Heroes

Senator Lisa Brown (D-3, final grade A+) demonstrated extraordinary leadership during her first session as Majority Leader. She communicated well with the environmental groups and knew just when to get more involved, helping give a bill the final push.

Senator Brown was especially pivotal in holding her caucus together during the Clean Cars bill debate, for which she earned part of her extra credit. Her other two extra points of credit came from her work to revive the Toxic Flame Retardants bill. This gave us one more chance to pass the bill late in the session, even though it ultimately did not make it to a floor vote.

Representative Maralyn Chase (D-32, A+) helped shepherd the solar and energy renewable legislation. She also played an important role on the House Economic Development and Agriculture Committee, where she was a strong voice for the environment, and was always available, even when the pace picked up towards the end of the session.

Representative Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36, A+) continues to work closely with the environmental community. Not only does she consistently vote with the environment, she also sponsors important legislation and makes sure that the House Democratic Caucus prioritizes our issues.

Representative Hans Dunshee (D-44, A+) continues to be one of the leading environmental advocates in the Legislature. This past session, he focused on the High Performance Green Buildings legislation and led most of the negotiations that resulted in a strong bill becoming law. As Chair of the Capital Budget Committee, Representative Dunshee also helped increase funding for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

Senator Karen Fraser (D-22, A+) continues to be a strong voice for environmental issues across the board. She served on the Water, Energy, and Environment Committee, where she helped push through a number of important bills, amend some problem bills, and helped kill a number of bad ideas. Her expertise on complex water issues was invaluable.

Representative Fred Jarrett (R-41) continues to be a leading Republican for environmental protection. He consistently votes with the environment, sponsors environmental legislation, and helps the environmental community communicate more effectively with other House Republicans. Without his assistance, we probably would not have secured the votes from other suburban Republicans we needed in order to pass the Clean Cars bill.

Representative Sam Hunt (D-22, A+) is the House Majority Floor Leader. As a member of the House leadership team, Rep. Hunt is a vital link between the environmental community and the rest of the House leadership. He provides invaluable insights that help guide our legislative strategies.

Senator Adam Kline (D-37) continues to work closely with the environmental community on a range of issues, particularly those dealing with land use and growth management. This year, he also championed the Hanford Cleanup bill and continued to work the bill right up to the very end of the session.

In his first year, Senator Craig Pridemore (D-49, A+) quickly became an important member of the Senate Water, Energy, and Environment Committee. He helped move many of the good environmental bills out of committee, helped kill some of the harmful ones, and worked to amend or fix some that started out harmful, but ended up fine. He earned his extra credit for his work to amend the Water Privatization bill, in committee and on the floor.

This was Senator Phil Rockefeller's (D-23, A+) first year in the Senate and he jumped right in, helping pass the Clean Cars bill, among a number of others. He also spent countless hours working behind the scenes, from coordinating with the environmental lobby to researching the finer nuances of each issue so he could help forge appropriate compromises.

As Chair of the House Local Government Committee, Representative Geoff Simpson (D-47, A+) is a leading proponent of smart growth and a fighter against unchecked sprawl. Land use is one of this committee's most important issues. Sprawl developers have worked hard to weaken and undermine Washington's Growth Management Act, but Representative Simpson repeatedly helped defeat them.

Representative Dave Upthegrove (D-33, A+) is Vice Chair of the House Natural Resources, Ecology, and Parks Committee. He helps shape all the legislation that comes through the committee, and makes sure that environmental protection remains a priority for the committee. Rep. Upthegrove earned extra credit from us for his work coordinating communication with the House Democratic Caucus.