Nearly 400 new jobs coming to Washington through DOE grants

The Washington state Department of Ecology estimates that approximately 393 jobs will be created in Washington through the Coordinated Prevention Grants program.

Cut-away of a compost bin
Photo credit: BruceMcAdam

The department awarded $18.8 million to 95 city and county governments through this environmental protection program. Every two years, these grants are awarded to help Washington’s communities better manage solid and household wastes, prevent illegal dumping, and to promote recycling and composting programs.

You may remember this blog post and that composting is a great alternative to burning household organic waste, which releases toxic particles into the air.

The funding for these grants comes from an initiative passed by Washington residents in 1988, which taxes wholesale distributors of petroleum and other hazardous materials. The Legislature approved $18.8 million to be used for these grants.

The local governments receiving the grants are required to match the grant amount by 25%, which the Dept. of Ecology estimates will leverage more than $25 million to support local programs.

To read more, click here.

April 30 through May 6 is Air Quality Awareness Week

Off the top of your head, can you name the main contributors to air pollution in Washington state?

Not surprisingly, the answers are motor vehicles, smoke from outdoor burning (including wildfires) and wood smoke from home-heating devices.

Laws have been passed at the state and federal levels in attempts to regulate and decrease the amount of pollution in the air we breathe. However, legislation isn’t the only tool necessary to get the word out about the importance of protecting our air quality. What other tools can we use, you might find yourself wondering.

The answer to that question is: Education. This week, take the opportunity to educate yourself and your community about the importance of healthy air.

Did you know:

• Vehicle emissions and smoke from outdoor burning both add small, fine particles to our air which are easily inhaled deeply into our lungs. These particles can lead to heart and breathing problems, and in some cases even death.

          Children, asthma sufferers and those aged 65 and up are the
          most at risk.

• Smoke from burning yard waste contains some of the same chemicals found in cigarette smoke. Just like smoking cigarettes, breathing in the tiny, toxic particles can lead to asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and lung cancer.

          Composting is a great alternative to burning and can be used
          in so many productive, healthy ways. For more information
          on what to do with yard waste, click here.

• Fine particles polluting our air contribute to approximately 1,100 deaths and about $190M in health care costs annually in Washington, according to a 2009 Ecology analysis.

To read more about Air Quality Awareness Week, click here. Visit the Department of Ecology's website to track the air quality in your area!

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Meet Smokey Bear and help protect our forests

This Sunday, the Department of Natural Resource’s Volunteer and Wildfire Prevention Program is hosting an event to clean out the campfire pits at Ahtanum Campground.

With the aim of reducing the risk of wildfires due to escaped recreational fires on DNR-protected land, everyone who comes to this event will be clearing debris from and assessing campfire pits for maintenance and safety.

Smokey Bear will be in attendance so make sure to bring the kids!

When:            Sunday, April 29, 2012
                      9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where:           Ahtanum State Forest: Ahtanum Campground

Directions:      From Yakima, go south on Interstate 82 for 2 miles.
                      Drive west on Ahtanum Road to Tampico.
                      Turn west onto the A-2000 (Middle Fork road) and    
                      drive approximately 9.5 miles.

Why:             Over the past four years, there have been nearly 700
                     wildfires that resulted from negligent campers
                     leaving their fire pits smoldering and unattended.
                     Another 100 campers left campfires burning without first
                     making sure they were fully extinguished. Fortunately,
                     those were reported and put out before they escaped.

For more information, click here.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Saving industries from birds and small animals

It seemed logical in 2009:  protect sensitive waters by clamping rigid numerical limits on how much bacteria can be discharged under industrial storm-water permits.

“At that time we thought that this wouldn’t affect any of the industries, because most of our industries do not generate bacteria as part of their process,” the Department of Ecology’s Don Seeberger told the House Environment Committee.

But they forgot about the birds and animals that hang around industrial sites. What’s actually happening, Seeberger said, is that birds, rodents, and other small animals “basically deposit bacteria, and it runs off in their storm water.” As a result, the critters’ deposits prevented the vast majority of industries from meeting the bacteria limits despite their best efforts. Fortunately, the Department of Ecology had a solution.

“The Department of Ecology asked me to sponsor this fix to the storm-water bacteria problem that will protect our waters without shutting down industries or jobs,” said Rep. Larry Springer , the Deputy Majority Leaders for Jobs & Economic Development.

