets aside dollars to build our communities and create jobs for our kids. The bill sets hard targets to benefit rural communities from Skamokawa to Metaline Falls. It gives rural Washington a seat at the governing table, to make sure that this happens. 2: Washington Strong invests at scale. Bonds bring the investments up front. We’re not building a herd one cow at a time. 3: Washington Strong gives farmers, ranchers and loggers a five-year offramp to find better ways to get our wheat to Wallula our logs to Colville and our cows to pasture.”
Stephen Starr
“I support this bill because it recognizes the role that Eastern Washington can play in carbon reduction, and it addresses the infrastructure needs to accomplish our goals. This bill provides funding for the Sustainable Farms and Fields Program, so the small farmers can get the immediate assistance they need to overhaul their operations in a sustainable way. This bill also directs funds to rural infrastructure, which is critical to the economic revival of our rural communities. Basic needs like sustainable domestic water systems are limiting the growth in rural Washington. Efforts like the Lincoln County water system regionalization are attempting to address 100-year old infrastructure, but they need help. The recognition of rural communities and agriculture will play a key role in moderating climate change and is a critical feature of this bill.”
Bobby Righi
“We are worried about inequality and racism. We’re worried about the health of our forests and our waters. We’re very worried about climate change, and [this bill] supports healthy and efficient transportation, it supports infrastructure, water infrastructure, things that we need to fix, and help for rural communities.”
Jessica Zimmerle
“When I speak to people of faith across the state about climate action, putting a price on carbon is undoubtedly raised. Real people care, because it resonates with our values of good stewardship, justice for all, and a responsibility to future generations. We see the climate crisis as the moral issue of our time. Yet how we respond to it is also a moral issue. Earth Ministry supports Washington Strong, first and foremost, because it was developed in partnership with impacted communities, and is supported by Front & Centered. Washington Strong provides a holistic and healing approach that we so desperately need right now. The revenue of WA Strong and its climate-conscious investments will make a real difference in people’s lives. And most importantly it aligns with values shared across the spiritual traditions. Please pass senate bill 5373 and put us on an inclusive and strong path to recovery.”
Lora Rathbone
“This bill will make sure rural communities can maintain their way of life by offering a financial bridge to transition to a low-carbon economy.”
Annemarie Dooley
“Washington Strong isn't just a green bill, it's a public health measure, and God knows we have needed public health. I am weary of seeing the same vulnerable patients end up in the hospital in this pandemic.The same patients using inhalers because they're exposed to persistent air pollution in their neighborhood. But Washington Strong offer some hope. Billions of dollars in investments in the communities, schools and hospitals who are hardest hit, and removing gas and electrifying buildings. Clean transportation so that the kids on the bus to school don't need an inhaler at school. ..Washington Strong does offer real help to those who need it most.”
Katherine Woolverton
“350 Seattle supports Washington STRONG as a mechanism for achieving state climate action goals. Washington STRONG takes a restorative justice approach to healing the damage done by climate change…Washington STRONG extends the ability for the Department of Ecology to directly regulate pollution without creating loopholes like emissions trading schemes and offsets, and the bond framework ensures communities benefit early in the life of the program. Washington STRONG prioritizes an equitable and just transition to carbon neutrality by focusing funding on projects that ease the transition to clean energy for low income populations, overburdened communities, and fossil fuel industry workers.”
Jeanne Poirier
“This bill authorizes green bonds which means we don't have to wait on state money to trickle in if it does. Instead, we can get to work. Chelan County is part of the beautiful 12th district with rivers, forests, and agriculture. We share the number two position of highest wildfire risk in the country along with Placer County California. Under the guidance of Commissioner Bob Bugert, we started a county-wide climate resilience strategy to mitigate the increasing climate impacts in our area. Since 2019, community members and state agencies have worked together identifying projects on snowpack, water supply, floooding, and wildfires. In the latest workshop, many are ready but no source of funding to move forward. With Washington STRONG, we would have the opportunity to implement our shovel-ready priorities and create the resiliency needed to protect this beautiful area for future generations to enjoy.”
Trenton Miller
“Myself and 350 Spokane support the passage of the Washington STRONG Act. The thing our friends and family need most here East of the Cascades are career opportunities--that's why I like about this bill. It's a job creator--not just jobs for the sake of jobs, but good ones. This bill funds projects that will make our state more resilient to what danger the future has in store for us--as well as making us less dependent upon a fuel that is destroying our ecosystem. A job creation program like this cost money but …we're already paying the cost of our failure to act on climate--at least this will put that money back into the hands of our friends and family all across the state.”
Marty Bishop
“We know many times in the past climate and environmental priorities are among the first to get cut from the budget. We have seen it countless times before, and we are already seeing it in this session. Washington STRONG will raise the money on outdated energy sources that can be used to fund solar farms, microgrids, charging stations, and storage.”
