Lynden Transport, Inc. v. State

At issue is the constitutionality of RCW 39.24.020 which requires the State and specified subdivisions to purchase fuel which "shall have been wholly mined or produced within the state of Washington." On summary judgment motions, the trial court held the statute unconstitutional and further held that if a prior version of that statute were revived, it also was unconstitutional. We affirm.

This controversy arises from a coal purchase contract whereby the University of Washington agreed to purchase coal from Pacific Coast Coal Company (Pacific Coast). The contract, for a 9-year term ending…