2SHB 1488 -
By Representative Hunter
ADOPTED AS AMENDED 02/14/2006
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The definitions in this section apply
throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Commercial decabromodiphenylether" means the chemical mixture
of decabromodiphenylether, including associated polybrominated diphenyl
ether impurities not intentionally added. No single polybrominated
diphenyl ether impurity shall exceed one percent by mass of the mixture
and the combination of all polybrominated diphenyl ether impurities
shall not exceed four percent by mass of the mixture.
(2) "Department" means the department of ecology.
(3) "Electronic enclosure" means the plastic housing that encloses
the components of electronic products, including but not limited to
televisions and computers.
(4) "Manufacturer" includes any person, firm, association,
partnership, corporation, governmental entity, organization, or joint
venture that produces a product containing polybrominated diphenyl
ethers or an importer or domestic distributor of a noncomestible
product containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers. A manufacturer does
not include a retailer:
(a) Of a private label brand or cobranding; or
(b) Who assembles components to create a single electronic product
based on an individual consumer preference.
(5) "Polybrominated diphenyl ethers" means chemical forms that
consist of diphenyl ethers bound with bromine atoms. Polybrominated
diphenyl ethers include, but are not limited to, the three primary
forms of the commercial mixtures known as pentabromodiphenylether
(penta-bde), octabromodiphenylether (octa-bde), and
decabromodiphenylether (deca-bde).
(6) "Retailer" means a person who offers a product for sale at
retail through any means including, but not limited to, remote
offerings such as sales outlets, catalogs, or the internet, but does
not include a sale that is a wholesale transaction with a distributor
or a retailer. A retailer does not include a person, firm,
association, partnership, corporation, governmental entity,
organization, or joint venture that both manufactures and sells a
product at retail.
(7) "Technically feasible alternative that is available at a
reasonable cost" means an alternative that is available at a cost and
in sufficient quantity to permit the manufacturer or user to maintain
an economically viable product.
(8) "Transportation vehicle" means any mechanized vehicle that is
used to transport goods or people including, but not limited to,
airplanes, automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, trains, boats,
ships, streetcars, or monorail cars.
(9) "Used product" means any product that has been previously
owned, purchased, or sold in commerce. "Used product" does not include
any product manufactured after January 1, 2007.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of
this section and sections 3 and 4 of this act, after January 1, 2007,
no person may manufacture, knowingly sell, offer for sale, distribute
for sale, or distribute for use in this state noncomestible products
containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
(2) Subsection (1) of this section does not apply to:
(a) Products containing decabromodiphenylether except as provided
in section 4 of this act;
(b) The sale or distribution of any used transportation vehicle
with component parts containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers;
(c) The sale of any used transportation vehicle parts, or new
transportation vehicle parts manufactured before January 1, 2007, that
contain polybrominated diphenyl ethers;
(d) The manufacture, sale, repair, distribution, maintenance,
refurbishment, or modification of equipment containing polybrominated
diphenyl ethers and used primarily for military or federally funded
space program applications. This exemption does not cover consumer-based goods with broad applicability;
(e) The sale or distribution by a business, charity, or private
party of any used product containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers; or
(f) Medical devices.
(3) In-state retailers in possession of products on January 1,
2007, that are banned for sale under subsection (1) of this section may
exhaust their stock through sales to the public.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A manufacturer or user of safety systems
required by the federal aviation administration may apply for an
exemption for a specific use of penta-bde or octa-bde by filing a
written petition with the department. Such uses may include the repair
or replacement by a manufacturer or user of safety systems required by
the federal aviation administration. The exemption may be granted for
a term not to exceed eighteen months and may be renewed upon written
application if the department finds that the specific use of penta-bde
or octa-bde continues to meet the criteria of this section and the
manufacturer or other persons comply with the conditions of its
original approval. The department may grant an exemption for a
specified use of penta-bde or octa-bde with or without conditions upon
finding that the petitioner has demonstrated that:
(1) A technically feasible alternative to the use of penta-bde or
octa-bde is not available at reasonable cost; or
(2) The potential harm to public health and the environment
directly posed by a technically feasible and available alternative is
greater than the potential harm posed by penta-bde or octa-bde.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 (1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of
this section and section 5 of this act, after July 1, 2010, no person
may manufacture, knowingly sell, offer for sale, distribute for sale,
or distribute for use in this state any television or computer that has
an electronic enclosure that contains commercial
decabromodiphenylether.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section and
section 5 of this act, after July 1, 2012, no person may manufacture,
knowingly sell, offer for sale, distribute for sale, or distribute for
use in this state any of the following products:
(a) Upholstered furniture intended for indoor use in a home or
other residential occupancy that contains commercial
decabromodiphenylether; or
(b) Mattresses and mattress pads that contain commercial
decabromodiphenylether.
