ESHB 2818 -
By Committee on Water, Energy & Telecommunications
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 70.95C.010 and 1990 c 114 s 1 are each amended to
read as follows:
The legislature finds that:
(1) Land disposal and incineration of solid and hazardous waste can
be both harmful to the environment and costly to those who must dispose
of the waste.
(2) There are adverse effects on human health and the environment
from persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals, heavy
metals, and other chemicals found in the products we buy and use.
(3) Toxic chemicals end up in our soil, storm water, streams,
lakes, rivers, Puget Sound, and the bodies of all human and nonhuman
residents of the state; with children at a higher risk of harm from
exposure to toxic chemicals than adults.
(4) The public has a right to know about the potential human health
and environmental impacts of chemicals found in consumer products.
(5) Citizens, parents, businesses, workers, and government need
adequate tools and information to make informed choices about safer
chemical alternatives.
(6) It is practical and cost-effective to employ a systematic
approach to prevent the use and release of toxic chemicals where
cumulative costs exceed benefits due to significant or irreparable harm
to human health or the environment.
(7) In order to ((address this problem)) approach the management of
solid and hazardous waste in the most cost-effective and
environmentally sound manner, and to implement the highest waste
management priority as articulated in RCW 70.95.010 and 70.105.150,
public and private efforts should focus on reducing the generation of
waste and reducing the use of toxic chemicals. Waste and toxic
chemicals use reduction can be achieved by encouraging voluntary
efforts to redesign industrial, commercial, production, and other
processes to result in the reduction or elimination of waste byproducts
and to maximize the in-process reuse or reclamation of valuable spent
material.
(8) In the interest of protecting the public health, safety, and
the environment, the legislature declares that it is the policy of the
state of Washington to encourage reduction in the use of hazardous
substances and reduction in the generation of hazardous waste whenever
economically and technically practicable.
((The legislature finds that)) (9) Hazardous wastes are generated
by numerous different sources including, but not limited to, large and
small business, households, and state and local government. ((The
legislature further finds that))
(10) A goal against which efforts at waste reduction may be
measured is essential for an effective hazardous waste reduction
program. The Pacific Northwest hazardous waste advisory council has
endorsed a goal of reducing, through hazardous substance use reduction
and waste reduction techniques, the generation of hazardous waste ((by
fifty percent by 1995. The legislature adopts this as a policy goal
for the state of Washington)). ((The legislature recognizes that))
(11) A goal against which efforts at toxic chemicals use reduction
may be measured is essential for an effective hazardous waste and toxic
chemicals reduction program. The legislature endorses a goal of
reducing, through hazardous substance use reduction and waste reduction
techniques, the use of toxic chemicals in the state by fifty percent by
2020 and adopts this as a policy goal for the state.
(12) Many individual businesses have already reduced the generation
of hazardous waste through appropriate hazardous waste reduction
techniques. The legislature ((also)) recognizes that there are some
basic industrial processes which by their nature have limited potential
for significantly reducing the use of certain raw materials or
substantially reducing the generation of hazardous wastes. Therefore,
the goal of reducing hazardous waste generation and use of toxic
chemicals by fifty percent cannot be applied as a regulatory
requirement.
(13) Pollution prevention plan requirements in RCW 70.95C.200 and
70.95E.030 must be evaluated for their ability to help meet the 2020
toxic chemicals use reduction goal and fund programs found in RCW
70.95C.030, 70.95C.040, and 70.95C.070. The legislature directs the
department to convene a balanced stakeholder group and report its
findings and recommendations by December 31, 2008.
Sec. 2 RCW 70.95C.020 and 1991 c 319 s 313 are each amended to
read as follows:
((As used in)) The definitions in this section apply throughout
this chapter((, the following terms have the meanings indicated))
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Department" means the department of ecology.
(2) "Director" means the director of the department of ecology or
the director's designee.
