Rep. TOM CAMPBELL (R-Roy)
2nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia office: 334 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Office: (360) 786-7912

For immediate release: Feb. 19, 2008

Two environmental health bills win House approval

Olympia - In quick order, the House today passed two environmental health bills to protect the environment, while helping manufacturers find 'reasonable and cleaner' better methods.

House Bill 2143, introduced by Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Roy), Chairman of the House Environmental Health Select Committee, called public attention to the environmental health problems of the lead wheel weights that fall off vehicle along Washington's the roadways and become a hazard to children who collect them or to people who are exposed to fragments and dust generated when the weights fall off a car and are abraded and pulverized by traffic.

"Forty tons of toxic lead wheel weights fall off vehicles in Washington each year. For many years, kids would pick them up and collect them, not knowing the danger they present with biotoxins," Campbell said. "This simple bill will slowly and carefully remove from use in the next few years. It's a win for the environment and a win for everyone."

"No one gave much thought to the small device that was used for decades to balance wheels, that we now know are a considerable environment and health problem," Campbell said.

The bill establishes an advisory committee to identify and make available to tire distributors and retailers an approved list of environmentally preferred alternatives to lead wheel weights and requires phased-in replacement of lead wheel weights for passenger vehicles and light trucks with lead-free alternatives.
The bill passed the House in a 78 to 17 vote.

 HB 2818
 In addition to the lead wheel weight measure, the House also voted 95-0 to approve House Bill 2818, which increases the responsibilities of the Office of Waste Reduction to include consideration of sustainable production and chemicals use reduction.

In an effort to reduce the use of toxic chemicals in manufacturing by the year 2020, the plan would cut the use of toxic chemicals in the state by 50 percent through hazardous substance use reduction and waste reduction techniques.

"This is a small piece in the big picture, It will not only considerably reduce toxins in manufacturing in our state, but it will do it in a way that benefits the manufacturers," Campbell said.

"In Massachusetts, there was major ' job boom'  because of a positive approach by government to work with businesses to find better ways to manufacture products," Campbell said. "Rather than have to spend large sums of money for cleanup of toxic and hazardous materials, new creative ways were found to produce a better product using safe materials."

Both bills now go to the Senate for consideration in the next few weeks. The 2008 Legislative session adjourns on March 13.

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Contact: Rep. Tom Campbell at (360) 786-7912 or campbell.tom@leg.wa.gov