On Friday, the House agreed, unanimously passing Springer’s House Bill 2651. If the bill becomes law, the problem will be solved without the loss of a single job, or bird.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

First of four public meetings on Tacoma Smelter Plume cleanup slated for tonight

The state Department of Ecology has scheduled four public meetings over the next several weeks in order to gather public input on its cleanup plan for the Tacoma Smelter Plume.

The first meeting takes place tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Point Defiance Elementary School cafeteria in Tacoma.

A former copper smelter in the Tacoma area spewed arsenic and lead into the air for nearly a century.  These emissions were deposited in soils throughout King, Pierce, Kitsap and Thurston Counties, creating an environmental and public health hazard.  Arsenic and lead both pose serious health risks to people, particularly children.

In 2005, state Rep. Dave Upthegrove sponsored legislation requiring playground soils in areas exposed to industrial pollution be tested for toxic contaminants like arsenic and lead, and that those contaminants be removed from the soil.  As a result of this measure, soil from many playgrounds and day cares in areas affected by the Tacoma Smelter Plume has been cleaned up and made safe again for children to play in.

The remaining public meetings are scheduled as follows:

Nov. 9, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., McMurry Middle School Cafeteria, Vashon Island

Nov. 16, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Curtis High School Cafeteria, University Place

Dec. 6, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Des Moines Activity Center, Des Moines

The DOE's draft cleanup plan can also be viewed online here, and public comments will be accepted by email and postal mail through December 20, 2011, at the address provided at the link.

Advisory group will help State Ocean Caucus

Do you know someone who might be interested in helping direct and guide ocean policy and management issues along Washington’s Pacific Coast?

If so, Ecology is seeking nominations for membership on an advisory group for ocean policy.


The group will advise the State Ocean Caucus – an interagency team made up of state agencies with a management role or expertise in ocean and coastal issues.

Ecology coordinates this team and is forming the advisory group on behalf of the State Ocean Caucus.

Looking for people to represent broad range of interests

Ecology is looking for people interested in and knowledgeable about ocean and coastal issues on Washington’s Pacific Coast – western Clallam and Jefferson counties, and Grays Harbor, Pacific, and Wahkiakum counties.

We need people to represent a wide array of coastal and ocean interests including:

• Local citizens
• Ports
• Shipping
• Energy
• Tourism
• Economic development
• Shellfish aquaculture
• Commercial fishing
• Recreational fishing
• Science and research
• Education
• Conservation

The four coastal Marine Resource Committees will each appoint a representative to serve on the advisory body.

The unpaid advisory group will meet about four times a year. Members will serve up to a three-year term and may be reappointed.

A special selection committee will review nominations and make appointment recommendations to Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant.

How to nominate a candidate

Ecology must receive all nominations by Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

Any group or individual can nominate a candidate to the advisory group. We also accept self-nominations and candidates don’t need to be affiliated with an organized group.

Nominations must include specific information – see our online directions for nominations. Nominations can be sent electronically or mailed to:

Jennifer Hennessey
Washington Department of Ecology
PO Box 40173
Olympia, WA 98504-7600

For more information, contact Jennifer at jennifer.hennessey@ecy.wa.gov or call 360-407-6595.

To read this blog post in Spanish, please go here.

Dog Doogity (You Gotta Bag it Up)

We in the Pacific Northwest sure love our dogs. But we really don't like what they leave behind. And what they're leaving behind is ultimately ending up in our water.

Thankfully, the Puget Sound Partnership and the state Department of Ecology, along with a whole host of allies, are picking up the... slack. They're raising public awareness through their catchy Dog Doogity campaign on the small ways each one of us can contribute to the health of our Puget Sound. Bet you never thought you'd see a hip hop video about this...

Bye Bye BPA!

As we head into the July 4^th weekend, Washington is declaring independence from BPA in children's food and beverage containers.

Thanks to last year's Safe Baby Bottle Bill, beginning July 1^st , no bottles, cups or other containers for children under age 3 that contain the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) can be made, sold or distributed in Washington.

Parents can breathe easier knowing that their young children won't be using sippy cups or other containers that include BPA, which over 150 independent studies have linked to increased risks of cancers, sexual dysfunction, diabetes and a host of other toxic threats.

Thanks largely to the leadership of Mary Lou Dickerson (D-Seattle) and House Democrats, Washington is a national leader in protecting children from toxic toys and unsafe food containers. In 2008, the Children's Safe Products Act made us the first state to enact strict standards for lead, cadmium, and phthalates in children's products—and Congress soon followed our lead by passing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. The Safe Baby Bottle Law reaffirmed our leadership and commitment to kids

A year from today we will celebrate another milestone when the Safe Baby Bottle Bill bans BPA in sports bottles used by pregnant moms.

