CHAIR OF THE COMMITTE MAKES SENATE BILL 5174 WORSE
The bill that would more tightly regulate wood-burning stoves not only passed out of the
Senate’s Environment, Energy and Technology Committee today. It did so with an amendment that makes the bill worse.
The amendment to Senate Bill 5174, which was offered by the chair of the committee herself, would give the Department of Ecology rule-making authority
so that it could tighten the regulations further without any legislative oversight or approval by the people.
The chair claimed that the amendment would provide consistency.
Policy that allows the requesting agency to change the regulations any time does not promotes uncertainty.
Sen. Shelly Short, 7th Legislative District, is one of the Republicans on the committee.
Short offered an amendment that would have adopted existing federal regulations on wood stoves for Washingtons.
The amendment was rejected.
In reality, Sen. Short’s amendment would have added consistency and predictability to the bill.
Our offices continue to hear from hundreds of people about how this bill would hurt their families.
If the bill becomes law in its current form, people who use wood stoves and fireplaces
would be at the mercy of the whims of the Dept. of Ecology.
What can you do?
SB 5174 now goes to the Senate Rules Committee, where a member of the committee will need to “pull” it to the Senate floor for a debate and vote.
The Democratic majority leader and the majority floor leader have a say in whether or not it moves forward.
Tell them NO.
Call or email members of the Senate Democratic Caucus and tell them to kill the bill. They can let it die in the Rules Committee, which means it would not even be debated on the floor.
They need to hear from you all the ways that SB 5174 will make your life harder and more expensive.
They need to hear how giving the Dept. of Ecology rulemaking authority is reckless and sets people up for an eventual unstoppable ban on wood stoves.
Chair of the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee: sharon.shewmake@leg.wa.gov
Senate Democrat Floor Leader: marcus.riccelli@leg.wa.gov