House Bill 2860 (see below) was rushed through the state Senate Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the House overwhelmingly approved it. The Senate followed suit, with a unanimous "yes" vote -- and then a rare round of applause for the bill's sponsors.

Some environmentalists, however, are balking. The bill's call for water storage along the Columbia, they say, will likely lead to dams and inundation of some of the region's dwindling shrub-steppe habitat.

Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the bill into law by Monday.

Read our full story here.

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