Who should pay for pollution – polluters or property owners?

The number one water pollution problem in Washington state is stormwater pollution.

The solution to cleaning up stormwater and keeping toxic runoff out of Puget Sound is stormwater infrastructure projects, many of which are mandated by federal law under the Clean Water Act.

But these kinds of construction projects are extremely expensive, and local governments can’t afford to pay for them. Meanwhile, time is running out on Puget Sound.

Enter the Clean Water Act of 2010, or House Bill 3181, introduced Friday and sponsored by Rep. Timm Ormsby. The bill would fund labor-intensive stormwater infrastructure projects by raising the state’s Hazardous Substance Tax from 0.7 percent to 2 percent. This puts the cleanup costs where they belong – on the polluters themselves. Otherwise, local governments would have to raise property taxes or utility rates. In a time when many homeowners are struggling to stay on top of mortgage payments and pay rising utility bills - but polluters are enjoying record-breaking profits - the Clean Water Act is a fair way to stay on track with our water cleanup efforts.

It also gives a boost to the construction industry, which is currently suffering from high unemployment. Stormwater projects put people to work in family-wage jobs while keeping our communities safer and cleaner.

The Clean Water Act would raise about $225 million a year, and for the first few years a large portion of that would go to the state’s general fund to cover core services now facing deep cuts. That would transition back to fund clean water projects as the economy – and our state budget - improve.