Legislative story ideas

1.Dam removal throughout the Columbia River Basin becomes a national issue

The issue of removing dams along the Columbia River Basin, one of the stories I pitched in the beat note, is gaining national attention because of President Barack Obama's decision to adhere to the Bush administration's stance on the issue.

Original Post: Rep. Jim McDermott proposed legislation that would lead to the removal of several dams along the Snake River, raising many concerns for residents in Eastern Washington . This signals a change in environmental regulation schemes and could impact the region's salmon populations.

Link for the New York Times article: Obama Follows Bush on Salmon Recovery


2.SB 5684 Addressing environmental mitigation in highway construction.

Of the handful of bills passed by the Washington Legislature during the previous session, this is the most pertinent one for my beat. Highway construction disturbs hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles of land. Properly caring for the neighboring areas became a big enough issue for the legislature they were forced to take action. Investigating who supported and opposed this bill and what lobbyists helped shape the legislation could unveil why certain legislators voted the way they did.


3. A look at Susan Fagan and Pat Hailey's environmental records

In the months leading up to the 2008 general election, newspapers published reports focused on particular aspects of the candidates' platforms, with one of the areas being the environment. Neither candidate in the District 9 race has posted a clear breakdown of where they stand on environmental issues.