HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2572

BYRepresentatives Sprenkle, Pruitt, Rust, Valle, G. Fisher, Fraser, Dellwo, Wang, Jacobsen, Spanel and Winsley

Encouraging newsprint to contain secondary fiber.

House Committe on Environmental Affairs

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (10)

      Signed by Representatives Rust, Chair; Valle, Vice Chair; D. Sommers, Ranking Republican Member; Brekke, G. Fisher, Fraser, Phillips, Pruitt, Sprenkle and Walker.

House Staff:Rick Anderson (786-7114)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS

JANUARY 19, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Old newspapers can be reused to make newspapers and some other paper products if the newspaper ink is removed.  The nearest "de-inking" facility is in Newberg, Oregon.  Some of the old newspapers collected for recycling in this state are sold to the facility in Newberg, where they are re-manufactured into newsprint containing 40 percent recycled or "secondary" fiber.  Currently, 85 percent of the newsprint made at the Newberg facility is sold to California publishers.  Washington state publishers, citing lack of availability, currently purchase only a small percentage of newsprint containing secondary fiber.

The state of California recently passed legislation requiring publishers to purchase newsprint containing secondary fiber. As a result of this legislation, and other important economic and technological factors, two companies have committed to installing de-inking facilities within Washington State.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  Each year, newspaper publishers, and other commercial users of newsprint, are required to report to the Department of Ecology (DOE) the amount of newsprint containing secondary fiber purchased during the year.  A civil penalty of $1,000 is established for not reporting or for falsifying reports.

DOE is required to publish certain information regarding the use of newsprint containing secondary fiber in each newspaper that files a report.

Each year, the department, in conjunction with a public and private sector task force, is required to evaluate the price, quality, and availability of newsprint containing secondary fiber as well as other factors.

Voluntary goals are established for the purchase of newsprint containing secondary fiber for newspaper publishers and other commercial users of newsprint.  The goals shall apply to the industry as a whole and not to individual entities.

To encourage the use of high-volume, low-value grades of paper, the voluntary goals can be reduced by up to 50 percent for publishers buying newsprint containing mixed waste paper.  Newsprint mills are required to certify the amount of secondary fiber contained in the newsprint.

DOE is directed to prepare rules prescribing the mandatory use of newsprint containing secondary fiber when the following two conditions apply: 1) the statewide goals are not met; and 2) the task force finds that nothing prevented the newspapers from achieving the statewide goals, other than factors beyond the control of the publishing industry.  In preparing the rules, the department may revise the goals upward or downward.

The department is directed to adopt rules requiring mandatory use of newsprint containing secondary fiber if the same two conditions apply for a second consecutive year.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The substitute bill:  1) specifies the membership of the task force; 2) includes a provision to encourage the use of high-volume, low-value grades of paper; and 3) requires newsprint mills to certify the amount of secondary fiber contained in its newsprint.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 10, 1990.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Greg Wright, Washington State Recycling Association; Bill Alkire, Department of Ecology; Polly Lord, King County Commission; and Ray Hoffman, Washington Citizens for Recycling.

House Committee - Testified Against:      C.C. Mussen, Allied Daily Newspapers and Wenatchee World; Mason Sizemore, Allied Daily Newspapers and Seattle Times; Frank Garred, Port Townsend Leader and Washington Newspaper Publishers Association; and Paul Conrad, Allied Daily Newspapers and Washington Newspaper Publishers Association.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The bill will ensure a demand for old newspapers within the state.  Local recycling programs will receive better prices for old newspaper if the demand for it is high.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      The bill is not necessary because private industry has committed to building facilities to recycle old newspapers into newsprint, and Washington state newspaper publishers are committed to buying that newsprint once it is available.