1 of 3 Proposed Resolution: Officially naming the Thornton Road to I-5 Connection Bridge, The Senator Douglas J. Ericksen Bridge. Submitted to the Ferndale Council by members Porter, Gunter, and Mutchler Whereas the Thornton Road to I-5 Connection and Bridge over the railroad line is the most expensive road project undertaken by the City of Ferndale. Whereas this project will alleviate and assist traffic flow city-wide and save the city in future road project costs. Whereas connecting Thornton Road more directly with I-5 has been a city and Council desire for at least 30 years. Whereas funding for the project, $22,000,000+ was beyond the scope and resources of the City alone. Whereas the efforts of our Washington State 42nd District delegation (Rep. Vincent Buys, Rep. Luanne Van Wervan, Sen. Douglas Ericksen) were necessary in order to secure Connecting Washington funds for the project. Whereas, according to his staff, ““improved access to Interstate 5 in Whatcom County was a priority for Senator Ericksen throughout his career, including improved overpasses, onramps and exit ramps, completing a job left unfinished when the freeway was built.” And whereas it is acknowledged by those with the greatest familiarly with the project that Senator Douglas J. Ericksen was, by far, the greatest champion of this project, and exercised extensive political capital, resources, time and effort to obtain funding for this project. We, The City of Ferndale, resolve on this date that the bridge portion of this project be named the Senator Douglas J. Ericksen Bridge for… Senator Erickson’s six terms as our 42nd District legislator and three terms as our state senator, where he handily prevailed in the precincts of his hometown of Ferndale. 2 of 3 Senator Erickson’s courage and convictions in representing the citizens, small businesses, farmers, and employers of Whatcom County. Senator Erickson’s support of other projects in our community like Star Park Recreation Shelter, the Pioneer Village pathways, and upgrading of the Northwest Soccer Fields at Northwest and Smith Further Sen. Ericksen’s Legislative accomplishments include – 1. The first bill addressing climate change to pass either chamber of the Legislature – SB 5735 (2015) – Sen. Ericksen’s legislation modified Initiative 937, which requires utilities to invest in alternative energy sources regardless of need or practicality, and permitted them to meet the initiative’s requirements by investing in carbon-reduction programs instead. Though the measure passed the Senate on a caucus-line vote, the measure met with opposition from organized environmental groups, debate on the Senate floor was sidetracked by partisan opponents who wished to add an intent section, and the measure died in the House. 2. A sensible approach to cleanup of contaminated industrial sites – SB 5296 (2013) – Washington voters in 1988 funded state hazardous waste cleanup efforts by creating a Hazardous Substances Tax on fuel and other products. Over time, the state Department of Ecology diverted funds to other programs favored by environmental groups, citing a flowery intent section as its authority. When gas prices began falling in 2009, so did tax collections, and the backlog of delayed cleanup became immense. Environmental groups argued for increases in the tax. Ericksen’s legislation took a different tack, establishing that cleanup projects get first priority for funding, and creating the state Environmental Legacy and Stewardship Account. Ericksen’s legislation sped cleanup projects across the state, and helped enable the revitalization of former industrial properties on the Bellingham Bay waterfront. 3. A smooth phase-out of state incentives for small solar installations – SB 5939 (2017) – State incentives for home and community solar installations were due to expire in 2017. Ericksen sponsored legislation to extend the program and phase it smoothly. Under the program, $110 million was distributed to homeowners and community organizations. Legislative auditors recently reported that it spurred installation of 7,337 solar systems 3 of 3 and created 1,519 jobs. The program achieved its purpose, they concluded, and the program could be allowed to sunset. 4. Oil-train safety – SB 5057 (2015) – Ericksen was instrumental in negotiating the oil-train safety bill of 2015, which passed in the form of HB 1449. The measure balanced safety concerns with the practical need to get tanker cars to the refineries of Northwest Washington. 5. Saving the orca by enhancing hatchery production on Puget Sound – SB 5824 (2019) – Ericksen’s bill, modeled after a successful approach to hatchery production in Alaska, would have created public-private partnerships to develop new hatcheries on Puget Sound. The program would have started with a pilot project on the Bellingham waterfront. The proposal, later championed by others, was defeated due to opposition from environmental and tribal groups, which saw it as a threat to proposals to breach Snake River dams. Yet the proposal remains the solution most likely to provide feedstock for threatened orca on Puget Sound. 6. Breaching the Ballard Locks – SB 6380 (2019) – Ericksen was fond of introducing bills to make a point, and one of the most memorable was his proposal to restore Seattle waterways and other Seattle water projects to a pristine wilderness state. The plan would have breached the Ballard Locks, removed dams owned and operated by Seattle City Light, and raised the shoreline of Lake Washington to pre-settlement levels. Ericksen envisioned that a new economy based on tourism could be established in the environmental wonderland Seattle would become, including canoe trips over the site of the Boeing plant in Renton. “Most of the support for breaching the Snake River dams seems to come from Seattle,” he observed. “But if its citizens understood the environmental damage caused by big water projects right in their home town, I am sure they would want to lead by example.”
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