Another Banner Legislative Session for the Environment
It was another fabulous session in Olympia for the environment. While the federal government is working hard to weaken environmental laws, Washington State is working twice as hard to improve protections. This year’s successes make it two straight legislative sessions that the Legislature, and Governor Gregoire, showed extraordinary environmental leadership. The collective efforts will improve our air and water here at home and help make Washington a national leader in environmental protection.
One of the most exciting bills this year makes Washington the first state in the country to effectively ban phosphorus from automatic dishwashing detergent (House bill 2322). The ban takes effect statewide in 2008 in Whatcom, Clark, and Spokane Counties, where the problem is most acute, and in 2010 statewide.
Once phosphates make their way to rivers and lakes, they stimulate excessive algae growth, which in turn robs the water of oxygen necessary for all aquatic life. It’s a statewide problem, but this bill arose from a plan to clean up the Spokane River, where phosphorus is one of the biggest problems. Even the most up-to-date and expensive waste water treatment technologies can’t remove it all. It’s much simpler, and saves taxpayer, to remove it before it enters the system.
Back in 1993, Washington banned phosphorus in laundry detergent. At that time, however, effective alternatives to phosphorus in dishwashing detergent didn’t exist. Since then though, companies like 7th Generation and Ecover developed highly effective phosphate-free dish detergents. In fact, a 2005 Consumer Reports article ranked the phosphate-free products among the most effective. The ban takes effect statewide 2010 to give the other manufacturers time to reformulate products.
The Legislature continued to make Washington a national leader in reducing greenhouse gasses. Last year, Washington adopted the California emissions standards. This year, the Legislature adopted a measure that, beginning in 2008, requires two percent of our diesel and gasoline come from renewable sources (Senate bill 6508). Renewable fuels, like biodiesel, will not only reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, they also have the added benefit of slightly reducing our dependence on foreign fossil fuels. Washington farmers plan to grow the raw materials so the legislation has the added benefit of supporting our farms and developing our local economies.
The Legislature made Washington a national leader on another front as well: recycling those old computers we all have in our closets. Starting in 2009, electronics manufacturers will have to establish and pay for programs that enable consumers to recycle their old computers and televisions (Senate bill 6428). Other states have recycling programs but consumers must foot the bill.
Two more big environmental wins will help protect and restore Puget Sound. Under a new law passed this session, state and local governments will step up their efforts to clean up failing septic systems along the Sound (House bill 1488). Failing septic systems cause serious pollution problems for Hood Canal and across Puget Sound. The final budget also includes nearly $50 million to help clean up and restore Puget Sound.
Another exciting bill will help promote outdoors based environmental education. House bill 2910 will require the state to study and quantify the overall benefits to students when they participate in environmental education. Similar studies in other states demonstrate that students’ overall test performance and behavior improves when they take part in outdoor environmental education. Once the study results are in here, we’ll work to expand these programs that provide young people across the state hands-on opportunities to learn about the natural world around them.
Despite these wins, the session wasn’t without disappointment. One environmental community priority, banning toxic flame retardants, did not pass. These toxic chemicals, close cousins to banned PCBs, are building up in our environment, and in our bodies. We know they impair learning and behavior in laboratory animals. Recent studies show that American women have levels of these toxic chemicals 100 times higher than European women. Safe, effective alternatives exist, but opponents from the companies that make these chemicals managed to prevent the bill from coming up for a vote in the Senate. The bill is likely to be back next session.