Newhouse Critical of Gaps in Inslee’s Climate Proposal

4th District Representative Dan Newhouse is calling Governor Inslee's proposed $626 million climate budget for the upcoming short legislative session "questionable" and "hypocritical."

Newhouse said with all of the issues Inslee intends to address with his proposal, its irresponsible that he makes no reference to improving forest health after several summers of catastrophic wildfires and damaging smoke.

"The governor failed to even address how we can make some really positive changes by improving how publicly-owned lands are managed." stated Newhouse, "It's very clear to us in Eastern Washington that that's truly important."

Newhouse added that he's also disappointed that Inslee made no mention of a plan for the continued use of hydropower in Washington State, calling the governor's climate proposal short-sighted without the inclusion of the state's dams. He said that if Inslee's goal is to have a carbon-free economy, then hydropower should be a baseload for the state's energy portfolio. Newhouse pointed to the brownouts and blackouts experienced in California as a reason to look at the bigger picture.

Inslee's full climate proposal can be found here.