March 9 - Special Hot List on House & Senate Budgets
Below is the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the environmental budget priority and our request for what should be in the final budget in order to meet the baseline level of funding necessary to protect core environmental programs and maintain healthy communities. For clarity sake, we’ve divided our comments by budget (Operating, Capital, and Transportation).
SUMMARY
We urge you to include the following in your final budget:
- Support funding to critical programs outlined by the environmental community and as included in the House Operating Budget (list of core programs detailed below);
- Reject $10.5 million cut to natural resources programs in Senate Operating Budget;
- Keep the funding in the Model Toxics Control Account intact and working to clean up toxic spills in Washington;
- Support the commonsense Clean Water Act of 2010 (HB 3181/SB 6851) proposal in your revenue solutions;
- Oppose the renewable energy tax credit rollback in the Senate revenue package.
- Support the Senate on ending the tax break for TransAlta’s Centralia coal plant.
SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATING BUDGET
HOUSE: PROS
We strongly support the following components of the House Supplemental Operating Budget:
- We commend the House for restoring funding for all of the core environmental protections identified as top priorities by the Environmental Priorities Coalition’s 2010 budget priority (listed below).
- Maintaining the critical Model Toxics Control Funds for toxic cleanup sites across the state.
- Assumption of revenue from Water application fees (HB 2591) and increase of Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) fees (HB 3037) to reduce these programs’ reliance on general fund dollars.
SENATE: PROS
We support the following components of the Senate Supplemental Operating Budget:
- Inclusion of several of the core environmental protection programs identified as top priorities for restoration by the Environmental Priorities Coalition (listed below). We urge the Senate to adopt to House funding for these critical programs in final budget negotiations.
- Restoring the Model Toxics Control Fund for toxic cleanups by not transferring to the General Fund.
- Assumption of revenue from Water application fees (SB 6267) and increase of Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) fees (SB 6448) to reduce these programs’ reliance on general fund dollars. We urge you to enact these bills into law.
- Ending a tax break for TransAlta’s Centralia coal plant.
SENATE: CONS
We oppose the following components of the Senate Supplemental Operating Budget:
- The $10.5 million cut to State Parks, Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, and Dept. of Natural Resources to compensate for not consolidating the three agencies into the Dept of Natural Resources.
- Reduction of $1,000,000 to the Growth Management Division in Department of Commerce. These funds are the foundation for an agreement on the GMA delay bill (SB 6611) and without this base level of support the environmental community will not support SB 6611.
- Rollback of renewable tax credits. The clean energy tax credit is a key tool in developing the renewable energy sector in our state.
LIST OF CORE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS
We urge the Senate to amend to House funding for these critical programs in final budget negotiations.
| Program | Senate | House |
| Hazardous Waste Cleanup, DOE | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Solid Waste Cleanup, DOE | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Toxic Cleanup, DOE | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Air Quality Activities, DOE | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Water Quality Cleanups, DOE | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Water Quality Monitoring, DOE | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Environmental Health Programs, Dept Health | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Shorelands Water Supply DOE | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Local Watershed Planning, DOE | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Water Resources activities, DOE | CUT $528,000 | FUNDED |
| Natural Heritage Program, DNR | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Wildlife disease monitoring, WDFW | CUT $108,000 | FUNDED |
| Scientific assistance for salmon, WDFW | CUT $670,000 | FUNDED |
| Salmon recovery data coordination, RCO | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Biodiversity Council, RCO | FUNDED | FUNDED |
| Growth Management Division, Commerce | CUT $1,000,000 | FUNDED |
| Implementation of wind power guidelines, WDFW | CUT $540,000 | FUNDED |
| Wildlife land management, WDFW | CUT 316,000 | FUNDED |
SUPPLEMENTAL CAPITAL BUDGET
HOUSE: PROS
We strongly support the following components of your Supplemental Capital Budget:
- Inclusion of $54 million from Clean Water Act of 2010 (Working for Clean Water), HB 3181.
- Inclusion of $200 million appropriation for the JOBS Act of 2010 (HB 2561/SB 6547).
HOUSE: CONS
We ask that you restore this item as you make your final budget decisions:
- Restore Puget Sound Partnership Action Agenda and the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan implementation funds, Puget Sound Partnership: $10,000,000
SENATE: PROS
We strongly support the following components of your Supplemental Capital Budget:
- Inclusion of $42.5 million from Clean Water Act of 2010 (Working for Clean Water), SB 6851.
- Inclusion of new funding for projects to clean up Puget Sound.
SUPPLEMENTAL TRANSPORTATION BUDGET
HOUSE: PROS
- We strongly support the House action to restore and redirect the $14 million back to regional mobility grants.
SENATE: CONS
- We urge the Senate to amend to House funding in budget negotiations and redirect $14 million back to regional mobility grants. State Transportation budget dedicates less than 1% of its funding to transit. The Senate transportation budget takes away much of the remaining state funding in the regional mobility grant program for transit.
REVENUE
We support the following components in the legislature’s final revenue package:
- Include the Clean Water Act of 2010 (HB 3181/SB 6851) to clean up stormwater pollution throughout the state.
- End the tax break for TransAlta’s Centralia coal plant.
- Restore renewable energy tax credit. The clean energy tax credit is a key tool in developing the renewable energy sector in our state.
