Program on the Environment

Over the past two decades, climate policy has increasingly become a partisan political issue, pitting Democrats against Republicans. Washington State mirrors this trend of polarization, where Democratic majorities control all three branches of the state government. Nevertheless, generating bipartisan support for bills is crucial for crafting widely accepted policy and responding effectively to environmental challenges. This study aims to identify technical features in bills that may correlate with successful bipartisan policy from Washington State’s 2025 legislative session. This research draws from a dataset of 215 environmental bills affecting the Puget Sound watershed, compiled during my internship with the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP). I analyzed the associations between each variable and both bipartisan sponsorship and bill success. Each bill was examined for its primary themes/topics, fiscal costs, revenue implications, environmental justice (EJ) framework, choice components, and committee status. Findings suggest that bipartisan bills tend to have lower operating costs, increase state revenue, and expand choices. Conversely, bills with EJ language are less likely to attract bipartisan support, indicating that equity-centered framing may still face partisan resistance. Results provide practical insights for state agencies and environmental coalitions, highlighting which bills correlate with surviving the legislative process and attracting cross-party support. By identifying patterns in successful bipartisan legislation, my research equips policymakers with tools to prioritize bills that balance political feasibility and environmental impact for future legislative sessions in the Puget Sound region.