On the last day of the session, two bills we've been covering are still in play.

Greens and transit fans should cross their fingers and hope the compromises that emerged from the conference committees yesterday stand final floor votes today. 

1) The I-937 bill. 

As we've been reporting all session—a story we broke in late January—legislators in Olympia have been threatening to undo I-937, the renewable energy initiative. (I-937 mandated that 15 percent of a utility's energy come from renewable resources by 2020.)

After the Senate passed a bill that threatened to lower the standard, the warring sides—environmentalists vs. utilities—struck a compromise that included: 1) Allowing smaller utilities to meet a less strenuous standard (a win for the utilities) and 2) Extending a renewable energy tax exemption that was set to expire (a win for the Greens). 

However, that compromise was threatened on two fronts: 1) Larger utilities in Tacoma and Clark County wanted in on the deal that smaller utilities were getting—which Greens argued would topple the renewable energy goals, and 2) The tax exemption  (a separate bill) didn't have the votes. 

A new compromise was reached yesterday in a Senate/House conference report that prevents the larger utilities from being eligible for the lower standard, but does lower a cost cap provision that was in the original initiative from four to three percent. This means if the cost of switching to some renewable energy sources bumps over three percent of a utility's costs, they can meet a lower standard. The Greens say they can live with that. Tacoma's legislators are likely to vote against the bill now.

I've got message into Rep. Jeannie Darneille (D-27), the leader of the Tacoma contingent, to get her comments. UPDATE: Her comments are: "Rep. Darneille votes NO." 

Meanwhile, the tax exemption for renewable energy (worth about $20 million) is reportedly back on track. 

P.S. In other environmental news that's coming down to the wire: The House passed a "polluter fee" bill  on oil refineries yesterday ($1.50 a barrel), that could raise $100 million for storm water clean up.

In an email to Senators, who will vote on the bill today, advocates reasoned: 

"Petroleum products are the most significant contributor to stormwater pollution levels. [The Department of ] Ecology estimates that between 45% and 65% percent of stormwater pollution comes from petroleum...Every time it rains, these pollutants are flushed into the stormwater which flows into our lakes and streams."

2) A bill to help fund King County bus service. 

Facing a $100 million deficit, King County Metro stands to get about $55 million if this omnibus local tax option bill passes today. Two provisions in the bill—using a portion of the ferry tax to fund bus service and a $20 car tab, which sponsor Rep. Geoff Simpson (D-47) is calling a "congestion relief tax"—were on the table as the Senate and House went into discussions to reconcile their differences.

According to the conference report (issued yesterday afternoon), those provisions are still intact as the bill now heads for a final vote. (In other good news for King County, the bill also includes money to keep jeopardized social services afloat.)

Political side note: Sen. Fred Jarrett  (D-41) (who is running for King County Executive) was supposed to be in on the conference, but he was replaced by Sen. Rodney Tom (D-48). However, Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48) (who's likely to announce his candidacy for K.C. Executive early next week) was in the conference committee.

If the bill passes today, it could serve as campaign bragging rights for him. Indeed, two of his rivals for the K.C. Executive gig, King County Council Members Dow Constantine and Larry Phillips, have been advocating for the bill all session.

However, one piece of the bill that Rep. Hunter had initially fought for—a 6 percent utility tax on unincorporated King Couty that would help fund social services—went nowhere.