(3) The following are exempt from subsections (1) and (2) of this
section:
(a) The manufacture, sale, repair, distribution, maintenance,
refurbishment, or modification of any raw material or component part
used in a transportation vehicle or any new transportation vehicle with
component parts, including original parts and spare parts, containing
commercial decabromodiphenylether;
(b) The use of commercial decabromodiphenylether in the
maintenance, refurbishment, or modification of transportation
equipment; or
(c) The manufacture, sale, or distribution of any new product or
product component consisting of recycled or used materials containing
commercial decabromodiphenylether.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 If the department and the department of
health, in consultation with the director of fire protection, find that
a safer technically feasible alternative to the use of commercial
decabromodiphenylether is not available at reasonable cost, the
department and the department of health may jointly by rule grant an
exemption to allow for the manufacture, sale, or distribution of
products prohibited from manufacture, sale, or distribution under
section 4 of this act between July 1, 2010, and July 1, 2012. The
department and the department of health may jointly by rule renew the
exemption for an additional period of two years if the department and
the department of health find that a safer technically feasible
alternative to the use of commercial decabromodiphenylether is not
available at reasonable cost.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 Before adoption of a final rule by the
department and the department of health in section 5 of this act, the
governor shall review the proposed rule to ensure that a safer
technically feasible alternative to the use of commercial
decabromodiphenylether is not available at reasonable cost. In
reviewing the proposed rule, the governor shall consider the important
balance between the needs for continuing the use of commercial
decabromodiphenylether and protecting public health. Any final rule
adopted under section 5 of this act by the departments requires the
signature of the governor.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7 By December 15, 2008, the department, the
director of fire protection, and the department of health must report
to the appropriate committees of the legislature on the availability of
safer, technically feasible alternatives for those products prohibited
from the manufacture, sale, or distribution under section 4 of this act
and any additional evidence of the potential harm posed by commercial
decabromodiphenylether.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 Nothing in this chapter restricts the
ability of a manufacturer, importer, or distributor from transporting
products containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers through the state,
or storing such products in the state for later distribution outside
the state.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9 After January 1, 2007, a manufacturer of
products containing a polybrominated diphenyl ether that has been
restricted under this chapter must notify persons that sell the
manufacturer's products about this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10 (1) The department and the department of
health must review additional uses of commercial
decabromodiphenylether.
(2) The department and the department of health must report their
findings and recommendations to the appropriate committees of the
legislature by December 15, 2007.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 (1) By January 1, 2007, the department of
general administration shall:
(a) Give priority and preference to the purchase of equipment,
supplies, and other products that do not contain polybrominated
diphenyl ethers; and
(b) Make available for purchase and use by all state agencies only
equipment, supplies, and other products that do not contain
polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
(2) The department of general administration shall, by January 1,
2007, revise its rules, policies, and guidelines to implement this
chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12 (1) Retailers who unknowingly sell products
banned under sections 2 and 4 of this act are not liable under this
chapter.
(2) In-state retailers in possession of products on January 1,
2010, that are banned for sale under section 4(1) of this act or are in
possession of products on January 1, 2012, that are banned for sale
under section 4(2) of this act may exhaust their stock through sales to
the public.
(3) The department must develop a program to assist in-state
retailers in identifying potential products containing polybrominated
diphenyl ethers in their inventory before the effective date of product
bans under sections 2 and 4 of this act.
(4) If a retailer unknowingly possesses products that are banned
for sale under sections 2 and 4 of this act and the manufacturer does
not recall the products, the retailer may exhaust its existing stock
through sales to the public; however, no additional banned stock may be
sold or offered for sale.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13 (1) Enforcement of this chapter shall rely
heavily on notification and information exchange between the department
and manufacturers. The department shall achieve compliance with this
chapter using the following enforcement sequence:
(a) Before the effective date of the product bans in sections 2 and
4 of this act, the department must prepare and distribute information
to in-state manufacturers and out-of-state manufacturers, to the
maximum extent practicable, to assist them in identifying products
prohibited for manufacture, sale, or distribution under this chapter;
(b) The department may request a certificate of compliance from a
manufacturer. A certificate of compliance attests that a
manufacturer's product or products meets the requirements of this
chapter;
(c) The department must issue a warning letter to a manufacturer
that produces, sells, or distributes banned products in violation of
this chapter. The department shall offer information or other
appropriate assistance to the manufacturer in complying with this
chapter. If after one year, compliance is not achieved, penalties must
be assessed under subsection (3) of this section.
(2) A manufacturer that produces, sells, or distributes a product
prohibited from manufacture, sale, or distribution under this chapter
shall recall such products and reimburse the retailer or any other
purchaser for the product and any applicable postage and handling for
returning the products.
(3) A manufacturer of products containing polybrominated diphenyl
ethers in violation of this chapter is punishable by a civil penalty
not to exceed one thousand dollars for each violation in the case of a
first offense. Manufacturers who are repeat violators are liable for
a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars for each repeat
offense. Penalties collected under this section must be deposited in
the state toxics control account created in RCW 70.105D.070.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 14 Sections 1 through 13 of this act
constitute a new chapter in Title
Correct the title.
EFFECT: Limits the deca-BDE ban to specific products. Extends the implementation date for banning deca-BDE from July 1, 2007, to July 1, 2010, for certain electronic enclosures and July 1, 2012, for upholstered furniture and mattresses. Removes the authority for the Governor to grant an exemption from the ban on deca-BDE and authorizes the Department of Ecology to grant exemptions to the deca-BDE ban by rule between July 1, 2010, and July 1, 2012. Directs manufacturers to recall banned products and reimburse persons for costs to return those products. Directs the Department of Ecology to use a sequence of enforcement techniques to achieve compliance with this chapter. Requires the Department of Ecology to consult with the Director of Fire Protection when determining if there are safe alternatives available.