OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday that he would set aside draft rules for clean-water standards that have been under development for a year.
The announcement comes as Inslee shifts gears on environmental issues after encountering resistance this year in the Legislature. Earlier this week, the governor announced he would use his executive authority to pursue a cap on carbon emissions in Washington state.
The draft clean-water rules, developed by the state Department of Ecology, were intended by Inslee to accompany legislation meant to reduce toxic chemicals. While that proposal, House Bill 1472, passed the House with bipartisan support, it stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate.