Impasse Over Water Rights Issue Likely To Sink School Construction Budget
Listen
Washington Governor Jay Inslee says lawmakers have reached an impasse over a contentious water rights issue. That means the state may not have a capital construction budget for the first time in memory.
The capital budget funds school construction and other infrastructure projects. It’s been tied up in an unrelated fight.
A Washington Supreme Court decision limits the drilling of wells on rural property. Senate Republicans have said they won’t vote on the capital budget until theres a fix for rural property owners who want to drill wells.
Those negotiations have now reached an impasse. Right now, it appears the capital budget won’t be approved before lawmakers adjourn their third special session.
The 30th and final day of the special session is Thursday. The $4 billion capital budget includes more than $1 billion to build classrooms and other school facilities statewide.
Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network
Related Stories:
What is Initiative 2117?
Phuong Brown, a retiree in Walla Walla, received a free heat pump through the Climate Commitment Act. Initiative 2117 aims to repeal the act. (Credit: Susan Shain / NWPB) Listen
Billy’s magic: Tribal leader’s fierce fight for fishing rights to be honored with a statue in Washington, D.C.
Nisqually tribal fisher Willie Frank III holds a freshly caught chinook, or king, salmon at the Nisqually River where his family has fished for generations. The chinook being caught are
To help salmon on the Yakima River, causeway to be removed at Bateman Island
A fisherman stands on Bateman Island in the Tri-Cities. (Credit: Melindaa91 / Wikimedia Commons) Listen (Runtime 0:56) Read Removing a small causeway in the Tri-Cities could have big impacts for