Press release issued 11/ 25/ 19
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=71004E8B-73FF-49B2-AD4F-4787F86ADEAC
(Washington, D.C.) – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) helped introduce the bicameral Refugee Protection Act of 2019. Building upon previous versions of the Refugee Protection Act, the Refugee Protection Act of 2019 is a comprehensive blueprint for restoring and reinvigorating U.S. refugee and asylum systems in response to the Trump administration’s attempts to shut the nation’s doors to refugees and asylum seekers. The legislation comes on the heels of reports that the Trump administration did not allow a single refugee into the country in October, the first time this has occurred since the United States began tracking the number of refugees resettling in the country.
“As the world faces an unprecedented refugee crisis, President Trump’s cruel and inhumane immigration policies have been an unmitigated disaster, both for those already in our country and those seeking safety and security,” Senator Murray said. “The United States has long welcomed refugees, and this bill gets us back on the path to installing comprehensive and fair immigration reform and once again making our country a beacon of hope for children and families across the globe fleeing violence and persecution.”
Senator Murray has been a strong champion for comprehensive immigration reform and other efforts to support the fair treatment of refugees and those seeking asylum, including fighting back against the Trump Administration’s efforts to limit refugee resettlement in the U.S., and demanding President Trump put an end to his Remain in Mexico policy, which unnecessarily places asylum seekers in danger. Additionally, Senator Murray has fought for resources and representation for immigrant and refugee communities in Washington state and across the country.
The Refugee Protection Act of 2019 is endorsed by a wide range of refugee, asylum, immigration, and faith-based organizations. A short outline of the bill can be found here, and a sectional analysis can be found here. Text of the legislation can be found here.
https://www.leahy.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Refugee%20Protection%20Act%20of%202019%20text.pdf
Inslee statement on I-976 injunction
Press release issued 11/ 27/ 19
https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-statement-i-976-injunction
We are taking action today in response to the court order and in consideration of the vote on the initiative. The state will take a fiscally prudent approach by effectively continuing to act as if the initiative is still in place from a state spending perspective.
“Accordingly, state funds from car tabs will be held separately and set aside to function as an escrow account. We will effectively go forward as if the initiative is still in place and these funds will be available for refunds as determined by any further court order. The Department of Licensing will continue to collect car tab fees unless further instructed by the court.
“In addition, today’s court injunction does not change our plans to pause a number of projects across the state as detailed by the Department of Transportation yesterday. We are doing so in order to maintain these funds to be available for further determination by the Legislature. This plan is intended to allow us to preserve essential services.
"I know that Washingtonians want funding preserved for a safe, reliable transportation system which includes provisions for people with disabilities, state troopers on the road, and bus and ferry services.
“I will work collaboratively with the Legislature on a plan to move forward during this period of uncertainty.”
How Washington’s ocean acidification research and action is drawing global interest
Similar coasts, similar stories: How Washington’s ocean acidification research and action is drawing global interest
From the Governor's Medium page
https://medium.com/wagovernor/similar-coasts-similar-stories-how-washingtons-ocean-acidification-research-and-action-is-5d8f78c9c8fd
Washington is unique because we were the first area to create a comprehensive action plan after experiencing ocean acidification. Ocean acidification happens when our oceans absorb carbon dioxide. This means our ocean life ends up living in more acidic environments. It isn’t a good thing because it messes with the ideal living conditions that the organisms need to thrive in. And as climate change worsens, our oceans are only getting more acidic.
Ocean acidification makes it harder for shellfish to build and maintain their shells. But that’s just the start. Today’s scientific research is uncovering a host of other ocean health issues because of acidification. For example, ocean acidification makes it hard for salmon to detect predators. And ocean acidification may also cause plants in the ocean (algal blooms) to produce more toxins.
While this is a global problem, the Pacific Northwest is particularly vulnerable to impacts. Like Washington, Chile’s long coastline rests along the Eastern Pacific Ocean — a place where ocean currents bring nutrient-rich water to the surface. This rich water fosters a highly productive marine environment and creates a greater risk of ocean acidification impacts, since these rich waters also carry the fingerprint of our previous carbon emissions from 50 years ago (this process is called upwelling). And, just like us, Chile has strong cultural and economic ties to fisheries and aquaculture. That means the country is highly vulnerable to how climate change impacts ocean conditions and coastal communities.
