Happy new year!

The members and staff of the House Democratic Caucus wish you and yours a happy, healthy and safe new year. Enjoy the festivities and fun (but not too much). We'll see you in 2009!

Well played, Sam

It's officially on.

Rep. Morris has his eye on becoming #1 energy-saving state

Sam Taylor at the Bellingham Herald's Politics Blog, who is a voracious devourer of legislative news apparently, beat us to our OWN posting regarding Rep. Jeff Morris' new bill proposals for the '09 session.

Morris, an energy policy expert by trade, led efforts in 2005 that resulted in adoption of new efficiency standards for many appliances and electrical equipment in Washington. That bill, HB 1062, was estimated to save Washington over 400 million gallons of water, 1.9 million therms of natural gas, and 136 million KW hours of electricity in the first year alone.

“Not only do these policies make sense from an energy conservation standpoint, they make sense economically,” says Morris. “For consumers and businesses of Washington state, those savings equal nearly half a billion dollars in energy savings.” Morris is referring to the estimated HALF A BILLION in savings for consumers and businesses by 2020, thanks to 1062.

As a result, our state has become a national leader in conservation efforts. In fact, for the past two years the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has ranked Washington sixth in the nation in energy-saving policy.

But we suppose chanting, "We're #6!" doesn't sound nearly as cool as "We're #1." So this year, Rep. Morris has his sights on rising even higher in the ACEEE rankings with House Bill 1004, expanding energy efficiency standards to several other appliances, from wine chillers to portable electric spas.

To learn more about the ACEEE and read the report on states’ rankings, or learn how you can save energy at home, visit their site here.

And read the full news release here.

And next time, Sam, we’ll make sure to post our blog-worthy news here before you can beat us to the punch…

Homeowner protection legislation on tap for 2009

The Olympian’s Brad Shannon provides a good overview of the issues around homeowner protection in this weekend’s paper. Rep. Brendan Williams has been one of the more visible players on this issue and has already dropped a bill. In Shannon's words:

Williams already has filed House Bill 1045, which follows a home-warranty approach championed in 2008 by retiring Rep. Pat Lantz, D-Gig Harbor. Lantz's bill was patterned after a warranty rule for condominium purchasers that lawmakers passed in 2005, which Williams is using as a selling point.

But Williams’ approach, which provides homeowners with four-year protections for most defects and 10 years for latent defects and water damage, is only one that lawmakers will be considering.

Rep. Larry Springer and a handful of other Democratic legislators are putting together legislation that will likely include ideas such as a new ombudsman at the Attorney General’s office or arbitration options for homeowners seeking compensation for damages valued less than $50,000. As Shannon reports:

Springer said his focus is specific.

"We're really talking about roofing, siding, doors and windows, framing, and foundations. We are not interested in granite countertops," he said.

"We're really interested in water penetration and structural soundness," Springer said.

Whatever your opinion on this, Shannon outlines many of the pros and cons of the various proposals that is helpful for the average homeowner trying to wrap their head around this issue.

Basic education community forum in Kenmore next Tuesday

State Rep. Ruth Kagi hopes a major community education forum slated for Tuesday evening, Jan. 6, will give local residents a head start in understanding and weighing in on key education-funding issues that lawmakers will face in 2009.

The forum is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room of the Northshore Public Utility District facility, which is located at 6830 NE 185th St. in Kenmore.

Kagi is co-sponsoring the forum with the Washington State PTA and League of Education Voters to give parents, teachers and others an inside view of the findings and recommendations of the Washington State Basic Education Funding Task Force.

“We need our local communities to have a strong voice in decisions that will shape the future of education here and throughout Washington, and this forum will help,” said Kagi.

State Rep. Ross Hunter will be at the forum to provide an inside look at the work and recommendations of the Basic Education Funding Task Force. Hunter is a key member of the Task Force who also chairs the House Finance Committee in the State Legislature.

Citizens attending the forum will also have an opportunity to hear the perspectives and ask questions of Scott Allen, the Vice President of the Washington State PTA, and George Scarola, the Legislative Policy Director for the League of Education Voters.

“This will truly be a community discussion on education, and not an event where people are just talked at,” Kagi said. “We will all be fielding questions and comments at the forum, and the public perspectives I hear will be invaluable as I prepare for the legislative session that starts on Jan. 12.”

Silent night... and a few silent days

Don't expect much from us the next several days as we'll be playing in the snow, drinking eggnog, and enjoying some quality time with our families before abandoning them for the 2009 session.

Happiest of holidays to everyone from the members and staff of the House Democratic Caucus!

Cap-and-trade idea bumping up against economic forces

Last year the Legislature approved HB 2815, a comprehensive bill that put in motion an aggressive effort to dramatically decrease greenhouse gas emissions in Washington state. The state Department of Ecology and Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development just released the Comprehensive Plan focusing on the first major goal of the legislation which is to reduce Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

A centerpiece of the plan is a regional cap-and-trade system in cooperation with the Western Climate Initiative, a coalition of seven states and four Canadian provinces. It also happens to be the top priority of the Washington Environmental Priorities Coalition which actually calls this a "Cap and Invest" program, emphasizing that money from the program would be directed to encourage new green jobs and innovation, as well as help low-income households with energy bills.

There’s broad agreement among legislators and stakeholders that such a system is the right way to go, but as with many good ideas, disagreement arises over the details of how it should be implemented.

And now that Washington is looking at an almost $6 billion shortfall, the details are getting even stickier. Environmentalists and many legislators have pushed for a cap-and-trade system that auctions off credits to businesses. The idea is that companies who need the emission credits will buy more. But businesses, suffering through the economic recession, are raising concerns, leading Gregoire to consider an alternative.

The Associated Press reports:

Concerned about the bad economy and pressure on businesses, Gregoire is leaning toward giving away most of the pollution credits, rather than auctioning them off as environmentalists had hoped.

But other pieces of the plan may still move forward with broad agreement despite the economic situation. The article continues:

The governor’s proposed budget includes about $25 million for climate change, including money to add solar panels to three state prisons, increase the energy efficiency of public buildings and fund anaerobic digesters to reduce waste. There’s also money in the budget to increase vanpools.

The Climate Action Team, which Gregoire convened last year to come up with concrete ways to fight climate change, earlier this month called for more energy-efficient buildings, compact urban development, better collection of recycled materials, reduced driving and revised development rules to account for greenhouse gas emissions.

Janice Adair of the state Department of Ecology said the state won’t pursue some of those recommendations next year, such as giving tax credits to buildings that reduce energy use.

She said other groups or legislators may push for them, and some efforts, such as revising the energy code to reduce energy use, can still be done.

Some environmentalists say they understand the situation.

“It’s obviously a dismal budget situation,” said K.C. Golden, policy director with Climate Solutions. “We’re not expecting enormous public investment.”

He said there’s opportunity for private investment in energy-efficient buildings and through the cap-and-trade program.

However this plays out, it will be certainly be one of the issues that businesses and environmentalists will be keeping an eye on this session.