A health‑professional group urged the committee to press the State Investment Board to divest coal investments from public pension portfolios. Adam Lowe, representing Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, delivered the comment by remote testimony.
The comment matters because WSIB investment policy influences the composition and financial performance of state pension portfolios and raises public‑health concerns for communities near coal facilities.
Lowe said the closure of Washington’s last coal plant by 2025 under the Clean Energy Transformation Act means the state no longer needs to support coal generation domestically, and he called attention to health harms from burning coal — including respiratory and cardiovascular disease. He told the committee that "WSIB's portfolio still holds about 2,600,000,000.0 in coal investments," and urged a divestment plan or timeline.
Lowe acknowledged fiduciary duties to pension holders while urging that the fund can succeed without coal holdings. He asked for a concrete timeline for divestment if the committee or trustees pursue that path.
No committee action followed; the remark was recorded as public comment.