Environmentalists fight deep cuts to state budget
Along with every other interest group, environmentalists hope the programs they’ve fought for won’t be gutted as the Legislature again tries to fix a huge deficit.
Still, lobbyists and legislators say there might be a few modest victories and if nothing else, the chance to keep issues in the public eye during the session that opened Monday.
Washington has had to close a $12 billion shortfall over the past three years, and Gov. Chris Gregoire has reluctantly proposed “devastating reductions” to fix the state’s additional $4.6 billion deficit.
