2026 Legislative Session Wrap-Up | Audubon

Washington’s 2026 legislative session concluded on March 12, and lawmakers confronted a tough activity: balancing urgent wants throughout the state whereas managing a big funds shortfall. Even in a difficult yr like this, Audubon Washington confirmed up with willpower, partnership, and the robust voice of our members behind us to advocate for birds, individuals, and wholesome habitats. 

This yr, we superior several important bills centered on habitat, local weather motion, and clear power infrastructure, along with supporting precedence laws from the statewide Environmental Priorities Coalition.  

In some welcome, late-breaking excellent news, SB 6355, the invoice to set up a state transmission authority, handed by the Home on Wednesday night time with bipartisan assist and is formally on the Governor’s desk for signature!  

As famous by Consultant Ramel (D-40) in his remarks, transmission authorities are widely known as one of the crucial efficient and important steps that states can take to assist obtain power affordability, reliability, and decarbonization. This can be a important step ahead in assembly our state’s clear power mandate. Audubon advocates in Washington despatched over 1,000 messages to focus on legislators at key moments within the invoice’s journey to assist assist its passage.  

Defending Shrubsteppe

We additionally secured an vital win by serving to cease a invoice that might have eliminated protections for shrubsteppe habitat in City Progress Areas outlined beneath the Progress Administration Act. Simply 20% of Washington’s unique shrubsteppe stays, and far of it lies on non-public land. Small patches of habitat can assist pollinators and different wildlife and supply panorama connectivity between habitats fragmented by improvement and conversion.  

What Did not Move this Yr

Regrettably, a number of of our precedence payments didn’t advance this yr, largely resulting from compressed timelines. Amongst our prime priorities was the Lights Out and Chook-Pleasant Buildings invoice, which sought to scale back chicken collisions and protect darkish skies by designation of migratory chicken months within the spring and fall and necessities to scale back mild air pollution at state-owned services. We additionally supported laws to shut a loophole that permits dangerous, poisonous discharges from ocean-going vessels – a difficulty that’s harming our coastal and marine ecosystems. One other vital invoice that might have ensured protected wildlife passage in key crossing areas fragmented by main roads additionally ran out of time.  

Partnership with the Environmental Priorities Coalition

All through the session, we continued our robust partnership inside the Environmental Priorities Coalition, a gaggle of 27 statewide organizations working collectively to guard individuals and nature. This yr, the Coalition centered on wildfire‑resilience funding, lowering plastic air pollution, and defending environmental packages from funds cuts – efforts that intersect instantly with the well being of birds and ecosystems. Sadly, it seems that our state pure useful resource company funds took a substantial hit in areas we care about, with cuts to wildlife, biodiversity, local weather resilience packages and extra. 

Audubon Advocates in Washington Made a Distinction

We all know that passing insurance policies and sustaining funding for conservation requires persistence and partnership. This session, Audubon Washington despatched eight motion alerts to over 30,000 recipients, leading to over 5,000 messages to legislators. Our native chapters stepped up in highly effective methods – sending letters, offering testimony, amplifying communications, and internet hosting neighborhood Lights Out occasions. With continued engagement, we’re assured we are able to construct the momentum wanted to guard birds and their habitats for generations to come back.