H-4376              _______________________________________________

                                           SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 478

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By House Committee on Environmental Affairs (originally sponsored by Representatives Lux, Allen, Sprenkle, Valle, Pruitt, Crane, Meyers, Peery, Rust, Cole, Leonard, Unsoeld, Fisher, Jacobsen and Todd)

Read first time 1/25/88 and passed to Committee on Rules.

AN ACT Relating to air operating permits; creating new sections; making an appropriation; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature recognizes that emissions from air contaminant sources can contribute to the health problems of the citizens of this state and the degradation of the state's environment.  The legislature further recognizes that a majority of states use the authority granted under the federal clean air act to require that air contaminant sources obtain air operating permits.  Since Washington is one of the few states that does not require operating permits for air contaminant sources, and since controversy exists over the benefits of such permits given Washington's current regulatory structure, the legislature finds that a study should be conducted to determine whether air operating permits are needed in Washington to improve air quality, to ensure compliance with regulatory standards, to reduce the potential danger from toxic air emissions, and to give regulating agencies the authority to impose permit conditions and new technologies.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) The Washington state institute for public policy shall conduct a study to determine whether there is a need to require air operating permits in this state. The study shall examine the use of air operating permits in other states to determine whether air operating permits are needed in this state to:

          (a) Improve air quality;

          (b) Ensure compliance with existing regulatory standards;

          (c) Control currently unregulated toxic air emissions; and

          (d) Give the department of ecology and local air authorities additional authority to require:

          (i) Operational, maintenance, and monitoring conditions; or

          (ii) Installation of state-of-the-art technologies.

          (2) In conducting the study, the Washington state institute for public policy shall use existing studies to the extent possible.

          (3) The Washington state institute for public policy shall report the results of this study to the appropriate environmental standing committees of the legislature by January 1, 1989.  The report shall include the results of the examination and shall make recommendations to the legislature regarding each of the issues listed under subsection (1) of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The sum of forty thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, from the general fund to The Evergreen State College for the Washington state institute for public policy to carry out the purposes of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.