Title 70A, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

The department shall, in the exercise of rule-making power under this chapter, provide exemptions or specially limited regulations relating to recreational shooting and emergency or law enforcement equipment where appropriate in the interests of public safety. The department in t…

(1) This chapter shall be liberally construed to carry out its broad purposes. (2) If any provision of this chapter, or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the chapter, or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstanc…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Noise Control Act of 1974". [ 1974 ex.s. c 183 s 12. Formerly RCW 70.107.910.]

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter. (1) "Department" means the department of ecology. (2) "Director" means the director of the department of ecology. (3) "Fleet" means a group of fifteen or more motor vehic…

(1) The department shall conduct a public educational program regarding the health effects of air pollution emitted by motor vehicles; the purpose, operation, and effect of emission control devices and systems; and the effect that proper maintenance of motor vehicle engines has o…

(1) Any person: (a) Whose motor vehicle is tested pursuant to this chapter and fails to comply with the emission standards established for the vehicle; and (b) Who, following such a test, expends more than one hundred dollars on a 1980 or earlier model year motor vehicle or expen…

The director may authorize an owner or lessee of a fleet of motor vehicles, or the owner's or lessee's agent, to inspect the vehicles in the fleet and issue certificates of compliance for the vehicles in the fleet if the director determines that: (1) The director's inspection pro…

The department shall investigate complaints received regarding the operation of emission testing stations and shall require corrections or modifications in those operations when deemed necessary. The department shall also review complaints received regarding the maintenance or re…

The director shall adopt rules implementing and enforcing this chapter in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW. The department shall take into account when considering proposed modifications of emission contributing boundaries, as provided for in RCW 70A.25.080(6), alternative trans…

The authority granted by this chapter to the director and the department for controlling vehicle emissions is supplementary to the department's authority to control air pollution pursuant to chapter 70A.15 RCW. [ 2020 c 20 s 1364; 1979 ex.s. c 163 s 14. Formerly RCW 70.120.130.] …

The director: (1) Shall adopt motor vehicle emission and equipment standards to: Ensure that no less than seventy percent of the vehicles tested comply with the standards on the first inspection conducted, meet federal clean air act requirements, and protect human health and the …

(1) The director shall review annually the air quality and forecasted air quality of each area in the state designated as a noncompliance area for motor vehicle emissions. (2) An area shall no longer be designated as a noncompliance area if the director determines that: (a) Air q…

(1) Motor vehicle dealers selling a used vehicle not under a new vehicle warranty shall include a notice in each vehicle purchase order form that reads as follows: "The owner of a vehicle may be required to spend up to (a dollar amount established under RCW 70A.25.030) for repair…

By July 1, 1992, the department shall develop, in cooperation with the departments of *general administration and transportation, and Washington State University, aggressive clean-fuel performance and clean-fuel vehicle emissions specifications including clean-fuel vehicle conver…

The department shall establish a scientific advisory board to review plans to establish or expand the geographic area where an inspection and maintenance system for motor vehicle emissions is required. The board shall consist of three to five members. All members shall have at le…

This act shall take effect January 1, 1990. [ 1989 c 240 s 14. Formerly RCW 70.120.902.]

(1) Pursuant to the federal clean air act, the legislature adopts the California motor vehicle emission standards in Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations. The department of ecology shall adopt rules to implement the motor vehicle emission standards of the state of Calif…

Individual automobile manufacturers may certify independent automobile repair shops to perform warranty service on the manufacturers' vehicles. Upon certification of the independent automobile repair shops, the manufacturers shall compensate the repair shops at the same rate as f…

(1) No model year 2010 or subsequent model year new passenger car, light duty truck, or medium duty vehicle may be sold in Washington unless there is securely and conspicuously affixed in a clearly visible location a label on which the manufacturer clearly discloses comparative g…

(1) The legislature finds and declares that weatherization of the residences of low-income households will help conserve energy resources in this state and can reduce the need to obtain energy from more costly conventional energy resources. The legislature also finds that while m…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (1) "Community scaled project" means a weatherization project that includes multiple dwelling units that are located in the same neighborhood or area where overlapping fac…

(1) The low-income weatherization and structural rehabilitation assistance account is created in the state treasury. All moneys from the money distributed to the state pursuant to Exxon v. United States, 561 F.Supp. 816 (1983), affirmed 773 F.2d 1240 (1985), or any other oil over…

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department shall solicit proposals for low-income weatherization programs from potential sponsors. A proposal must state the amount of the sponsor match, the amount requested, the name of the w…

