Initiative 24-03 in Everett, WA, passed in November with 57% of the vote, giving the community the ability to hold people accountable for damaging the Snohomish River. It is now being CHALLENGED by the developers who don’t want to be held accountable.
WE NEED YOUR HELP to fund the legal effort to stop them from overturning the will of the people.
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Everett voters spoke loud and clear when they passed Initiative 24-03 to protect the Snohomish River Watershed. Now, a group of developers is suing to undo those protections.
At the front of the fight is the Master Builders Association, a well-funded group with $23 million to spend. This isn’t about fairness—it’s about protecting their profits, even if it means going against what Everett voters decided.
Initiative 24-03 doesn’t replace any existing laws—it just ensures they get enforced when state and federal protections fall short. But instead of respecting the will of Everett voters, these developers are forcing taxpayers to pay for a legal battle to defend it.
We designed this initiative to avoid the mistakes of similar efforts in the past, but the Master Builders and their allies are pushing hard to tear it down. This is about silencing the voters and putting corporate interests before the environment. Read our latest blog post about the lawsuit for more on what’s at stake and how we’re fighting back.
Standing for Washington is dedicated to supporting legislation and citizen initiatives that support nature in Washington state. Our mission is to promote the idea that nature has inherent rights that should be protected and preserved, and that nature should be given legal standing to support those rights. That means anyone in the community can go to court, if necessary, to protect nature and ensure a healthy, thriving community for future generations.
Everett Initiative 24-03 passed in November with 57% of the vote, giving the Snohomish River Watershed legal standing to enforce its right to exist, flourish, and regenerate.
There are many ways for you to take part in the action, from volunteering to gather signatures, to getting your organization involved, to donating your money or talent.
Standing for Washington supports efforts to run local ballot measures that protect nature. We work with communities to run ballot measures in their municipality to give legal standing to nature.
Standing for Washington supports legislation that advances the protection of nature in Washington state, and is working toward a state Constitutional amendment to give legal standing to watersheds throughout the state.
(last updated April 14, 2025) Standing for Washington is currently in the fight of its life, defending Everett Initiative 24-03 against a recent legal challenge by developers. As reported by the Everett Herald, the Master Builders Association and others have…
SOUNDSIDE, KUOW (NPR) Standing for Washington was interviewed by Soundside, a podcast on NPR Seattle affiliate KUOW, for a story on the passage of Everett Initiative 24-03. In Everett, voters approved Initiative 24-03, granting the Snohomish River watershed legal rights,…
INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS, Summary: Voters in the city of Everett chose to grant the Snohomish River watershed rights to exist, regenerate and flourish as part of a November ballot initiative. In a historic move, Everett, Washington, granted enforceable legal rights…
Help us protect our local watersheds for future generations! Your donation plays a crucial role in supporting our citizen-led initiatives to recognize the rights of our watersheds to exist, flourish, and regenerate. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us one step closer to safeguarding the ecological health of our communities.