The controversial bill exempting the SR-520 bridge project from an automatic stay of construction under the state Shoreline Management Act  passed the senate today, though not before a bit of political theater from conservative Republican Doug Ericksen (R-42), who proposed, facetiously, an amendment that would have stayed the legislation until the legislature passed a bill exempting all projects statewide from the shoreline protection law.

(Seattle representatives support the bill because it promises no construction on the Seattle side of the bridge without adequate mitigation; environmentalists hate it because it creates a precedent for future exemptions from the SMA).

"If it's good enough for the people who live in the city of Seattle, why is it not good enough for the people of Bellingham or the people of Vancouver?" Ericksen asked with a wry smile. "If this bill creates jobs in Seattle, think how many jobs we could create all over Washington State by applying the exact same rules to every transportation project [in the state]?

Ultimately, the bill passed 33-16, with Ericksen voting no.