The 2024 legislative session was short, but Soundkeeper’s Law & Policy team was able to work in partnership with legislators, policy advisors, and fellow NGOs to help achieve substantial fiscal wins for clean water.
Waste Tire Study
Did you know that Washington State deals with about 100,000 tons of waste tires, annually? “Waste tire” refers to tires that come off vehicles, and the state does not currently have a clear understanding of how this potential pollution source contributes to 6PPD-quinone in our waterways.
Soundkeeper became concerned about this issue after researching the secondary tire market. Tire rubber has many common secondary uses, like boat bumpers and turf for horse tracks. Secondary markets, extended use, and reuse often help reduce our waste footprint. But tire rubber continues to leak 6PPD-quinone into the environment, as long as it remains exposed to air and sunlight.
Soundkeeper helped secure $300,000 to support the Department of Ecology review waste tires in Washington. This includes:
- Where these tires go after they come off vehicles
- The current market for waste tires
- State policies that impact this market
- A description of which sectors and regions waste tires end up in
- Alternatives to using tire-derived rubber.
We were proud to work with Senator Yasmin Trudeau, Representative Sharlett Mena, vice chair of the House Environment & Energy Committee, and Representative Jake Fey, chair of the House Transportation Committee.
Soundkeeper was also able to work with Kenmore Air to successfully advocate for $300,000 in funding toward removing tire bumpers on floatplane docks on salmon-bearing waterways. This money will be administered by the Department of Natural Resources, and will help reduce 6PPD-quinone point source pollution by supplementing existing tire removal.
SB 5931: Aligning 6PPD via Safer Products for WA
This bill helps to designate 6PPD as a priority chemical under Washington’s Safer Products for WA program and Toxic Pollution law.
Safer Products for WA works to reduce the use of toxic chemicals in consumer products through restrictions, replacements, and pathways to keep chemicals out of the environment. Aligning 6PPD under this program means that the Department of Ecology can start the multi-phase regulatory process.
Soundkeeper was grateful to work alongside our longtime partners at Toxic Free Future, as well as the Governor’s Policy Advisory for Environment and Water, Senator Salomon, Senator Nguyen, and Senator Lovelett. Our combined advocacy helped move this bill through negotiations with the automotive industry.
Protecting State Waters Post-Sackett
The Supreme Court’s disastrous 2023 ruling in Sackett v. EPA removed federal protection from much of our country’s wetlands and other sensitive and threatened waterways. The Department of Ecology requested $2,400,000 from the legislature following the Sackett decision. This funding was intended primarily to conduct rulemaking for a permit program that will protect wetlands and other waterways in Washington no longer subject to federal jurisdiction. The Senate Ways & Means Committee stripped this funding from the Senate budget, but Soundkeeper mobilized in coalition with the Nature Conservancy and other NGOs to recover $2,000,000 of the funding in the final budget.
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