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Ecology Budget Snapshot 2009

In spite of the tough economic challenges the state faces, I believe the future presents enormous opportunities for positive change. We at Ecology remain committed to protecting the environment, human health, and Washington's quality of life — and helping each Washington resident to do the same — as we work collaboratively and constructively to shape the future.
— Ted Sturdevant, Director

Washington’s Budget:
(from Governor Gregoire’s web site)

Washington’s economy withstood the national and international recession for some time last year. But in November of 2008, our state revenues were pushed off a cliff. The Legislative session earlier this year was the worst in terms of the budget that anyone can remember. We needed to close a $9 billion gap.

We froze the pay of our school teachers and state employees. If a program wasn’t using all its funds, we took the balance. We tapped some of our rainy day fund. We got a big boost from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided about $3 billion to shore up our programs. To close the remaining gap, about $3.3 billion, we had to cut in every service area.

Unfortunately, the trends for the state’s finances continue to head in the wrong direction. The last two revenue forecasts were negative, and it looks like the November forecast will also be down. Our caseloads and costs are up. The state is now facing a new shortfall estimated at around $2 billion that must be closed in the 2010 supplemental budget the Governor will propose in December. In order to help Washingtonians understand the problem we are facing, the Governor’s Office and the Office of Financial Management have prepared a 2009-11 Budget Story presentation explaining how we have reached this point.

Ecology Budget Documents:

• 2010 Supplemental Request to the Governor:
  • Descriptions
  • Spreadsheet
• Summary of Ecology Administrative costs
• High level summary of Ecology’s 09-11 Budget – operating & capital by fund and program; pass through percentages. The full document will be published in mid-December and available on-line.
• OFM 09-11 budget summary – pages 6 & 7 show total budget and percentages for natural resources agencies

More information on the impacts of the budget reductions to Ecology’s budget:
Ecology’s work is carried out by ten environmental programs and administration. A detailed summary of where the money comes from, how it is used, and what happens as a result of the work can be found in our 2007-09 Budget and Program Overview book. A new version of this book for the next two year budget (2009-2011) will be published later this fall.

Operating Budgets

Ecology’s Operating Budget ending June 2009

Expenditure authority before revenue shortfall	$472 million	1,600 staff
Expenditure authority after reductions in 2009	$458	1,591
Net Reductions	-$14 million	- 9 staff
Transfers (from dedicated environmental accounts to General Fund)	- $103 million

Ecology’s Operating Budget beginning July 2009 to June 2011

Cost of maintaining 2007-09 services	$459 million	1,591 staff
Total 2009 Budget for 2009-11	$446 million	1,548
Net Reductions	-$13 million	- 43 staff
Transfers (from dedicated environmental accounts to general fund)	- $83 million

How will the Operating Budget reductions impact environmental work?

• Fewer water rights processed, down from about 500 a year to 370.
• Less litter picked up, litter prevention campaign suspended for two years, grants to local communities decreased by 20 percent, and 100 fewer teens hired for litter crews.
• Fewer hazardous-waste compliance inspections and visits to help businesses in reducing toxics used.
• Increased oil spill risks due to fewer vessel oil-spill prevention inspections, compliance checks, and spill-readiness drills.
• Fewer Public Participation Grants for citizens and non-profit organizations.
• Fewer grants and technical assistance to local governments for watershed planning and projects.
• Less grant money for communities to plan actions and projects to control flooding.
• Reduced ability to manage and oversee water quality loans to local governments.
• Slower decisions on most water-quality certification applications; up to 150-300 days instead of 90 days for a determination.
• Administrative reductions across the agency will mean fewer direct environmental services in every program.

What environmental operating work will continue?
Even with less money and fewer staff, Ecology will continue to focus on protecting public health and the environment, for example:

• Water rights processing for the Columbia, Walla Walla and Nooksack basins will receive priority.
• At a greatly reduced level, continue to work to reduce wood smoke and diesel emissions, the top two most common risks in our communities.
• Timely, effective response to oil spills and hazardous material releases threatening human health and the environment.
• Emergency response tug stationed year-round at Neah Bay to help prevent shipping accidents and oil spills off the Washington coast.
• Increased oversight of the long-overdue federal cleanup of hazardous and radioactive waste at Hanford.
• Increased grants and technical assistance to 77 local governments to revise their local shoreline master programs; many focused on protecting Puget Sound .
• Grants and technical assistance to 29 communities to implement watershed plans (including Quilcene-Snow, Skokomish-Dosewallips, and Nisqually).

Capital Budgets

Ecology’s Capital Budget for the next two years is $133 million less than in the previous two years. Most of the Capital Budget is passed through to local communities in the form of grants and loans for projects. The reduction is offset in part by $72 million in federal stimulus funding.

Ecology’s Capital Budget

Capital budget for 2007-09		$458 million
Capital budget for 2009-11		$325 million
Reductions		-$133 million

How will the Capital Budget reductions impact environmental work?

• Fewer Remedial Action Grants to ports and local governments for toxic cleanups.
• Reduction in small community hardship (Centennial Clean Water) grants for wastewater and sewage treatment.
• Fewer watershed grants to local communities .
• Fewer toxic site cleanups in Puget Sound.

What environmental capital work will continue?

• Reducing diesel emissions from some publicly and privately owned vehicles to protect human health from air toxics.
• Loans to local communities for wastewater, sewers and other water quality projects.
• Specific projects for flood and drought construction.
• Beach erosion prevention and crab habitat protection in southwest Washington.
• Coordinated Prevention Grants to local communities.
• Toxic cleanups at existing sites, including the Ports of Bellingham and Anacortes.

Related Links

More detail on the final operating and Capital Budgets for the next two years can be found at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/services/fs/09-11budget.htm

Ecology’s Strategic Plan is available at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0801022.html

Ecology budget money passed through to local communities:

• Ecology provides $6.3 million to 70 Puget Sound communities to modernize their local shoreline regulations (10/23/09)
• Ecology to give Clark County communities $1.2 million to update local shoreline regulations (09/24/09)
• Ecology awards communities $1.4 million to prevent flood damage (8/28/09)

Ecology's budget snapshot, 2005-2009