Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 1, 2002
Contact: Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
“There was a time in our state when Lake Washington was so polluted there was no swimming or fishing,” Locke said. “Raw sewage was dumped into Puget Sound. Wetlands were drained and filled indiscriminately for development. And little attention was paid to our environment.
“But our state’s history is also one of environmental leadership,” the governor said, noting Washington is one of only a few states with a State Environmental Policy Act, a Model Toxics Control Act, a Shorelines Management Act and a Growth Management Act. “The result has been a dramatic improvement in the environmental health of our state.”
The governor enhanced that environmental health by signing nine bills that individually represent “significant advances” and taken as a whole “move us forward in addressing environmental issues both new and old.”
The governor signed two pieces of legislation – Substitute Senate Bill 6553 and Senate Bill 6538 – to combat invasive species threatening the state’s waters, including the invasive grass spartina, the European Green Crab, the oyster drill and Japanese eelgrass.
SSB 6553, sponsored by Sen. Erik Poulsen and recommended by the state aquatic nuisance species committee, gives the state Fish and Wildlife Commission the authority to identify invasive aquatic species, declare a water body to be infested with an invasive species and develop a plan for cleaning up the water body.
SB 6538, sponsored by Sen. Debbie Regala, establishes a ballast water working group, which will make improvements to the state’s current ballast water reporting laws.
“Ballast water is the leading source for the introduction of invasive species into the state and this work group will make recommendations for improvements that will provide protection from the possibility of introduction of invasive species,” Locke said.
To address derelict and abandoned vessels, some of which also pose oil, fuel and hazardous waste threats, the governor signed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2376, sponsored by Rep. Phil Rockefeller, to clarify the responsibilities for dealing with abandoned and derelict vessels and provide for removal of those vessels.
The governor signed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6400, sponsored by Sen. Ken Jacobsen, and Substitute House Bill 2758, sponsored by Rep. Dave Quall, voicing concern about the amount of habitat being lost to development as population grows.
“We now find ourselves scrambling to preserve the last best places of our state,” Locke said, signing the bills to “provide a few more tools in our toolbox that will help us to identify, protect and preserve these places.”
ESSB 6400 authorizes the Interagency Committee on Outdoor Recreation to conduct a biodiversity study to help the state manage for entire ecosystems and focus on preserving biodiversity, including incentives to conserve land.
The incentives will include conservation easements, such as those in SHB 2758, which creates an agricultural conservation easements program.
“This program will allow for the use of local, state, federal and private funds to help in the purchase of conservation easements on agricultural lands,” Locke said, adding that the easements are voluntary arrangements with the landowner that will help protect important farmlands while providing financial assistance “to keep farmers farming.”
The governor also signed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6353, sponsored by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, which increases the fee for migratory bird stamps from $6 to $10. The increased revenue will allow the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to expand waterfowl and wetland conservation programs using this dedicated fund source.
Locke signed Substitute Senate Bill 6575, sponsored by Sen. Jim Hargrove, to provide for increased public participation in the development of management plans for natural area preserves. The legislation directs the state Department of Natural Resources to develop standards for regulating public access to natural area preserves and provide buffer zones around environmentally sensitive areas.
The governor said Washington is a leader in the cleanup of hazardous waste and contaminated waste sites, citing the state’s Model Toxics Control Act created by a citizens’ initiative in 1988.
The governor signed into law Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1411, sponsored by Rep. Velma Veloria, to add a requirement that those living near a site where there has been a release of hazardous substances receive notice of that release.
Locke also signed Engrossed Substitute House Bill No. 2522, sponsored by Rep. Brian Sullivan, concerning the purchase of clean technologies. This law directs state agencies to explore opportunities for aggregating purchases of clean technologies such as high gas-mileage cars and distributed electric generation such as wind and solar power. Aggregated purchasing can reduce costs and make clean technologies cost-competitive with more traditional products.
Concluding the bill-signing ceremony, the governor said, “For more than 30 years Washington has been a leader in environmental protection. We enjoy the benefits of that success every day with our clean air, clean water, the beauty of Puget Sound and the wild places across our state.
“But our work is not finished,” Locke added. “The task before us requires us to deal with the nuances of statutes and the minutia of rules. But the results will be a Washington where we live sustainably, where we have jobs and a healthy environment, and where we work and live with the future of our children and our grandchildren always in mind.”
