Pass the 2011 Clean Water Jobs Act
Pass the 2011 Clean Water Jobs Act and put Washington to work cleaning up state waterways. Legislation in Olympia creates a link between the source of the pollution and way to pay to clean up Puget Sound, the Spokane River and others rivers and streams.
WASHINGTON waterways suffered another year's worth of toxic runoff, but the time spent by lawmakers and environmental interests fine-tuning the 2011 Clean Water Jobs Act produced legislation ready for passage.
Companion measures in the House and Senate authorize the state Department of Ecology to collect a 1-percent fee on the wholesale value of petroleum products, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The money would pay for stormwater pollution projects throughout the state.
The fee would be assessed on the first possession of the toxic substances in the state. The fee falls to whoever creates or imports the substance, a narrower focus than earlier versions.
The legislation, Senate Bill 5604 and House Bill 1735, links the substances that foul state waterways and a revenue source to help clean them up.
Toxic runoff comes from all manner of human activities: from our cars and lawns, construction projects and industrial and agricultural processes. That is broadly how the federal Clean Water Act sees it. State and local responsibility for taking care of our lakes, streams and rivers is not only an environmental and health concern, but it is also the law.
A year ago, the concern in Olympia was over bill language seen as creating a competitive disadvantage for products made in Washington. Even a question about the impact on jobs and employment chilled the debated.
The current legislation was rewritten to eliminate the issue. Lawmakers also tightened language to ensure the money raised is focused on stormwater pollution and not subject to legislative raids for other uses.
Revising the legislation brought together several key points. Department of Ecology studies continue to document the content and range of sources for the toxic runoff reaching Puget Sound, the Spokane River and other waterways. The 1-percent fee is attached to the materials responsible for the pollution.
Money raised is directed to build new projects and retrofit others to mitigate or prevent contamination of stormwater. The bill language cinches down the use of money.
Jobs are created in the process, but Washington residents live, work and play in and near water that needs to be cleaned up. Ignoring or dodging the problem will only make it more expensive and difficult to confront later.
The 2011 Clean Water Jobs Act protects jobs in Washington, creates more employment and spends all the money on cleanup.
