SB 5011 would reverse progress on sustainable development

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Right wing, anti-government activists are pushing a state bill to weaken growth management in Washington State. SB 5011 – 2013-14  would prohibit ” the state of Washington and its political subdivisions from adopting and developing environmental and developmental policies that infringe or restrict private property rights without due process.”

As this New York Time article discusses, Tea Party activists fear that growth management regulations represent an infringement on private property rights and an effort to get Americans to yield sovereignty to the United Nations and its so-called “Agenda 21.”

Accordingly, SB 5011 – 2013-14’s proposed language specifies “The state of Washington and all political subdivisions may not 14 adopt or implement policy recommendations that deliberately or 15 inadvertently infringe or restrict private property rights without due 16 process as may be required by policy recommendations originating in or 17 traceable to Agenda 21, adopted by the United Nations in 1992 at its 18 conference on environment and development.”

Feb 19,2013

Hi Don —

Working together to solve common problems and move our communities forward, that’s the promise of American democracy.The state Growth Management Act protects the rights of Washingtonians to work together to ensure clean air and water, to create livable communities, and protect our shorelines,  farms, forests, and habitat for this and future generations.

It’s a democratic process, driven by our communities, to determine what we want our future to look like. But ultra-conservative activists are attempting to poison our state’s bedrock anti-sprawl law with a fabricated international conspiracy.[1] They’re a formidable distraction capable of sinking years of work and wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars. In an era of diminishing resources, they’re something most communities simply can’t afford.

Tomorrow the Senate Committee of Law & Justice will hear SB 5011 which inserts a poison pill into the state Growth Management Act.[2]

Instead of spending our time working to make our communities stronger, we’re being forced to use our resources to stop proposals like this.  We need to deliver a message to the Senate that SB 5011 is exactly the wrong direction for our state.

Write your senator now >>

Our country was founded on a set of ideas and values: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Farmers, firefighters, teachers, and people like you know that local community planning efforts are about citizens working together to ensure these values for all people.

  • A livelihood means diverse affordable housing options and safe, affordable ways to get to work and school.
  • Freedom starts with all people being able to get to where they need to go, whether by walking, biking, driving or taking transit.
  • And happiness means knowing you and your children have access to a quality education, work opportunities, and a healthy environment.

The Growth Management Act empowers local citizens to work together to achieve a shared vision and create a comprehensive plan for our communities.

But now, by fabricating a vast international conspiracy, ultra-conservative activists are trying to thwart more than 20 years of progress achieved by local citizens to protect our land and water and to create livable communities.

With the public hearing this Wednesday, we need your help to tell the Senate why you support our community protections and want them to strengthen them, not weaken them.

Send a letter to your senator >>

Together we protect our future,

Hilary Franz
Executive Director
Futurewise

P.S. Ultra-conservative activists have pushed this same crazy legislation in state capitols across the U.S. in recent years. Their goal is to remove the ability for local citizens to self-govern and instead hand-over democracy to special interests. For Washington State right now, the real danger right now is losing the public narrative about the importance of local citizens working together to protect our farms and forests and build healthy communities. Click here to send a letter to your senator >>

Footnotes:
[1] “Activists Fight Green Projects, Seeing U.N. Plot,” New York Times (Feb. 3, 2012).
[2] Senate Bill 5011

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