Bill to help cool heat-emitting cities passes House, Senate

OLYMPIA – A bill authored by Rep. Mary Dye (R-Pomeroy) to help cool heat-emitting cities such as Seattle passed the House and Senate unanimously, and is on its way to the governor.

Dye said larger coastline cities retain heat from rooftops, pavement and other heat-absorbing materials, creating what is known as “urban heat islands.”

“During the summer, downtown Seattle can be as much as 17 degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas,” Dye said. “These hotter temperatures not only affect the atmosphere, they also create flows into stormwater and sewage drains that flow into Puget Sound, resultin...