News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 31, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Alt Contact:  Sheryl Hutchison, Department of Ecology, 360-407-7004

Gov. Gary Locke Signs Bills Strengthening Environmental Protection Policies

Gov. Gary Locke today signed several bills that will help protect the environment from pollutants such as carbon dioxide, stormwater runoff, and oil spills.
Among the legislation Locke signed was House Bill 3141, which mitigates carbon dioxide emissions by requiring power plants to offset 20 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) created by the plant.

Plants can either directly or indirectly invest in CO2 mitigation projects such as forest preservation or the conversion of buses from diesel power to natural gas. The new standards, which reflect proposed rules developed by the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, are the strongest in nation for new power plants.

“House Bill 3141 is a winner both for the environment and businesses,” Locke said. “Having clear standards in place will decrease CO2 emissions that lead to global warming, create more certainty for businesses, decrease rulemaking costs, and speed up permitting processes by as much as a year.”

K.C. Golden, policy director for Climate Solutions, said, “Governor Locke’s leadership on this issue is part of a growing national groundswell. Governors on both coasts – Democrats and Republicans – are moving forward now to reduce the threat of climate disruption, reduce fossil fuel dependence, and attract clean energy jobs. Common-sense limits on global warming pollution will help us clear the air and position Washington for success in the clean energy economy of the future.”

Locke also signed Senate Bill 6415, which provides new tools for preventing pollution from entering Washington waters through stormwater runoff.

The bill makes important changes to the state stormwater permitting system and provides the Department of Ecology with clear authority to monitor and enforce the permits.

“This bill represents a huge step forward in solving the number one water quality problem in this state,” Locke said. “It successfully balances many competing interests to improve our stormwater regulatory system.”

Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham, who led negotiations on the bill between the business and environmental communities, said, “SB 6415 focuses on performance based progress that both prevents and cleans up water quality problems. I applaud the compromises made by all the interested parties to make this bill a success.”

Gary Chandler, vice president of government relations for the Association of Washington Business, said, “We are pleased to have clear policy direction from the Legislature that stormwater discharges must be regulated in a way that allows business a reasonable opportunity to comply with the permit and the Clean Water Act. The compromises reached in this landmark legislation will result in a significant benefit to the environment and promote common sense environmental regulation.”

Bruce Wishart, policy director of the People for Puget Sound, said, “SB 6415 represents an amicable resolution of litigation surrounding the industrial stormwater permit, but more importantly it ensures that the state will move forward with a comprehensive stormwater program for industrial and construction sites. Bottom line, we expect important improvements in water quality and in the health of Puget Sound.”

The governor also signed Senate Bill 6641, which enacts improved oil spill prevention measures.

The bill would help prevent incidents like the 4,800-gallon oil spill that occurred at Point Wells in December 2003. Among the provisions in the bill is a requirement that the Department of Ecology formulate a rule to require preventive measures like pre-booming to minimize the effects of oil spills that occur during refueling.

“This bill takes important steps to protect the environment from disastrous oil spills,” Locke said.

Rep. Mike Cooper, D-Edmonds, who sponsored identical legislation in the House, said,
“The zero-spills strategy Governor Locke is signing today launches a new era in protecting Puget Sound. It puts the focus on prevention instead of cleanup, and that can make the difference between oil containment and an oil catastrophe.”

Locke also signed Senate Bills 6329 and 5957:

· SB 6329 – Extending the Date for Implementation of Ballast Water Discharge Requirements – Protects against the introduction of foreign invasive species to Washington waters by changing the date authorizing the discharge of ballast water into state waters from July 1, 2004, to July 1, 2007. Also requires vessels to submit a ballast water management report by July 1, 2006 describing how ballast water will be treated or exchanged.

· SB 5957 – Establishing a System of Standards and Procedures Concerning Water Quality Data – Establishes a system to ensure that scientifically credible water data be used for state water quality programs.



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