A new year, some new laws

The start of 2011 was also the start of some new laws that quietly went into effect on Saturday.

Two of those laws focus on decreasing toxic chemicals in our environments. One is a ban on certain toxic flame retardants used in upholstered furniture, computers and televisions. This was a bill Rep. Ross Hunter worked on for years and finally passed in 2007. Another eliminates use of lead wheel weights, which frequently fall off vehicles and become a source of groundwater and stormwater pollution.

Also in effect is the new "Emergency Zone Law" which requires motorists to leave a 200-foot buffer around emergency vehicles who have stopped and are responding to an emergency. Fines for failing to make room for first responders can be as high as $248.

Other new laws include an expansion of eligibility for people who can apply for an interlock-ignition drivers license and authority for judges to personally set bail for people arrested on felony charges (a law prompted by the 2009 Lakewood officer shootings).

It's Earth Day

On Earth Day, we thought it would be fun (okay, interesting, at least) to look back at what we've done here in Washington to play a part in keeping our air, land and water clean and healthy.

Just this year, we led the way on banning the toxic chemical Bisphenol A from baby bottles, sippy cups and sports bottles. We were the second state to ban this chemical in sports bottles, and the fifth in children’s dishware. Representative Mary Lou Dickerson worked for over two years to help protect our children from this toxic estrogren-mimic. There's currently a big push to make this national law.

And remember the headlines a few years ago about the toxics being found in all kinds of children's toys and products? In 2008 we passed the first bill in the nation with strong standards for lead, cadmium, phthalates in children’s toys and products. Rep. Dickerson’s Toxic Toys bill was so successful that the next year the Federal Government passed their own version modeled on much of what we had accomplished.

This year we also passed the first law in the country that begins to phase out copper brake pads. Every time a car or truck hits the brakes, a little bit of copper dust falls to the roadway. Eventually that copper gets washed into our streams and rivers and damages our salmon runs. We’re hopeful that our efforts will help protect fish all across the country.

Another big win for the environment this year was the passage of the comprehensive producer responsibility program for mercury-containing light bulbs. This is the second such program to be launched in the whole country. People frequently toss their bulbs in their trash where the mercury slowly leaks into our groundwater supplies. Mercury harms the brain, kidney and liver, and Rep. Sam Hunt's legislation ensures convenient access to disposal in all areas of the state and holds the producers of these light bulbs accountable for paying for their safe disposal.

This is in addition to another trailblazing program passed a few years ago. Our state's E-Waste program was the first in the nation to provide manufacturer-funded free recycling of computers, monitors, laptops and televisions. The program went into effect last year and collected 38 million pounds of TVs and computers. Rep. Zack Hudgins helped lead this effort. Check here for drop-off information.

There's more we could highlight, but the point is that our legislators have long been champions of policies that not only protect our planet, but protect the health of the people who inhabit it.

For tips and ideas on how you can do the same, check here or head to an Earth Day event near you!

Baby bottle bill almost to governor's desk!

More than 150 independent studies have linked bisphenol A (BPA) to breast and prostate cancer, sexual dysfunction, diabetes and a wide range of other adverse health effects. Earlier this year, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed with the National Toxicology Program that there is reason for "concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children."

Unfortunately, BPA is found frequently in baby bottles, sippy cups and other food and beverage containers used by children under the age of three. That's why Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson has been working for years to ban BPA in these products, and today just might be the day she can declare victory.

The House voted 96-1 to approve the Safe Baby Bottle Bill. The ban on baby food and drink containers manufactured with BPA would take effect in July, 2011, and would be followed a year later by a ban on BPA-containing sports bottles, which are often used by pregnant women.

Maryland and Wisconsin banned BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups earlier this year. Connecticut and Minnesota enacted BPA bans in 2009.

(Photo: Washington Toxics Coalition)

Tax on hazardous substances gets an amendment makeover

The Clean Water Act of 2010, also known as House Bill 3181, emerged from the House Finance Committee yesterday in an amended form. Here’s a basic summary of what has changed in the bill:

Before: Raises the state Hazardous Substance Tax from 0.7% to 2%.
Now: Raises the state Hazardous Substance Tax by 0.1% per year up to a total of 0.4% increase.

