New Economic Profile: The Economic Contribution of Washington state's Petroleum Refining Industry in 2015
Today we're publishing a new Economic Profile of Washington's petroleum refining industry, "The Economic Contribution of Washington state's Petroleum Refining Industry in 2015." In brief: Washington's five refineries provide 3.4 percent of the United States' refining capacity. In 2015, the refiners directly provided 2,097 full-time jobs, paying an annual average wage of $126,960. In addition, […]
December 19 , 2016 - Mary Strow
November 18 , 2016 - Emily Makings
Ag and timber in the news
I wanted to point out a couple of interesting stories I’ve read this week on the agriculture and timber industries. First, Dick Davis writes in the Fall 2016 edition of Washington Business Magazine (see page 30) about new advances in agricultural technology. He discusses genetics, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, field architecture, and robots. Second, in the […]
November 14 , 2016 - Emily Makings
Temporary jobs shouldn’t be discounted
An item in the Stand today provides some good perspective on the permitting process for the Millennium Bulk Terminals project in Longview. Mike Bridges of IBEW Local 48 writes, For Cowlitz County, this represents a significant private investment that would have an enormous economic impact on thousands of tradespeople and their families. . . . […]
October 24 , 2016 - Mary Strow
Special Report: Expanded state environmental regulations have negative impacts for Washington
Today we're publishing a new Special Report, "The Expanded SEPA [State Environmental Policy Act] Has Reduced Regulatory Certainty in Washington." You can read the report here. In 2013 and 2014, the state Department of Ecology expanded the scope of review for the purposes of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) beyond state borders, in a […]
October 18 , 2016 - Mary Strow
New Policy Brief on I-732: Imposing a New Carbon Tax in Washington State
We've put together a Policy Brief – which you can read in full here – on I-732, the statewide initiative on the November ballot that would create a new carbon tax in Washington. In brief: Initiative 732 would impose a tax on carbon dioxide emissions and at the same time lower other taxes. The carbon tax would […]
October 14 , 2016 - Emily Makings
Agricultural production in Washington valued at $10.7 billion
In 2015, agricultural production in Washington was valued at $10.7 billion (up from $10.2 billion in 2014). According to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), this is a record high. Also, "Record high values of production were established for four of the top ten Washington commodities, including apples, cattle and calves, eggs, and hops." Apples continue to […]
September 30 , 2016 - Mary Strow
Growth Management Act: Time for a change?
On Sept. 20, the state House Local Government Committee held a work session in Olympia to review the Growth Management Act, Washington's comprehensive land-use planning law which has been in effect for 25 years. It was part of a larger effort by the committee to consider changes to the law. At this meeting, the topics […]
July 07 , 2016 - Mary Strow
April 29 , 2016 - Emily Makings
Environmental review process for coal export facility is inching along
A draft environmental impact statement (EIS) has finally been released for the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals coal export project in Longview. The project was first proposed back in February 2012. Environmental reviews can take a few months or several years. They must be complete before permits can be issued. One reason that this review is […]