The short 2014 Washington legislative session concluded on Thursday night, and centered on a single question: How will we prepare a better future for our children? 

The work of choosing and executing strategies that add up to large-scale carbon reduction must begin in earnest. In the Northwest and around the United States, we are seeing early signs that elected officials are responding to this call and starting down the path of hard work.

The Puget Sound estuary has the potential to store 8.9 million tons of CO2, the equivalent of 1.76 million cars. That’s almost as many cars as are registered in Snohomish and King Counties – the most densely populated part of Washington State.

Washington State's Department of Ecology and Cowlitz County has announced that they will take a broad look at the impacts of the proposed coal export terminal in Longview in southwest Washington. There will be no quick rubber stamp for this big coal project, but a rigorous review instead.

“Confronting climate change and building equity in our community are inescapable, global responsibilities," says Dow Constantine. He has a vision for what King County can do to reduce carbon emissions and confront global warming.

Both California and Washington are making strong progress toward establishing a clean fuel standard.

Washington State has made great strides in clean energy, energy efficiency, and energy independence. But some legislators want to slow or reverse those advances by weakening the law which has made our progress possible—the Washington State Energy Independence Act, or I-937.