Kim Harless

AI innovation is real and happening quickly right now, but Washington families should not pay the price for it. Data centers are driving the largest surge in electricity demand in decades, and they consume enormous amounts of water and land. Treaty violations and harm to workers or the environment are not acceptable trade-offs for the jobs some advocates promise. I do not believe ratepayers and communities should absorb higher utility bills and hidden environmental costs while corporations take the profits. I support transparency requirements, public disclosure of water and energy use, and fair cost-sharing so data centers pay for the infrastructure they demand. That is the direction of legislation like HB 2515, which I would support in Olympia. On AI more broadly, I want strong protections around data privacy, ownership, and security as these tools expand. My positions are informed by my environmental science background, utility and ratepayer data, and direct work with my community.

KEYWORDS: Ratepayers, Transparency, Accountability

My approach to environmental funding is grounded in my background in environmental science and my record on Vancouver City Council. I will fight to restore and defend Climate Commitment Act funding rather than let it be raided to patch budget shortfalls, since it is one of our most important tools for cutting climate pollution and is supported by the voters; it is a promise to voters of this state. On Council, I helped lead our Climate Action Framework, secured a moratorium on bulk fossil fuel storage that impacted what could happen at our port, and pushed for PFAS accountability and drinking water filtration before the state required it. When setting priorities I use a science-based approach that puts overburdened and frontline communities first and that respects Tribal co-management and treaty rights. We need to make sure we are using the most up to date science for decision making and to ensure the largest greenhouse gas emitters, manufacturers of products and fossil fuels, and other environmental polluters pick up the bill, not the public.

KEYWORDS: science, justice, accountability

Science literacy is essential to a more fair and just society, and too many students leave school without the tools to evaluate evidence, understand climate change, or separate fact from growing misinformation. I support fully funding science literacy, and good science education is hands-on, where students investigate and figure things out instead of just memorizing. I want that learning connected to the places students live, so the science is relevant and connects them to their community. It takes real investment, and it must be equitable in access, so every school and not just wealthy districts can have it. If you allow me to nerd out a second, I love to tell people about one of the only optimistic sci-fis where the future Earth is a utopia, Star Trek, and remind people how they got there. It was by becoming a society that took science seriously, and embraced reason and inclusion. This topic is also personal for me because I earned my college degree in environmental science, and I visit local students to talk about public service and how a science background led to my career.

KEYWORDS: Access, Standards, Future

Wildfire is now a statewide threat, not just an eastside one. The Bear Gulch Fire on the Olympic Peninsula shows that even our wetter forests are burning. The Legislature has committed millions for wildfire response, forest health, and community resilience, but recent budgets have fallen short and our top public lands officials warn this puts prevention at risk. I will fight to protect and restore that funding. My priorities are prevention and preparedness; forest health and thinning, prescribed and cultural burning done in partnership with Tribes who have managed these lands with fire for generations, protecting the wildland-urban interface where homes meet forest, and strong firefighter capacity and workforce investment. I also prioritize smoke and public health planning, since wildfire smoke harms vulnerable residents far from the flames. My approach is guided by science, experts, Tribes, and climate projections showing longer, more severe fire seasons.

KEYWORDS: Protection, Prevention, Tribes

Puget Sound and our coast are changing fast. Fish, shellfish, and the fishing communities and Tribes that depend on them are already feeling it. I would prioritize funding salmon and habitat recovery, including removing fish passage barriers and culverts the state is obligated to fix under treaties, and protecting the cold, clean water salmon need as rivers warm. Ocean acidification is a direct threat to our shellfish, and I support sustained scientific monitoring and acting on the recommendations the state has developed to address it. Recovery has to be done in genuine partnership with Tribes, whose treaty fishing rights and co-management authority make them essential leaders, not just stakeholders to check a box. I would also support helping coastal and Sound communities adapt as ecosystems shift. My environmental science background tells me that monitoring and long-term data are not optional. I even did a summer course off campus to study marine ecosystems. The data, quantitative and qualitative, are how we make good decisions and I will protect that funding rather than treat science as expendable when budgets tighten.

KEYWORDS: Tribes, Monitoring, Adaption