Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

General Government Appropriations Committee

SSB 6556

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

Increases agricultural burning permit fees charged by the Department of Ecology for field burning and pile burning.

Background:

The maximum permit fee for agricultural field burning is set at $2.50 per acre. This statutory cap was established in 1991. The fee was established at the current level of $2.25 per acre by the Agricultural Burning Practices and Research Task Force in 2008. The revenue from these permit fees are deposited in the Air Pollution Control Account, except for the portion necessary to cover the local cost of administering the permit.

The current fee of $2.25 per acre is used as follows: $1.25 is retained by delegated permitting entities; $0.50 goes toward the Department of Ecology's (DOE) administrative and smoke management activities; and $0.50 is directed to agricultural burning research. After fees are established by rule, any increase is limited to annual inflation adjustments as determined by the state office of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.

Summary of Bill:

The current statutory maximum permit fee of $2.50 per acre for agricultural field burning is increased to $3.75 per acre. Additionally, the DOE is given the authority to charge a permit fee for pile burning that is not to exceed $1 per ton of material burned. Fees continue to be set by rule adopted by the DOE at the level determined by the Agricultural Burning Practices and Research Task Force.