Environmental activists today outlined their goals for changes in Olympia, including:

• former Gov. Chris Gregoire‘s proposal to end a tax exemption for refineries, raising $63 million for the state and $23 million for local governments.
• banning a group of chemicals known as chlorinated Tris in couches and children’s toys.
• a study, with details not yet fleshed out, of how Washington might follow in the footsteps of British Columbia, California and Northeast states in regulating greenhouse gases, through some kind of carbon tax or cap-and-trade policy.

But they acknowledged in the conference call with reporters that the dynamics …

Read more »

Tolls on the Narrows bridge are almost certainly about to go up, driven by growing debt-service payments on the 2007 span. The only question is how much.

A measure in the Legislature might knock as much as 50 cents off of the necessary increase, according to the state’s toll director. Lawmakers are looking at forgiving sales taxes, and Craig Stone said Thursday:

that there could be about a 40 to 50 cent toll reduction for 2013 resulting from forgiving deferred sales taxes, but we’d want to have the traffic and revenue consultants run the numbers to get a more precise estimate

…

Read more »

A small business group today announced which incumbent legislators it’s backing for re-election, choosing 37 Republicans and conservative Democratic Sen. Tim Sheldon of Potlatch.

The National Federation of Independent Business is holding off on endorsing non-incumbents and challengers until after interviewing them (except one House member, Rep. Doug Ericksen, running for Senate) but its nearly one-party slate makes it clear whose side the group will be on this November. Unhappy with Democrats over the impact of taxes, workers’ compensation costs and unemployment insurance taxes on businesses, the lobbying group will be hoping Republicans take over the Legislature.

Sen. Pam Roach of Auburn and Reps. Bruce Dammeier of Puyallup and Jan Angel of Port Orchard won endorsements.

NFIB’s Patrick Connor said: “Small business owners know they can count on these lawmakers through thick and thin, and we hope the voters will join us in supporting them for re-election.”

The full list, including their rating by the group:

Read more »