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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 […]

Washington ranks No. 8 in latest Forbes "best states for business" rankings

In Forbes magazine’s 2014 Best States for Business, Washington finishes in 8th place. Not bad in the 50 state field. Win, place and show go to Utah, North Dakota and North Carolina, respectively. As is common in the Forbes rankings, Washington fares best on measures of economic vitality and falls down on business costs and quality […]

Supporting biotech and more with growth-oriented tax policy

H. Stewart Parker, a pioneer in Washington’s life sciences industry, writes in today’s Seattle Times that our state risks falling behind in the competition for biotech investment. Washington has a lot going for it business-wise, but we must not underestimate the competition for the life-sciences industry. The Washington state Legislature did not renew our industry tax […]

Seattle Times columnist writes about that mythical $8.7 billion tax break for Boeing: not a giveaway!

Erik Smith used our recent policy brief as a peg for an excellent column on tax policy in today’s Seattle Times. Though the Department of Revenue calculated it exactly as it was supposed to, a more realistic view is that the legislation costs taxpayers nothing. He summarizes, drawing on points we developed in the brief. […]

States should preempt the ability of cities to set their own minimum wage

Blue metros – like Seattle, San Francisco, and NYC – are the new darlings of the progressive left. That’s the theme of my column today. The wave has been building for more than a decade. But elections of liberal mayors like Ed Murray in Seattle and Bill De Blasio in New York City give it […]

Thumbtack gives Washington a C grade for "small business friendliness" – low marks for regulation

Another business climate ranking came out recently. This one comes from Thumbtack.com, with support from the Kauffman Foundation.  Washington doesn’t do so well. Unsurprisingly, the regulatory environment pulled the overall score down considerably. Some of the key findings for Washington include: Washington earned one of the worst grades in the country for its regulations – […]

Seattle Times editorial board favors data-center tax incentives. Here's why they're right.

The Times editorial gets right to the point. When lawmakers return for business in January, they should reauthorize Washington’s server-farm tax break, and pronto. Our September 2013 report, Economic Impact of Data Centers on Central Washington (clever title, that), helps explain why. World class industries have located in Central Washington, providing stable, diversified em- ployment and expanded tax bases for […]

Washington ranks No. 33 in Chief Executive magazine's 2014 "Best & Worst States for Business" report

The springtime business climate reports are beginning to appear. Chief Executive magazine is out with its annual “best and worst states for business” rankings. Washington comes in at No. 33 (No. 1 is best and goes to Texas). The Evergreen State moved up three places from last year’s No. 36, but is still well entrenched […]

More details on Seattle's proposed $15 minimum wage

The Puget Sound Business Journal has a good overview. As the PSBJ reports, it’s complicated. Under the mayor’s proposal, which the City Council has to approve, businesses with fewer than 500 employees would have up to seven years to reach $15 an hour. But counting what is called “temporary compensation responsibility,” these small businesses would […]

Gov. Inslee names "Carbon Emissions Reduction Task Force"

Inslee’s Executive Order 14-04 attempts to jumpstart action on his climate change initiatives. But it’s not clear that the EO has any teeth. Nonetheless, it’s a clear statement of where the governor wants to take the state. The Governor’s Carbon Emissions Reduction Taskforce is hereby created to provide recommendations on the design and implementation of […]