News from the Caucus
A weekly summary of Senate Republican Caucus content, featuring links to videos, radio and podcast appearances, press releases, social media posts, priority bills, and a short list of bad bills to watch.
Action needed as region’s shortage of reliable energy nears crisis level, Boehnke warns
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/CREDIT: Washington State Legislature OLYMPIA… Senator Matt Boehnke today issued a strong warning about the Pacific Northwest’s energy future, citing a new analysis that projects potential power shortfalls in the region during extreme conditions. The analysis, conducted by Energy + Environmental Economics for the region’s largest utilities, models thousands of years of...
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Powering progress and leadership in the Western Energy Caucus
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Courtesy of the Washington State Senate As summer winds down, I’m proud to share the latest from my work as Washington’s representative in the Western Energy Caucus (WEC)—a bipartisan regional coalition addressing critical energy challenges across the West. This June, I was honored to be selected for the inaugural WEC cohort due...
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Leading the charge with the Renewable Hydrogen Alliance
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Courtesy of the Washington State Senate I’m honored to participate in the Northwest Renewable Hydrogen Conference this September, joining fellow policymakers as a featured speaker in the “Leading from the Legislature: Hydrogen Policy Champions” session. The Renewable Hydrogen Alliance is a respected coalition advocating for renewable hydrogen, emissions-free fuel produced by splitting...
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Boehnke joins Western Energy Caucus and international delegation to Denmark
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick (4th from the left) with the Western Energy Caucus in Denmark. Photo courtesy of the Western Energy Caucus. This June, I joined an elite bipartisan group of lawmakers from across the western United States to help launch the new Western Energy Caucus (WEC)—a regional initiative focused on advancing practical, forward-looking energy...
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Solar meets soil: Boehnke’s landmark clean-energy bill becomes law
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Credit: Washington State Senate OLYMPIA… On Tuesday, the governor signed a bipartisan measure from Sen. Matt Boehnke that accelerates the deployment of distributed energy technologies like solar, storage, and agrivoltaics across the state. The new law is a major step forward for clean energy and land stewardship in Washington. “This is a...
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Governor signs Boehnke’s bipartisan bill to strengthen Washington’s climate transparency
Front row, L to R: Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, Gov. Bob Ferguson, and Virginia Hall, SLA, Office of Sen. Boehnke. Back row, L to R: Dawn Boehnke, Derrek Wilson, Dept. of Ecology, Anthony “Tony” Abbot, Dept. of Ecology, Cameron Long, SRC Policy, WA State Senate, Ken Camp, Dept. of Ecology, Micheal Leone, Session Intern, Office...
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Boehnke’s greenhouse gas-reporting bill unanimously clears House
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Credit: Washington State Senate OLYMPIA… As Republican leader on the Senate Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee, Sen. Matt Boehnke has worked hard to improve the state’s energy policy. His bill to improve the state’s climate-data reporting is headed for the late-session step known as “concurrence” after receiving a second unanimous vote, this...
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Boehnke applauds B.C.’s decision to end consumer carbon tax
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Credit: Washington State Senate OLYMPIA… British Columbia’s government has announced the swift repeal of its consumer carbon tax, drawing praise from Sen. Matt Boehnke, lead Republican on the state Senate’s energy committee. “British Columbia’s leadership has finally acknowledged what conservatives have been saying for years: carbon taxes harm working families and do...
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Boehnke bill to expand renewable energy clears key House committee
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Credit: Washington State Senate OLYMPIA… Legislation from Sen. Matt Boehnke that would expand renewable-energy development while balancing environmental regulations and land-use policies is moving closer to a final vote in the House of Representatives. Senate Bill 5445 would promote distributed-energy projects and support “agrivoltaics,” meaning agricultural production underneath or adjacent to solar...
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House committee passes Goehner regulatory-reform bill for energy projects
Sen. Keith Goehner/R-Dryden/Credit: Washington State Senate OLYMPIA… Legislation from Sen. Keith Goehner that would streamline the review and approval process for energy projects is a step closer to becoming law. The House Environment and Energy Committee unanimously endorsed Senate Bill 5317 on Monday. The bill would clarify that when cities and counties enter into agreements...
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Boehnke trashes passage of ‘hidden tax’ in recycling bill
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Credit: Washington State Senate OLYMPIA… A recycling bill recently approved through a partisan vote in the Senate amounts to another hidden tax that would increase prices at the grocery store, says Sen. Matt Boehnke. Boehnke, the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee, said the bill would shift the...
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Senate passes Boehnke bill making emissions data more timely
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Credit: Washington State Senate OLYMPIA… In a landmark move to require more accountability from climate-related policies and programs, the Senate passed legislation from Sen. Matt Boehnke that would transition the state from biennial to annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting. Senate Bill 5036 would provide a more current snapshot of Washington’s emissions,...
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