Wednesday, March 20, 2019

THIS WASHINGTON

► In today’s Seattle Times — Reducing energy use in aging buildings is worth the investment (by Stephanie Celt, Kerry Meade, and Nancy Hirsh) — The Washington Legislature can act now to improve the environment, grow good-paying jobs and save money. Those triple bottom-line benefits are all possible if the Clean Buildings for Washington Act (2SHB 1257) becomes law. That’s why our organizations — the NW Energy Coalition, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council and the BlueGreen Alliance — enthusiastically support this effort.

► In today’s Seattle Times — Pass I-1000 to restore affirmative action (editorial) — Washington colleges and universities are educating the workforce of the future. Our trade-dependent economy demands a diverse workforce. And too many of our young people face unreasonable barriers because of their income status or issues related to race… I-1000 would not reestablish quotas. It would allow state and local governments to use “affirmative action that does not constitute preferential treatment” to remedy discrimination in public employment, education and contracting against veterans, women, people with disabilities and people of color. Lawmakers from both houses should hold a joint hearing on I-1000 and approve the initiative instead of sending it to the people for a vote on the November ballot.

► From the AP — Washington Supreme Court hears case on carbon cap rule — The Washington Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on whether the state Department of Ecology has the authority to cap carbon pollution from major industrial emitters, something business groups and utilities have argued can only be done by the Legislature.

LOCAL

► In today’s Seattle Times — 2 military projects in Washington state could be delayed to help fund border wall — The Washington projects that appear at risk of being put on hold include an $89 million pier and maintenance facility at Naval Base Kitsap at Bangor and a $23 million maintenance installation at the Army’s Yakima Training Center.

ALSO at The Stand — Heck decries potential cuts of state military projects for wall

► In today’s Spokesman-Review — Fairchild project money could be spent on border wall — U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said she’d fight the proposal to redirect the money. “Whatever anyone thinks about President Trump’s wall, they should be outraged that he wants to raid from critical military assets like Fairchild AFB to pay for it, especially after he promised that Mexico would pick up the tab.”

► In today’s Tri-City Herald — Feds to extend contract for Hanford company with 2,000 workers — The Hanford support services contract will be extended for up to six months. Mission Support Alliance holds a 10-year contract valued at $3.2 billion that expires May 25. It has about 1,950 employees. The Department of Energy plans to issue a new contract for support services, but does not expect to have a contractor in place by May 25.

► In today’s Yakima H-R — Yakima police union speaks out against city manager — The Yakima City Council headed to executive session for more than a half-hour Tuesday after the chairman of the Yakima Police Patrolman’s Association and a dozen or so police officers showed up to publicly deliver a vote of no confidence in City Manager Cliff Moore.

BOEING

► From Reuters — Exclusive: Cockpit voice recorder of doomed Lion Air jet depicts pilots’ frantic search for fix — The pilots of a doomed Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX scoured a handbook as they struggled to understand why the jet was lurching downwards, but ran out of time before it hit the water, three people with knowledge of the cockpit voice recorder contents said.

► In today’s LA Times — A pilot who hitched a ride on a Lion Air 737 saved that plane. The next day, the same Boeing jet crashed. — As the Lion Air crew fought to control their diving Boeing Co. 737 Max 8, they got help from an unexpected source: an off-duty pilot who happened to be riding in the cockpit. That extra pilot, who was seated in the cockpit jumpseat, correctly diagnosed the problem and told the crew how to disable a malfunctioning flight-control system and save the plane, according to two people familiar with Indonesia’s investigation.

► In today’s Seattle Times — With regulators wary, Boeing faces more hurdles to restore 737 MAX fleet — While officials in the United States are hoping that the Federal Aviation Administration will approve a software update by the end of this month, leaders in Europe said they won’t allow the aircraft to fly until they have done a separate review. Likewise, officials in Canada said they’ll want to conduct their own assessment of Boeing’s software fix.

► In today’s NY Times — FAA approval of Boeing jet involved in two crashes comes under scrutiny — The 737 Max was one of the first commercial jets approved under new rules, which delegated more authority to Boeing than had been the case when most previous planes were certified. And the software system did not raise warnings during the approval process.

► In today’s Washington Post — Trump to nominate Stephen M. Dickson to head the FAA — Dickson, a former executive at Delta Air Lines, would replace acting FAA Administrator Daniel K. Elwell. The FAA has been under interim leadership since January 2018.

THAT WASHINGTON

► In today’s Washington Post — The White House hasn’t turned over a single piece of paper to my committee (by Rep. Elijah Cummings) — In November, the American people voted overwhelmingly to put Democrats in charge of the House of Representatives to start serving as a truly independent check and balance on the executive branch. Since then, President Trump and his allies have complained of “Presidential Harassment,” decrying Democrats for having the audacity to request documents and witnesses to fulfill our constitutional responsibilities. The problem is that the White House is engaged in an unprecedented level of stonewalling, delay and obstruction.

NATIONAL

► From Politico — Florida felon voting rights imperiled amid GOP opposition — Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature is moving to roll back parts of a historic November constitutional amendment that reinstated voting rights for convicted felons, drawing sharp opposition from Democrats in a key 2020 presidential battleground.

TODAY’S MUST-READ

► In today’s Washington Post — The U.S. needs to treat white supremacism as the worldwide killer it is (editorial) — The New Zealand shooting revealed serious shortcomings in how governments confront right-wing radicalism. In the United States, Islamist extremism, even when it is homegrown, is considered international terrorism — and law enforcement treats it that way. Right-wing radicalism, on the other hand, is called domestic terrorism if it is called terrorism at all. Sometimes, crimes motivated by the same set of values are instead classified as hate crimes or gang violence. Right-wing radicalism kills more Americans than Islamist extremism, and the government should pursue the threat with more vigor. Doing so will require grappling with its domestic and global dimensions alike.

The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.