HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2389

BYRepresentatives G. Fisher, D. Sommers, Rust, Jacobsen, Crane, Valle, Pruitt, Rayburn, P. King, Rector, Phillips and Ferguson; by request of Department of Ecology

Regulating transporting waste material.

House Committe on Environmental Affairs

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (10)

      Signed by Representatives Rust, Chair; Valle, Vice Chair; D. Sommers, Ranking Republican Member; Brekke, Fraser, Phillips, Pruitt, Schoon, Sprenkle and Walker.

House Staff:Karl Herzog (786-7271)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 9, 1990

BACKGROUND:

According to the Department of Ecology's 1987 litter survey, up to 40 percent of Washington's roadside litter originates from the transport of unsecured loads in trucks and other motor vehicles.

Current state motor vehicle law requires that loads of dirt, sand, or gravel that are susceptible to escaping from a vehicle be covered to prevent spillage.  Covering such loads is not required if six inches of freeboard is maintained within the bed of the vehicle.

SUMMARY:

Vehicles operating on public highways must cover or secure loads to prevent spillage of litter.  The Department of Ecology is directed to provide notice to the public concerning this regulation by use of signs at landfills, transfer stations, and vehicle registration offices.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 18, 1990.

Effective Date:The covering/securing provisions take effect on January 1, 1991.  The public notification provisions take effect on August 1, 1990.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Representative Greg Fisher; Terry Husseman, Department of Ecology; John Conrad, Department of Transportation; and Nancy Pearson, Washington Citizens for Recycling.

House Committee - Testified Against:      No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    This bill should help reduce litter on highways.  Approximately 40 percent of litter comes from unsecured loads.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None.