March 23, 2006

Three Out of Four
Environmental priorities get far in Olympia

By LAURA PEACH
Contributing Writer

Washington took three big steps forward in protecting the environment last legislative session. Due to the efforts of Priorities for a Healthy Washington, three out of four environmental safeguards proposed to the legislature became laws. Measures which will clean up Puget Sound, initiate a recycling program for electronic waste, and promote the production and use of renewable fuel passed through both houses with bipartisan support.

Tom Geiger, outreach director of Washington Environmental Council, says that the key elements of this sessions success were choosing “smart priorities and smart partnerships.” Getting the initiatives passed took advance planning. Sixteen environmental groups from across the state gathered together last summer to choose four priorities from a list of 20 they wanted to push through the legislature during a short 60-day session.

“ We needed to pick politically viable initiatives — nothing that was dead on arrival,” says Geiger. The priorities all focused on promoting health issues, improving the economy, or creating jobs as well as protecting the environment. Powerful partnerships were also formed. Cooperative efforts with the governor’s office and with corporations like Hewlett-Packard provided each initiative with a strong backing in the capitol.

The concern with dependence on foreign oil and the challenges that Washington farmers are facing led to a bill that is creating a whole new product line of renewable bio-fuel. The measure mandates that a minimum of 2 percent of gasoline be replaced with fuels composed of canola oil, corn, and wheat straw, all of which can be grown in Washington. This will keep $9 billion a year that’s spent on imported gasoline in the local economy. The percentage will increase along with the state’s ability to provide renewable fuel.

A new system for proper disposal of old computers and televisions will also be created. Manufacturers will now absorb the cost of collecting, transporting and processing electronic waste. Ninety percent of these materials are disposed of illegally and unsafely or are left in closets, garages and storage areas. The new program will encourage the safe reuse of toxic chemicals like lead and mercury.

The coalition also helped to pass a bill protecting and restoring Puget Sound by stopping septic pollution, repairing estuaries, preventing oil spills, and figuring out how to sustain seafood resources.

One of the coalition’s efforts failed: a bill banning the use of PBDEs, flame-retardant chemicals found in many common household items such as furniture and fabrics died in the House. These chemicals are present in wildlife, topsoil, and breast milk, and may cause learning and behavioral disabilities in children. This was the second time that the bill has been defeated, despite attempts to narrow the bill, says Geiger: “It’s just a classic case of the chemical industry sticking their heels in and not letting the vote go to the Senate.” n