Week of February 9, 2009

For the seventh year in a row, the environmental community will prepare weekly Hot Lists detailing positions on no more than ten of the highest priority issues being considered that week in the House and Senate. If you are interested in receiving pdf version of the hotlist by Monday morning of each week, please email sudha (at) wcvoters.org.

• Hot List for the State House

• Hot List for the State Senate

 

HOUSE

HOUSE COMMITTEE ACTION

HB 1133: Modifying provisions of chapter 19.285 RCW, the energy independence act. Technology, Energy & Communications Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

•Washington’s Initiative 937 that was passed by voters to require the state’s major utilities to diversify their electricity supply by gradually increasing the amount of new renewable resources and acquiring all cost-effective energy conservation resources.

 

•This bill allows modifications that are narrow in scope, and address implementation barriers based on feedback in a stakeholder process convened by Chairman McCoy. This bill maintains the law’s overall intended impact.

HB 1334: Concerning water resource management on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee: Possible Executive Session

POSITION: OPPOSE

•This bill would allow agricultural water users to consume more water by transferring conserved water to new irrigated acreage. Although water conservation should be encouraged, it should not be used to further draw down already burdened rivers and streams.

 

•This bill undermines the Columbia River Management Program by unilaterally amending statutory language that was agreed to in 2006 by both agricultural and environmental communities.

HB 1469: Establishing the product stewardship recycling act for mercury-containing lights.
Environmental Health Committee: Possible Executive Session
POSITION: SUPPORT

•Creates a producer-provided recycling program for CFLs and other mercury-containing lights from residents, small businesses and small school districts. The program will properly handle the mercury while also bolstering consumer confidence in using energy-efficient lights that reduce greenhouse gases.

•Budget-neutral to the State. A fee paid by producers of mercury-containing lights recovers agency oversight costs.

HB 1482: Concerning reclaimed water permitting.

Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee: Executive Session

POSITION: SUPPORT

•This bill requires the Department of Ecology and the Department of Health to work together to develop comprehensive rules for using treated wastewater from homes, agricultural, or industrial activities for specific purposes.

 

•We support the directive to Ecology and DOH to draft rules that authorize the use of sufficiently treated water to increase flows in streams, recharge aquifers, and reduce water demand.

HB 1490: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through land use and transportation requirements (a.k.a. Transit-Oriented Communities, Rep. Sharon Nelson, Prime Sponsor).
Local Government & Housing Committee: Possible Executive Session
POSITION: SUPPORT Nelson Substitute

 

•One of the four environmental priorities for 2009, the bill incorporates climate change consideration into land use and transportation planning, helping to significantly reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions and pollution of Puget Sound by accommodating future population growth with minimal environmental impacts.

 

•The proposed substitute addresses many stakeholder concerns and is still a work in progress. The bill includes strong protections increasing housing affordability and preventing displacement in communities closest to the major transit stations.

PSHB 1614: Reducing the amount of petroleum pollution in stormwater (a.k.a. Invest in Clean Water; Rep. Ormsby, Prime Sponsor).
Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

•One of the four environmental priorities for 2009, this bill would raise $100 million for clean water by imposing a fee on petroleum products that contribute to stormwater pollution.

 

•This polluter-pays fee on oil companies will provide money for new jobs, relieve financial pressure on local governments, and promote new economic stimulus.

 

HB 1653: Clarifying the integration of the shoreline management act policies with the growth management act.
Local Government & Housing Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

 

•This bill would eliminate the confusion caused by a Supreme Court decision and restore the original legislative intent that regulates critical areas in shorelines through the SMA—upon the next update of a jurisdiction’s SMA regulations.

•This bill, requested by the Departments of CTED & Ecology, is broadly supported by the environmental community, local governments and ports.

 

HB 1819: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (a.k.a. Cap and Invest; Rep. Dave Upthegrove, Prime Sponsor).
Ecology and Parks Committee: Possible Executive Session
POSITION: SUPPORT

•One of the four environmental priorities for 2009, this bill implements the limits on global warming pollution established by the Legislature in 2008 by authorizing Washington’s involvement in the pollution reduction program created by the Western Climate Initiative.

•Families and businesses in Washington will continue to suffer from fossil fuel price spikes and financial insecurity until we aggressively invest in clean energy alternatives and maximum efficiency. With Cap and Invest, we keep our energy dollars in-state rather than sending them to Houston or Riyadh, and stabilize energy prices by making our own abundant local sources of energy more competitive.

 

HB 1854: Modifying provisions of the greenhouse gas emissions standards. Technology, Energy & Communications Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

 

•SB 6001, passed during the 2007 legislative session, sets limits the amount of greenhouse gas pollutions emitted through electricity generation. The law’s intent is clear, to prevent more dirty coal plants and other high emitting resources from serving Washington needs.

 

•This legislation fixes two technical issues that threaten to un-do the standards and allow dirty resources from out of state to be used in Washington.

HB 2010: Concerning state funding for local projects.
Capital Budget Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

•By 2020, the state must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels. The state capital budget spends billions of dollars on infrastructure that if not spent properly could make it more difficult to achieve the greenhouse gas reductions required by state law.

 

•This bill requires that state infrastructure funds be spent in ways that will help the state achieve its greenhouse gas reduction targets.