Related Links:
- Washington State Legislature
- Bill Information
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 1, 2002
Contact: Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Locke signs bills to protect Washington’s environment
SEATTLE – Gov. Gary Locke today took action on several pieces of legislation to protect the state’s environment at a bill-signing ceremony at a Seattle waterfront park.“There was a time in our state when Lake Washington was so polluted there was no swimming or fishing,” Locke said. “Raw sewage was dumped into Puget Sound. Wetlands were drained and filled indiscriminately for development. And little attention was paid to our environment.
“But our state’s history is also one of environmental leadership,” the governor said, noting Washington is one of only a few states with a State Environmental Policy Act, a Model Toxics Control Act, a Shorelines Management Act and a Growth Management Act. “The result has been a dramatic improvement in the environmental health of our state.”
The governor enhanced that environmental health by signing nine bills that individually represent “significant advances” and taken as a whole “move us forward in addressing environmental issues both new and old.”
The governor signed two pieces of legislation – Substitute Senate Bill 6553 and Senate Bill 6538 – to combat invasive species threatening the state’s waters, including the invasive grass spartina, the European Green Crab, the oyster drill and Japanese eelgrass.
SSB 6553, sponsored by Sen. Erik Poulsen and recommended by the state aquatic nuisance species committee, gives the state Fish and Wildlife Commission the authority to identify invasive aquatic species, declare a water body to be infested with an invasive species and develop a plan for cleaning up the water body.
SB 6538, sponsored by Sen. Debbie Regala, establishes a ballast water working group, which will make improvements to the state’s current ballast water reporting laws.
“Ballast water is the leading source for the introduction of invasive species into the state and this work group will make recommendations for improvements that will provide protection from the possibility of introduction of invasive species,” Locke said.
To address derelict and abandoned vessels, some of which also pose oil, fuel and hazardous waste threats, the governor signed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2376, sponsored by Rep. Phil Rockefeller, to clarify the responsibilities for dealing with abandoned and derelict vessels and provide for removal of those vessels.
The governor signed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6400, sponsored by Sen. Ken Jacobsen, and Substitute House Bill 2758, sponsored by Rep. Dave Quall, voicing concern about the amount of habitat being lost to development as population grows.
“We now find ourselves scrambling to preserve the last best places of our state,” Locke said, signing the bills to “provide a few more tools in our toolbox that will help us to identify, protect and preserve these places.”
ESSB 6400 authorizes the Interagency Committee on Outdoor Recreation to conduct a biodiversity study to help the state manage for entire ecosystems and focus on preserving biodiversity, including incentives to conserve land.
The incentives will include conservation easements, such as those in SHB 2758, which creates an agricultural conservation easements program.
“This program will allow for the use of local, state, federal and private funds to help in the purchase of conservation easements on agricultural lands,” Locke said, adding that the easements are voluntary arrangements with the landowner that will help protect important farmlands while providing financial assistance “to keep farmers farming.”
The governor also signed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6353, sponsored by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, which increases the fee for migratory bird stamps from $6 to $10. The increased revenue will allow the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to expand waterfowl and wetland conservation programs using this dedicated fund source.
Locke signed Substitute Senate Bill 6575, sponsored by Sen. Jim Hargrove, to provide for increased public participation in the development of management plans for natural area preserves. The legislation directs the state Department of Natural Resources to develop standards for regulating public access to natural area preserves and provide buffer zones around environmentally sensitive areas.
The governor said Washington is a leader in the cleanup of hazardous waste and contaminated waste sites, citing the state’s Model Toxics Control Act created by a citizens’ initiative in 1988.
The governor signed into law Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1411, sponsored by Rep. Velma Veloria, to add a requirement that those living near a site where there has been a release of hazardous substances receive notice of that release.
Locke also signed Engrossed Substitute House Bill No. 2522, sponsored by Rep. Brian Sullivan, concerning the purchase of clean technologies. This law directs state agencies to explore opportunities for aggregating purchases of clean technologies such as high gas-mileage cars and distributed electric generation such as wind and solar power. Aggregated purchasing can reduce costs and make clean technologies cost-competitive with more traditional products.
Concluding the bill-signing ceremony, the governor said, “For more than 30 years Washington has been a leader in environmental protection. We enjoy the benefits of that success every day with our clean air, clean water, the beauty of Puget Sound and the wild places across our state.
“But our work is not finished,” Locke added. “The task before us requires us to deal with the nuances of statutes and the minutia of rules. But the results will be a Washington where we live sustainably, where we have jobs and a healthy environment, and where we work and live with the future of our children and our grandchildren always in mind.”
Related Links:
- Washington State Legislature
- Bill Information
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