Address: 117 Legislative Modular Building * PO Box 40408 * Olympia, WA 98504

Olympia Office: (360) 786-7614 * Toll Free Hotline: (800) 562-6000 * E-mail: Matt.Boehnke@leg.wa.gov

Sept. 30, 2024

Improving rules for citing of power plants

The Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) held a special meeting on September 13 to approve the revised site certification agreement for the controversial Horse Heaven Wind Project.

I believe the EFSEC’s process to approve the revised site certification agreement (SCA) did not properly account for local concerns and gave the governor too much decision-making power. To correct this, I plan to introduce a bill for the 2025 legislative session that improves the energy facility site evaluation process by removing the governor from the final stages of approval.

The EFSEC initially recommended project approval with mitigation measures for ferruginous hawk habitat, among other requirements. Gov. Jay Inslee rejected the original proposal and asked the council to reconsider mitigation measures, allowing for a larger facility with more turbines. The EFSEC sided with Inslee and approved the revised agreement.

I’ve heard from many Tri-Citians who have concerns about disrupting the habitat of the endangered ferruginous hawk, impeding on lands held sacred by Native Americans, and altering the skyline and scenic beauty of the Horse Heaven area. The EFSEC heard these concerns and agreed to a smaller-scale project, which has now reversed course based on the governor’s request. The concerns of the local community were not heard.

The revised SCA for the Horse Heaven Hills project now includes conditions for habitat improvements, changes to mitigation measures that address the impact on ferruginous hawks, and creates more safety measures for aerial firefighters when wildland fires are active.

Still, local community members disagreed about the effectiveness of the EFSEC’s revisions. And some issues, such as the project’s visual impact on the Tri-Cities community, remain unaddressed.

The amended SCA has been resubmitted to the governor, who will have 60 days to approve or reject the resubmission. If approved, the certification will become binding once the governor and the applicant execute it.

The governor is a political official and should not be part of this process. The EFSEC is better positioned than any governor to review proposed projects objectively. If the bill I file becomes law, EFSEC will have the final say on project approval and mitigation measures. The governor would not.

My bill will improve the process based on lessons learned from the Horse Heaven project. My bill is prospective in its application and does not interfere with any specific project, including Horse Heaven.

I will file this bill before the 2025 legislative session begins on January 13.

Information and documents regarding this project can be found at here. The revised SCA submitted to the governor is also available on the EFSEC website.

Oslo trip focuses on safety

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to travel to Oslo, Norway to participate in the Amend Immersion Program, a partnership with the Norwegian Correctional Service. The trip supported The Washington Way, a collaboration between the Washington State Dept. of Corrections and Amend at the University of California San Francisco. 

DOC’s partnership with Amend brings a health-focused approach to providing correctional staff with additional tools and resources. It emphasizes staff wellness while preparing incarcerated individuals and residents to become better neighbors when they return to society. 

In Norway, the belief system is that “people go to court to be punished and go to prison to become better neighbors.” Our partnership aims to ingrain these same belief systems within DOC. As state lawmakers, the legislature must continue to focus on improving corrections and supporting DOC’s mission to improve public safety by positively changing lives.

While in Oslo, it was evident that the Norwegian correctional system focuses heavily on behavioral health. In Washington State, behavioral healthcare in our corrections system is a DOC priority, and I will continue to support it. Our goal must be to rehabilitate inmates so they can rejoin the community and become better neighbors than when they entered the corrections system. The critical takeaway from Norway is finding innovative ways to enhance safety and security at our corrections facilities while ensuring that people are held accountable for their actions and protecting victims.

According to DOC, the U.S. incarcerates 664 people per 100,000. Washington State is roughly one-third of that, with 455 person per 100,000. In comparison, Norway incarcerates 54 per 100,000 people. We also know recidivism makes communities safer and thankfully, our state has focused on creating pathways for former inmates to remain just that, former inmates. 

In 2019, our state’s prison population was around 18,000. Today, it’s 13,972. According to DOC data, in 2016, 33% of incarcerated people returned to prison. By 2020, the rate was reduced to 22%. This decline is due to the investments by Washington State. 

As we look to a safer future, we’ll continue looking at other states, such as California, for best practices on bringing safety back to Washington. The Washington Way brings humanity to corrections.

Preparing for 2025 session

As a first-term senator, I feel great pride in what we accomplished for the people of Washington and the Mighty 8th District during the 2024 legislative session. Out of the 28 bills I introduced in 2024 or carried over from the 2023 session, I had six signed into law.

Senate Bill 6296 created a retail workforce by creating a work group to identify and recommend four colleges to pilot micro-term and short-term credentials. Senate Bill 6079 made juvenile detention records available to managed care organizations and behavioral health administrative services organizations for care coordination activities. And Senate Bill 6080 simplified the funding provisions of the statewide tourism marketing account by removing the requirement that deposits to the account may only occur if the Legislature authorizes them.

Senate Bill 5891 protects the safety and security of students and maintains order within school buses by designating trespassing on a school bus as a criminal offense. Senate Bill 6068 expanded the ability of courts to work with the Department of Corrections to collect and report more data about foster kids’ adoption and reunification rates. And my last bill, Senate Bill 5660, directed the Washington State Health Care Authority to convene a workgroup to create recommendations for effectively implementing mental health advance directives. These directives declare a person’s preferences regarding behavioral health treatment in the event they are incapacitated due to their behavioral health disorder.

As the 2025 session nears, I have begun preparing my legislative priorities, and we’re already seeing legislative requests from 8th District constituents. I’ve heard from cities, counties, non-profits, and private organizations about the things that matter most, and if you haven’t connected with my office, please reach out. Your voice matters, and I want to ensure we’re hearing our constituents’ voices.

You can reach me through email at matt.boehnke@leg.wa.gov, on my website at mattboehnke.src.wastateleg.org, or by calling my office at (360) 786-7416.

Sen. Boehnke Calendar

Oct. 1 | STARS student presentation to Senators Boehnke and Torres

Oct. 2 | WSU TriCities – Open house Ribbon cutting for Institute for NW Energy Futures (INEF) building

Oct. 3 | TCRCC Elected Leaders Reception

Oct. 7 | Joint Committee on Veterans (JCVMA) meeting

Oct. 9 | PSC2 Amazon Ribbon Cutting

Oct. 10 | WTA Intermodal Summit – Trucking Assoc.

Oct. 14 | ENET Committee Tour

Oct. 16 | Speak at Hanford Cancer Workers Event

Oct. 17 | Kennewick School Dist. tour, WAMOA facilitated

Oct. 21 | Voices for Disability Advocacy tour

Oct. 22 | Richland City Council Workshop: Legislative Priorities Discussion

Oct. 24 | Energy Northwest’s Public Power Forum

Oct. 25 | 9th Annual Elijah Family Homes Annual Breakfast Benefit