Sierra Club 2012 Legislative Priorities for Washington

 This year will present acute challenges to our efforts to advance an environmental agenda at the State Capitol.  At the Sierra Club, we believe that environmental protections improve our quality of life and are essential to a long-term sustainable economy.  Environmental programs and policies may have upfront costs, but will prevent staggering future costs.  In 2012, our priorities in the Legislature are:

• No rollbacks of environmental standards in a difficult budget situation;
• Sustain I-937, the Renewable Energy voter-approved standards;
• Ensure clean water and realistic, data-based management of limited water resources;
• Sustainable transit funding in a transportation budget that emphasizes maintenance.
  

Sustain the Success of I-937 in Bringing Investments, Clean Jobs, and Economic Development to Washington

Washington's Initiative 937, passed by voters in November 2006, requires the state's major utilities to gradually increase the amount of new renewable resources in their electricity supply to 15 percent by 2020.  Electric utilities also must acquire all cost-effective energy efficiency in their service territories. 

I-937 has generated over $7 billion in renewable energy investments in Washington, especially in our struggling rural communities, and all-time record efficiency savings for energy consumers.  More investments, more savings, and more jobs will come to us as long as we keep the pathway open. 

I-937 reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, protecting us from toxic pollution and volatile prices, and remains the most effective means of meeting our state’s climate goals. We must continue its success in protecting our environment, economy, and the health of our families. 

In these challenging economic times, I-937 is delivering real economic development through energy efficiency and new renewable energy, along with the health and environmental benefits that come with those solutions.

Protect I-937 this legislative session. Ask your legislator to:
•    Preserve voter’s intent to increase development of clean and affordable energy. We can’t afford to weaken Washington’s commitment to clean energy just as other states are increasing their renewable targets.
•    Keep our energy supply clean and sustainable. Reject proposals to burn old-growth forests, toxic biomass, and municipal waste.
•    I-937 was carefully written to protect our salmon and stay focused on the future. Encouraging new dams or counting existing output from hydropower as new renewables under I-937 would punch a huge loophole in the law. 

Protect Clean Water for People and Fish

Rivers, streams, and marine waters like Puget Sound are the lifeblood of Washington State.  Clean, abundant water is essential for our communities, our economy, and healthy ecosystems.  Rapid development in the state over the past several decades now threatens those waters.  Polluted urban runoff from roads, parking lots, and developed areas carries large volumes of pollution into fresh and marine waters across the state.  Increased development, particularly in rural and suburban areas has resulted in depletion of groundwater supplies across the state.  We need to more carefully manage these resources to insure clean water, healthy communities, and to protect fish and wildlife.

Exempt Wells:  A Loophole that Threatens our Water Supply

When the state legislature adopted the current water code many years ago, they recognized that without proper management of water withdrawals for groundwater and surface water, water shortages would result.   In order to avoid this problem, they created a permit system which insured that the state reviewed each water right permit to determine if water was available.   The code allowed for small withdrawals for residential use to be exempt.   The legislature capped the amount that could be withdrawn for these “exempt wells” at 5,000 gallons / day.    Unfortunately, as water became scarce in many areas, some developers began to use the exempt well provision to provide water for large subdivisions, while many local governments ignored the need to evaluate water supplies.

A decision by the Washington Supreme Court this past summer involving Kittitas County now makes clear that local governments must insure that water supplies are legally available to new growth before it is approved.    Unfortunately, opposition to this decision is building and legislation is expected on the topic in Olympia this year.

Polluted Urban Runoff:  Too Much Asphalt and Too Few Trees

As we cut down forests throughout the region and replace them with roads, parking lots, and other hardened surfaces, we have dramatically altered the natural flow of water.   Trees and native soils which stored rainfall are replaced with asphalt that prevents rain from infiltrating back into our aquifers.    Instead, the runoff is channeled off our streets into Puget Sound, rivers, and streams, carrying with it heavy loads of pesticides, oil, grease, and other pollutants. Traditional management of stormwater has failed but a new approach which relies on green building techniques, referred to as Low Impact Development (LID) offers great promise to stem the flow of polluted stormwater.    These techniques which involve preserving vegetation on building sites, use of rain gardens, pervious pavement, and other techniques, seek to mimic natural hydrologic conditions on a building site.   LID projects like “Sea Street” in Seattle are popping up across the region and are achieving near zero discharge of polluted runoff.  

