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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.
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 Week of April 20, 2009
HOUSE FLOOR ACTION
SHB 1614: Reducing the amount of petroleum pollution in stormwater (a.k.a. Invest in Clean Water).
POSITION: CONCUR
•At a time of severe budget cuts and slashed programs, this bill is an immediate, substantive and achievable win for the environment, jobs and local governments. Stormwater is the number one water quality problem across Washington. By imposing a polluter-pays fee on petroleum products that contribute to stormwater pollution, this bill would raise over $100 million in new funds for cities, counties, ports and DOT, and could create new construction jobs in every district in the state.
•This bill provides a solution for a part of the state budget crisis, and addresses a severe and immediate cash flow need. If this bill does not pass, local governments may be forced to impose additional property taxes or utility fees at a time when the public can least affor
ESHB 1571: Regarding the adjudication of water rights.
POSITION: CONCUR
•Adjudication is a critical tool for understanding 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 modernizes the adjudication process, promotes efficiency, and provides certainty for water users
EHB 1967: Relating to prohibiting urban growth area expansions in one hundred year floodplains.
POSITION: CONCUR with SENATE AMENDMENT
•The bill - which passed out of the Senate with only 7 dissenting votes - will prevent future communities from being put in harm's way and reduce unnecessary costs to the state and taxpayers.
•The Senate's amendment was purely technical, adding an "or" between the list of the exceptions to the prohibition.
SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION
2SHB 1481: Regarding electric vehicles.
POSITION: SUPPORT
•Passed out of the House 71-23. Promotes the use of electric vehicles through the creation of an electric infrastructure that will support the use of electric vehicles. This approach was recommended by the Governor’s Climate Advisory Team (CAT) and will spur economic development while reducing emissions.
•One element of the bill is to promote having the state motor pool switch to electric vehicles in the future and to provide electric infrastructure at all of the state owned motor pool lots.
SSB 5282: Regarding the use of bisphenol A.
POSITION: SUPPORT and OPPOSE ALL WEAKENING AMENDMENTS
•The Safe Baby Bottle bill (SSB 5282) protects children's health by banning the toxic chemical—bisphenol A (BPA)—in baby bottles and sippy cups.
•While Wal-Mart already sells BPA-free baby bottles and sippy cups, they are seeking a gutting amendment that would establish a "de-minimus level" of 3000 ppb for BPA, which would allow them to sell other allegedly "BPA-free" baby bottles and sippy cups that still contained a dangerous level of BPA. Please oppose this and other amendments that will weaken this legislation.
2SSB 5433: Local options tax provisions.
POSITION: CONCUR
•This bill provides the only new funding options for local transit systems to avoid potential massive cuts in service. Transit systems around the state are seeing double-digit ridership increases while also suffering double-digit losses in sales tax revenue.
•The bill allows King County to leverage existing local ferry district authority for Metro Transit and allows other local transit systems around the state to submit for voter approval a $20 annual license tab fee.
ESSB 5583: Improving the effectiveness of water bank and exchange provisions. POSITION: CONCUR
•A water bank, administered through the Trust Water Rights Program, is a mechanism that provides flexibility for supplying water to instream and out-of-stream demands and protects a water right holder from relinquishment while the water is managed through the bank.
•This bill clarifies how a water bank operates and provides a consistent statewide system for managing banked water.
E2SSB 5854: Reducing climate pollution in the built environment (a.k.a. Efficiency First).
POSITION: CONCUR
•This bill has will reduce greenhouse gas pollution reduction by 30 million metric tons through 2020. Please concur with this important policy and get the bill to the Governor’s desk to sign.
