March 1 - Hot List for State Senate

POSSIBLE SENATE FLOOR ACTION

POSITION: SUPPORT

The bill passed the House 95-1 and included a ban on BPA in sports bottles. This version that passed out of the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee retains sports bottles.
Please support this bill that includes sports bottles. Sports bottles are used by children and pregnant women. A 2009 Harvard study found that drinking from a polycarbonate water bottle for one week raised BPA levels by an average of 69%. The Departments of Ecology and Health support banning BPA in sports water bottles because there are safer alternatives.

POSITION: SUPPORT WITHOUT AMENDMENTS

In 2003, interests representing business, agricultural, environmental, and local governments agreed on a law to clarify how and when existing protections apply on the state’s shorelines. In 2008 the Supreme Court issued a split decision causing confusion as to the status of that agreement.
EHB 1653 restores the 2003 agreement and is supported by the associations of cities, counties, ports, & business, Farm Bureau, Realtors, environmental community and the state agencies. It moved out of the Environment, Water & Energy Committee with bi-partisan support.

POSITION: OPPOSE

Impact fees were created to ensure that in many ways, new growth helps pay its way. HB 3067 makes the impact fee process more expensive and less certain specifically in King and Snohomish Counties. It requires that developers be allowed to shift paying impact fees from when developers obtain their building permits to when the home buyers buy the home.
This shift in payment gives counties and cities less time to use that impact fee to make the necessary improvements and means that the public facilities needed to reduce the environmental impacts of growth will be delayed until well after the impacts of development occur.

POSITION: SUPPORT

This legislation seeks to streamline the process and timelines for environmental and land use appeals. It is part of the Governor's package to improve the efficiencies of the natural resource agencies.
The substitute ensures that the streamlining efforts also maintain existing levels of public participation and environmental protections. The filing deadlines for appeals that will go to the land use board will stay at 60 days; all other environmental appeals are given 30 day filing deadlines.

POSITION: SUPPORT WITH AMENDMENTS

This bill establishes user fees for the state HPA permit, which is designed to protect critical fish habitat. The bill also contains provisions relating to permit streamlining.
Support with WDFW agreed to striking amendment.

Senate Ways and Means: Possible public hearing and Executive Session

POSITION: SUPPORT WITH AMENDMENTS

Section 9 addresses the Department of Commerce’s state energy strategy. The environmental community is only following this one section and does not have a recommendation on the remainder of the bill.
Important amendments are needed to ensure a fair and efficient energy strategy is created. Without these amendments we will not be able to support this section moving forward.

Ways & Means: Possible public hearing

POSITION: SUPPORT

This bill is a referendum to authorize the state to issue bonds for building upgrades and energy conservation retrofits in schools and public buildings. It will create nearly 40,000 jobs in communities large and small across the state.
We hope to have a hearing to make our case on this bill that is supported by labor, schools and universities, business, and environmental interests.

Ways and Means: Possible Executive Session

POSITION: SUPPORT

The Hazardous Substance Tax has existed for over 20 years and the rate has never been increased.
By increasing the tax rate and devoting a portion of the revenue to the general fund in the near term, this bill is a scalable, balanced approach for addressing the state’s near term budget woes and providing a clean water legacy for generations to come.

Download Report