Key Takeaways - What is Happening? The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) published for public comment its proposed 2025 Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP), which authorizes the discharge of...more
On May 15, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) released the draft Industrial Stormwater General Permit (Draft ISGP), fact sheet, and application for public comment. The public comment period is open from May...more
Update: The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) officially kicked off the Nooksack adjudication, a legal process that will determine the priority of water rights in Whatcom County and portions of Skagit County....more
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) announced it will begin an adjudication of water rights in Water Resources Inventory Area 1 (WRIA1), including the Nooksack River system, in April 2024. An adjudication is the...more
On March 20, 2024, the Washington Department of Ecology issued a draft Water Treatment Plant General Permit for public comment. Water treatment plants that engage in filter backwash activities and pollutant discharge must...more
The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) filed a petition on January 4, 2024, under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requesting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reduce allowances for...more
PFAS (per- and poly- fluorinated alkyl substances) are everywhere, in our drinking water and all over the news. A serious concern for the health of humans and the environment, federal and state agencies are taking a proactive...more
Continuing Washington State’s push towards implementing one of the nation’s strictest chemicals laws, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently published its Draft Regulatory Determinations Report on certain products...more
Update: On September 25, 2023, the Washington Department of Ecology extended the fleet reporting requirement discussed in the alert below by a month, to October 31, 2023....more
On September 12, 2023, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) launched a new rulemaking addressing the use of carbon offsets to comply with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limits under Washington’s Climate Commitment...more
After a multi-year rulemaking process, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued the first substantive updates to the contaminated site cleanup regulations, Chapter 173-340 WAC, under the Model Toxics Control Act...more
Fleet Reporting Requirement The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) is requiring owners and operators of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets to report information about their fleets to Ecology by September 30,...more
Joining the ranks of California, Minnesota, Maine, and New York, Washington state has officially finalized a ban on the manufacture, sale, and distribution of a variety of products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl...more
Armed with one of the country’s strongest state chemicals laws, the state of Washington is solidifying its status as a global player in product regulation. We discuss the latest developments below....more
As previously discussed, the Washington legislature launched a process to quantify and permanently adjudicate water rights in the Nooksack River basin. After several years of preliminary work, the Washington Department of...more
Two climate-related regulatory programs affecting business and industry in Washington state took effect on January 1, 2023. First, the Climate Commitment Act introduces an economywide emissions cap-and-invest program. Second,...more
The Washington State Supreme Court agreed with the Department of Ecology in a dispute over whether Ecology should have followed notice and comment rulemaking procedures when adding two new controversial test methods for...more
The Washington Department of Ecology’s Stormwater Work Group (SWG)’s 6PPD Subgroup will seek input at its October 6, 2022 (1:00 pm PT) subcommittee meeting on 6PPD-quinone focused research priorities and topics for a fourth...more
The state of Washington has become a global player in product regulation. This month, the Department of Ecology issued a determination to restrict or require reporting on the use of five classes of chemicals in products. In...more
At the end of last month, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed a new bill into law titled “Priority Chemicals in Consumer Products – PFAS Chemicals.” This act amends the State’s current regulation of priority...more
Washington recently joined California, Oregon, and British Columbia in adopting a clean fuels standard that mandates reductions in greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions attributable to transportation fuels. In the final days...more
At the end of May, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued draft Green Remediation guidance for public review and comment. The comment period ends June 25, 2021. Ecology’s purpose in developing the guidance...more
Lead arsenate, a pesticide that was used regularly in orchards until the 1940s, has contributed to lead and arsenic contamination in large swaths (over 100,000 acres) of Central and Eastern Washington. Some former orchards...more
Washington State has joined a growing number of states that have adopted keystone environmental justice laws. On May 17, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee signed the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act, E2SSB 5141, into law. ...more
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) have opened a 30 day comment period for an Environmental Performance Partnership Agreement (Agreement) between the agencies. The...more