Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Representative Drew Hansen has worked to protect our quality of life by fighting for clean air and water, while making government more user-friendly (by supporting legislation that allows the Discover Pass to be transferred between two vehicles) and giving businesses more certainty on the effects of environmental regulations. Washington Conservation Voters endorsed Representative Hansen in his first campaign, saying: "We knew he would be a good legislator, and he has already exceeded our expectations." Representative Hansen's legislative accomplishments on the environment include:

* Sponsoring major bipartisan legislation to protect our waters from pollution from derelict and abandoned vessels. Republican Senator Kirk Pearson praised one of Hansen's derelict vessels bills on the Senate floor, saying "We need to keep our Puget Sound . . . as pristine as possible and I believe this legislation gets us there."(quoted in North Kitsap Herald, Apr. 19, 2013). Newspaper editorial boards supported Hansen's bills ("State Needs to Get Tougher on Derelict Vessels," Seattle Times, Feb. 4, 2013; "Give DNR More Tools to Deal With Derelict Vessels," Tacoma News-Tribune, Mar. 20, 213) with the Bainbridge Island Review profiling Hansen's work with the headline: "Hansen Is Getting Results" (June 2, 2013). The Governor signed Hansen's bills (HB 1245 and HB 2457) into law on May 20, 2013, and Apr. 2, 2014.

* Sponsoring legislation to promote new tourism and new jobs by removing a tax that stood in the way of a 7,000-acre land preservation project in Kitsap County (HB 2502, signed into law June 7, 2012)

* Successfully advocating for funding Port Gamble Bay cleanup projects to restore natural habitat in Kitsap County and Puget Sound

* Supporting legislation that makes the Discover Pass more user-friendly, including by allowing Discover Pass holders to transfer the pass between two vehicles

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