1. The state House passed Seattle-area Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson’s (D-36) “Safe Baby Bottle Act” yesterday, which would ban Bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles, sippy cups, and athletic water bottles. BPA has been linked to cancer, miscarriage, reproductive disorders, and other medical problems.
Last year, the House passed the BPA ban 76-21—before it stalled in the Senate. This year, the House vote was 95-1. (We have a call in to the one legislator who opposed it, South-Yakima area GOP Rep. Bruce Chandler (R-15).
The bill was one of the environmental community’s three priorities this session. Legislators will get a reminder about the other two green priorities today—a fee on petroleum to fund storm water clean up and staving off any big cuts to state environmental programs—as environmental activists descend on Olympia for environmental lobbying day
2. The state Senate Democrats will unveil their jobs plan in Olympia today, announcing, among other things, a green jobs program.
Three cheers and all, but nothing is real—or, everything is in limbo—until the legislature deals with the $2.6 billion budget shortfall. Governor Chris Gregoire was banking on federal money to close the gap, but now that the federal health care reform bill is on hold (Gregoire planned to use an estimated $500 million in federal money), so is Olympia.
The AP’s Curt Woodward reports.
3. Former Bill Clinton adviser, author, and local school board activist Eric Liu has made it official, he’s running for state Senate against South-Seattle Sen. Adam Kline (D-37).
Our report earlier this month on Liu’s intent to run is here.
4. Morning Fizz hears The Seattle Times is re-opening its Washington, D.C. bureau, which has been shuttered for nearly three years. Some unexpected cheery news for the newspaper industry? It would certainly be good news to have a Times reporter in D.C., but the word is, the Times isn’t adding a staffer—a current staffer was planning on moving out there anyway.
UPDATE: The Fizz is way late on this one. The Seattle Times reported the news themselves over a week ago.
5. Thanks for all the feedback on our redesign-in-progress. You should start to notice more and more of the glitches getting cleared up in the next few days. A bigger excerpt from each story on the home page? The ability to get to Hugeasscity writer Dan Bertolet’s stories with one click? Yes. Yes. Definitely.