Attend Environmental Lobby Day on January 25th.  Contact your legislators and let them know that you stand for clean water in Washington.   Ask them to oppose legislation that would undermine new exempt well requirements and urge them to support Department of Ecology stormwater permits.

Sustainable and Equitable Transit Funding Provides Transportation Options to Reduce Environmental Impacts

In Washington, transportation accounts for 45% of the total state-wide greenhouse gas emissions that create climate change.  Better transit service provides more travel options in our communities so the car can be left at home thereby helping us reduce air pollution, stormwater runoff, and climate change impacts.  Improving transit, preventing sprawl, encouraging compact walkable communities, and transitioning to cleaner vehicles and fuels all protect the environment and promote better health.

Yet despite growing transit ridership in the last six years, overall transit funding is insufficient. Local-option sales tax revenue, which accounts for 70% of transit operating funds, has plummeted due to the Great Recession.  State support for transit systems since 2000 has amounted to less than 1% of the state transportation budgets.  Public feedback collected by the Washington Transportation Commission indicates very high support for state investments in transit and intercity rail.  The public expects a transportation funding package from the Legislature that serves the changing patterns and tastes of a 21st century population.

Short-term Funding Not a Viable Solution
The Legislature passed SB 5457 in April 2011 to provide a local option for short-term funding available only to King County Metro Transit.  Other transit systems around the state are implementing service cuts or lack the resources to grow and meet rising ridership demand.  When the added funding expires in 2013, King County Metro faces substantial service cuts too.

Transit Investments, Polluter-Pays Funding Deliver Smart, Healthy Solutions
New revenue sources for multi-modal projects are needed statewide to fund transit.  Sierra Club favors raising revenue according to the “polluter pays” principle, and supports flexible use of toll revenue including funding of transit service for equity sake.  A likely state transportation funding package may justify its spending on roads for job creation, yet investment in public transportation creates more jobs than equivalent spending on new roads and bridges.  More local option resources should be part of any transportation funding package in 2012.

Attend Transportation Advocacy Day on January 31st.  Contact your Legislators (Hotline: 1-800-562-6000) and let them know that you support sustainable long-term funding for transit in Washington.  Ask them to support a transportation budget that prioritizes maintenance over new highway capacity, and includes statewide funding of transit, and money for stormwater mitigation of roads.

Wrap up to 2011 Legislature

To deal with the budget blues ($5.2 billion shortfall projected for 2011-2013 budget cycle), we propose, along with our environmental allies, a proactive solution that ensures core environmental protections remain intact.  It asks companies and individuals to pay their fair share for the services they receive and benefits they enjoy from use of Washington’s natural resources.  The state must continue to protect our clean water, clean air and special places.

Along with budget solutions, Sierra Club advocated for these other priorities in the 2011 Legislature:

• Coal Free Future for Washington
• 2011 Clean Water Jobs Act
• Sustainable and Equitable Transit Funding

Coal Free Future for Washington

The Sierra Club advocates moving beyond the dirty fuels economy of the past to protect our families against poisons, while supporting community economic development for the clean energy economy of the future.  This session, we need to protect our health and environment from the TransAlta coal-fired power plant, the largest source of dangerous air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions in the state.  In early March, the Senate passed ESSB 5769 to establish firm dates to end the plant’s use of coal, and raise funds based on plant energy output to provide new opportunities for workers while promoting a clean energy future.  The bill has been heard and passed out of the House Committees on Environment and Capital Budget, so now the full House must pass E2SSB 5769 and the Governor sign the bill for the Sierra Club goal of a coal-free Washington to be realized.

Burning coal hurts our families
The TransAlta 40+ year old plant is Washington’s only coal-fired power plant and our largest single source of toxic mercury, other air pollutants, and climate pollution.  Burning coal in this plant fouls our air, pollutes our water, sickens our children and destroys the environment.  It results in children with learning disabilities, kids suffering through asthma attacks, and our loved ones getting sick with cancer, heart and lung disease.  Our families’ health is more important than the profits of a Canadian merchant power corporation.

