Your Weekly Update on What's Happening at the King County Council  

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

When a company sought to site a battery plant in Covington near Mattson Middle School, I was very concerned about the impacts to our community, and especially our young students. In the following months, I wrote a letter to the King County’s Department of Permitting and Environmental Review requesting their diligent attention to all of the reasons we oppose this facility. I also continued to work with the community and local elected officials, including Covington Mayor Jeff Wagner, to advocate against it.

I am pleased to provide a new update: after many months of community opposition, King County’s Department of Permitting and Environmental Review has rescinded the permit application for the battery plant, as it has exceeded its 60-day limit to provide the additional information that would be needed to further consider the permit application. This is wonderful news for the Covington community!

However, this does not mean they couldn’t re-apply for a new permit. The King County Council is currently considering legislation that would regulate future battery plants by imposing certain restrictions related to size, location, noise impacts, and safety. We will need continued community engagement to ensure that future the siting of these facilities help our communities, and do not create potentially dangerous outcomes. I will let you know when there are opportunities for you to engage on this issue at the Council. 

In the meantime, I am greatly encouraged to see that the permit for this battery plant will not move forward at this time, and extend my gratitude to the Covington City Council, Covington Mayor Jeff Wagner, and all concerned citizens who have pushed back against this facility.

All my best,

Reagan Dunn
King County Councilmember
District 9

Supporting student athletes at the Renton School District

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn with Renton Schools Superintendent Damien Pattenaude

I recently delivered two $5,000 Youth and Amateur Sports Grants to the Renton School District, which will fund student athletic programs at Hazen High School and Lindbergh High School. It is important that young athletes have opportunities to play, compete, and be a part of a team, so I am honored to be able to support our fantastic Renton School District athletics!

Welcome to our new Veteran Fellow!

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn with Neville Abram, King County Veteran Intern

Welcome to Neville Abram, our newest King County Council Veteran Fellow! Neville now works in Council Operations after recently separating from the US Army. Before joining us at King County, Neville joined the Army ROTC program at Oklahoma University and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant as a Field Artillery officer in 2018. After receiving his commission, he was stationed at JBLM as a part of the 1-37 FA in support of 1-2 SBCT “Ghost Brigade” and served until receiving the rank of Captain. Through Neville’s military service, he is following in his father’s footsteps, as his father also served in the U.S. Army. I am proud to have sponsored legislation that led to the creation of our Veteran Fellow program here at the King County Council, which helps veterans like Neville transition back to the civilian world.

In the News

• KIRO7 News: King County to look into creating new hotline for reporting hate crimes