2022 Weekly Legislative Update
The 2022 legislative session ended on Thursday, March 10th with mixed results. The good news this session came in the form of key conservation and climate funding plus a new bill that encourages equitable, well-sited solar energy. Unfortunately, some Audubon priority bills were unable to get across the finish line in a whirlwind legislative session where the crunch for time doomed a lot of important legislation.
Check out the tracker below to see how our priorities fared.
Note: we’ve broken the following table into “top priorities,” “key priorities,” and “other legislation we’re tracking.” Legislation we’re tracking does not imply we’re advocating for or against the policy, unless otherwise specified.
POLICY PRIORITY LATEST UPDATE
| TOP PRIORITIES | |
|---|---|
|
Well-sited, Equitable Solar Energy Creates a new incentive program to provide funding to support low-income solar installations on buildings, parking lots, existing impervious surfaces, and other locations that don’t displace habitat or prime farmland. Legislation: HB 1814 |
This bill passed out of both chambers and has been delivered to the Governor for his signature. |
| Growth Management and Climate Change
Updates our state’s growth management act to include climate change as a planning element. If passed, it would fund a requirement that counties in Washington plan for emissions reductions and climate resilience. Legislation: HB 1099 |
This bill did not pass. It was a major priority for the environmental community. Unfortunately, the House ran out of time to accept last minute changes to the bill and it did not move forward. |
|
Shoreline Protection in Puget Sound Requires a comprehensive assessment of Puget Sound shoreline conditions, identifying structures that are either unpermitted or have fallen into disrepair. It also requires replacement structures to meet the same (more environmentally protective) standards as new structures. Legislation: SB 5885 |
This bill did not pass. It was amended in a problematic manner that would have prevented state and local agencies from using the comprehensive assessment in enforcement actions. Along with our partners we've asked legislators to remove this bill from consideration. Efforts to fund the shoreline assessment in the operating budget were unsuccesful. |
|
Outdoor School for All Creates a new Outdoor Education Experiences grant program in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to support outdoor learning opportunities for fifth and sixth grade students in Washington public schools. Legislation: HB 2078 |
This bill passed out of both chambers and has been delivered to the Governor for his signature. |
| OTHER KEY PRIORITIES | |
|---|---|
|
Solar Energy in Parking Lots As we work to encourage better siting of solar energy projects, parking lots present a unique opportunity to produce clean electricity in the built environment while also reducing the urban heat island effect. Legislation: SB 5714 |
This bill passed out of both chambers and has been delivered to the Governor for his signature. |
|
Protecting Washington’s Eelgrass and Kelp Calls for a collaborative plan to conserve and restore 10,000 acres of kelp and eelgrass beds by 2040. Legislation: SB 5619 |
This bill passed out of both chambers and has been delivered to the Governor for his signature. |
| OTHER LEGISLATION WE'RE TRACKING | |
|---|---|
|
GMA Sprawl Loophole This legislation, an Environmental Priorities Coalition priority, closes a sprawl loophole that undermines the intent of the Growth Management Act (GMA). The loophole allows counties to subvert the Growth Management Hearing Board (GMHB) appeals process to illegally build sprawling developments that devours farmlands, forests, and critical habitats. Legislation: SB 5042 |
This bill passed out of both chambers and has been delivered to the Governor for his signature. |
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