2018 Legislative Session Wrap-Up

Earth Ministry members deliver
Oil Spill Prevention Valentines

Well that’s all she wrote folks – the Washington State legislative session is a wrap! I am thrilled to share the good news that thanks to the advocacy efforts of people of faith statewide, two of Earth Ministry’s priority bills were passed and are now waiting to be signed into law.

Successes:

Oil Spill Prevention Act, E2SSB 6269

Provides secure and reliable funding for the Department of Ecology’s Oil Spill Prevention Program by expanding the barrel tax to pipelines. Thanks to this legislation, marine protections will be fully implemented and ongoing concerns will be addressed regarding oil spill prevention and preparedness.

Healthy Food Packaging Act, ESHB 2658

Phases out toxic PFAS chemicals from paper food packaging. An added victory is that a companion bill also passed to ban this same class of chemicals in firefighting foam. Washington state is the first in the nation to place restrictions on these chemicals that are linked to a slew of health concerns. We are grateful to live in a state that pioneers protecting the vulnerable.

  

More to Come:

Equitable Price on Carbon

While Governor Inslee’s attempt to put a price on carbon did not make it through the legislature, the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy filed an initiative to the people immediately after the bill was pulled. This move is the culmination of over three years of organizing efforts to bring together diverse constituency groups in support of a policy that reinvests in Washington and truly holds equity for impacted communities as its core value. Earth Ministry has been a member of the Alliance Steering Committee since it was founded and we are excited to work with you to pass this initiative this fall. Stay tuned for more ways to get engaged, including opportunities to help collect signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot.

People of faith from Whidbey Island meet
with their Representative Dave Hayes

Earth Ministry members have had so many opportunities for engagement with their elected officials this year! My top moments from this session were teaching workshops at interfaith advocacy days in Spokane and Olympia, going door to door with Earth Ministry Colleagues delivering handmade Valentines in support of the Oil Spill Prevention Act, watching Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator Leda Zakarison testify at a committee hearing for the first time, and organizing meetings for faith leaders from Whidbey Island to speak with their legislators about chemical safety.

By sharing our stories within a values-based framework, people of faith bring a new depth to legislative action. Earth Ministry’s advocacy efforts encouraged legislators to look beyond bills as solely environmental and instead to consider them as opportunities to uphold the moral choice of protecting communities and creation.

Even though the legislative session is over, our faithful advocacy continues strong! Democracy is like going to the gym – in order to see progress, you must work your democracy muscles more than once a year. So while we certainly deserve to catch our breath and celebrate, we will keep putting faith into action through our upcoming Earth Month activities and initiative campaign efforts. We look forward to partnering with you along the way.

With joy in our shared victories,

Jessica

Jessica Zimmerle

Earth Ministry Program and Outreach Director