2006 Legislative Wrap-up

2006 Legislative Wrap-up

By Amy Zarrett, Priorities for a Healthy Washington

Thanks in no small measure to all of you -- for your phone calls, emails, and in-person meetings with legislators, we have great news to report. Your grassroots pressure, combined with a smart list of priorities, a hard-working bunch of lobbyists, and some great coalition supporters, led to another banner year.

Report from the Capitol

For the fourth year in a row the state's conservation community selected four proactive proposals to bring to the legislature with the hope of improving the lives of people and protecting our quality of life. We wrapped up the session with a stunning .750 batting average with three out of the four bills passing. Additionally, the effort to halt any attacks on community protection and land use laws was a complete success.

• Launch Electronic Waste Recycling - Passed

  This bill will provide safe, free, and convenient recycling for the millions of outdated computers, monitors and TVs piling up in our homes, schools, and offices. Each year, these obsolete electronics turn into millions of pounds of "e-waste" which contains lead, mercury and other substances too toxic to be thrown in the trash. The legislation will create hundreds of jobs and establish the most extensive manufacturer responsibility requirements in the nation.

• Clean Up Puget Sound - Passed
  The bill aims to get failing septic systems cleaned up. It is part of the Governor's legislative package to implement early actions under her Puget Sound Initiative. The bill is directed at failing systems dumping sewage into Hood Canal and parts of Puget Sound and provides funding and flexibility for local governments to design programs to require repair of failing systems. A grant and loan program is authorized to assist low-income homeowners. The legislature passed the Governor's Puget Sound Budget for 2006 of $56 million to accelerate toxic cleanups and prevent new pollution.
  

• Energy Independence through Renewable Fuels - Passed
  This proposal will reduce Washington's dependence on fossil fuels and provide a new market for Washington crops. This legislation will grow a new biofuels economy by including a minimum percentage of biofuels in the statewide fuel mix. The standards start at 2%, and ramps up to 5% for biodiesel and 10% for ethanol. This bill will attract biofuels jobs, provide farm income, and reduce the state's vulnerability to volatile oil markets.
  

• Protect Kids' Health by Eliminating Toxic Flame Retardants – Not Passed
  Despite strong bipartisan support, the legislature failed for the second consecutive year to pass important legislation to phase out the use of toxic flame retardants called PBDEs that are rapidly building up in breast milk, our bodies, and in wildlife. Out-of-state chemical industry interests lobbied aggressively against the bill, spreading misinformation about its impacts. PBDEs are chemical cousins of long-banned PCBs, and are known to impair learning, behavior, and development in lab animals. The bill was supported by the Washington State Nurses Association, the Washington chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and many more public health, faith, and environmental organizations.
  

• Defending our Communities
  All the efforts to roll back land use protections were halted by an effective campaign to maintain community safeguards. In addition, several successful bills will help resolve long-standing conflicts on Growth Management issues. We all value the place where we live. The security and protection of our homes, our communities, and even our drinking water depend on having balanced laws that allow growth while protecting farmland, shorelines, and our quality of life. That is why these attacks were stymied and why positive reforms passed to help give communities more flexibility as they responsibly implement land use improvements.