URGENT: Help Protect Clark County Resource Lands from Irresponsible Railroad Expansion
Support SB 5820
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
SB 5820, introduced by Senator Adrian Cortes (D-18th District), is a bill that fixes a serious problem created by SB 5517 in 2017 related to irresponsible railroad expansion.
SB 5517 carved out a special exception that allowed industrial development on resource lands and critical areas near a short-line railroad in Clark County — something no other county is allowed to do. SB 5820 repeals that exception and requires Clark County to follow the Growth Management Act, just like every other county in Washington.
In short: There is no valid reason for Clark County to be exempt from protecting farmland, forests, and mineral lands simply because they are “adjacent” to a railroad.
Why this matters:
- Clark County residents overwhelmingly opposed SB 5517. In a 2018 survey, roughly 80% of respondents opposed the proposed rail-related development overlays and the industrial uses they allowed.
- The policy has been unworkable. After eight years and enormous staff time, only one small overlay was approved, and it is unlikely to ever be developed.
- The railroad operator tied to SB 5517 has a documented history of unpermitted and environmentally damaging activities, leading to investigations, stop-work orders, violations, and fines from multiple agencies.
- Support for this bill comes from residents covering a wide range of political views and associations.
Why now?
Update: Our support has helped move this bill to the House Rules Committee, but a new amendment has been proposed to delay the repeal until 2035. This is effectively a 10-year “permission slip” for the railroad to continue its pattern of environmental destruction and fiscal drain on our county. Other harmful amendments have also been proposed. With the March 6th (this Friday!) cutoff looming, we must flood their offices with calls and emails immediately to ensure they reject any amendments and pass the bill in its original, clean form. SB 5820 gives us a real chance to permanently protect Clark County’s resource lands — but lawmakers need to hear from us now.
Take action (it only takes a few minutes)
- Email, write, or call your legislators in support of SB 5820. Ask that they reject any amendments and pass the bill in its original, clean form.
- Share this message with neighbors and friends who care about farmland and open space!
Clark County legislators to contact (you can send one message and CC all of them. Don’t have time to CC all of them? Message the top 3 in bold!):
monica.stonier@leg.wa.gov
peter.abbarno@leg.wa.gov
kevin.waters@leg.wa.gov
hunter.abell@leg.wa.gov
stephanie.barnard@leg.wa.gov
april.connors@leg.wa.gov
chris.corry@leg.wa.gov
lauren.davis@leg.wa.gov
jeremie.dufault@leg.wa.gov
darya.farivar@leg.wa.gov
joe.fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov
mark.klicker@leg.wa.gov
mari.leavitt@leg.wa.gov
debra.lekanoff@leg.wa.gov
melanie.morgan@leg.wa.gov
lillian.ortiz-self@leg.wa.gov
alex.ramel@leg.wa.gov
tarra.simmons@leg.wa.gov
larry.springer@leg.wa.gov
chris.stearns@leg.wa.gov
drew.stokesbary@leg.wa.gov
my-linh.thai@leg.wa.gov
joe.timmons@leg.wa.gov
You can also call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000.
Sample message you can copy/paste
Subject: Please Support SB 5820 – Protect Clark County Resource Lands
Dear Senator/Representative [Last Name],
I am a Clark County resident and I strongly support SB 5820 introduced by Senator Adrian Cortes. This bill restores Growth Management Act protections and safeguards our agricultural, forest, and mineral resource lands.
Please co-sponsor and vote YES on SB 5820. Thank you for representing our community.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City or ZIP]
Every email and every call matters. Together, we can get this done!
Thank you for taking action!
Friends of Clark County