2010 Legislative Session in Review

Thanks to the phone calls, emails, in-person meetings and actions of members, we fought for our state's environment until the very end of the 2010 legislative session. Ultimately, the Legislature delivered mixed results.

While we credit the Legislature for taking action in some areas, they didn’t step up to address the state’s biggest water pollution problem, and now that issue only becomes more urgent next year. The Clean Water Act of 2010 (aka Working for Clean Water) asked polluters to help pay their fair share to clean up stormwater pollution. This bill would have provided sustained funding for much needed clean water infrastructure projects statewide and generated thousands of new jobs.

Thanks to activists' efforts, the Clean Water Act was considered all the way through special session. We faced stiff and well-financed opposition from the oil industry from the beginning and, in the end, the bill did not come up for a vote. 

Here are a few items we can celebrate:

• While the Legislature did not pass the Clean Water Act, they did budget $50 million one-time funding for stormwater cleanup. We still need a significant and sustained funding source, but this is a meaningful down payment for stormwater cleanup for the next year.
• Core environmental programs in the areas of toxic contamination cleanup, air quality, water quality, water resources and habitat protection were preserved in the state budget.
• The Safe Baby Bottle Act was signed into law by Governor Gregoire in March. The legislation makes Washington the second state to ban bisphenol A (BPA) in sports bottles and the fifth to take action on the chemical in children’s dishware.
• The environmental community maintained the strength and integrity of Washington’s Clean Energy Initiative, I-937. Passed by voters in November of 2006, the initiative sets minimum requirements for the state’s major utilities to invest in clean energy and energy efficiency.
• The Legislature passed the JOBS ACT, which sends a referendum to voters this fall. If approved, it will provide $505 million in state bonds to make energy efficiency upgrades to public schools: reducing carbon emissions, creating jobs, and saving our schools money.
  

Later this spring, Washington Conservation Voters will release our 2009-2010 Legislative Scorecard. This is a tool that holds our elected leaders accountable on the issues you care about from the last two legislative sessions. Stay tuned for announcements like our Legislator of the Year, Green Deeds and Green Duds.

Read the full press release about the 2010 legislative session.