Ranker Bills to Protect Puget Sound Advance to Senate

Senator Kevin Ranker has sponsored bills that will better manage and protect the health of Puget Sound, straits and coast and the communities that depend upon them. The two measures, Senate Bill 6350 and Senate Bill 6557 garnered bipartisan support in the State House on March 4 and will now return to the Senate for concurrence.            

Senate Bill 6350 will limit user conflicts between the increasing number of existing and new uses being proposed in our states marine waters. SB 6557 will help limit the amount of environmentally harmful copper, which ends up in Puget Sound, straits and coast waters through dissolving brake pads.            
“The Sound and our beautiful coastal waters are so critical to everyone in this state. We must do everything in our power to protect the precious environmental and economic resources,” said Ranker, the prime sponsor of both measures. “These bills will go a long way toward keeping our waters clean and their usage fair, and I appreciate the strong support in the House, particularly from my seatmate, Representative Jeff Morris,”

Marine spatial planning will limit conflicts between critical existing uses such as fishing, shellfish aquaculture, shipping and recreation while promoting renewable resources such as wave, tidal and other energy facilities. SB 6350 received a 64-34 vote in the House.            

“In order to maximize the benefits our Sound and ocean provide – both ecologically and economically – we urgently need a comprehensive process to rationally guide the multiple management objectives,” Ranker said.             Close to seven million metric tons of dissolved copper enter the Sound and ocean every year — half of which originates from brake pads.  Copper causes significant harm to salmon and other marine species.            

SB 6557, which passed through the House with a vote of 86-12, requires brake pads be made of substances less detrimental to the environment.   “We’ve found that the copper powder that comes off brake pads is a significant contributor to polluting the marine environment,” Ranker said. “Together with the auto industry, we are fixing the problem by developing a solution to keep motorists safe while protecting our waterways.”

David Dicks, Executive Director of the Puget Sound Partnership said “The best way to control pollution in Puget Sound and all of Washington’s waters is to stop it at the source.The elimination of copper brake pads is one way to reduce a significant source of highly toxic material in our aquatic environment. The passage of this legislation ensures that any new products must be safe for drivers and safer for the environment.”

Both bills now head back to the Senate for concurrence on amendments, and must be finalized by March 11.