Publication Summary

What′s New in the 2008-2009 Guidelines?

Most of the revisions we have made to these guidelines since last cycle are editorial rather than substantive. We consolidated some chapters and added clarity to provide you with a better tool.

Input from the CPG Workgroup, grant recipients, and Ecology staff influenced changes to the CPG Program. Initiatives in the state′s Beyond Waste Plan and direction from the Legislature also led to changes.

Funding

The Washington State Legislature appropriates funds for the CPG Program each biennium. CPG funding for the 2008-2009 biennium totals $25,500,000. This figure includes $15,600,000 for regular cycle planning and implementation grants, $3,900,000 for regular cycle solid waste enforcement grants, and two special provisos in the amounts of $4 million and $2 million.

Ecology submitted two special requests for money:

• Ecology′s Solid Waste and Financial Assistance Program requested a $4 million appropriation to specifically fund initiatives in the state′s "Beyond Waste" plan. Ecology will disburse these funds through the offset cycle. We expect this to be an ongoing request each biennium. See Chapter 6 for information about the Beyond Waste grants.

• Ecology′s Air Quality Program requested a $2 million appropriation to specifically address alternatives to burning. This request is a one-time pool of money for creating or adding to existing organic waste programs to help communities where outdoor burning is no longer an option for disposing of natural vegetation from land clearing or residential clean up. See Chapter 8 for information about Alternatives to Burning grants.

To determine allocations, Ecology uses the methods that WAC 173-312-080 established. Some amount of projected revenues to LTCA is available each biennium for CPG purposes. Ecology must divide this amount into two portions: 80 percent for solid and hazardous waste planning and implementation grants and 20 percent for solid waste enforcement grants.

Ecology′s Solid Waste and Financial Assistance and Air Quality programs will collaborate to make the alternatives to burning proviso available. See Chapter 8 for application process details for the alternatives to burning proviso money.

A timeline of significant changes over the life of the CPG Program is located in Appendix H.

Offset Cycle

In 2006, a new award process for offset cycle grants was completed. Four representatives from the local government solid waste community, jurisdictional heath districts, and Ecology staff awarded offset money for the 2007-2008 cycle. As a result of this experience, we have incorporated suggestions for improvement in the 2009-2010 offset cycle award process.