Before: No export tax credit for oil refineries who sell their product out-of-state.
Now: Export tax credit has been included so that Tesoro, a Washington state refinery that does not own its oil fields (unlike other oil refineries in the state), will not be at a disadvantage when selling its product to states like Oregon.

Before: $225 million per year, with a significant portion going to backfill the state’s General Fund at first, decreasing each year until the majority of the funds go to stormwater cleanup within 5 years.
Now: No funding to General Fund; $150 million to environmental cleanup over 5 years.

This has been one of the more contentious bills of the 2010 session. At a packed public hearing on the proposal in the House Capital Budget committee, refinery workers testified that increasing the tax could cost them their jobs and hurt communities where refineries are located. On the other hand, local governments and environmental groups testified that the bill would create jobs in stormwater infrastructure and help clean up waterways like Puget Sound and the Spokane River.

In passing the amended version of the bill, legislators were attempting to recognize the importance of addressing stormwater cleanup while also being sensitive to the concerns about loss of family-wage refinery jobs. The environmental community hopes legislators will strengthen the proposal as it works its way to a possible floor vote in the House. This will definitely be a bill to watch from now until the end of session.

Must be something in the water

Yesterday’s House Capital Budget Committee meeting attracted so many attendees, overflow space was required.

What brought so many people to this one meeting that House Security was called in for crowd control? Why, it was the public hearing on HB 3181, also known as the Clean Water Act.

The Clean Water Act, sponsored by Rep. Timm Ormsby, would raise the state’s Hazardous Substances Tax, which hasn’t changed since the voters approved it over 20 years ago. Raising it from 0.7 percent to 2 percent would bring in an additional $225 million, with most of the additional funds going initially to help shore up the state’s general fund, and the rest going to address stormwater cleanup. Over the next few years, the portion going to the general fund would decrease while the portion going to stormwater cleanup would increase. The environmental community has made the bill a top priority for the 2010 session.

The tax is levied on thousands of hazardous substances in the state at the point of first possession, so those who market and sell the substances are the ones who pay it. The biggest industry that would be affected are the oil refineries. Petroleum products are also the biggest contributor to stormwater pollution.

Supporters of the bill say it is badly needed to pay for federally-mandated stormwater cleanup projects that cost local governments millions of dollars they can’t afford. The only way for local governments to begin to meet the cost is to either raise property taxes or stormwater utility rates, which hurts families and businesses. They argue that polluters should help shoulder the cleanup costs when it is their products that are the primary cause of stormwater pollution. The necessary stormwater infrastructure projects would also employ thousands of construction workers, creating good-paying jobs while cleaning up Puget Sound and other waterways.

Those who spoke against the measure said it would hurt oil refineries in the state and threaten family-wage jobs at those refineries, as well as the investments those companies make in the communities in which they are located. Concerns were also expressed from the agricultural sector, as well as the trucking industry.

The hearing lasted nearly three hours, alternating between those who were in favor of the bill and those who were against. The full hearing is available here.

House votes to protect children from harmful toxins

The House voted nearly unanimously to reduce the harmful toxin, Bisphenol A, from products marketed to young children. Only one dissenter thought it wouldn't be a good idea to protect babies from toxins that have been linked to organ failure, developmental problems, and cancer.

The bill's champion in the House, Mary Lou Dickerson, was very pleased to see the House take early action to pass her bill. The House passed HB 1180 last year, but the Senate wasn't able to wrangle enough votes to do the same before the end of the session. Hopefully, this year will be a different story. Concerned parents and citizens across the state have been with us to fight for this. Below is one of those concerned moms, Kim from Seattle, who recently spoke to us about the bill. Kim is a new mom who participated in a study to determine which toxins in her body are being passed to her child.

Enviro Health Committee hears testimony on bill to reduce mercury in the environment

After eight years of bringing forth mercury legislation, Rep. Sam Hunt takes another step in reducing the amount of mercury released into the environment.

“The one sticking issue has been what do we do with fluorescent lights,” Hunt said at today’s House Environmental Health Committee hearing. “We encourage more and more use of fluorescent lights because it saves us energy. However, it also brings us more mercury and more mercury that can potentially leak into the environment.”

Hunt’s House Bill 2914 establishes a producer-designed product stewardship program for the collection, recycle, and disposal of mercury-containing lights.

Today's committee meeting line-up

Today at 1, the Early Learning & Children's Services Committee will meet to discuss promotion of early literacy and the Quality Improvement Rating System (also called "Seeds to Success").

At 1:30 the Environmental Health Committee will talk about unwanted drugs (as in their effect on the environment, not a lack of demand) and airborne pesticides.

