S-4282.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6371

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senators Rasmussen, Newhouse, Loveland, A. Anderson, Morton, Roach, Hochstatter and Deccio

Read first time 01/12/96.  Referred to Committee on Ecology & Parks.

Prohibiting the department of ecology from listing anhydrous ammonia as a class B hazardous air pollutant until the federal government does.

    AN ACT Relating to anhydrous ammonia; adding a new section to chapter 70.94 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that:

    (1) Anhydrous ammonia is the most important nutrient material used for the production of wheat and barley crops in Washington state;

    (2) The federal environmental protection agency regulates one hundred eighty-nine toxic air pollutants;

    (3) Ammonia is not federally regulated as a toxic air pollutant;

    (4) Ammonia is regulated at the state and federal level through rules established to protect workers from unhealthful levels of exposure to ammonia; and

    (5) The department of ecology regulates ammonia as a toxic air pollutant and uses a threshold that is three hundred times more stringent than the standard used to protect workers.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 70.94 RCW to read as follows:

    The department may not list ammonia as a class B hazardous air pollutant until listed by the federal environmental protection agency pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Sec. 7412(b).

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