Peter Courtney spikes CRC Special Session

Carla Axtman

It looks as if Senate President Peter Courtney has no interest in holding a special session this month to address the Columbia River Crossing.

Courtney's office sent out a press release this afternoon, which included this:

“We need to see if we can find a reasonable path to build a new bridge to move traffic, move commerce and move people across the mighty Columbia River – and do it safely and efficiently.

“We need to have the votes and do it right.

“We should begin with public hearings and get the answers we need to fully consider this new approach. We should not predetermine the outcome of this process. If we take it up again, we should wait until the Legislature comes back into its regularly scheduled session on February 3.”

I contacted Courtney's office this afternoon to verify that Courtney is in fact not in favor of a special session this month for the CRC.

This would seem to make any talk of holding another session for this purpose an exercise in futility. Without Courtney, it's highly unlikely.

This comes just a day after Washington Governor Jay Inslee made clear that his state won't be taking up the CRC in their own special session, which will address the state's transportation funding.

By Carla Axtman Oct. 16, 2013