Lawmakers
and environmentalists want an oil fee to pay for stormwater pollution in
Washington State.
A
new bill would levy a pollution fee of $1.50 per barrel on petroleum products,
including gasoline, diesel, asphalt, road oil, and lubricants to pay for
projects that help curb the flow of pollutants into Puget Sound and other
waters. Local governments would compete for a portion of the petroleum tax to
help them manage stormwater to meet federal guidelines.
Surface
runoff is the primary source of water pollution in Puget Sound and for the
state’s waterways in general. It is believed that petroleum products make up a
significant portion of stormwater pollution. The bill requires the Department of Ecology to develop criteria for
administering the program and ranking projects for funding. In developing these
criteria, the department shall consult with the Puget Sound partnership. The department shall
endeavor to distribute the monies within each geographic region of the state in
proportion to the severity. The Senate Committee on Environment, Water, and
Energy were presented a similar bill last week and referred it to the Senate
Ways and Means Committee.
The bill
addresses oil and grease and other petroleum-based pollution from cars that
comprise the majority of the pollutants in stormwater runoff. The bills will
place a fee on petroleum products at the refinery level and will generate
approximately $100 million per year to correct stormwater problems around the
state. The bill would prioritize money for low-impact development stormwater
projects, eliminating runoff from roads and parking lots. Not only will the bill
help address the number-one water quality problem in the state, but it will also
provide new “green” jobs in the region. Representative Timm Ormsby (D-WA) is the
prime sponsor of the House bill, HB
1614, and Senator Craig Pridemore (D-WA) is the sponsor of the Senate bill.
SB 5518 has
been referred from the Senate Environment, Water, and Energy Committee to the
Ways and Means Committee.
The
discussion will be continued. For a complete look at stormwater-related issues,
please join us at StormCon Anaheim, August 16–20, 2009.