A clean, green session

Majority Democrats cannot skip out of Olympia ballyhooing their environmental successes without acknowledging key support from Republican legislators.

Advances for a healthy, greener Washington were clearly the result of bipartisan votes, with suburban Republicans picking up the slack for skittish Democrats.

Give the environmental community credit as well. For the third session, asking for less has meant more success.

The billions Washington spends on new state buildings and schools will go into structures more efficient to heat, cool and light thanks to innovative "green building" legislation.

State agency construction — including a prison and college buildings — and K-12 schools will incorporate designs and materials already catching on in private industry. Savings come from lower energy and water costs.

Cities and counties are not covered, but these green-design elements will be included in low-income housing units after 2008. Washington is on track toward cleaner cars with reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 2016. The state would shift from following federal air-quality standards to tougher California rules.

Starting in 2009, the law begins requiring access to cleaner car models. The bill on Gov. Christine Gregoire's desk must be reconciled to avoid subsequent legal challenges. One element makes the bill contingent upon Oregon adopting a similar measure, which ties its fate to outside legislative action. The other eliminates sales quotas for clean cars, as found in California law. For Washington's law to switch from a federal benchmark, it must be the same as California's.

This legislation is about clean air, not fuel economy, but the two go hand in hand. In a time of $2.40-a-gallon gas, both have priority with voters.

Tougher rules on precursor drugs used to illegally produce methamphetamine are a clean win for a healthier Washington.

Meth is a nasty social, law-enforcement and environmental problem. Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, waged a tenacious fight to put misused cold medicines behind the counter and require purchasers to be at least 18 years old, have I.D. and sign a log.

Other areas had less clear-cut success. Efforts to crack down on septic-tank problems around Hood Canal did not prevail, but there is more money for local health districts to identify and fix septic systems.

Broadly, water topics were not on this Legislature's radar.

Always more work for later, but a decent environmental session.