Speaker 2: Report of the Economic Development, Technology and City Committee Agenda Item seven Council Bill 120349 An ordinance relating to the Satellite Department advancing certain objectives of the Treaty between the United States of America and Canada relating to the Skagit River and Ross Lake and the Seven Mile Reservoir on the Ponderay River. The committee recommends the bill pass. Thank you, Councilmember Nelson. Okay. This is a this is an exciting boat. So some background about this. Washington state in British Columbia share the Skagit River and Seattle City Light has several dams along the Skagit, the northernmost being the Ross Dam near the B.C. border. In 1984, B.C., in the city of Seattle, entered into the High Ross Treaty, which established the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission.
Speaker 0: To protect the environmental.
Speaker 2: Integrity of the transboundary watershed.
Speaker 0: Well.
Speaker 2: A mining company, Imperial Metals, owned mineral rights in part of the upper schedule waterfront in British Columbia, known as the donut hole, a 14,000 acre area surrounded by protected parklands in the Skagit Valley Provincial Park and B.C. Manning Provincial Park. And the treaty mandated that the seek, acquire and retire those mining rights. So backed by a large international coalition of U.S. tribes, Canadian first nations and nongovernmental conservation organizations, as well as by all levels of government, including the city of Seattle in the state of Washington on both sides of the border. The six successfully negotiated a price of 24 million CAD in December 20, 21 of which Washington's contribution is 5.75 million. So what does this bill do? This bill authorizes City Light to accept $4.5 million from the Department of Commerce and conveyed those funds and $1.25 million of city light funding to these Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission. So put another way, passage of this bill will ensure the protection of the Upper Skagit watershed from pollution, from mining in perpetuity. And I urge that my colleagues vote for this. Thank you, Councilor Nelson. I also sit in your committee and thank you for the opportunity for the panel that you had on when you had it in committee to walk us through with the PowerPoint about what this bill entailed. Are there any other questions for my colleagues, for Councilmember Nelson, before we move on? Not seeing any Councilmember Nelson. Is there anything you'd like to say before we move to a vote? I like to thank everyone at Seattle City Light who worked for years on this, as well as all the other environmental organizations that really helped push this through to the finish line. Thank you. It's good to see you out there. Okay. Well, the clerk please call the role on the passage of the bill.
Speaker 0: Councilmember Peterson? Yes.
Speaker 2: Let's. A member. Yes.
Speaker 0: Councilmember Strouse. Yes. Councilmember Herbold.
Speaker 2: Yes.
Speaker 0: Councilmember Lewis.
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 0: Councilmember Nelson.
Speaker 2: I Council President Maurice High seven and favorite unopposed. Thank you. The bill passes. The chair will sign it. Madam Clerk, please. It takes my signature to the legislation for the Finance and Housing Committee. I understand that items eight, nine and ten Councilmember Mosquito's excused in Councilmember Herbold will be speaking on her behalf. Will the clerk please read item eight into the record? The Report of the Finance and Housing Committee Agenda Item eight Council Bill 120343 An ordinance relating to housing for low income households, adopting amended housing funding policies for housing programs and investments.
AN ORDINANCE relating to the City Light Department; advancing certain objectives of the Treaty between the United States of America and Canada relating to the Skagit River and Ross Lake, and the Seven Mile Reservoir on the Pend Oreille River; authorizing the City Light Department to accept grant funds from the State of Washington Department of Commerce and execute the related agreement for and on behalf of The City of Seattle; authorizing the City Light Department to execute an agreement with the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission to convey the grant funds received from the State of Washington Department of Commerce and certain City Light funds in contribution towards the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission’s payment for the mining company’s surrender of mineral and related rights; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.