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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