State House of Representatives approves environmental bills

OLYMPIA — The state House of Representatives approved a slew of environmental-protection measures Monday, including bills that limit the use of fertilizer containing phosphorus, enhance the state's oil-spill response procedures, and prohibit the sale and application of coal-tar sealants in order to prevent stormwater pollution.

The key environmental measures were approved mostly on party-line votes.

The Washington Environmental Priorities Coalition lobbied for legislation against phosphorus-based fertilizer as one of its priorities this year, saying phosphorus in lawn fertilizers contributes to harmful algae blooms in lake and river water.

Supporters of the bill said they aimed to protect people and animals from such blooms.

But opponents argue that phosphorus is an important binding agent in soil, and that to single it out as the only factor is misleading, when waste and decaying matter are also big contributors to the problem.

The House also approved a bill to improve the state's oil-spill response procedures.

After last spring's disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, lawmakers in support of the bill say the state needs to train more vessels and have equipment stashed in more readily available locations in case something like the BP spill happened on the Washington coast.

The bill would establish extra contingency-planning requirements for tank vessels and require the Department of Ecology to request that the federal government contribute to Washington's caches of relief equipment to ensure the best possible response.

"It basically says to our citizens, 'You expect us to have this under control, and we're making our best effort,' " said prime sponsor Rep. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island.

"We know that oil spills will happen; the question is, what will be the cost of that oil spill?" she said. "We have the opportunity here today to do the right thing and put some better rules in place to protect our citizens and our economy."

Opponents argued that the timelines outlined in the bill for vessels to meet certain requirements were prescriptive and not realistic, and would hurt businesses by imposing penalties on them when those requirements were not met.

Detractors in the House introduced several amendments, but most were defeated on mostly party-line votes.

Another bill approved in Monday's session would prohibit the sale and application of coal-tar sealants in order to prevent stormwater pollution.

Supporters cited reports that asphalt sealants were comparable in performance and price, and said that moving away from coal-tar sealants would protect both the environment and the economy.

Opponents argued that the science showing coal-tar sealants as a main source of pollution was inconclusive, and said there was not enough evidence to lay all the blame on those materials.

The House approved nearly a dozen other bills, most dealing with environmental concerns.

Topics included enhancing the recreational fishing opportunities for salmon and marine bottom fish in Puget Sound and Lake Washington and the creation of a Puget Sound Corps within the Washington Conservation Corps to address projects relating to Puget Sound recovery.

Lawmakers also approved a measure that would establish a Voluntary Stewardship Program allowing agricultural communities to come together with environmental agencies to negotiate the fate of critical areas.

The measures approved Monday now head to the Senate.