8419-S

WHEREAS, The international community, through the World Commission on the Environment and Development established by the United Nations, has recognized that environmental problems are inseparable from those of human welfare and from the process of economic development in general and that many present forms of development erode the environmental resources on which human livelihoods and welfare ultimately depend; and

WHEREAS, The United Nations and the United States government are considering further actions to agreements reached by the international community regarding sustainable development, including the establishment of a new United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development; and

WHEREAS, Many nations and other states, including Austria, Canada, Holland, New Zealand, Norway, Florida, Minnesota, and Vermont are developing sustainable development plans to properly preserve and protect treasured natural resources and environmental quality while benefiting their economies; and

WHEREAS, Sustainable development involves promoting human well-being and meeting critical economic needs that maintain and improve the lives of humanity while ensuring: Protection of our environment and natural resources for use by future generations; managing renewable resources so that their quality and quantity are preserved or enhanced; managing the developed environment in a manner that reduces wasteful levels of energy consumption and other natural resources; conserving the biodiversity of species by slowing, and, if possible, halting the extinctions of habitat and ecosystems; and avoiding, remediating, or mitigating, to the greatest extent practicable, the adverse effects on the environment of use and development; and

WHEREAS, Government policies and actions aimed at protecting the environment and promoting economic development often work towards accomplishing neither; and

WHEREAS, Washington's regulatory environment should operate to achieve the goal of ensuring business practices and economic vitality equate with maintaining and improving environmental quality, by adopting environmental preservation and protection statutes and regulations consistent and necessary to serve that public purpose; and

WHEREAS, The business community needs a stable framework of economic and environmental statutes and regulations to be able to make long-range plans and to invest in the best available technology so that the state can exercise wise and responsible stewardship to maximize both environmental quality and economic productivity; and

WHEREAS, It is essential that the state ensure people can safely breathe the air and drink the water, that children can play without fear of exposure to toxic contaminants, that treasured natural and cultural resources enjoy protection and preservation for all to appreciate, and that those who make their livelihood from fishing, tourism, and other natural resource-related endeavors may continue to do so;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the Senate of the state of Washington, the House of Representatives concurring, That the legislature of the state of Washington encourage cooperative international and national efforts to promote sustainable development by developing a sustainable development plan that reflects the sense of this resolution; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the executive-legislative committee on economic development policy establish a subcommittee on sustainable development that will:

(1) Define sustainable development;

(2) Study and analyze models of sustainable development locally and in other states and nations;

(3) Identify existing programs within the state which follow the precepts of sustainable development;

(4) In cooperation with department of community, trade, and economic development and department of ecology personnel, develop a comprehensive framework for sustainable development for the state that identifies:

(a) Principles of sustainable development;

(b) Environmental quality objectives;

(d) Opportunities for integration of sustainability considerations in economic and community development programs and local or regional planning processes;

(e) Mechanisms for public and private partnerships and intergovernmental cooperation;

(f) Mechanisms for local community processes by which local governments, the private sector, and community groups can develop local sustainable development plans; and

(g) Financial or market-based incentives to encourage innovations by businesses which will further sustainability;

(5) Identify opportunities to promote sustainable development through regional organizations; and

(6) Make recommendations regarding executive and legislative action necessary to develop and implement a sustainable development plan for the state.