Below is a supplement to this afternoon's Washington state legislative session recap post. This update is courtesy of Environmental Priorities Coalition and Brendon Cechovic of Washington Conservation Voters. 

Update: Special Legislative Session
 
March 11, 2010

As the campaign director for the Clean Water Act of 2010, I wanted to give you an update on where things stand in Olympia. It appears certain that the legislature is moving into a special session, and there are difficult decisions that still need to be made regarding the state budget, revenue, and job creation.

The Clean Water Act is very much alive, and will be one of the limited items that the legislature will consider during the special session. That credit goes to you. We asked you to make your voice heard, and you responded with an overwhelming push for clean water in Washington. You and I know that we can't wait any longer to address the biggest water pollution problem in the state - toxic stormwater runoff.

The odds have been stacked against us from the first day of session. Big oil companies have run every play in their book against our proposal to raise the hazardous substance tax for clean water funding. They now realize that we are close to passing the bill, and will stop at nothing to avoid paying their share of pollution clean-up costs.

We've rolled with the punches over the past two months, and will need to stay vigilant to see this landmark legislation to the finish. Even in these tough times, we can pass a bill that is a substantial win for clean water, jobs and local economies around the state.

You've heard from us a lot these past weeks, especially if your legislator's support has been on the fence. But we can't let our guard down now. We'll be asking you to stand up again for clean water over the coming week, and will keep you informed as we make the final push for the Clean Water Act. The Environmental Priorities Coalition will also be working hard to make sure core environmental protections are sustained in the final state budget. You can always find the most updated information on our coalition's website at www.environmentalpriorities.org.

Thank you again for your strong support this session.

Brendon Cechovic
Washington Conservation Voters

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