January 18, 2010 - Hot List for State Senate

OUR THREE 2010 ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITIES

Given the challenges of the session ahead, for the first time ever, our coalition has chosen just three priority proposals for the 2010
legislative session. Our 2010 Priorities create jobs, reduce the threat of toxic chemicals, and maintain core environmental protections
in a time of slashed budgets. The three priorities are:

WORKING FOR CLEAN WATER

For the second year in a row, the Working for Clean Water bill has been selected as one of our highest priority bills. The bill is about
creating jobs, rebuilding our local economies, and cleaning up polluted waterways like Puget Sound and the Spokane River. Each
year, millions of gallons of petroleum end up in our water through storm runoff, a serious threat to our health and the environment. We
are proposing a fee on polluters to fund shovel-ready, local projects all over the state to stop this contamination. Last year, this bill
passed the House of Representatives (HB 1614).

SAFE BABY BOTTLE ACT

More and more evidence, including last week’s announcement by the EPA, shows that the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) is harmful to
children’s health, linking it to cancer, miscarriage, obesity, reproductive problems, and hyperactivity. The Safe Baby Bottle Act would protect our health and the environment by phasing out BPA in baby bottles, food and beverage cans, and other consumer products. This bill (HB 1180/SB 5282) was first introduced in the 2009 session where it made significant progress.

SUSTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS IN THE BUDGET

Last year, the budget decimated many core environmental programs and cuts to these programs were more severe than in other areas of the State’s General Fund Budget. We cannot afford to further impair critical environmental protections. Given the size of the
deficit, we will work with the Legislature to ensure that budget decisions are focused on protecting our health and safety. A specific
list of highest priority programs will be presented to you during the session.

SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION

SB 5518: Reducing the amount of petroleum pollution in stormwater. (a.k.a. Working for Clean Water)

Senate Ways and Means Committee: Possible public hearing

Position: SUPPORT

• This bill will put Washington back to work. A per-barrel oil fee imposed upon refineries will directly fund $120 million each year in local projects to clean up petroleum pollution in our water, creating thousands of new jobs across the state.
• By volume, petroleum is the most significant contaminant in stormwater that runs into our lakes, rivers and streams. A priority for local governments, labor and environmentalists, this polluter-pays bill will help rebuild local economies and clean up polluted waterways from Puget Sound to the Spokane River.

SB 6248: Regarding the use of bisphenol A. (a.k.a. Safe Baby Bottle Act)

Senate Health and Long Term Care: Possible Executive Session

Position: SUPPORT

• The Safe Baby Bottle bill protects children's health by banning the toxic chemical—bisphenol A (BPA)—in baby bottles, sippy cups, sports water bottles, and other food and beverage containers intended for children 3 and under.
• The Food and Drug Administration recently reversed its opinion on the safety of BPA and is now concerned about the hormone disrupting chemical's use in baby bottles. In its new opinion on BPA, the agency cited the potential for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children among the reason for their concern.

SB 6256: Maintaining a base of forest lands that may be used for commercial forestry.

Senate Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation: Hearing and possible Executive Session

Position: OPPOSE

• This legislation undermines the efficiency and functionality of state Forest Practices Board rule-making for logging, by requiring the Board to propose and fund incentives for voluntary measures before it can adopt any new rules. Is also applies other hurdles to efficient rule-making to protect public resources such as clean water.
• The legislatively-approved Forests and Fish rules require that proposed rule changes come from a multi-stakeholder process that includes the timber industry before they are brought to the Board. This bill is an end-run around that legislatively directed stakeholder process.

SB 6289: Protecting lake water quality by reducing phosphorus from lawn fertilizers.

Senate Environment, Water, and Energy Committee: Public hearing

Position: SUPPORT

• Phosphorous from residential lawn fertilizers is a major water quality pollutant that, if not limited, could require local governments to spend millions on wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
• This bill limits phosphorous in fertilizers applied to established residential lawns, unless the soil is deemed to be phosphorous deficient.

SB 6350: Relating to Marine Waters Planning and Management.

Senate Natural Resources, Oceans, and Recreation Committee: Public hearing

Position: SUPPORT

• This bill establishes an interagency planning process to better coordinate federal, state, and local government management programs designed to protect marine ecosystems and fisheries in Puget Sound and in the open ocean.

SB 6354: Concerning the regulation of nonindustrial forests.

Senate Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee: Hearing and possible Executive Session

Position: OPPOSE

• This bill would exempt landowners who have harvested less than two million board feet of timber during any 3-year period from the legislatively-approved Forests and Fish state logging rules that are designed to protect clean water. This exemption would jeopardize the state's 50-year Habitat Conservation Plan Agreement with the federal government.
• The environmental community is working hard on other ways to help forest landowners with smaller holdings--while still providing environmental protection--including simpler streamside buffers and funding for the Forest Riparian Easement Program (FREP).

SB 6366: Concerning permits for certain major transportation corridor projects.

Transportation Committee: Public hearing

Position: OPPOSE

• This legislation will gut the local and environmental permitting processes for all state highway projects over one billion dollars.
• It directs all permit appeals directly to the Superior Court, robbing local jurisdictions of environmental, shoreline, and community protections.

SB 6489: Adding products to the energy efficiency code.

Environment, Water and Energy Committee: Public hearing

Position: SUPPORT

• This bill adopts efficiency standards for televisions.
• In 2020, these efficiency standards will save Washington energy consumers about $24.8 million per year. Energy savings will be an estimated 45 annual average megawatts – equal to the average output of about 60 wind turbines.

Z-1156.1: Phasing Out Copper Brake Pads.

Environment, Water, and Energy Committee: Public hearing

Position: SUPPORT

• This bill calls for the eventual phase-out of auto brake-pads containing copper. Copper is a very significant pollutant in stormwater runoff that is highly toxic to salmon and other aquatic life. Alternatives to copper brake-pads are currently available.

Energy efficiency financing - Authorizing a local financing tool to fund energy efficiency upgrades and removing financial barriers to implementing conservation programs (No bill number)

Environment, Water and Energy: Public hearing

Position: SUPPORT

• This bill unlocks the full job-creating potential of making our homes and businesses more energy efficient by allowing municipalities to set up revolving loan programs that overcome the biggest barrier to money-saving conservation projects in Washington- the lack of up-front financing. Conservation loans are paid back with energy savings through utility or property tax bills.
• The bill also allows utilities to recover investments made to make our homes and businesses more energy efficient.