H-1634              _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 991

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives Todd, Nelson, Taylor, Jacobsen, Peery and Rust

Read first time 2/18/87 and referred to Committee on Energy & Utilities.

AN ACT Relating to enforcement actions of the department of ecology; and adding a new section to chapter 43.21A RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 43.21A RCW to read as follows:

          (1) The legislature finds that there are a significant number of federal nuclear facilities operating within this state which may contribute to environmental contamination such that public health and the economy of this state could be adversely affected.  The legislature further finds that state and federal environmental protection programs have not been consistently applied to or complied with by the federal government such that it is now necessary to undertake a special effort to identify those areas where environmental laws and standards should be applied and take actions to ensure that they are.

          (2) The department shall use all available means consistent with federal law to apply and enforce state and federal environmental laws and standards as to all federal nuclear facilities operating within this state including those on the Hanford reservation.

          (3) The department shall prepare a written report and submit it to the standing committees on environment and energy of the legislature during January of each year which describes the major federal nuclear facilities operating within this state and whether they are in compliance with federal and state environmental laws.

          (4) For the purposes of this section, "environmental laws" means those laws deemed applicable by the department which shall include at least the National Environmental Policy Act (P.L. 91-190), the Clean Air Act (P.L. 91-604, 95-95), the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (P.L. 92-500, 95-217), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (P.L. 94-580), the Toxic Substances Control Act (P.L. 94-469), the Safe Water Drinking Act (P.L. 93-523), the Comprehensive Environmental response, Compensation, and Liability Act (P.L. 96-510), and the concomitant state laws.