Kitsap County receives salmon grant recovery funding

OLYMPIA — Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, announced today that Kitsap County has received a total of $1,055,641 from the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board to protect and restore salmon populations and their habitats. more>>>

Aberdeen to host state Senate work session on ocean policy

OLYMPIA – When it comes to good stewardship of the ocean, most of us are all wet. Although the ocean covers 70 percent of the earth’s surface, Washingtonians tend to focus more on Puget Sound, due to its proximity to population centers. That focus may be shifting, thanks to the work of the Senate Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee, which has scheduled a work session in Aberdeen to examine a macro to micro view of ocean policy. more>>>

Governor signs Rockefeller’s Sound-saving ‘Partnership’ bill

OLYMPIA – The prognosis for the long-term health of the Puget Sound took a turn for the better with the signing of Senate Bill 5372 by Gov. Chris Gregoire today. more>>>

Clear sailing for Rockefeller’s derelict vessels bill

OLYMPIA – Potential oil spills caused by abandoned vessels may be less of a threat to our waterways now that Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed legislation to beef up the removal of several hundred derelict or abandoned vessels. more>>>

It’s the law: Wildlife volunteers will be compensated, thanks to Haugen

OLYMPIA — Volunteers who handle injured or frightened wildlife will receive long-needed compensation under a bill signed in law Monday by Gov. Chris Gregoire. more>>>

Reasonable precautions in safety legislation

I’d like to respond to the advertisement by the Bromine Science and Environmental Forum in the April 10 edition of The News Tribune. PBDEs (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether) are harmful toxins and the bromine industry knows it. PDBEs are everywhere. They pervade our environment and bio-accumulate in our bodies. more>>>

Two wins for Rockefeller: House passes Puget Sound Partnership, College Bound bills

OLYMPIA – The House of Representatives today passed two bills prime-sponsored by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, to establish a new agency to protect the Sound and to provide hope to college bound students. Both bills are expected to be signed into law by the governor. more>>>

Penta, octa or deca? Doesn’t matter, says Regala; PBDEs are hazardous

OLYMPIA – Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, also known as PBDEs, are toxic flame retardant additives found in plastic products which reduce their fire risk. Sen. Debbie Regala, D-Tacoma, shepherded a bill that already passed in the state House of Representatives, to stop the flow of certain products that contain these flame retardants. more>>>

It’s good to be green

Sometimes the most dangerous course of action is doing nothing. If we do nothing, then global climate changes already making their mark on our weather, glaciers and air quality will harm our environment in irrevocable and dire ways. more>>>

Mining threatens Sound, island

The Legislature is on the verge of preserving Maury Island and the Puget Sound waters that surround it forever. But a powerful mining company is standing in the way. more>>>

Hope emerges in decade-long fight against Glacier

It’s been a long, hard fight against Glacier Northwest and there’s more to come. After a decade of working to stop the massive expansion of Glacier Northwest’s strip mine on Maury Island, there’s new hope of forging a permanent solution that will safeguard our drinking water, critical nearshore habitat and quality of life for generations to come. more>>>

Haugen bill to compensate wildlife volunteers passes Senate

OLYMPIA — The volunteers who respond to injured or frightened wildlife that turn up in homes, neighborhoods and other public areas across Washington will gain some much-needed compensation, thanks to a bill passed Monday by the Senate. more>>>

Senate passes Jacobsen’s bill to help our returning veterans and environment

OLYMPIA – The Senate passed a bill yesterday to connect our returning veterans to natural restoration projects that protect and restore Washington’s watersheds, rivers, streams, lakes and forest lands. more>>>

Senate unanimously approves bill to remove derelict vessels

OLYMPIA – More money to clear local waters from possible dangerous effects of abandoned and derelict vessels may be on the way with the passage of a bill that provides additional funding to the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Derelict Vessel Removal Program. more>>>

Senate passes bill to battle climate change

OLYMPIA – Climate change is shrinking vital snowpack in the Cascades, melting glaciers, destroying arctic habitat and sparking extreme weather phenomenon throughout the world. If legislation approved today by the state Senate becomes law, Washington – a national leader in responding to global climate change – will take its biggest step yet to curtail the greenhouse gas emissions contributing to the problem. more>>>

Rockefeller navigates landmark legislation through Senate to save our Sound

OLYMPIA – The Puget Sound gained a major victory today with the passage of a bill to create a new governance entity to protect and restore the health of the Puget Sound. more>>>

Maury Island measure makes its way through the Senate

OLYMPIA – It has been called one of Puget Sound’s jewels. But if a mining company has its way, that jewel – Maury Island – would lose much of its luster, and Puget Sound itself would be in even more peril. more>>>

Turning the tide: Hobbs leading the charge for clean energy

OLYMPIA –Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, feels that his goal of tapping clean and renewable energy isn’t shooting for the moon. In fact, the untapped power could be right in our backyard – and, with a little help from the gravitational pull of the moon – as dependable as night and day. more>>>

State solutions to global warming

OLYMPIA – The verdict is in: Humans are contributing to global warming. In Washington, a warmer climate poses a ruinous threat to our communities along the coast, around the Puget Sound, and those that depend upon our rivers and streams. more>>>

Crabbers make compelling case in Senate committee

OLYMPIA – For years, Washington crabbers have struggled with competition and the long-term sustainability of their livelihood. This week, they presented their remedy to the Senate Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee. more>>>

Senate Democrats seek solution to ‘unequivocal’ climate change

OLYMPIA – Recognizing that climate change will have severe environmental and economic impacts in Washington in coming decades, Senate Democrats have introduced an omnibus measure aimed at keeping the state a leader in addressing the problem. more>>>

Evidence clear: Climate change must be addressed, say Senate Democrats

OLYMPIA – Senate Democrats will hold a news conference this week to announce legislation aimed at making Washington a leader in addressing climate change. more>>>

Mother nature to help heal returning veterans

OLYMPIA – Returning veterans would be able to reintegrate more smoothly back into society through a training program connecting veterans to volunteer natural resource restoration projects through a proposed bill by Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle. more>>>

Legislation would tune up clean car bill

OLYMPIA – Emission standards for passenger cars and trucks should be more stringent, and Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, has proposed legislation to prevent Washington’s clean car bill implementation from stalling. more>>>