March 7th Hot List - State Senate

POSSIBLE SENATE FLOOR ACTION

SSB 5231: Regarding the safety of certain children's products.

POSITION: SUPPORT
Hargrove/Nelson/Kastama Striker and OPPOSE Amendments

• The striker addresses major concerns of business. It allows the Departments of Ecology and Health to prioritize the most harmful products and requires the largest manufactures of children's products to conduct safer alternatives analysis on these products. However, the striker limits Ecology's authority to requiring only 2 orders for safer alternatives assessment per year and the authority expires in 2018. It also exempts small business with $5 million or less in gross sales and requires technical assistance for large manufactures to conduct safer alternatives assessment.
• The striker DOES NOT EXPAND the scope of current law to apply to anything more than kids products, like toys and baby blankets. The bill contains appropriate legislative checks and limits to ensure there is no overreaching by Ecology. The bill DOES NOT ban any chemical or allow Ecology to ban a chemical in the future. It requires Ecology to report all findings to the legislature every 2 years.

SSB 5234: Creating a statewide program for the collection, transportation, and disposal of unwanted medicines.

POSITION: SUPPORT

• Requires drug producers to provide a secure drug take-back program to protect public safety and water quality without use of public funds, with a cost ceiling to producers equivalent to a couple pennies per bottle of pills.
• Bill sets Washington program start date in 2014 to allow incorporation of new federal rules for take-back of controlled medicine that will be finalized in 2012.

SSB 5457: Providing a congestion reduction charge to fund the operational and capital needs of transit agencies.

POSITION: SUPPORT

• This bill preserves jobs, reduces congestion, and protects the environment by authorizing local governments and transit agencies in Puget Sound to impose a temporary congestion reduction charge to provide emergency funding for our critical transit service.
• Transit service faces a funding crisis in Washington State. Plummeting sales tax revenue is forcing transit agencies to slash service despite record-setting ridership.

SSB 5478: Concerning minimum renewable fuel content requirements.

POSITION: SUPPORT

• This bill makes critical changes to the 2006 environmental community priority to create a Renewable Fuels Standard, allowing the standard to be effectively implemented.
• This bill is supported by a diverse coalition ranging from Chevron to Climate Solutions to the Washington Farm Bureau because implementing our Renewable Fuels Standard will create jobs for Washington farmers, bring new biodiesel businesses to the state and reduce pollution.

SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION

SHB 1003: Establishing energy efficiency standards for consumer products.

Environment, Water and Energy: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

• This bill conserves energy and saves money by adding DVD players, audio equipment and external power supplies to the list of Washington's energy efficiency standards. Standards for these products are already in place in California.
• Starting in 2013, one year of energy savings would be roughly equivalent to what 2,125 typical Washington homes use in a year (about 2.7aMW). Ten years of energy savings add up to $10 million worth of bill savings for consumers.

HB 1489: Limiting the use of fertilizer containing phosphorus (a.k.a. Clean Fertilizers, Healthier Lakes and Rivers).

Environment, Water and Energy: Public Hearing.
POSITION: SUPPORT

• Phosphorous from residential lawn fertilizers is a major water quality pollutant that if not managed could require local governments to spend millions on wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
• This bill manages the sale of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus and has the support of Scott's MiracleGrow, Avista Corp., Inland Paper Company, Fred Meyer, local governments and environmental groups.

ESHB 1721: Preventing storm water pollution from coal tar sealants.

Environment, Water and Energy: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

• Sealants are used to beautify pavement surfaces. Coal tar-based sealants contain highly carcinogenic chemicals, but safe, cost-effective alternatives are readily available and widely used in Washington.
• Passed with strong bi-partisan support in the House, this bill will protect public health and save local governments money by ending the use of the highly-polluting coal tar sealants on playgrounds and parking lots.

HB 1886: Implementing recommendations of the Ruckelshaus Center process.

Agriculture & Rural Economic Development: Hearing & Possible Executive Session
POSITION: SUPPORT

• Implements the agreement worked out between the counties and agricultural & environmental interests after 3.5 years of negotiations at the Ruckelshaus Center.
• Creates an alternative to the GMA for protecting critical areas and maintaining ag viability, by creating a voluntary stewardship program. We are all seeking federal funding to pay for the program.

SB 5862: Regarding the administration of natural resources programs.

Natural Resources & Marine Waters: Public Hearing
POSITION: OPPOSE

• Our concerns: the agency with the expertise to determine what’s needed to protect fish loses its authority to require fish-friendly techniques; four-year logging permits weaken the foundation of the state’s Forests and Fish Habitat Conservation Plan, which requires that state rules and logging practices on the ground evolve over time as new science comes in. Finally, while we appreciate the permit fee increases, they are too small to provide sufficient funding for needed state oversight of logging.