(1) The department is responsible for ensuring that sponsors and weatherizing agencies comply with the state laws, the department's rules, and the sponsor's proposal in carrying out proposals. (2) Before a residence is weatherized, the department shall require that an energy audi…

Before a leased or rented residence is weatherized, written permission shall be obtained from the owner of the residence for the weatherization. The department shall adopt rules to ensure that: (1) The benefits of weatherization assistance, including utility bill reduction and pr…

Payments to the low-income weatherization and structural rehabilitation assistance account shall be treated, for purposes of state law, as payments for energy conservation and shall be eligible for any tax credits or deductions, equity returns, or other benefits for which conserv…

(1) A sponsor may submit a proposal to the department for the use of grant and matching funds for a community scaled project. The proposal may include full or partial weatherization, energy efficiency measures, or structural rehabilitation and repairs for multiple dwelling units …

The department shall adopt rules to carry out this chapter. Rule making conducted under this chapter may be treated as a capital expenditure by the department. [ 2026 c 94 s 4.]

The legislature finds that public policies and programs will be improved when informed by independent scientific analysis and communication with state and local policymakers. Throughout the state there are highly qualified persons in a wide range of scientific disciplines who are…

The Washington academy of sciences authorized to be formed under RCW 70A.40.030 shall serve as a principal source of scientific investigation, examination, and reporting on scientific questions referred to the academy by the governor or the legislature under the provisions of RCW…

(1) The presidents of the University of Washington and Washington State University shall jointly form and serve as the cochairs of an organizing committee for the purpose of creating the Washington academy of sciences as an independent entity to carry out the purposes of this cha…

(1) The academy shall investigate, examine, and report on any subject of science requested by the governor, the governor's designee, or the legislature. The procedures for selecting panels of experts to respond to such requests shall be set forth in the bylaws or other appropriat…

The academy may carry out functions or provide services to its members and the public in addition to the services provided under RCW 70A.40.040, such as public education programs, newsletters, websites, science fairs, and research assistance. [ 2020 c 20 s 1396; 2005 c 305 s 5. F…

(1) The legislature finds that Washington has long been a national and international leader on energy conservation and environmental stewardship, including air quality protection, renewable energy development and generation, emission standards for fossil-fuel based energy generat…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (1) "Carbon dioxide equivalents" means a metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential. (2) "Carbon …

(1)(a) The state shall limit anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases to achieve the following emission reductions for Washington state: (i) By 2020, reduce overall emissions of greenhouse gases in the state to 1990 levels, or 90,500,000 metric tons; (ii) By 2030, reduce overa…

(1)(a) The director shall develop, in coordination with the western climate initiative, a design for a regional multisector market-based system to limit and reduce emissions of greenhouse gas consistent with the emission reductions established in RCW 70A.45.020(1). (b) By Decembe…

Within eighteen months of the next and each successive global or national assessment of climate change science, the department shall consult with the climate impacts group at the University of Washington regarding the science on human-caused climate change and provide a report to…

(1) State agencies shall meet the statewide greenhouse gas emission limits established in RCW 70A.45.020 to achieve the following, using the estimates and strategy established in subsections (2) and (3) of this section: (a) By July 1, 2020, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to…

(1) The department shall develop an emissions calculator to assist state agencies in estimating aggregate emissions as well as in estimating the relative emissions from different ways in carrying out activities. (2) The department may use data such as totals of building space occ…

Beginning in 2010, when distributing capital funds through competitive programs for infrastructure and economic development projects, all state agencies must consider whether the entity receiving the funds has adopted policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agencies also mus…

(1)(a) Washington's existing forest products sector, including public and private working forests and the harvesting, transportation, and manufacturing sectors that enable working forests to remain on the land and the state to be a global supplier of forest products, is, accordin…

(1) Separate and apart from the emissions limits established in RCW 70A.45.020, it is the policy of the state to promote the removal of excess carbon from the atmosphere through voluntary and incentive-based sequestration activities in Washington including, but not limited to, on…

The state, state agencies, and political subdivisions of the state, in implementing their duties and authorities established under other laws, may only consider the greenhouse gas limits established in RCW 70A.45.020 in a manner that recognizes, where applicable, that the siting …

(1) The department of commerce, in consultation with the department of ecology, the department of health, and the department of transportation, shall publish guidelines that specify a set of measures counties and cities may implement via updates to their comprehensive plans and d…

Except where explicitly stated otherwise, nothing in chapter 14, Laws of 2008 alters or limits any authorities of the department as they existed prior to June 12, 2008. [ 2008 c 14 s 11. Formerly RCW 70.235.900.]