quit paying wildlife damage to farmers; make farmers work with our environment and grow crops that people buy rather than crops that wildlife eat and the state pays for OR limit the number of years in a row that can be subsidized
The legislature failed to pass legislation to have polluters pay for the clean up, such as all oil that enters Puget Sound should have a fee attached . Part can be used to clean up storm water runoff, part set aside in a fund to clean up oil spills. Also, treated waste water, still contains pharmaceuticals. Have Big Pharma pay a fee, so that cities can afford that necessary filtering system to protect our marine life. ...more »
Dept of Ecology is slow and inefficient. That deserves a really good operations audit. There are departments within Ecology that don't talk to one another. I strongly believe in reducing waste and pollution, but Ecology is too slow and inefficient.
Hemp is a useful material with a rich history. It can be used for clothing, for food (high in protein and omega-3), and bio-fuels among other things. It CANNOT be ingested to get you high. So why is it essentially illegal to grow? It has a close association with Marijuana. It is, technically, a marijuana plant. However, since other countries can grow industrial hemp legally, why can't we? Currently, we import millions ...more »
Mandate a percentage of source reduction and recycling for all industrial and commercial businesses; reward those who demonstrate increased activity in both and fine those who do not. The savings (and benefits) of forcing "green" behavior of corporations in Washington State had long-reaching ramifications that include reduction of production costs, disposal costs, as well as benefiting all aspects of the local environment. ...more »
Reward recycling by citizens with a corresponding reduction or credit in tax (property). It is simple enough to request receipts for recycling pickup (by weight) and to collect and turn these in each year for a credit to property tax. Considering the amount of municipal waste generated by citizens, this would go a long way toward not only reducing long-term waste management and disposal needs (and funding!) but contribute ...more »
Cut waste disposal at State Park Camp Grounds. Take a pack it in pack it out approach and fine violators heavily for leaving their trash behind in sites. We have volunteer campground hosts who can help monitor when sites are moved into and out of in a clean state. If trash is left behind then you have license info to send a bill to. If people want to share in the outdoor experience they should be held accountable ...more »
We went through that Natural Resource reform, which amounted to little more than lip service, as we still have 3-6 biologists in the same stream. We have (1) Dept of Ecology, (2) Fish & Wildlife, (3) Parks Dept, (4) DNR, (5) RCO / Salmon Recovery Office, (6) Puget Sound Partnership. Why so many with a different management scheme and multiple redundancies like payroll, HR, and financial services for EACH! Merge these ...more »
This proposal would: -repealing the state portion of the property tax (about 1/4 of the total property tax) -replacing the lost revenue with a carbon tax starting at $30-$50 per ton of CO2 (equivalent to $0.30-$0.50 per gallon of gasoline) -dedicating leftover revenue to offsetting impacts on low-income households; reducing the B&O (business) tax; increasing funding for K-12 math/science education; and/or funding clean ...more »
Utilize volunteers to 'man' the kiosks, clean bathrooms,
campsites, etc at WA state parks in exchange for a voucher for a free night of camping in the future. You could even have trained volunteers that live close by be on call if someone did not show up for their assignment.
All agencies should stop providing disposable items that are used for food. Employees should be required to bring their own dishes, utensils, etc. whether reusable or disposable. State agencies that have institutions like WSH, SCC (DSHS), and prisons (DOC) should look into buying ALL reusable serving trays instead of throwing away thousands of dollars a month on disposable cups, lids, utensils, plates, etc. since EVERYTHING ...more »
Eliminate or at least severly restrain the DOE. They are an agency out of control and are creating extreme distrust of government.
I suggest that you elliminate or greatly reduce the DNR firefighters and use private sector fire contractors instead. Although the per hour rate for the fire contractors may be higher than the hourly rate for state employees, however the savings are generated by the following. 1. The contractor obsorbs the entire cost of training, equiping, workers comp, and purchasing the vehicles for fire fighting. These are all costs ...more »
When reserving camping sites, charge an additional $5.00 for each pet. Yes, it would be on the honor system, (some people wouldn't admit to having a pet with them), but there may be enough honest campers to increase the funding for the State Parks.
Put all state parks into caretaker status until financial crisis has passed. Do not sell or operate with contractors as Arizona is doing. Parks can not be replaced in the long run.