BILL REQ. #:  S-2960.3 

Read first time 04/10/2003.   Referred to Committee on Highways & Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to funding pollution abatement and response; adding new sections to chapter 70.94 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 90.56 RCW; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 70.94 RCW to read as follows:
     In addition to other fees and taxes required under this chapter, registered owners of motor vehicles as defined in RCW 46.04.320 shall annually, upon renewal, pay a clean air fee of two dollars. Eighty-seven and one-half percent of the proceeds from the clean air fee must be deposited in a segregated subaccount of the air pollution control account created in RCW 70.94.015, and twelve and one-half percent of the proceeds from the clean air fee must be deposited in the vessel response account in section 3 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 70.94 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Money from the clean air fee under section 1 of this act that is deposited in the segregated subaccount of the air pollution control account created in RCW 70.94.015 may be used for the purposes of this chapter, including the following:
     (a) Retrofitting school buses with exhaust emission control devices;
     (b) Reducing vehicle air contaminant emissions and cleaning up air pollution;
     (c) Reducing and monitoring toxic air contaminants;
     (d) Providing funding for fueling infrastructure necessary to allow school bus fleets to use alternative, cleaner fuels.
     (2) Money from the clean air fee under section 1 of this act deposited in the segregated subaccount of the air pollution control account created in RCW 70.94.015 is subject to distribution as follows:
     (a) Eighty-five percent of the money must be distributed to the air pollution control authorities created under this chapter. The money must be distributed in direct proportion with the amount of fees imposed under section 1 of this act that are collected within the boundaries of each authority. However, an amount in direct proportion with those fees collected in counties for which no air pollution control authority exists must be distributed to the department.
     (b) Fifteen percent of the money from the fee under section 1 of this act must be distributed to the department and used by the department for the following purposes:
     (i) Retrofitting school buses with exhaust emission control devices;
     (ii) Reducing vehicle air contaminant emissions and cleaning up air pollution;
     (iii) Reducing and monitoring toxic air contaminants;
     (iv) Providing funding for fueling infrastructure necessary to allow school bus fleets to use alternative, cleaner fuels.
     (3) Money in the air pollution control account may be spent by the department only after appropriation.
     (4) The department shall provide a report to the legislative transportation committees on the progress of the implementation of this section by December 31, 2004.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 90.56 RCW to read as follows:
     The vessel response account is created in the state treasury. Receipts from the clean air fee in section 1 of this act shall be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account may be used by the department of ecology for a dedicated rescue tug, deployed at the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, whose primary mission is to arrest the drift of disabled vessels to prevent a pollution event. The tug may also be equipped and available to provide other emergency services and assistance including intervention support for the coordinated vessel traffic service, assisting search and rescue efforts, marine fire fighting, and early oil spill response.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   Section 1 of this act expires July 1, 2008.