Our ocean absorbs nearly one-third of carbon dioxide emissions. The open ocean already has 30 percent more acidity than before the Industrial Revolution took off in Washington.
When ocean acidification first affected the shellfish industry in the Pacific Northwest, we had no idea where our state’s efforts to address this problem would take us. The shellfish growers had dying oysters. They engaged the scientists from the start because they knew they had to act fast. From there, they informed government leaders and other community groups about the issue. Gov. Christine Gregoire created a Blue Ribbon Panel on ocean acidification to look into this. The panel created a plan of action that Washington still uses and updates today — leadership at the highest level really helped solve the issue and Gov. Jay Inslee said the support won’tstop anytime soon.
“Ocean acidification is already negatively affecting the West Coast,” Inslee said. “We know that healthy oceans sustain jobs, support coastal economies and feed billions of people. Now all of this is at risk and will cause great damage to our shellfish industry and coastal communities.”
As Gov. Inslee’s policy expert on ocean acidification, I was part of the group that traveled to Chile. I joined Washington State shellfish growers, a scientist from Washington’s Ocean Acidification Center, and the ocean acidification program staff at The Ocean Conservancy.
We visited a lab in Quintay, on Chile’s coast where Chilean researchers study how ocean acidification and rising water temperatures affect native species.
We talked to small-scale fishing communities in Quintay and Valparaiso where changing ocean conditions affect the species they catch. Our shellfish growers particularly enjoyed meeting mussel farmers in Puerto Montt where they discussed how ocean acidification weakens mussels.
We also met with university scientists who monitor and research ocean acidification and with government officials who want to know how they can better address the impacts of ocean acidification.
We shared Washington’s experience with how we approached ocean acidification — how it impacted shellfish growers and led to collaboration among scientists, government, growers and other local groups to improve our understanding and put our knowledge into action. Through this information exchange, both of our regions learned we need a diverse set of people engaged in this work. We also learned we need a way to coordinate the flow of scientific information and knowledge to decision makers.
Thanks to the governor and the Legislature, we are weaving ocean impacts and solutions into the fabric of our environmental and climate policy work. As a result, we have a more robust, integrated and sustainable approach for addressing ocean acidification and other climate impacts on our ocean.
We’ve also successfully partnered with Oregon, California and the Province of British Columbia to understand how acidification affects our entire west coast region.
With these partners, Washington launched the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification in 2016. This is how states, nations, tribes and cities can take collective action against ocean acidification. We’re elevating the importance of ocean issues in climate forums, and sharing lessons-learned. We’re leveraging our assets. We’re investing together. And we’re growing our region’s climate policy leadership.
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WORLD NEWS HEADLINES
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Is the world ready to end the coal era and embrace clean
Access to electricity has transformed the world, helping countries to develop their economies, and lifting millions out of poverty. However, this success has come at a great cost: the energy sector, heavily reliant on fossil fuels, is responsible for some 40 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions – one of the so-called greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the Earth – and almost two-thirds of these emissions come from coal.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/11/1052271
Violence in DR Congo Ebola hotspot leaves people ‘caught in crossfire’
Attacks on communities in an Ebola outbreak hotspot in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have sparked a humanitarian crisis and threatened aid distribution, the UN said on Friday, amid reports of serious civil unrest.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/11/1052441
Iraq: UN ‘deeply concerned’ at continued protester deaths
UN chief António Guterres has expressed deep concern over reports of the continued use of live ammunition against demonstrators in Iraq.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/11/1052461
COP25: UN climate change conference, 5 things you need to know
Climate change is happening—the world is already 1.1°C warmer than it was at the onset of the industrial revolution, and it is already having a significant impact on the world, and on people’s lives. And if current trends persist, then global temperatures can be expected to rise by 3.4 to 3.9°C this century, which would bring wide-ranging and destructive climate impacts.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/11/1052251
270 million people are migrants, who send home a staggering $689 billion
The number of international migrants in 2019 is now estimated at 270 million and the top destination remains the United States, at nearly 51 million, the UN migration agency said on Wednesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/11/1052331
