Senator Doug Ericksen - 42nd Legislative District

Environmental Legacy Stewardship Account gets green light from Senate
Bill would help renew areas like Georgia Pacific site in Bellingham

Senate majority coalition releases “10-3-50″ higher education funding plan
Plan would lower tuition, increase state investment in higher education

Bill I introduced to clarify tax status of non-profit fairs approved unanimously by Senate
Measure would help preserve Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden and others across the state

2013 session sees advancement of key priorities for the environment

Published on April 28, 2013

The 2013 regular legislative session, which concludes today, featured the advancement of several issues identified as key priorities of Washington’s environmental community.

New-energy solutions and environmental improvement
- Senate Bill 5802 convenes a legislative task force to examine the most cost-effective means to improve the state’s environment and further the advancement of clean-energy technologies.
- Senate Bill 5603 establishes the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council to serve as an advisory body and forum for communication on marine-water issues and ocean acidification.
Conservation works
- Senate Bill 5296 would establish the Environmental Legacy Stewardship Account to refocus the state’s toxic-cleanup program on the renewal of contaminated lands and prevention of future hazards. The bill was passed by the Senate and is now before the House of Representatives for further consideration. Because it is considered necessary to implement the Senate budget, it will remain in consideration during the forthcoming special session.
- Stormwater projects – the Senate budget proposals include over $100 million in funding for stormwater projects across the state. Read more…

My Bellingham Herald op-ed: Taxing recycled fuels hurts environment, economy

Published on April 24, 2013

*This op-ed was originally printed in the Bellingham Herald on April 24.

Taxing recycled fuels hurts environment, economy

By DOUG ERICKSEN — COURTESY TO THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

By supporting a new tax on recycled fuels used in the petroleum-refining process, politicians in Olympia and stakeholders are overlooking serious questions that such a tax would raise for both the environment and the economy.

If the state were to begin imposing use taxes on by-products that are reused in a manufacturing process, there could be serious implications for other industries and production techniques we all consider environmentally desirable. Consistency would argue that the same taxation approach should be applied to waste vegetable oil that is re-used in producing biofuels, “hog fuels” used in the pulp and paper process, and scrap materials used by anaerobic digesters to produce electricity in rural areas. It doesn’t make sense to start taxing all prudent and efficient reuse of these resources.

Rather than imposing new costs on recycled fuels, we should celebrate the fact that they currently provide more than half of the energy required to run the state’s five petroleum refineries. It means that these refineries are making their processes as energy-efficient as possible. Read more…

Senate committee to hear testimony from Steve Largent

Published on April 23, 2013

The Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee, which I serve as chairman of, will have a special meeting tomorrow focusing on how the state can encourage further development of wireless technology. The meeting will feature testimony from Steve Largent, a former Oklahoma congressman and Seattle Seahawk who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

One of my goals coming into the 2013 session was to do what we can to foster growth in our state’s telecommunications industry. I want to know how we make Washington the first ‘5G state’ in the nation. That’s what we’ll be focusing on Wednesday, and I’m glad to have such esteemed panelists providing us with solutions. Read more…

My op-ed in Washington Focus: Helping the Environment and the Economy on Earth Day

Published on April 23, 2013

Op-Ed | Sen. Ericksen: Helping the Environment and the Economy on Earth Day

April 22, 2013

With today’s bipartisan passage of Senate Bill 5296, our state has moved one step forward towards the creation of a new green-jobs fund that will improve the environment and grow our economy. It’s fitting that the bill would be approved on Earth Day, because it’s the single most effective way we can begin the process of cleaning up contaminated sites around the state.

I proposed creating the Environmental Legacy Stewardship Account to refocus the state’s toxic-cleanup program on its original goals of funding the cleanup and prevention of hazards around the state. Monies from the state’s hazardous-substance tax in excess of $108 million per year would be deposited into the account and dedicated to toxic cleanup. It’s anticipated that around $150 million would be deposited in the account from the tax for the two-year budget cycle that begins July 1.

Funds from the account would be used on capital projects that meet innovation and efficiency standards spelled out in law, and would have to be specifically approved by the Legislature. An emphasis would be put on renewing lands with commercial or industrial potential, and the creation of model remedies would expedite timelines for cleanup projects.

The Environmental Legacy Stewardship Account is about three things: transparency, accountability and oversight. Those are the keys to ending the fund shifts from the account that have plagued recent budgets. Read more…

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2013 session sees advancement of key priorities for the environment

My Bellingham Herald op-ed: Taxing recycled fuels hurts environment, economy

Senate committee to hear testimony from Steve Largent

My op-ed in Washington Focus: Helping the Environment and the Economy on Earth Day

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