SB 5688 - DIGEST

Finds that: (1) The illegal discharge of pollutants to Washington's air and water, and the improper management and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes in Washington's environment can create significant risks to public health and environmental quality;

(2) Washington's businesses bear much of the costs incurred when polluters fail to clean up environmental contamination;

(3) A polluting business may gain an economic advantage that is unfair to businesses that are in compliance with emission limitations, waste management standards, and other environmental quality requirements;

(4) The protection of Washington's environment from unnecessary degradation is a matter of public trust;

(5) The public has a right to clean air and water and to a healthy environment; and

(6) Because of the importance of these resources to the health and welfare of Washington citizens, there must be disclosure of pertinent environmental compliance information by those persons submitting applications and persons with operational responsibility or ownership of the activity to be covered by the permit.

Declares it is the purpose of this act to ensure that the state has adequate information about the environmental quality compliance history of applicants for the purpose of reviewing the application and making decisions on the application.

Provides that the responsible official must deny an environmental quality permit application if: (1) The applicant or a person acting at the direction of the applicant intentionally withholds or misrepresents material information required to be submitted under this act;

(2) The applicant or a person acting at the direction of the applicant has offered or conferred any benefit personally to an employee of the state of a local air pollution control agency in the expectation that such offer will result in or contribute to an approval of the application;

(3) The applicant or any person listed in the information provided in this act has been convicted of a felony in Washington state or a criminal conviction in another state or country where the violation is punishable in Washington state as a felony, and the conviction is based upon the violation of an environmental quality statute, rule, regulation, permit, license, approval, or order.