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Protecting critical industrial lands
Washington is blessed with natural and man-made transportation assets that give the state enviable economic competitive advantages over most other areas of the country: deep water ports, one of the largest river systems in North America, a premier freight rail network and two intersecting interstate highways. Our transportation system has been the foundation of Washington’s […]
Energy & Environment
Japanese legislators hear from Washington foresters
Looking to improve their country’s struggling forestry industry, congressmen from Hyogo Prefectural Assembly’s Forestry Development Committee in Japan have turned to Washington foresters such...
New analysis on lower Snake River dams
As efforts continue in favor of breaching the lower Snake River dams to aid salmon and Southern Resident Killer whale recovery, NOAA Fisheries –...
Education
Picking Peter’s pocket to pay Paul: Lazy McCleary ‘fix’ leaves critical infrastructure projects out...
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone;
But when she got there
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had...
Attacking the gap: the bridge from class to career
After years spent mired in the Supreme Court’s McCleary decision and battling over education funding, the legislature is now uniquely aligned around one major...
Growth
How drivers feel about an RUC
This coming December the Washington State Transportation Commission’s (WSTC) road user charge (RUC) steering committee plans to submit recommendations to the legislature for the...
Ultra-high-speed rail: Silver bullet or pipe dream?
The Washington State Department of Transportation has released its business case analysis regarding the concept of an ultra-high-speed rail line from Portland through Seattle...
Healthcare
Contemplating a single-payer system
Washington state lawmakers this session considered several bills intended to reduce healthcare costs. However, while the approach focuses on capping the rates by health...
Healthcare “standardized” plan proposal passes
The Washington state lawmakers in the final days of session approved legislation intended to lower healthcare costs, but opponents say it will have the...
Health care bill clears House
The Washington House voted 53-38 on April 10 in favor of a Senate bill purported to lower health care costs, while detractors argued prior...
Business
Plaintiffs warn of “grave financial doom for Sound Transit,” offer settlement
Just days after the State Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit against Sound Transit’s ST3 motor vehicle excise tax (MVET), the plaintiffs...
Planners should rethink growth strategies, says Strong Towns advocate
By 2040, Washington state is estimated to have a population of almost 9 million residents; that’s an increase of 1.4 million from its current...
Sound Transit fumbles facts with vehicle tax
An unexpected wrench has been thrown into the cogs of Sound Transit’s legal defense of its new motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) as part...