Articles written by Alex Visser
Sorted by date Results 1 - 8 of 8
Bill to outlaw Atlantic salmon net pen farming before governor
OLYMPIA (March 8) --The fate of the state’s fish farming industry is in jeopardy following the Legislature’s passage of a bill that would prohibit new, renewed or extended leases on marine net pen farms that raise “nonnative” fish. The legisla...
Hirst fix: What about Skagit?
Along its 150-mile course the Skagit River crosses boundaries political and natural, as its journey carries water from British Columbia to Washington state, cutting through the high, dry air of the Cascade Mountains before settling in the low...
Bipartisan bills target Cold War-era prohibition on nuclear attack preparations
OLYMPIA (Jan. 31) -- For the first time in more than 30 years, emergency planning in Washington state could include preparations for potential nuclear attacks, with bipartisan support in bills entering both the House and Senate. The Legislature...
Senate votes to extend college financial aid to state Dreamers
OLYMPIA (Jan. 25) -- A bipartisan effort in the Senate passed a bill Jan. 24 that would extend financial opportunities in higher education to some undocumented immigrant students in Washington state. Senate Bill 5074 makes a couple of existing...
State legislators combat federal ruling on net neutrality
OLYMPIA (Jan. 22) -- Democrats in the state Senate are pushing back against the Federal Communications Commission through a number of bills designed to protect net neutrality in Washington. In April 2015, the FCC established new rules that...
American Indian activists rally in Olympia
The marble walls of the Washington state Capitol reverberated with the roar of drums and voices Tuesday afternoon as Native American activists poured into Olympia to sound the bell on a number of...
Water use to weigh heavily on legislature
With the 2018 Washington state legislative session kicking off, a 2016 state Supreme Court decision on water continues to make waves in the House and Senate. The so-called Hirst decision in October 2016 set a precedent that compels local governments...
Legislature passes bill to settle water use dispute
OLYMPIA (Jan. 19) -- One of the year’s most important legislative battles in Washington state came to a surprisingly quick conclusion last Thursday evening when a water-use bill passed both chambers and went to the desk of Gov. Jay Inslee, who s...