Environmental lobby looks to exert clout

The Olympian | • Published December 19, 2007

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Additionally, the bill would make it easier for low-income families to purchase locally grown food by enabling farmers markets to accept food stamps. The program also would increase funding of the Farmers Market Nutrition Program and create pilot projects for food banks to purchase fresh food directly from Washington farms. Startup costs are estimated at $4 million.

• Evergreen cities: The growth management act funnels growth into cities as a means of ending urban sprawl. With in-filling and higher population densities, huge stands of trees are disappearing. In this community, we need look no farther than Tumwater Hill, the destruction of trees for the new strip mall at College Street and Yelm Highway or the commercial development in Hawks Prairie where Costco and Home Depot have replaced acres of evergreens.

This legislative proposal is an effort to get more trees into cities — in parks, developments, open spaces and along city streets. The primary emphasis is to have the state Department of Natural Resources develop a statewide inventory and assessment of community forests and provide funding for cities to adopt and enforce tree ordinances and tree management plans. The bill encourages partnerships with local groups of volunteers to plant additional trees. Startup costs are $1 million.

• Local solutions to global warming: As part of the Growth Management Act, cities and counties are required to adopt comprehensive plans that dictate where growth will occur and what areas will be left rural in nature. Government jurisdictions must meet 14 goals on everything from coordination of transportation services to appropriate zoning regulations.

This environmental priority would create a 15th goal. As part of their land use planning, cities with 30,000 or more residents and counties with more than 50,000 people would be required to establish plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Startup costs are $1 million.

• Washington climate action: The fourth, environmental proposal creates a structure and time line for achieving Washington’s global warming pollution reduction goals. The bill also begins a program to prepare Washington workers for jobs in a clean-energy economy. Startup costs: $2.5 million to $4 million.

Look for the environmental lobby to exert its collective clout in 2008 and make considerable progress on four important goals to create a healthier state.