Publication Summary

Ecology analyzed the rule amendments and determines that some of them will increase costs and others will decrease costs. We also determine that the probable benefits will exceed the probable costs; we can adopt the amendments to the rule.

The present value of the cost of the rule amendments is in the range of $6.7 million for a 5-year period. However, the direct costs of the rule for facility owners are being reduced by $336,000. Ecology estimated these costs based on data provided by facility managers who responded to a survey (see Appendix 2 for the surveys and Appendix 3 for a detailed summary of results).

In Washington State, the annual costs of diseases are around $330 million due to lost work and school days. This does not include the cost of medical treatment. The 5-year present value of these diseases is almost $1.6 billion. The $1.6 billion in disease is much more than the $6.7 million in costs for the rule. Because people rarely know where they have picked up a disease the share of this loss affected by the rule amendments is not known. However, if the share of the disease load affected is greater than 0.39% then there will be a net benefit. This percentage value is conservative in that it does not include the cost of treatment or the cost of long-term disability from disease. In other words, if the proposed rule prevents 39 in 10,000 cases of disease there will be a net gain. Ecology believes this level of disease reduction is possible. Further, the amended rule provides a level playing field so that facilities that follow safe practices do not have to compete with facilities that do not. Therefore, Ecology believes that the probable benefits outweigh the probable costs