OLYMPIA — Declaring the state hasn't done enough to reduce carbon emissions, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday he will ask lawmakers to pass more climate legislation. Inslee said he will propose further limits on fossil fuels, including on using natural gas, to get the state on course to slash greenhouse gases in roughly half by 2030.

Washington state Tribal leaders praised some of Gov. Jay Inslee’s actions at the annual Centennial Accord Meeting Wednesday, Oct. 27, but also criticized his decision to veto sections of the Climate Commitment Act supported by Tribes. The annual meeting focuses on cementing the government-to-government relationship between the state and Tribes with representatives from the state’s 29 federally recognized Tribes and a few other Pacific Northwest Tribes.

The Washington Department of Ecology has no plans to move forward with declaring a drought, as Eastern Washington bakes and wheat farmers harvest smaller crops. Ecology drought coordinator Jeff Marti acknowledged Friday that dry-land wheat farmers are being "hammered" by the second-driest spring in state history followed by heat waves. A drought declaration, however, won't bring water to non-irrigated farmland, he said. "I want to make sure that if we do declare drought, it is to accomplish something and be an actual benefit."

Gov. Jay Inslee today announced that Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery will be transitioning from a regional approach to a county-by-county evaluation process. The governor also announced a new third phase of the Roadmap and a return for in-person spectators for professional and high school sports. Effective March 22, the entire state will enter Phase 3.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, also known as RAWA, would direct nearly $1.4 billion annually to state and tribal wildlife agencies to protect overlooked species. The bill also would likely require states to put up 25% in matching funds for the money they receive. Wildlife officials say the extra cash would allow them to multiply their work on non-game animals to many times their current capacity.

"...we anticipate that the social distancing requirements and all the other things that I’ve already talked about in terms of partitioning and PPE will continue to be something that we have to implement or to put into play with our agricultural operations.”