Friday, March 15, 2019

Legislative update

by WA 12th District Rep. Keith Goehner

Low Carbon Fuel

The low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) legislation came before us in the House Transportation Committee.

House Bill 1110 would direct the Department of Ecology to adopt, by rule, standards to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions per unit of fuel energy in transportation fuels over time. This is modeled after California's LCFS.
The California Energy Commission reported that 16 cents has been added to a gallon of fuel due to its LCFS program. This number is expected to increase as the program is fully implemented.
I voted against this measure in committee. It lacks transparency, would not significantly improve the environment and does not generate any new funding for our transportation infrastructure. It would also cost $1.8 million to administer.
Presidential primary
One of our more lively debates of the session has been on the presidential primary, Senate Bill 5273. The bill moves Washington's presidential primary vote to the second Tuesday in March from late May with the hope of Washington state being more relevant in the selection of the presidential candidates.
However, I believe the legislation disenfranchises voters. Washingtonians who do not declare a party preference would not be able to participate in the state's presidential primary. Republicans offered several amendments to allow voters to participate without declaring a party preference or casting a vote as an unaffiliated voter. All were defeated.
Voters in Washington state like their independence. Some estimate we could see up to 1 million voters decide not to participate in the primary because of having to choose a party. Their vote, along with their party selection would also be public and the political parties would be able to use that information in preparation for future elections. Many of our concerns can be found in a Seattle Times column: 'Highway robbery': How our presidential primary is also a marketing scheme, run through your ballot. The bill passed the House 54-42, with all Republicans and one Democrat voting “no.” It had already passed the Senate and is awaiting the governor's signature.
Excerpted from Rep. Keith Goehner newsletter.

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