Week of February 11, 2008

These are the archived Hot Lists for the week of February 11, 2008. Please check this week's Hot List for the most up-to-date information.

• Hot List for the State House

• Hot List for the State Senate
  

HOUSE

House Committee Action

• One of the four environmental community priorities for 2008, the substitute sets in motion the important first steps to help local governments reduce their climate impact.  The substitute adds a goal to the GMA of addressing climate change and provides local governments with the tools and support to manage growth in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the likely affects of climate change.
• Funding is critical to ensure local governments will have access to the tools needed to measure and reduce their climate impact before the next comprehensive plan cycle begins and to fund jurisdictions taking immediate action to address and adapt to climate change. 

• Schools spend more than $300 million on food every year.  By revising low-cost bidding restrictions, creating a Farm to School Program, and promoting local purchasing, this environmental community priority will help ensure that more of those dollars end up in the hands of Washington farmers.
• This bill will help to improve kids' nutrition and create new markets for Washington grown food.  These win-win policies are supported by the farm bureau, schools, public health advocates, individual farmers and parents across the state.

• Last summer, the Department of Revenue decided to start imposing the state and county car rental tax on car sharing entities like Flexcar and others. This additional tax –which was not anticipated in any state budgets–results in a 10% increase in costs to car sharing users, making it a notably more expansive choice to use per hour.
• This legislation, developed in consultation with Revenue, crafts a narrow exemption for true car-sharing organizations. Car sharing offers several sustainability benefits, including “reducing congestion and pollution and helping to achieve growth management objectives,” as also noted in to the Governor’s September 7, 2007 letter.

• Trees, forests and vegetation in the places we live are one of the most cost effective ways to reduce stormwater runoff, water and air pollution.  This can save the state and our cities millions of dollars in engineered stormwater management systems and make our cities great places to live, work, shop and play.
• Creates new urban forest program with model plans and ordinances, inventory, funding and increased technical assistance for cities and counties to preserve existing trees, restore urban forests on public lands and expand forest canopy in our cities, towns and suburbs.

• Requires DNR to initiate judicial action to determine the legal ownership of sand, gravel, and rock resources on land located on Maury Island, which was formerly owned by the state and transferred into private ownership through a deed with a mineral reservation.

• Tax incentives for businesses that purchase the super efficient commercial appliances.
• Businesses can claim a B&O tax credit for sales taxes paid on the appliances.

• Prohibits manufacture or sale in Washington of any children's products that contain excessive amounts lead, cadmium, and phthalates, including toys, jewelry, cosmetics, and car seats intended for use by children.
• Collects information on other toxic chemicals that are present in toys and other children's products, to determine whether further action is needed.
• Requires manufacturers of children's products to disclose to consumers and governments toxic chemical content.

• One of the four environmental community priorities for 2008, now Governor request legislation as well. This bill creates a structure and timeline for implementing the state’s global warming pollution reduction goals, and creates a program to prepare Washington workers for new jobs in the clean energy economy. The bill ensures the state delivers on the goals the Legislature adopted last year, by providing concrete accountability for results.
• This bill is the first in the nation to link a global warming pollution reduction policy to a green jobs initiative, and it has the support of both business leaders who are investing in clean energy and labor organizations whose workers will be trained to fill the new, family-wage jobs.

• The state route 520 bridge is one of the most vulnerable structures in the state and in danger of failure during either a heavy windstorm or an earthquake. HB 3096 provides for strategies for financing the SR-520 bridge.
• The substitute out of committee is a major improvement in focusing on financing tools and plans and leaving the design issues for other forums. We applaud many of the components here, including potential early tolling, potential federal authorization of I-90 tolling, and a tolling implementation committee, which would seek public input on tolling and use of revenues, incentives for using transit or carpooling, and variable tolls in the corridor.

SENATE

Senate Committee Action

• Department of Ecology must prepare a report on its recommendations for a comprehensive climate change research, preparation, and adaptation program, and recommendations for delivering technical and financial assistance to local, regional, state, and other jurisdictions about infrastructure planning, human health protection, forestry, agriculture, water supply and water quality protection, and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity.
• The Office of the Washington State Climatologist is created. The State Climatologist is appointed by the Director of the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean within the University of Washington and represents the state in all climatological and meteorological matters when requested by the legislative or executive branches of state government.

• Energy efficiency is the cleanest, cheapest and most abundant source of energy available. This bill will increase consumer and business demand for energy-efficient appliances and equipment to conserve energy and water, reduce power bills and meet our state-of-the-art energy efficient appliances and equipment.  The tax exemption sunsets after two years.  
• This bill passed unanimously out of the House Technology, Energy and Communications Committee.  Support includes utilities, businesses, environmental and local governments support. 

• Creates new urban forest program with standards, funding and increased technical assistance for cities and counties to preserve existing trees, restore urban forests on public lands and expand forest canopy in our cities, towns and suburbs.
• Trees, forests and vegetation in the places we live are one of the most cost effective ways to reduce stormwater runoff, water and air pollution and make our cities great places to live, work, shop and play.

• Schools spend more than $300 million on food every year.  By revising low-cost bidding restrictions, creating a Farm to School Program, and promoting local purchasing, this environmental community priority will help ensure that more of those dollars end up in the hands of Washington farmers.
• This bill will help to improve kids' nutrition and create new markets for Washington grown food.  These win-win policies are supported by the farm bureau, schools, public health advocates, individual farmers and parents across the state.

• Performance contracting is a proven strategy for gaining the greatest energy efficiency savings in state buildings, schools, libraries, fire stations, public hospitals and other public facilities … projects that more than pay for themselves through reduced utility costs. The net benefit to taxpayers is lower operating costs for public buildings through reduced utility costs. 
• Provides a sales tax exemption for state and local governments that contract for performance-based energy efficiency improvements in public buildings resulting in increased energy efficiency, reduced energy costs in public buildings and reduced climate pollution. 

• One of the four environmental community priorities for 2008, now Governor request legislation as well. This bill creates a structure and timeline for implementing the state’s global warming pollution reduction goals, and creates a program to prepare Washington workers for new jobs in the clean energy economy. The bill ensures the state delivers on the goals the Legislature adopted last year, by providing concrete accountability for results.
• The bill helps position Washington’s industries at the forefront of developing the clean energy economy by signaling that there will be markets for clean energy and a workforce trained to deliver those products and services.

• Prohibits manufacture or sale in Washington of any children's products that contain excessive amounts lead, cadmium, and phthalates, including toys, jewelry, cosmetics, and car seats intended for use by children.
• Collects information on other toxic chemicals that are present in toys and other children's products, to determine whether further action is needed.
• Requires manufacturers of children's products to disclose to consumers and governments toxic chemical content.

• One of the four environmental community priorities for 2008, the substitute sets in motion the important first steps to help local governments reduce their climate impact.  The substitute adds a goal to the GMA of addressing climate change and provides local governments with the tools and support to manage growth in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the likely affects of climate change.
• Funding is critical to ensure local governments will have access to the tools needed to measure and reduce their climate impact before the next comprehensive plan cycle begins and to fund jurisdictions taking immediate action to address and adapt to climate change. 

• This bill, based closely on one of the Climate Advisory Team’s “most promising” proposals, would set initial state goals to reduce per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMT). It would also convene a collaborative process to give growing regions the tools, strategies, and flexibility to plan for success.
• SB 6822 was one of the priority issues for Transportation Advocacy Day 2008, held on January 29th, presented by a coalition of eleven organizations promoting transportation solutions for healthier communities.

• This bill compliments SB 6530 and also ensures safe products for children.