Audubon’'s Legislative Impact

Heath Grant Packard is Audubon Washington’s government relations and conservation manager. Heath joined Audubon Washington in the spring of 2001, and manages Audubon Washington’s statewide Environmental Education Advocacy program. He keeps chapters and conservation activists informed on issues and is helping increase and coordinate the advocacy efforts of Audubon in Washington.

How effective were Audubon chapters and staff in advocating for birds, wildlife and their habitats this legislative session? How did the legislature do in providing protections for habitat conservation? Well, some great policies were passed despite some defeated bills that would have provided critical protections for birds. Given the fact that thousands of bills are introduced each year and only a small percentage of those pass, we can confidently say we did okay.

Here is a quick breakdown of many of the policy bills we supported, their final status at the end of session and what the implications or expectations are for the future.

Advocates should be proud. Three of the four “Priorities for a Healthy Washington” (see page 6) had policy bills that passed this session!

•HB 1272: Supported–Passed! High-efficiency green buildings. This legislation is the first of its kind in the nation! It will require new state agency and higher education buildings 5,000 square feet and larger, as well as significant remodels, to achieve a LEED Silver certification.

•HB 1397: Supported–Passed! Clean cars. Against the odds, this legislation finally passed with the House vote of 55 yeas and 42 nays. It adopts the California motor vehicle emission standards.

•SB 5620: Supported–Passed! Voluntary buffers in open space plans. (For a more detailed description of this bill see Growth Management in the right column.)

Audubon supports forestry policies that support habitat for birds and wildlife. Well-managed forests that focus on protecting critical habitat areas and support complex forest stands help support birds and wildlife.

•HB 1631: Supported–Passed! Using revenues under the county conservation futures levy. This bill increases the maximum allowable county property tax levy for conservation futures from 6.25 cents to 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. It requires a portion of the funds collected from this levy to be used for maintaining and operating property acquired with the funds and encourages the use of conservation futures as a tool for salmon restoration purposes.

RCW 78.44—Surface Mine Reclamation Act Revision Committee. The Department of Natural Resources has convened a revision committee to develop changes to RCW 78.44, the surface mine reclamation act. We have engaged in negotiations and are building some great relationships through which we may secure funding for a statewide aggregates resource inventory. This would help counties and cities implement planning requirements under the Growth Management Act.

Audubon supported this growth management improvement to protect Puget Sound, Hood Canal and other waters of the state.

•SB 5620: Supported–Passed! Providing for priority consideration of voluntary buffers in open space plans and public benefit rating systems. Natural vegetation buffers play a strong role in healthy water quality. They provide a filter for pollutants and slow stormwater runoff before it enters our lakes, rivers and oceans. SB 5620 provides priority consideration for buffers in counties that have open space and public benefit ratings system programs. As a result, property owners may qualify for a tax reduction when they plant a voluntary or required buffer along a marine shoreline or other water body. This law was one of the Sound Solutions bill package—one of the four 2005 Priorities for a Healthy Washington.

•SB 5432: Supported–Passed! Creating the Oil Spill Monitoring and Oversight Council. This bill was the subject of protracted negotiations between the environmental community, Department of Ecology, the Governor’s office and the oil industry. Senator Spanel did the lion’s share of keeping the bill moving. This advisory council, established within the Office of the Governor is modeled after a successful such committee for Alaska’s Prince William Sound. It will provide independent, objective review of and recommendations to the Governor for preventing and responding to oil spills.

•HB 1346: Supported–Passed! Improving the efficiency and predictability of the hydraulic project approval program. This “technical fix” bill clarifies the Hydraulic Project Approval code. This code is confusing to lawmakers, lawyers and applicants alike, and we applaud the prime sponsor’s (Rep. Jim Buck R-24) efforts to clarify the program and its statutes. We also successfully fought back several efforts to compromise the integrity of the HPA program by shrinking WDFW’s (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) jurisdiction and by eliminating the need for HPAs where other unrelated permits are required. This issue will come up again in 2006, and we will work to maintain the strength of the program in the meantime.

This is the state capital acquisition program for habitat, open spaces, parks and recreation. We support this program and helped to add both agriculture and riparian acquisitions, which support birds and habitat.

•SB 5396: Supported–Passed! Expanding the criteria for habitat conservation programs. This law adds two new categories dealing with conservation and restoration of riparian areas including extension of CREP leases, payment in lieu of taxes on DNR habitat lands as well as a small farmland preservation program. It also adds new elements to the project selection criteria that help fund projects that carry out local planning goals.

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to birds and habitat in Washington state. Audubon supports active and aggressive preventions and eradication efforts at every level. This year, teaming up with the Invasive Species Coalition, we have successfully moved two such measures forward.

•SB 5385: Supported–Funded! Creating the Washington Invasive Species Council. This bill addressed the fact that the economy and environment of Washington are being severely impacted by the invasion of an increasing number of harmful aquatic and terrestrial invasive plants and animals. The bill would have created a council to provide policy level direction, planning, and coordination among agencies and stakeholders for combating and preventing harmful invasive species throughout the state. Funding was provided to agencies to initiate this council, but may be subject to passage of the bill.

•SB 5699: Supported–Passed! Preventing and controlling aquatic invasive species and algae. This increases boat licensing fees and creates an account to administer the monies for prevention and education efforts of recreational boaters, who may inadvertently bring zebra muscles, invasive algae or other foreign species into Washington’s waterways.

Special thanks to all the advocates who helped make these bills happen! Without your efforts we could not have been as successful! §