Finally, at 3:30 the Ways & Means Committee will review the recent caseload reports and revenue forecasts, how we're doing on the new 2009-2011 budget, state employee health benefits, and an overview of health care proposals.

If three meetings just isn't enough to curb your legislative appetite, check out the several other joint committee meetings (Senate + House) taking place today too.

New state law emphasizes ‘top-notch Puget Sound science’

When it comes to restoring the health of Puget Sound, what it really all comes down to ensuring sound science.

“We want to emphasize accountability and top-notch Puget Sound science in our work toward restoring and maintaining the health of this great natural resource,” state Rep. Fred Finn said today in noting that his House Bill 1997 will become the law of the state of Washington on July 26.

The measure requires that the Puget Sound Science Panel must create and implement a selective, top-quality scientific process for peer review of monitoring and research. The science panel provides advice to the Puget Sound Partnership, the agency responsible for restoring the Sound.

The legislation limits expenditures from the Puget Sound Scientific Research Account to research programs and projects selected through a process that has been developed and supervised by the panel. Finn explained that the bipartisan measure, which was unanimously passed by both legislative chambers, seeks to align use of the research account with the priorities of the panel.

David Dicks, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, said that the new state law “addresses accountability and science – both fundamental to our mission to restore and protect the Sound. This legislation puts the review of science where it belongs – in the hands of scientists – and confirms that the research process must be independent and rigorous. It also establishes a process for accountability for the Science Panel, whose members provide critical advice to the Partnership on recovering Puget Sound.”

What do Medicaid and the Puget Sound Partnership have in common?

Not much, actually, but they're both on the agenda for today's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee meeting starting at 10 a.m.

JLARC members oversee audits and and program evaluations to make sure agencies and programs are running efficiently and effectively.

First up is an overview of the state's Medicaid Rx "preferred drug list" created by the Department of Social and Health Services to help manage costs of the Medical Assistance program. JLARC reports that "while exact savings cannot be accurately calculated, JLARC staff found six positive indicators that suggest costs savings are likely ocurring due to use of the PDL." You can check out the summary report here.

The committee will then move on to discussions of the Puget Sound Partnership and preparations to

"conduct two performance audits (December 2011 and December 2016) which are to address: a determination of the extent funds expended to implement the Action Agenda have contributed to meeting the scientific benchmarks and goals of the Action Agenda; the efficiency and effectiveness of the Partnership’s oversight of Action Agenda implementation; and any needed improvements in the Partnership’s performance and structure."

That seems like a lot of words to essentially ask whether the Partnership is actually meeting the goals laid out in its Action Agenda.

TVW will be there to capture the excitement live for your viewing pleasure.

Go Green / Save Green on Earth Day

On April 22 we mark the thirty-ninth anniversary of Earth Day.

From the state Department of Ecology's Jay Manning and the folks doing great work over there:

"Do you know the Washington state connections to that first Earth Day? The first announcement about Earth Day was made at a conference held in Seattle in 1969, by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson in September. The coordinator of that seminal event, Denis Hayes, grew up in Camas. Since 1992, Denis has served as president of the Bullitt Foundation in Seattle."

DOE's created a very helpful website to help you save money and reduce your impact on the planet all at the same time.

Visit their website here.

Here are some highlights of the resources available on the Ecology site:
"Go Green, Save Green” tips for saving money on energy, transportation and water

"Shrink Your Carbon Footprint”: tips and an online carbon pledge

“Washington Waters – Ours to Protect”: actions all of us can take to keep our waters clean and healthy

Earth Week community events around the state

“Toxic Free Tips”

“Be the Difference, Breathe the Difference”: alternatives to outdoor burning

“Ecology for Business” business assistance

Giant baby bottle visits Olympia to support toxic ban

House members today passed HB 1180, a bill lawmakers have been referring to as the "baby bottle bill."

The bill seeks to ban the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles, sippy cups and other children’s food containers.

The Washington Toxics Coalition traveled to Olympia today with dozens of members and a very large bottle to a rally in support of the bill. They report that "BPA is a synthetic sex hormone that research links to health effects, including cancer, miscarriage, obesity, reproductive problems, and hyperactivity... Research also shows exposure to BPA puts girls at an increased risk of breast cancer."

Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson sponsored the bill, which the House just approved 76-21. HB 1180 now heads to the Senate, and we'll see whether the Toxics Coalition has to bring the giant baby bottle back for round 2.