(3) "Dangerous waste" shall have the same definition as set forth
in RCW 70.105.010(5) and shall specifically include those wastes
designated as dangerous by rules adopted pursuant to chapter 70.105
RCW.
(4) "EPA/state identification number" means the number assigned by
the EPA (environmental protection agency) or by the department of
ecology to each generator and/or transporter and treatment, storage,
and/or disposal facility.
(5) "Extremely hazardous waste" shall have the same definition as
set forth in RCW 70.105.010(6) and shall specifically include those
wastes designated as extremely hazardous by rules adopted pursuant to
chapter 70.105 RCW.
(6) "Fee" means the annual hazardous waste fees imposed under RCW
70.95E.020 and 70.95E.030.
(7) "Generate" means any act or process which produces hazardous
waste or first causes a hazardous waste to become subject to
regulation.
(8) "Hazardous substance" means any hazardous substance listed as
a hazardous substance as of March 21, 1990, pursuant to section 313 of
Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, any
other substance determined by the director by rule to present a threat
to human health or the environment, and all ozone depleting compounds
as defined by the Montreal Protocol of October 1987.
(9)(a) "Hazardous substance use reduction" means the reduction,
avoidance, or elimination of the use or production of hazardous
substances without creating substantial new risks to human health or
the environment.
(b) "Hazardous substance use reduction" includes proportionate
changes in the usage of hazardous substances as the usage of a
hazardous substance or hazardous substances changes as a result of
production changes or other business changes.
(10) "Hazardous substance user" means any facility required to
report under section 313 of Title III of the Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act, except for those facilities which only distribute
or use fertilizers or pesticides intended for commercial agricultural
applications.
(11) "Hazardous waste" means and includes all dangerous and
extremely hazardous wastes, but does not include radioactive wastes or
a substance composed of both radioactive and hazardous components and
does not include any hazardous waste generated as a result of a
remedial action under state or federal law.
(12) "Hazardous waste generator" means any person generating
hazardous waste regulated by the department.
(13) "Office" means the office of waste reduction and sustainable
production.
(14) "Plan" means the plan provided for in RCW 70.95C.200.
(15) "Person" means an individual, trust, firm, joint stock
company, partnership, association, state, public or private or
municipal corporation, commission, political subdivision of a state,
interstate body, the federal government, including any agency or
officer thereof, and any Indian tribe or authorized tribal
organization.
(16) "Process" means all industrial, commercial, production, and
other processes that result in the generation of waste.
(17) "Recycled for beneficial use" means the use of hazardous
waste, either before or after reclamation, as a substitute for a
commercial product or raw material, but does not include: (a) Use
constituting disposal; (b) incineration; or (c) use as a fuel.
(18) "Recycling" means reusing waste materials and extracting
valuable materials from a waste stream. Recycling does not include
burning for energy recovery.
(19) "Toxic chemicals" means chemicals with an adverse effect on
human health and the environment. "Toxic chemicals" includes but is
not limited to those that are persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic,
endocrine disruptive, carcinogenic, mutagenic, neurotoxic, immunotoxic,
toxic to reproduction, or have degradation products that exhibit any of
these characteristics.
(20) "Treatment" means the physical, chemical, or biological
processing of waste to render it completely innocuous, produce a
recyclable by-product, reduce toxicity, or substantially reduce the
volume of material requiring disposal as described in the priorities
established in RCW 70.105.150. Treatment does not include
incineration.
(((20))) (21) "Used oil" means (a) lubricating fluids that have
been removed from an engine crankcase, transmission, gearbox, hydraulic
device, or differential of an automobile, bus, truck, vessel, plane,
heavy equipment, or machinery powered by an internal combustion engine;
(b) any oil that has been refined from crude oil, used, and as a result
of use, has been contaminated with physical or chemical impurities; and
(c) any oil that has been refined from crude oil and, as a consequence
of extended storage, spillage, or contamination, is no longer useful to
the original purchaser. "Used oil" does not include used oil to which
hazardous wastes have been added.
