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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Down To Earth

Gregoire vs. Rossi— the rematch

Photobucket You can almost hear the clankity, clank, clank of the finish line - starting as a small clamor and erupting into a deafening roar, “And down the stretch they come!” In three short weeks the mud will cease, exit polls will explode with speculative news and Washingtonians will elect a governor to serve a four-year term that will begin during one of the most intense, tumultuous times in the history of the state and the country. Money will be tight, room for error tighter and the public’s microscope will be on the highest power. Things can go one of two ways for incumbent Governor Chris Gregoire (D) and challenger Dino Rossi (R) – the upcoming term of governor could be the chance to be remembered as a political hero of the state of Washington or as an ill-prepared failure unable to capture the opportunistic goldmine that is the current times. Because that’s how high the stakes are now a days – there is no more skating by or biding time – it’s act or be acted on. And while the only green on people’s minds lately has been the stuff they’re losing from their 401(k)’s and mutual funds, there’s a lifestyle of environmental understanding and conservation that cannot be ignored and will not be ignored. In the first of a two part series leading up the elections, DTE will examine the environmental attitudes of Governor Chris Gregorie and Dino Rossi. Stay tuned next week for Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. A familiar site around election time is the red and blue marked map of the United States signifying how states are leaning in the race for president. For a while it’s been pretty consistent, blue on the coasts and red in the middle – sort of like how a meat lover might order a Smurf steak. No matter what you know about Washington politics, you know when you see that map that Washington is going to be blue – just as no matter what you know about environmental issues in America, you know Washington is green. There’s a culture here and Chris Gregoire just happened to be sitting governor when that culture boomed – and according to the Washington Conservation Voters, Chris Gregoire is the right choice to be sitting governor when that culture manifests itself into real policy change. In four years Governor Gregoire has championed climate change action on behalf of the state of Washington and western North America as a key force in The Western Climate Initiative. In her term as Governor she has; “pushed for and signed a bill to reduce CO2 emissions and double “green-collar” jobs by 2020, signed an executive order that called for the state to, among other things, buy hybrid and low-emissions vehicles and signed the bill that makes car emissions standards tougher, which will lead to new cars emitting 30 percent less global warming pollution.” Additionally, Governor Gregoire acted quickly and timely and signed the Children’s Safe Products Act into law, making Washington the nation’s leader in keeping toxic chemicals out of toys and other children’s products. As well as signed the bill to eliminate PBDEs, making Washington the first state in the nation to eliminate this toxic flame retardant that is so prevalent throughout our homes and threatens our health. Governor Gregoire is a climate change activist in a state where climate change can be measured from border to border, north, south east and west. According to the Washington Conservation Voters, Governor Gregoire, “Applied significant pressure to the state Legislature to pass the Clean Cars bill, a measure that joins Washington with other states in adopting stronger vehicle emissions standards that will will lead to a 30% reduction in global warming pollution from new cars. In 2007, Governor Gregoire brought a suit against the Bush Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency for refusing to allow these stricter car emission standards.” Benchmarks and platforms aside, the race for the Governor’s mansion in Washington has turned into a good ‘ol fashion East versus West battle. In 2004 Gregoire lost every country east of the cascades and a quick gauge at the barometer suggests that the same may be in store this time around. One equal measuring stick that appeared last week when both candidates were in Spokane for a debate was the topic of Hanford and what would happen if cleanup plans were rolled back in face of sever federal budget cuts. Rossi suggested building relationships with D.C, “including with Barack Obama if he were elected” while Gregoire favored a no excuses stance and making cleaning up the mess a priority, “If the federal government fails us we have to sue,” she said, “because there is too much at stake.” There is too much at stake for inaction in general. The 2020’s and 2050’s are nice for clean looking numbers but what the next 4 years are going to be remembered for are just that the 2009’s, 10, 11 and 12’s. Washington needs a governor who will make benchmarks that will be accomplished in term and create policy that will take effect on his or her watch. The time to act is now and the state to do so is Washington. The Evergreen state needs an environmental bailout plan – and it needs a governor to enforce it. “Well, I’ve actually made a proposal that is the only serious proposal that would remove carbon from the air. She has made no serious proposal.”— Dino Rossi The online banners are everywhere: Washington Conservation Voters gave Rossi a dismal 32%. Now, the WCV score speaks volumes because they’re a nonpartisan electoral group that evaluates and endorses candidates based on their environmental record. And Dino Rossi talks a lot about what he’s going to do. He has numerous green proposals but his attempts at eco-credibility are nothing more than platitudes to steal votes because of this paradox: He wants to address climate change by building more roads. He frequently mentions the green initiatives of his road-building program, a plan to convert state vehicle fleet to hybrids and plug-ins, remove sales tax on high-mileage cars, and repair culverts that block salmon runs. The problem with those proposals—other than they’re ideas that have already been implemented by Gregoire—are the estimated $200 million he claims are sufficient to clear nearly 1,700 culverts for salmon while the state’s own estimates are four times higher. Taken as a whole, the $767 million Rossi proposes spending on the green initiatives will not make up for the billions he wants to spend on more roads. Considering the state budget crisis, more of Rossi’s state growth proposals should cause alarm for their lack of explanation as to why he’s saving money. It’s classic “lowballing.” Again: Taking the Tim Eyman/Eastern Washington huckster approach, Rossi promises if he wins to expand U.S. Highway 2. His estimate is $600 million, while the state said $1.8 billion. And again: Rossi predicts a replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle would cost just $2.7 billion, $700 million less than the city’s estimate. And again: In true Eyman fashion, Eastern Washington voters will pay for Puget Sound transportation projects that increase pollution. According to Sightline, “every extra one-mile stretch of lane added to a congested highway will increase climate-warming CO2 emissions more than 100,000 tons over 50 years.” Another problem are his ties with the Building Industry Association of Washington State, the only political organization to oppose the Puget Sound Partnership. (Think of Rossi’s hopes for salmon restoration.) In newsletters they’ve compared environmentalists to “Hitler’s Nazi Party” and said the Department of Ecology was “communistic.” The BIAW—his biggest donor and the ones behind the goofy “elitist Seattle” billboard—brag Rossi voted with them 99% of the time, including blocking significant environmental legislation like regulating greenhouse-gas emissions and strengthening the Growth Management Act. The latter is where Rossi, the former real estate mogul, reveals his Achilles Heel: When asked about Puget Sound pollution, Rossi said storm water run-off was the single biggest contributor but argued against a state mandated low-impact development plan, missing the connection. But that’s nickels and dimes compared to a more telling gaffe. As of yesterday, Rossi is still questioning human impact on climate change. Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican (or GOP in Rossi’s case), at this critical time for the environment, it’s difficult to take his proposals seriously after such an antiquated pronouncement.

Down To Earth

The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.