Recommended Actions for the Week of 20170522

Source: Summer Stinson – Washington’s Paramount Duty

Description: The first special session ends on Tuesday and legislators are no closer to fully funding education.

Suggested Script: Here are some messages to share. Pick your favorite. Call or write to them or do both. Write a letter to the editor. Make some noise. This is unacceptable.

• We were promised great public schools — now we need to fund them.
  Washington’s constitution promises an amply funded, basic K-12 education to every child. In 2009-10 the legislature defined that education as one that is equitable, culturally sensitive and non-biased, with a healthy and safe learning environment, with qualified teachers, smaller class sizes and nutritious meals, in schools with a well-rounded curriculum, including art, music, drama, languages, technology and sports. We cannot break these promises (as the Senate plan does) — we need to fund them.

• Don’t pit schools and services against each other.
  Washington cannot fund public schools at the expense of mental health care, anti-poverty programs, homelessness assistance, higher education, or early education. The Senate plan cuts all of these things, and does so without amply funding schools. This is morally wrong — and it will hurt kids’ ability to learn. We cannot balance the budget on the backs of our lowest-income families, especially by taking food and shelter away from them.

• We support the capital gains tax.
  Our tax system is upside down. Washingtonians with the lowest incomes pay seven times more in taxes as a share of personal income than the richest one percent. This upside-down system must be fixed to generate the revenues needed to fund our schools. The House capital gains tax proposal is an excellent start. Nearly every other state, including Idaho, has one. Most of the new revenue from a capital gains tax would be paid by the richest 1% of households — meaning those with incomes of at least $490,000 per year. Washington voters like it too — a recent poll showed 65% support this plan.

• We support closing tax breaks for big businesses.
  Washington has nearly 700 tax loopholes (694, to be precise), more than any other state except New York. The state legislature must close some of the numerous, unaccountable tax loopholes. According to the state’s own estimates, Washington gives away $30 billion in tax breaks each biennium, which translates to lost revenue. This money belongs in our classrooms, not in wealthy investors’ pockets.

Contact Information: Please contact your State Senator and Representatives!

    40th District

• Senator Kevin Ranker: (360) 786 – 7678, Kevin.Ranker@leg.wa.gov
• Representative Kristine Lytton: (360) 786-7800, Kristine.Lytton@leg.wa.gov
• Representative Jeff Morris: (360) 786-7970, Jeff.Morris@leg.wa.gov

    42nd District

• Senator Doug Ericksen: (360) 786-7682, Doug@SenatorEricksen.com
• Representative Vincent Buys: (360) 786-7854, Vincent.Buys@leg.wa.gov
• Representative LuAnne Van Werven: (360) 786-7980, Luanne.VanWerven@leg.wa.gov

Source: RC Member

Description: Give local. Set up monthly donations to local organizations by June 1st.

Background: Our Civic Tithing tool is nearly six months old. Riveters pledged $20,000 per year in monthly donations in January. If you haven’t set up monthly donations to your favorite local organizations yet, now is a great time. Also, the sortable list is a great way to connect with organizations for volunteer work, or just to get on mailing lists to stay up to date on their work and needs.

Additional Information: Riveters Collective: Civic Tithing

Source:  Conservation Northwest

Description:  The state House passed a capital budget bill that includes funding to save the core of Blanchard from logging.  Call on state Senators to support this funding as well.  The special session ends Tuesday!

Background: Located south of Bellingham off Chuckanut Drive, Blanchard State Forest is a hugely popular recreation area visited by as many as 100,000 people from across the Puget Sound region each year. Unfortunately, the core of this special area will soon be logged if state lawmakers don’t fund an alternative.  The state House has passed a capital budget bill that includes the funding necessary to save the core of Blanchard from logging through an existing program called Trust Land Transfer. Now it’s up to the Senate to support this funding as well, and we need you to urge your state leaders to do so.

Contact Information:  Send a message online using this simple form.

Additional Information:  Visit Conservation Northwest’s Blanchard Mountain page for more information.

Source: RE Sources for Sustainable Communities

Description: Thank Whatcom County Council for adopting Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan amendments relating to the Cherry Point Urban Growth Area.

Background: At their 5/16/17 meeting, County Council voted 6-1 (Brenner opposed) to adopt ordinance 2017-063A, “Comprehensive Plan amendments relating to the Cherry Point Urban Growth Area.”  The final Comprehensive Plan amendments for Cherry Point:

• Prevent piecemeal upgrades for oil exports by requiring “Magnuson Amendment” review of all permits that involve handling petroleum.
• Block any new proposals for shipping piers in the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve.
• Recognize Lummi Nation’s history and treaty-protected fishing rights.
• Commit the County to completing a legal study by December 2017 to develop recommendations for legal ways the County may choose to limit the negative impacts from crude oil, coal. liquefied petroleum gases, and natural gas exports. New legislation will likely follow completion of the study.

Contact Information: Send an email to council@co.whatcom.wa.us or click here for contact information of individual County Council members.

Suggested Script: Thank you so much for adopting the Comprehensive Plan amendments relating to the Cherry Point Urban Growth Area.  I greatly appreciate your leadership to protect the public health, safety, economy, and environment of Whatcom County and the Salish Sea from threats to export of tar sands, fracked gas, and crude oil through Cherry Point.

Source: Keep Bellingham Families Working (edited by the RC)

Description: Read Dignity Dialog notes, and read the published ask for the Bellingham City Council, attend a Dignity Vigil (or here).  We are prepping for a Q&A and for writing letters to the city council.

Background:
3 April 2017 Notes
17 April 2017 Notes
15 May 2017 Notes

Description: President Trump has ordered the Department of the Interior to review all designations of national monuments greater than 100,000 acres created since 1996.  Public comments relating to Bears Ears National Monument are being accepted through May 26, 2017, while comments on the other 26 monuments will be accepted through July 10, 2017.

Background:  On April 26, 2017, the White House issued a Presidential Executive Order on the Review of Designations under the Antiquities Act, directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to review certain National Monuments designated or expanded since 1996.  The Secretary of the Interior will use the review to determine whether each designation or expansion conforms to the policy stated in the Executive Order and to formulate recommendations for Presidential actions, legislative proposals, or other appropriate actions to carry out that policy.  There are 27 National Monuments under review, including Hanford Reach in Washington and 5 marine national monuments; the list can be found here.

Contact Information:  Submit comments online through regulations.gov (Docket ID# DOI-2017-0002).

Suggested Script:  Click here for suggested scripts.  We’ll update with new scripts as often as we can, so check back often!!

Additional Information:

• NPR: See the Sweeping American Landscapes Under Review by Trump
• New York Times: Battle Over Bears Ears Heats Up as Trump Rethinks Its Monument Status

Source: RC

Description: Measure your carbon footprint and develop a long-term plan for major emissions reduction in your own life. Bookmark the calculator and consult it in your decision-making.

Background:  We have tremendous power to reduce carbon emissions in our own lives. This is not optional, but no one will make us do it.  The transition to clean energy is happening, and needs to accelerate, and we need to be the drivers on the personal and the policy level. This means substantial change in some of our lifestyles, but a low carbon – working toward carbon neutral – lifestyle is different, but also joyful and meaningful. Measurement is accountability.  Commit to measuring, making a plan, and telling your friends. This is our personal responsibility to future generations, but also to marginalized people already affected.  Marching is important, but addressing climate change must be a daily practice for all of us.

Permanent Planet is a locally-developed calculator which addresses just the major contributors to emissions. The developer created the tool in his spare time and there is no monetization of the site.