washington department of ecology

Last month, the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board ordered state officials to rewrite pollution discharge permit regulations for concentrated animal feeding operations, better known as CAFOs.  The order was issued after a challenge from environmental groups that complained that previous regulations violated state and federal law.  The com...

For the 3rd year in a row, the Washington Department of Ecology has declared a drought emergency in central Washington.  Ecology noted in Tuesday’s announcement that back-to-back droughts in 2023 and 2024 took their toll on Upper Yakima, Lower Yakima and Naches watersheds, causing significant deficits in precipitation and soil moisture.   The De...

For now, at least, the Washington Department of Ecology will not expend any more energy trying to prop up S.B. 5174.

Legislation ensuring fuels used for agricultural purposes are exempt from the Climate Commitment Act has been introduced in the Washington House.  Moses Lake Representative Tom Dent, sponsor of House Bill 1912, said the legislation will fix the mistakes made when CCA passed four years ago.   “That is t...

There are a host of issues the Washington farming community is watching very closely this legislative session.  One that sparks some of the strongest emotions has to do with the Climate Commitment Act.  Despite being told the farming community would be exempt from the CCA, the Department of Ecology has yet to implement a system in which farmers and growers get what they were promised.   Jon DeVane

Last week, legislation was introduced in the Washington House Environment and Energy Committee that would monitor methane emissions in dairy and beef cattle.  House Bill 1630, introduced by Olympia area Democrat Representative Lisa Parshley, states if Ecology finds an operation produces sufficient methane, they would likely need to come under the Climate Commitment Act as covered entities.   “You'

Legislation introduced in the Washington House Environment and Energy Committee looks to monitor methane emissions in dairy and beef cattle.  House Bill 1630 would require dairy farms and feed lots to report annually to the state Department of Ecology with the total metric tons of methane emitted the preceding calendar year.  The proposal...

Washington Department of Ecology Director Laura Watson has named Larry Mattson as director of the agency’s Office of Columbia River.  Mattson currently oversees renewable energy grants at the Washington State Department of Commerce.  He has also worked...

Washington state highways and parks are among the most littered in the country. Way aboove average and there is about 5 pounds per person discarded each year.

In late August, the Washington Farm Bureau Legal Foundation and the Washington Trucking Association filed an appeal to the state Supreme Court for the recent dismissal of their litigation against the state Department of Ecology.  The appeal follows Thurston County Superior Court Judge Lanese’s dismissal of the case which sought to reopen rulemaking for the recently implemented Climate Commitment A