Publication Summary

This guideline booklet was written for local government staff who work on waste management projects funded by state grants, and for other concerned parties, such as government officials and members of the local Solid Waste Advisory Councils. It explains the Coordinated Prevention Grants Program and the fund that supports those grants -the Local Toxics Control Account.

For the 2004-05 biennium, there are few changes in the framework of the program. The allocation system remains the same, approximately the same amount of money is available, and there are no changes in who or what is eligible. Nevertheless, the CPG program is responding to findings by the Joint Legislative Audit Review Committee (JLARC) by increasing strategic practices such as selecting projects for their likely results, structuring grant officer involvement towards technical assistance, and using project data to evaluate programs and improve future projects′ efficiency and effectiveness.

The changes are a result of an audit of natural resource grant programs conducted by JLARC, which published its report, Investing In The Environment: Environmental Quality Grant & Loan Programs, in January 2001. This report criticized several grant programs, including CPG, for providing funding for activities and capital items without using selection and monitoring methods which would guarantee that the environment would be improved as a result. The report resulted in the Legislature adopting House Bill (HB) 1785 and modification of the Model Toxics Control Act RCW 70.105D (which provides the funding mechanism for CPG) to require implementation of several of JLARC′s recommendations. The specific requirements of HB 1785 are to 1) identify environmental outcomes for each project, 2) to make award decisions based upon these outcomes, and 3) to work with affected stakeholders to implement these changes.