(((21))) (22) "Waste" means any solid waste as defined under RCW
70.95.030, any hazardous waste, any air contaminant as defined under
RCW 70.94.030, and any organic or inorganic matter that shall cause or
tend to cause water pollution as defined under RCW 90.48.020.
(((22))) (23) "Waste generator" means any individual, business,
government agency, or any other organization that generates waste.
(((23))) (24) "Waste reduction" means all in-plant practices that
reduce, avoid, or eliminate the generation of wastes or the toxicity of
wastes, prior to generation, without creating substantial new risks to
human health or the environment. As used in RCW 70.95C.200 through
70.95C.240, "waste reduction" refers to hazardous waste only.
Sec. 3 RCW 70.95C.030 and 1998 c 245 s 133 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) There is established in the department an office of waste
reduction and sustainable production. The office shall use its
authorities to encourage the voluntary reduction of hazardous substance
usage and waste generation by waste generators and hazardous substance
users, and encourage the production of safer consumer products. The
office ((shall prepare and submit a quarterly progress report to the
director)) will promote the following purposes through research,
development, technology demonstration, technology transfer, education,
outreach, recognition, and training programs:
(a) Innovative and cost-effective methods for reducing or
eliminating the use of toxic substances in manufacturing and other
processes through research and development of environmental
technologies that result in sustainable production and toxic chemical
use reduction over the course of product life cycles;
(b) Pollution prevention as a means for preventing the risks
associated with the use and production of hazardous substances,
including risks to human health and the environment;
(c) Pollution prevention as a means for reducing energy and
resource consumption, and reducing or eliminating the generation of
hazardous substances, pollution, and waste;
(d) Implementation of affordable and cost-effective methods of
achieving pollution prevention as a means of sustaining and
safeguarding the competitive advantage of large and small businesses in
the state and advancing innovation in the reduction of energy and
resource consumption and the reduction or elimination of hazardous
substances, pollution, and waste; and
(e) Voluntary implementation of pollution prevention as a means for
meeting the requirements of state or federal environmental laws or
regulations.
(2) The office shall prepare and submit a biennial progress report
to the legislature.
(3) The office shall: (a) Be the coordinating center for all state
agency programs that provide technical assistance to waste generators
and hazardous substance users; (b) work with federal, state, and local
agencies and private organizations administering programs related to
pollution prevention, energy consumption, resource consumption, the use
and generation of hazardous substances, or the generation of waste or
pollution; and ((shall)) (c) serve as the state's lead agency and
promoter for such programs.
(4) In addition to ((this)) the coordinating function under
subsection (3) of this section, the office shall encourage hazardous
substance use reduction and waste reduction by:
(a) Providing for the rendering of advice and consultation to waste
generators and hazardous substance users on hazardous substance use
reduction and waste reduction techniques, including assistance in
preparation of plans provided for in RCW 70.95C.200;
(b) Sponsoring or co-sponsoring with public or private
organizations technical workshops and seminars on waste reduction and
hazardous substance use reduction;
(c) Administering a waste reduction and hazardous substance use
reduction database and hot line providing comprehensive referral
services to waste generators and hazardous substance users;
(d) Administering a waste reduction and hazardous substance use
reduction research and development program;
(e) Coordinating a waste reduction and hazardous substance use
reduction public education program that includes the utilization of
existing publications from public and private sources, as well as
publishing necessary new materials on waste reduction;
(f) Recommending to institutions of higher education in the state
courses and curricula in areas related to waste reduction and hazardous
substance use reduction; and
(g) Operating an intern program in cooperation with institutions of
higher education and other outside resources to provide technical
assistance on hazardous substance use reduction and waste reduction
techniques and to carry out research projects as needed within the
office.
