Perhaps he can sell a carbon tax on a national level!
Inslee: Running for president -- Climate is USA's 'No. 1 priority'
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday launched his longshot Democratic campaign for President, on a sunny day with the chosen setting a solar panel installer.
Inslee, 68, was launching an issue as well, describing his White House bid as "a new national mission to fight climate change." He spoke as Vice President Mike Pence, at conservative activists' CPAC conference, was ridiculing environmentalism and the proposed Green New Deal.---Seattle PI
IT'S OFFICIAL NOW, A STATEWIDE BAN ON PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS!
" clever way to raise taxes, don't you feel all fuzzy inside?"
Related story: Plastic bag ban passes Washington Senate
" Sen. Mona Das, D-Covington, said the bill is a response to the buildup of plastic bags in the environment, which she called frightening. "Some plastic materials are recyclable, but we have no infrastructure for recycling thin plastic bags," Das said.
Some Republicans expressed skepticism over the measure, saying it would diminish consumer choice.
"This is a socialist method," Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale. "Little things like this is the indicator that we are trying to micromanage the economy."
Passage by the Senate marks a high-water mark for the idea of statewide regulations aimed at limiting bags. Lawmakers proposed a ban as early as 2013 and a tax on single-use bags the same year, but neither were even put up for votes in legislative committees controlled at the time by Republicans."----Seattle PI
Editorial Comment: Like the New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who uses protecting the environment as a Trojan horse to change our form of government to a Socialist state like Cuba, Russia, and China. Banning plastic shopping bags would be a small way in doing just that, like State Sen. Doug Ericksen implied in the Seattle PI article, by micromanaging the economy."
At Senate health hearing, Senator Murray speaks about importance of addressing vaccine hesitancy and getting people the facts they need to keep their families and communities safe & healthy
Press release issued 3. 5. 19 (link source)Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate health committee, sounded the alarm on the importance of vaccines to averting preventable disease outbreaks. During a recent committee hearing, Senator Murray focused on the importance of addressing vaccine hesitancy, building vaccine confidence, and making sure people across the country trying to keep their families and communities safe have the facts about how vaccines are safe, effective, and life-saving. Senator Murray pointed to the current measles outbreak in Washington state, which has infected over 70 people so far in Clark and King counties, as an example of the urgency of this issue, and also called for strong investments in public health efforts to not only address but prevent public health crises.
Among the witnesses was Washington State Secretary of Health Dr. John Wiesman, who spoke about his experience working to address the ongoing measles outbreak in Washington state—one of several across the country—and the importance of supporting strong public health systems at home and abroad.
Key excerpts from Senator Murray’s opening remarks:
“As Washington state, and several others, grapple with measles outbreaks, this issue couldn’t be more timely. I remember in 2000 when measles was officially eliminated from the United States—and what welcome news that was for families across the country. And I remember the years of effort that led to that victory. Before the vaccine was available, measles outbreaks used to spread through communities like wildfire. If you were old enough to drive, odds were you’d already had measles. But today, vaccines that protect against measles have been in use for over 50 years. Like other vaccines, we know the vaccine is safe. We know it is effective. We know it saves lives.”
“Parents across the country want to do what is best for their families to keep them safe—which is why they need to be armed with knowledge about the importance of vaccination. And why we need research into vaccine communication tools and strategies to help us better educate people to address vaccine hesitancy, and build vaccine confidence. We also need to understand the roles social media and online misinformation play in spreading dangerous rumors and falsehoods. And we need to better prepare the full spectrum of health care providers—who are often the professionals people trust most—to counter vaccine hesitancy and promote vaccination.”
“They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure—that’s certainly the case here. A dose of MMR vaccine, covering measles, mumps, and rubella, is about twenty dollars—meanwhile Washington state has spent over a million dollars addressing the current measles outbreak. Investing in prevention isn’t just more effective at keeping our families and communities healthy—it’s more affordable too.”
Related DOH press release: Measles outbreak in Washington State
Measles in Washington has spread and health officials urge immunization. The Washington State Department of Health reminds people to take precautions to help stop the spread of measles.
The MMR vaccine provides long-lasting protection against measles, mumps, and rubella.
