Seattle/King County Climate News
Robin Briggs
Seattle
The latest revenue forecast for Seattle projects a loss of $241M over the next two years (Publicola), compared to the previous estimate and what was used for making the budget. This includes a $50M shortfall in the General Fund, and a $142.3M reduction in the Payroll Tax. They also report that large employers seem to be moving jobs out of the city in order to avoid the payroll tax. This poses a big problem for the entire budget, which is dependent on the payroll tax, but in particular also for the Green New Deal and affordable housing funding which all comes from the payroll tax. This is in addition to the shortfalls previously projected for 2027 ($78M) and 2028 ($158M). Furthermore, many city social services are funded in part with Federal grants, which are being cut. This adds up to a big money crunch which the Mayor and the Council will have to address in a budget update in November.
State
We're bumping up against the end of the Legislative Session. April 16 was the cutoff for bills to pass both chambers. Bills that were passed in the same form in the House and Senate (with no amendments) go straight to the Governor's office for signature, but all bills that were passed with different amendments in the two chambers will require concurrence. The budget bills, for example, are all in concurrence. This means that the two chambers negotiate over wording they can agree on, and the bill will then have to go back to be voted again in final form. A special session to finalize budget items remains a possibility, but otherwise the Legislature's work will wrap up on April 27. Here's where the bills I've been tracking are at now:
This bill been signed into law by the Governor:
GMA Compliance (HB 1135). Closes a loophole that allows cities and counties to avoid compliance with new provisions of the Growth Management Act for housing affordability and climate change in local comprehensive plans. Lead by Futurewise.
These bills have passed both chambers, and has been sent to the Governor for signature:
Adjust Building codes for Sustainable and Affordable Housing (HB 1183). Requires a variety of tweaks to city building codes to make it easier to build affordable and sustainable housing and to retrofit buildings to be more sustainable. Lead by Sightline Institute.
Digital Right to Repair (HB 1483). Requires manufacturers of digital electronic products to make repair information, parts and tools available so small businesses can repair these items. Lead by Zero Waste Washington.
Monitoring PFAS in Biosolids (SB 5033). Calls for the state to measure the forever chemicals in wastewater treatment facilities that generate biosolids. Lead by Zero Waste Washington.
GMA Housing Element (HB 5148). Strengthens the affordable housing provisions of the Growth Management Act.
Reforming Parking Minimums (SB 5184). Caps the minimum parking requirements that cities and counties can require for developers. Parking mandates for construction require large chunks of land to be covered in asphalt instead of being used for more housing and more green space/trees. This bill sets limits on how much parking can be required, thus reducing the cost of building new housing. Washington State Senate Approves Sweeping Parking Reform Bill (The Urbanist). Lead by Sightline Institute.
Legalize Shared Streets (SB 5595). Allow cities to designate neighborhood streets where cars, bikes, and pedestrians share the same space, but speed limits are low and pedestrians are the priority.
Including Riders on Transit Boards (HB 1418). Most transit systems in the state are overseen by a board made up of elected leaders from the cities and counties covered by a Public Transportation Benefit Area (PTBA). This bill would encourage those boards to include two members who are regular users of the transit system. The bill would also require meetings to be accessible by public transit. Lead by Disability Rights Washington.
These bills have passed both chambers, and require concurrence:
Lot Splitting (HB 1096). Allow most lots to be split to allow starter homes. Lead by Signline Institute.
Upgrade the Clean Fuels Program (HB 1409). Accelerates the carbon intensity reduction requirements for transportation fuels under the Clean Fuels Program (CFP) and establishes penalties and other enforcement powers specific to the CFP (more info here). Lead by Climate Solutions.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HB 1462). Reduces hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants that are potent greenhouse gases, promoting more climate-friendly alternatives and refrigerant recovery and reuse. Lead by Zero Waste Washington.
Transit-Oriented Development (HB 1491). Requires local zoning standards to allow greater density near transit across the state with some of it required to be affordable. Lead by Futurewise.
Composting Bill (HB 1497). Improves the management and composting of food and yard waste to divert it from the landfill and avoid methane gas generation.
Encouraging the deployment of low carbon thermal energy networks (HB 1514)
Sewage Spills Right to Know (HB 1670). Lead by Environmental Priorities Coalition.
Establishing Priorities for Intercity Passenger Rail (HB 1837). Establishes priority targets to increase the frequency and speed and improve the reliability of the Amtrak Cascades route between Seattle and Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR. Lead by Climate Rail Alliance.
Recycling Reform Act (SB 5284). Creates a producer responsibility program to reduce unnecessary packaging and paper products. Specific incentives are built in to reduce plastic packaging. Lead by Zero Waste Washington.
Right to Repair Mobility Devices (SB 5680). Requires manufacturers of powered wheelchairs and similar devices to make repair information, parts and tools available to independent repair businesses and owners.
Washington prepares to defend climate policies against Trump's latest order (Seattle Times, paywall). Trump issued an executive order directing the Justice Department to block state and local level climate laws. The State has announced they will defend our laws in court. Most commentators think Trump's effort won't succeed because of established precedent that limits Federal interference in state's laws.
Sales of EVs and hybrids are far below the State's goal; they made up just 21.7% percent of all new vehicles, quite a bit below the 35% which is legally mandated starting next year. This means that EV makers, in particular Tesla which makes 46% of all new EVs sold in Washington, can make lots of money from gas car dealers which have to buy offset credits from EV dealers. Car purchases from out of state aren't counted toward the goal.
The Trump Administration is looking to cancel funding for four out of seven of the Clean Hydrogen Hubs, including the one here in Washington. It was expected to get up to $1B in funding.
Elsewhere
Major nations agree on first-ever global fee on greenhouse gases. The International Maritime Association will impose a minimum fee of $100 for every ton of GHG emitted by ships above a certain threshold, in what is the first global text on emissions. It estimates that it will raise $11-$13B annually from the fees, and the money will be invested in fuels and technologies necessary for carbon-free shipping. The thresholds will get stricter over time, with a goal of net zero by 2050. The agreement is expected to be ratified in October and go into effect in 2027. The US was "noticeably absent" from the agreement. Shipping emissions are currently estimated to be 3% of the total global emissions.
Paris has dramatically reduced its air pollution by restricting car traffic, and increasing space for bikes and pedestrians. Levels of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) have dropped by 55%. 'This was attributed to “regulations and public policies,” including steps to limit traffic and ban the most polluting vehicles."' Last month Paris voted for a referendum to turn an additional 500 streets over to pedestrians, and a year before that they increased parking fees for SUVs, to make it 3 times more than for smaller cars.
A Federal judge ruled that the $20B in Federal grants for a green bank cannot be scrapped. The green bank was established as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. The EPA is appealing the ruling.
Stockholm has a new electric hydrofoil foot-ferry that is the fastest electric passenger vessel in the world. It can "cruise comfortably at 25 knots (about 29 mph). Apparently the new boat has a 30% increase in ridership over the previous diesel boat. The Legislature failed to pass the Mosquito fleet bill that would have enabled more ferry connections across the Sound, but if it passes next year, maybe we can get one?