Sec. 4 RCW 70.95C.040 and 1990 c 114 s 5 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The office shall establish a waste reduction and hazardous
substance use reduction consultation program to be coordinated with
other state waste reduction and hazardous substance use reduction
consultation programs.
(2) The director may grant a request by any waste generator or
hazardous substance user for advice and consultation on waste reduction
and hazardous substance use reduction techniques and assistance in
preparation or modification of a plan, executive summary, or annual
progress report, or assistance in the implementation of a plan required
by RCW 70.95C.200. Pursuant to a request from a facility such as a
business, governmental entity, or other process site in the state, the
director may visit the facility making the request for the purposes of
observing hazardous substance use and the waste-generating process,
obtaining information relevant to waste reduction and hazardous
substance use reduction, rendering advice, and making recommendations.
No such visit may be regarded as an inspection or investigation, and no
notices or citations may be issued, or civil penalty be assessed, upon
such a visit. A representative of the director providing advisory or
consultative services under this section may not have any enforcement
authority.
(3) Consultation and advice given under this section shall be
limited to the matters specified in the request and shall include
specific techniques of waste reduction and hazardous substance use
reduction tailored to the relevant process. In granting any request
for advisory or consultative services, the director may provide for an
alternative means of affording consultation and advice other than on-site consultation.
(4) Any proprietary information obtained by the director while
carrying out the duties required under this section shall remain
confidential and shall not be publicized or become part of the database
established under RCW 70.95C.060 without written permission of the
requesting party.
(5) The consultation program shall provide engineering technical
assistance services to businesses and manufacturers in the state
seeking to use safer chemical alternatives, reduce waste, increase
efficiency, and redesign industrial processes. The director may award,
on a competitive basis, within amounts appropriated, contracts to
public or private institutions able to offer these services.
Sec. 5 RCW 70.95C.070 and 1988 c 177 s 7 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The office ((may)) shall administer a waste reduction and safer
chemical alternatives research and development program. The director
may contract with any public or private organization for the purpose of
developing methods and technologies that achieve waste and toxic
chemical use reduction. The office shall establish and maintain a
database of chemicals used in the state to help meet the 2020 toxic
chemicals use reduction goal.
(2) The office shall consult with the department of health
regarding the health effects of toxic chemicals and safer chemical
alternatives.
(3) All research performed and all methods or technologies
developed as a result of a contract entered into under this section
shall become the property of the state and shall be incorporated into
the database system established under RCW 70.95C.060.
(((2))) (4) Any contract entered into under this section shall be
awarded only after requests for proposals have been circulated to
persons, firms, or organizations who have requested that their names be
placed on a proposal list. The director shall establish a proposal
list and shall review and evaluate all proposals received.
(5) The waste reduction and safer chemical alternatives research
and development program may establish or participate in a multistate
chemicals clearinghouse to collect and share information and resources
related to safer chemical alternatives. Responsibilities for the
clearinghouse include the following:
(a) Share information on safer chemicals initiatives at the state
and local level;
(b) Collaborate on interstate efforts;
(c) Provide fact sheets and guidance documents on chemical use,
hazards, and substitutes;
(d) Provide a forum for receiving and disseminating United States
environmental protection agency or other suitable chemical use and
hazard data; and
(e) The department may, on a biennial basis, convene a one-day
conference that brings together representatives from large and small
businesses, government agencies, private agencies, and the general
public to discuss progress and exchange ideas consistent with toxic
chemicals use reduction.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 A new section is added to chapter 70.95C RCW
to read as follows:
The department may adopt rules to fully implement this chapter."
ESHB 2818 -
By Committee on Water, Energy & Telecommunications
On page 1, line 2 of the title, after "ecology;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 70.95C.010, 70.95C.020, 70.95C.030, 70.95C.040, and 70.95C.070; and adding a new section to chapter 70.95C RCW."
EFFECT: Removes the exclusion for chemicals used in agricultural production from the definition of toxic chemicals.