SENATE

SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION

SB 5114: Eliminating the partial relinquishment of water rights.

 

 

SB 5692: Regarding sufficient cause for the nonuse of water.

 

Environment, Water, & Energy Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: OPPOSE Both Bills

 

•Water policies must fairly balance multiple needs for critical fish habitat, agriculture, industry, and use in our homes. By weakening the long-standing principle that water users relinquish the right to water that has not been used for five or more years, these bills could encourage water hording and speculation, and may seriously impact the rights of other water users.

•Changes to the state’s relinquishment requirements should occur only within the context of balanced reform that benefits farms, fish and people.

 

SB 5138: Creating an integrated climate change response strategy.

 

Environment, Water, & Energy Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

•This bill addresses an important aspect of climate change-it focuses on the vulnerability of our water supply and natural resources to changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, and declares that the state should develop an integrated climate change response strategy.
 

•To plan for these changes, the bill directs the Department of Ecology to assemble a “climate change impacts coordinating team,” which will gather, assess, and distribute relevant science and information on climate change.

 

SB 5299: Concerning water resource management on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

 

Environment, Water, & Energy Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: OPPOSE

•This bill would allow agricultural water users to consume more water by transferring conserved water to new irrigated acreage. Although water conservation should be encouraged, it should not be used to further draw down already burdened rivers and streams.

•The bill raises serious legal questions because it applies retroactively and would impact the rights of other water users. This bill also undermines the Columbia River Management Program by unilaterally amending statutory language that was agreed to in 2006 by both agricultural and environmental communities.

 

SB 5344: Requiring a Permanent Oil Spill Response Tug at Neah Bay.

 

Environment, Water & Energy Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

•With a track record of 41 rescues or assists, the Response Tug at Neah Bay has proven itself the most effective means of preventing and responding to oil spills in Puget Sound and on the outer coast.

 

•This bill will save the state $3.6 million in the second year of the biennium and in subsequent years by requiring oil companies and other shippers to privately contract for the placement of the tug.

 

SB 5377: Concerning funding for infrastructure that supports dense, affordable development in transit-oriented areas.

 

Economic Development and Trade & Innovation: Possible Executive Session
POSITION: SUPPORT

 

•SB 5377 creates a state fund for basic infrastructure that supports increased capacity for dense, affordable residential development in neighborhoods near transit centers. The fund is financed if and when REET collections exceed the fiscal growth factor to provide jurisdictions with low interest loans.

 

•This creates a fund for strategic investment of state resources to match state policy goals of accommodating future population growth, managing growth responsibly, providing access to affordable housing, and reducing global warming pollution. The bill enjoys broad support from AGC, REALTORS, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Puget Sound Partnership, Prosperity Partnership, and the Cascade Land Conservancy.

 

SB 5430: Concerning water discharge fees.

 

Ways and Means Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

•Allows Department of Ecology to raise fees on Wastewater Discharge Permits to address a large deficit which the program is experiencing.

•Supported by a coalition of businesses, environmental groups, and local governments.

SB 5533: Regarding the adjudication of water rights.

Environment, Water, & Energy Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

 

•Adjudication is a critical tool to understand how much water is actually used in a basin and the amount of water available. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of water rights in Washington have been adjudicated, leaving the state unable to adequately manage its rivers and streams.

•This bill allows Ecology to initiate limited adjudications and streamlines the adjudication process to promote efficiency and provide certainty for water users.

 

SB 5726: Clarifying the integration of the shoreline management act policies with the growth management act.

Environment, Water & Energy Committee: Public Hearing
POSITION: SUPPORT

 
•This bill would eliminate the confusion caused by a Supreme Court decision and restore the original legislative intent that regulates critical areas in shorelines through the SMA—upon the next update of a jurisdiction’s SMA regulations.

•This bill, requested by the Departments of CTED & Ecology, is broadly supported by the environmental community, local governments and ports.

SB 5735: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (a.k.a. Cap and Invest; Sen. Phil Rockefeller, Prime Sponsor).

Environment, Water & Energy Committee: Public Hearing and Possible Executive Session
POSITION: SUPPORT

•One of the four environmental priorities for 2009, this bill implements the limits on global warming pollution established by the Legislature in 2008 by authorizing Washington’s involvement in the pollution reduction program created by the Western Climate Initiative.

•Families and businesses in Washington will continue to suffer from fossil fuel price spikes and financial insecurity until we aggressively invest in clean energy alternatives and maximum efficiency. With Cap and Invest, we keep our energy dollars in-state rather than sending them to Houston or Riyadh, and stabilize energy prices by making our own abundant local sources of energy more competitive.

 

SB 5854: Reducing climate pollution in the built environment (a.k.a. Efficiency First, Sen. Derek Kilmer, Prime Sponsor).

Environment, Water & Energy Committee:
Public Hearing POSITION: SUPPORT

•One of the four environmental priorities for 2009, this bill asserts Washington’s regional and national clean-energy leadership by putting efficiency first by promoting super-efficient, low-energy-use buildings.
 

•This bill requires super efficient energy codes, disclosure of buildings’ energy use scores to prospective buyers, makes our public buildings models of energy efficiency, and provides financing for energy-saving upgrades to existing buildings.