Washington State’s trade, tourism, and environmental relationship with British Columbia will become more important given the “rashness” coming from the new administration in the White House, Gov. Jay Inslee said last week, in an interview with the CBC regional program On The Coast.
“The unpredictable nature of the president’s actions so far…has to make one worry about these relationships because we’re such a trade-dependent state,” Inslee said. “Canada is our number two trade partner, and the last thing we need is a border war at Blaine and the Peace Arch.”
- Concise headlines. Original content. Timely news and views from a select group of opinion leaders. Special extras.
- Everything you need, nothing you don’t.
- The Weekender: The climate news you need.
Inslee cited high-speed rail as a possible area for future cooperation with B.C., and said “there’s room, and urgency, for B.C. and Washington to work together on climate change because he believes Trump will not help in that fight,” CBC reports.
“And that’s a shame when it comes to British Columbia and Washington, because we share the Salish Sea, which is 30% more acidic than it was in pre-industrial times, and it’ll be 100% more acidic over the next century, if we continue spewing carbon dioxide without limitation,” Inslee said.
“Of all the noise and sturm und drang coming out of Washington, DC, you can trust that we’re going to build our relationship,” he added. “We’re doing that right now to great effect.”
