Governor asks feds for more time to improve water quality

It’s commonly accepted that eating a lot of fish is good for you, but not if the fish comes from polluted waters. Governor Jay Inslee is proposing a sweeping plan to control chemicals in the environment and raise outdated water quality standards.

It’s been 40 years since Congress established the Clean Water Act and pollution threats these days have less to do with smokestacks and sewer pipes.

“Today, the majority of toxic pollution comes from chemicals that are used to make so much of what we use today in our daily lives, including brakes in our cars, flame retardants in our furniture, wood smoke, vinyl plastics, roofing materials and pesticides,” Inslee told a news conference in Olympia Wednesday.

The Governor’s plan sets new limits for permitted pollution discharges by business and government. He wants the legislature to approve a toxics reduction bill to deal with chemicals from unregulated sources, too.

The Inslee proposal includes a dramatically higher estimate for the amount of fish we eat. It’s a highly controversial figure called the fish consumption rate. It’s important because the amount of pollution allowed is based partly on projected fish consumption. Inslee said the new fish eating estimates and higher cancer risk assumptions from certain chemicals would effectively double protections from cancer.

“Not just for those who eat a lot of fish, we’re doubling that protection for people who don’t eat a lot of fish,” said Inslee. This rule and this package are going to protect all of nearly 7 million Washingtonians, not just some small segment.”

Some government and business organizations, tribes and environmental groups have joined the fight over the fish consumption calculation and lower thresholds for certain chemicals Business and labor fear that the new standards will drive up the cost to local companies, taxpayers and consumers.

Many people have seen this mandate to update our water quality standards as a choice between protecting human health and protecting our economy,” said Inslee. “I reject that choice because both values are essential to the state of Washington and our future.”

Inslee said the state will give business and local governments a break, granting variances to the new standards, in some cases.

“When meeting the standards are otherwise impossible, this will give municipalities and industries time to comply, as long as they’re taking active and consistent steps toward meeting these standards.”

The update to clean water standards is subject to the approval of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which could impose its own changes.

“I believe it’s better if Washington controls its own destiny here and frankly it might have been easier politically just to punt to the federal government and let them handle this,” said the governor.

The feds have warned Washington it will impose standards if the state doesn’t approve an update this year but Inslee is hoping the feds will allow the state to work through the legislative process and submit its comprehensive plan to the EPA in 2015.