My heart is both in deep gratitude for our community of climate advocates and all the good we’ve done together, and very heavy witnessing the climate crisis-era fires and suffering in Los Angeles. Several of my colleagues have family members or close friends who have experienced the direct impacts of the fires—the smoke, the disruption of power and water services, the sudden evacuation orders, the loss of property. Many of you undoubtedly know or know of people who have been faced with terrible choices—what to save, what to leave behind. My heart aches at the loss of life, and grief those affected are experiencing.
This time of climate impacts makes me more committed to addressing the climate crisis in all the ways we can, including the Washington State Legislative session which started this week.
We’re coming off an incredible victory last fall when over 60% of Washington voters crushed the effort to repeal the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) and defeated I-2117; now is the time to keep our momentum going. The 2025 Washington legislative session is beginning, and here’s what’s next:
- Keep investing CCA dollars in deep pollution cuts
CCA dollars are making big differences in communities across WA. We need to ensure this money continues to stay invested in programs that reduce pollution and actually improve people’s lives like: zero-emission medium-and heavy-duty vehicle vouchers; instant EV rebates for Washingtonians living on low incomes; EV community and home charging programs; 100% clean school buses; heat pump rebates; and more. - Build on what’s working
We’ve got a lot of good things going in Washington, but we need to renew these policies and programs and make improvements to others like: extending the WA EV sales tax waiver; supporting a clean maritime sector; boosting transmission capacity; improving our clean energy siting processes; and implementing transportation electrification strategies. - Defend our progress
The Advanced Clean Truck rule is truly critical for Washington to meet its climate targets in law and for improving our health. Delaying this rule by even two years would cause $67.6-83.7 million in health costs. We also need a rule on the books to help spur market demand and certainty up and down the West Coast, making cleaner vehicles more accessible, visible, and exciting.
We’ll keep you updated on all these items, especially as bills get filed and move throughout this long session.
Together, we can take care of each other, and address the climate crisis.
And if you are interested, here are a few places to donate to help those affected by the LA fires, including families displaced in Pacific Palisades and in historic black communities of Altadena:
