Two Van De Wege bills pass Legislature unanimously

Sequim legislator has busy day as biomass and retirement bills clear Senate

April 7, 2009

OLYMPIA – By a vote of 44 to 0, the state Senate today passed two bills sponsored by Rep. Kevin Van De Wege (D – Sequim), sending them to the Governor’s desk.

The first bill authorizes the state Department of Natural Resources to conduct two pilot programs to explore the use of woody biomass as an energy source. It was requested by Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark.

“Unused wood waste from timber harvests may be yet another renewable resource from our forests,” Van De Wege said. “I’m excited that the Senate has given unanimous support to exploring the potential of forest biomass.”

Removing wood waste for use as energy also reduces the risk of forest fires, and could potentially create jobs across the state. With its vast amounts of forest land, the Olympic Peninsula could benefit from new technologies that enable the conversion of forest biomass to renewable fuels.

The Senate also unanimously passed a bill to provide a minimum retirement allowance for certain members of law enforcement and firefighter retirement plans who were disabled in the line of duty before January 1, 2001. Van De Wege prime sponsored that measure as well.

“A firefighter or law enforcement officer who is disabled on the job should be able to receive a portion of their pension before retirement age,” Van De Wege said. “That’s essentially what this bill allows.”

Both bills passed the House unanimously last month. With today’s Senate passage, they await only the Governor’s signature in order to become law.

“It’s a tough session, so these small victories are welcome,” Van De Wege said Tuesday afternoon. He is due to conduct a “virtual town hall” meeting tonight via telephone. Thousands of households across the Olympic Peninsula will receive a phone call this evening, inviting them to participate in the town hall and ask Van De Wege questions.