Felipe Rodriguez
“For me, the past decade has been defined by Typhoon Haiyan, wildfires in California and central Washington, hurricanes Harvey and Maria and Zeta and Eta, disconnected grids in California and Texas, and more. The best time to put a price on greenhouse gases would have been decades ago, the next best time is now. This is not a rural versus urban issue, and this is not a time for posturing. Washington STRONG reflects this understanding and provides solutions for all communities. I commend the lead sponsors on a policy that places rural communities at the forefront…”
Sameer Ranade
“In Puget Sound, the unjust problem of automobile emissions and acidified waters will increase--absent smart climate action like Washington STRONG. It's a blueprint for how to avoid destructive harms and create a robust, just green economy driven by quality local jobs. This charges a Pigovian tax on climate pollution [for] innovative green bonds to finance our societal transition to clean energy and a resilient ecosystem. The transition is approached holistically--protecting the future livelihood of fossil fuel industry workers; it rightly seeks tribal input, combats discrimination by race and income class by targeting infrastructure investments to raise the quality of life everywhere to the same high standards."
Giovanni Severino
“I live in Yakima, and constantly work in communities down in the lower valley of Yakima where we see the impacts of climate change every day. Seeing that there is a bill like Washington STRONG and front of us today provides hope for us to start taking action in investing in these communities that we have forgetten to invest into in the previous years. We believe in a green and strong economy, and also, this bill would help the quality of life for those who are living in those situations where they see the impacts directly as it's right next to them and they live right in those areas. Once again, this bill would invest in those communities [and] would also improve the quality of life of all Washingtonians.”
Judy Twedt
“I'm a member off the Environmental Justice Task Force. I was born and raised in Tacoma, and I'm speaking here today on behalf of my labor union which is UAW 4121. We're a union of academic student and research employees on all three of the University of Washington campuses... I'm also an instructor, and I study climate change. And we support SB5373 for a number of reasons... It generates much needed revenue for healthier communities and good jobs and sustainable infrastructure and largely avoids turning clean air and water into commodities via carbon markets. It uses the health disparities map to guide equity oriented investments and strengthens the urgently needed turn away from our dependence on fossil fuels which burdens poor people, young people, and people of color the most.”
Martin Gibbins
“The League of Women Voters supports the establishment of an indexed carbon pollution tax as the basis for revenue bonds and programs that will both help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will mitigate climate change impacts…We have no time to lose. The League supports the emphasis on addressing the needs of vulnerable populations and communities most highly impacted by climate change--both urban and rural--and including collaboration with Native American tribes.”
Sasha Zhang
“We've seen the effects of the climate crisis and deadly wildfires and unforgiving snowstorms. And we've seen politicians pledge their support of our cause in order to win votes and elections--yet, we are still waiting on action. It is unacceptable to continue to put Band-Aids on bullet wounds, and Washington STRONG will be the first step in addressing climate change at the scale which it requires. My mom has always told me to do what is right--not what is easy, so I ask you to do the same. My future is in your hands, and we all deserve the chance for a livable future.”
Hannah Lindell Smith
“I am fourteen years old, a member of Sunrise Seattle and a freshman at Summit Atlas public school. Today, I took time off to represent myself and the young people of Washington State in testifying in support of SB5373. We are the ones who are going to be paying a price for the greed of fossil fuel corporations who have repeatedly chosen to sell our earth and our future for profit. The least they can do is help us pay for the cost of cleaning up the mess they helped to get us in. This bill does exactly that--it will provide the billions of dollars we need to finance a just transition and give the frontline communities--that the climate crisis is already hitting the hardest--funding they need to survive. It will be a sound start to the action we need to ensure that my generation and all those that come after will grow up to a Washington state--not broken, but evergreen and growing. A Washington state where the orcas and salmon come home every Fall. A Washington strong.”
Emily Martin
“We work with young Washingtonians to pass bold, equitable climate policy. Last year, young Washingtonians successfully lobbied to pass a climate pollution limits bill because we know that our future depends on drastically reducing our emissions by 2030. Passing Washington STRONG is a critical step in reaching those targets because there's no way we can reach them without rapidly investing in clean energy... This legislative session, we are relying on you to be on the right side of history by prioritizing our futures over the profits of the fossil fuel industry. Like Representative Hackney said,'The best time to pass Washington STRONG would have been decades ago, but the next best option is to pass it now."
R. Court Olson
“I'm the chair of people of People for Climate Action, a group that's about a thousand members strong. And I'm also an engineer by training, and I recognize the need to research a problem and then carefully analyze solutions. And I think that you've done that with this bill, so very much in support of it. I would also like to say that as a previous co-author of some other legislation passed by the legislature recently, I'm really thankful for the extent of research that you did in this particular bill. You’ve crafted a great deal here and thank you Senator Lovelett and thank you to all your allies and putting this bill together.”
Julie Gilling
“D.N.R is supportive of bold action that rises to the challenge of our current climate crisis by curbing carbon emissions and investing in resilient, natural and working lands and communities. The forests in our state are crucial to combating climate change. These lands can serve as our greatest offense and defense-- and yet are threatened due to increasingly catastrophic wildfires in the ever increasing risk of conversion. We feel we have the opportunity to retrieve a triple bottom line action on climate change, revenue for schools, counties, and rural communities and investment in resilient and natural resources. We have worked with the prime sponsor and are grateful to see a few technical changes that have been made that will strengthen the substitute including forest health and wildfire prevention preparedness and protection, carbon projects that create incentives to prevent conversion of working forest lands, and conserving critical natural working lands.”
Annie Phillips
“[Washington STRONG] is simple, bold, and elegant. No games. Promotes infrastructure, forest and agricultural support, and jobs. Addresses environmental justice [and] puts big money to work quickly on green projects.”