We can build a clean energy economy
Washington is on the verge of making a smart decision – as Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Utah already have in transitioning beyond coal — that leads us to a brighter future.  We can move beyond the dirty fuels economy of the past to the clean energy economy of the future.

Now is the time
We can hold TransAlta Corp. accountable for paying its fair share for the damage it causes, and lay the foundation for economic prosperity in communities near the power plant.  The region doesn’t need coal power to keep the lights on – not today, and not tomorrow when we can choose from a wide array of affordable, cleaner energy options. Throughout the state, residents call for transitioning this plant beyond coal.  Urge the House to pass E2SSB 5769 and send it on to the Governor for her signature.

The 2011 Clean Water Jobs Act

Stormwater flowing into our creeks, rivers, lakes and marine waters is too often polluted with a large load of toxic chemical contamination.  Each year millions of gallons of this murky combination of oil pollution, pesticides, herbicides, and other hazardous substances wash into our waterways from roads and urban areas posing a serious threat to our health and environment.  Reducing stormwater pollution needs to be accomplished in two ways:  at the source, and with projects that clean the stormwater before it enters our waterways.

The 2011 Clean Water Jobs Act (SB 5604 / HB 1735) would raise $100 million in fees annually on first possessors (manufacturers or importers) of toxic substances to directly fund local projects that clean up pollution before it enters waterways.  This Legislation would create good paying jobs building clean water infrastructure to remediate the millions of gallons of toxic runoff that washes into Puget Sound, the Spokane River, and thousands of other lakes and streams.  Long-term funding will ensure polluters pay their share of cleanup cost and allow cities, counties, and ports through a competitive grant process to build these important projects to protect public health and quality of life now and over the coming years. 

The growing budget shortfall makes fee-based programs more important to protect our health and environmental quality.  Ask your Legislators to support the Clean Water Jobs Act; especially contact Ways and Means Committee members of the Senate and House.

Sustainable and Equitable Transit Funding

In Washington, transportation accounts as of 2008 for 45% of the total greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.  Along with preventing sprawl, encouraging compact walkable communities, and transitioning to cleaner vehicles and fuels, better transit service will help us reduce climate change impacts by providing more travel options in our communities so the car can be left at home.  Yet as transit systems throughout the state have attained historic ridership levels, they are concurrently saddled with the worst funding crisis in decades.

Local-option sales tax revenue, which accounts for 70% of transit operating funds, has plummeted due to the Great Recession.  While transit ridership has grown steadily in the last five years, if new revenue is not secured, these systems will be forced to drastically cut service across the State on the order of 15% to 50%.  For example, Community Transit in Snohomish County, facing a three-year 20% drop in sales tax revenue, suspended Sunday and holiday service.  Pierce Transit has reduced service by nearly 6% and is facing greater cut backs after voters turned down a sales tax increase in February.  King County Metro Transit, which already levies the maximum allowed (0.9%) sales tax, anticipates a revenue shortfall that will require it to cut 400,000 hours of existing service within two years and another 200,000 hours by 2015.

Investment in public transportation creates 19% more jobs than equivalent spending on new roads and bridges, yet public transportation funding has more stringent approval requirements and is often relegated to the local level in Washington.  Sierra Club seeks additional local authority from the Legislature to fund transit service.  The Local Transit Act (SB 5874 / HB 2016) would provide local transit agencies the ability to pursue voter-approved funding for transit from a variety of local, equitable tax sources.  We favor new sources of sustainable transportation revenue raised according to the “polluter pays” principle, consistent with Club national and chapter principles on transportation:
http://www.sierraclub.org/policy/conservation/trans.aspx
directory/committees/transportation

Since a longer-term solution may not gain traction this session, we support a short-term funding measure to supplement the operational and capital needs of transit agencies.  ESSB 5457 passed the Senate and House by the end of the spring special session.  While not as far reaching as we had hoped, this measure will ensure effective transit service can be maintained in some communities despite the worst funding crisis in decades.

Please join us in defending key programs that protect and enhance the environment and seek smart solutions to our biggest environmental challenges of today.