The Washington State Legislature is currently in the process of trying to ban both the exploratory and actual drilling components of fracking. SB 5145 has passed the Senate and is on its way to the floor of the House. Thank God, because fracking is bad, right? While that may still be up for debate, it is meaningless. Washington has not drilled or explored for oil in decades.
So, is this really a priority for us in Washington? Do you believe that this is the top issue our state faces? Our state is currently experiencing some of the highest gas prices in the nation. Seattle continues to be one of the largest homeless camps in the United States. The drug epidemic is killing our youth along with our most vulnerable citizens, and people are fleeing our state in record numbers. So yes, banning something we don’t do should be high up on our list of priority problems to solve… Huh?
The members of our Legislature must know Washington State currently does not produce a single gallon of oil or gas, so why spend the time implementing a law to ban one method of extraction? It makes good headlines. These politicians are “leading the charge against big oil!” and “They are fighting climate change!” The reality is they are virtue signaling and attempting to fool us into believing that they are making a difference. They are literally creating new problems that do not exist and then providing us with the solutions.
Does the average Washingtonian know we produce no oil or gas? If not, then the virtue signaling coming from the Democratic legislature through this bill is sure to do its intended job. Just how stupid do they think we are?
This bill is all posturing and no substance. We as citizens need to look past the social justice crusade of the Democrats in Olympia and continue to be watchdogs for the one-liners and feel-good statements they make. The only good these meaningless policies do is make emotionally appealing headlines and help Democrats to fundraise for their next election, rather than address the issues that affect all of us here in Washington. Tell your Democratic Representatives to begin addressing the real problems we face in a substantive and meaningful way, instead of wasting time on bills meant to get them re-elected.