Well, big stuff happens when you go on vacation. Here's what I can glean from 3,000 miles away: The state Senate bill I've been following all session—the one that supporters like Sen. Chris Marr (D-6, Spokane) say will "amend" the voter-approved renewable energy initiative (I-937) and that Greens say will "gut" I-937—got tabled in the House appropriations committee on Friday. 

The original Senate bill had been made more acceptable to Greens with a compromise bill that passed the House technology committee two weeks ago, but once it got to Appropriations, chair Rep. Jeannie Darneille (D-27, Tacoma) said she simply didn't have the support of her members to pass it. 

Sen. Marr, the bill's original sponsor, reportedly sat in on the appropriations hearing to watch over his House colleagues. Darneille has a bill over in the Senate to help felons who have served their time to get their voting rights back. We'll see if Senate leaders take vengeance by killing her bill. (Darneille's bill passed the House last month 53-43, and it's currently in the Senate Rules committee.) 

The I-937 bill could always get resurrected in budget talks (and certainly, that could come in the form of the Senate version which was not acceptable to environmentalists.)