A Sierra Club special report critiques Washington Governor Gary Locke's environmental record, with particular focus on the SeaTac Third Runway project, where Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons allegedly removed staff who sought to enforce environmental laws and signed the 'Toxic Fill Bill' allowing contaminated materials to be used in runway construction. The report details how the Port of Seattle's $1 billion-plus runway expansion required building one of the world's largest retaining walls over fish-bearing streams and wetlands in an earthquake-prone area. The Pollution Control Hearings Board ultimately found state permits insufficient and imposed 16 additional environmental conditions on the project.Open full document
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A Sierra Club special report examining Governor Gary Locke’s environmental record regarding Washington State’s water crisis, authored by John Osborn, MD and Rachael Paschal Osborn. The report covers seven topics including corporate giveaways, the SeaTac Third Runway, Columbia River salmon policy, Hanford and Spokane River toxic deals, water rights legislation, and the professional integrity of the Department of Ecology. The report argues that Locke’s decisions, particularly those involving Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons, have significantly aggravated Washington’s water crisis.