Cantwell, Newhouse Lead Washington Congressional Delegation to Call on Trump Administration to Remove Barriers, Open Japanese Markets for Washington Apples.
Press release issued 3. 5. 19 (link source)WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the entire Washington state congressional delegation joined together to ask United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer to work with Japan to resolve technical issues and remove barriers to allow Washington state apples access to Japanese markets.
The letter, led by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4), specifically calls out Japan’s overly restrictive policies that have effectively blocked Washington apple growers from shipping apples to Japan for decades.
“As you work with Japan to improve the trade relationship between our two countries, we respectfully request that you address the technical barriers to trade for U.S. apple growers seeking to export their top-quality fruits to this important market,” the members of Congress wrote to USTR Lighthizer. “Our growers have long sought meaningful access to the Japanese market. Unfortunately, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) policies imposed by Japan have drastically inhibited their ability to ship apples to this high priority market for decades.”
Washington state grows roughly 67 percent of all United States apples and is responsible for nearly 90 percent of total U.S. apple exports. Washington state apple growers have long sought meaningful access to Japanese markets, but restrictive import requirements have prevented them from gaining a foothold. Since 2003, the United States has won two World Trade Organization disputes against these restrictive policies, but significant technical trade barriers on apples remain in place.
“We fully support the rights of countries to enact science-based measures to protect against the importation of pests and diseases that can be harmful to their domestic agricultural industries. However, pest and disease concerns, not supported by science, are often used as an excuse to impose overly-restrictive requirements on imports that are intended to serve as market barriers and protect domestic industries against foreign competition,” the members continued.
In an effort to ease some of the restrictions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) has submitted a proposal to Japan that would protect against the importation of pests of concern, while also allowing market access for Washington apples. Japan has yet to respond.
“As the United States continues its negotiations with Japan to improve the trade relationship between the two countries, we respectfully request that the U.S. convey to Japan the importance of increasing U.S. apple access, including responding to USDA-APHIS’s April 2017 systems approach protocol and timely consideration of any proposed changes to the current apple work plan,” the members concluded.
In addition to Cantwell and Newhouse, the letter was signed by U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Rep. A
WORLD NEWS HEADLINES
(From the UN News Center & other sources)Nearly four million North Koreans in urgent need, as food production slumps by almost 10 per cent.
The UN is calling for some $120 million to provide life-saving humanitarian aid, desperately needed by 3.8 million North Koreans, as it releases its 2019 Needs and Priorities Plan for the country.
Editorial note: A product of Socialism! Keeping the poor, poor while the government builds its nukes!
Ramped-up emergency preparedness, part of ‘changing the DNA’ of the UN’s health agency
Better preparing itself to respond to emergency situations is just one of a sweeping range of changes the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday to further improve its role as the world’s leading authority on public health.
Without tackling ‘gross inequalities’ major issues will go unsolved, warns UN rights chief Bachelet
Inequality continues to drive rights violations everywhere, but some countries have made significant progress in tackling the problem, not least in women’s rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday.
Education remains an impossible a dream for many refugees and migrants.
The older refugee and migrant children get, the less likely it is that they will get a quality education: less than a quarter of the world’s refugees make it to secondary school, and just one per cent progress to higher education. Even for migrants who settle in wealthy, developed host countries, accessing university is an uphill struggle.
Drastic deterioration in security across Burkina Faso as 70,000 flee their homes in past two months, UN warns.
The landlocked West African country of Burkina Faso is facing “unprecedented” displacement, triggered by armed groups and intercommunal clashes, and exacerbated by long-term food insecurity, UN aid officials said on Tuesday.
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IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION:
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Senator Murray, and 24 cosponsors, reintroduce legislation following recent incident where a pregnant woman detained by ICE went into labor prematurely, ending in a stillbirth
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Our Country is Facing a Growing Emergency at the Border
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HUD APPROVES AGREEMENT RESOLVING ALLEGATIONS OF HOUSING DISCRIMINATION INVOLVING LOS ANGELES COUNTY HOUSING PROVIDERS.
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Identity theft remains on IRS’ "Dirty Dozen" list despite progress
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Cantwell, Bicameral Democratic Leaders Unveil #SaveTheInternet Act to Restore Net Neutrality, Protect Free and Open Internet.
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Panel discusses climate change impacts to national security.
