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Governor Ferguson signs package of environmental, public‑safety and natural‑resources bills including sweeping recycling reform
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Summary
At a ceremonial bill‑signing at the state capitol, Governor Bob Ferguson signed a package of bills that includes the Recycling Reform Act (SB 5284), PFAS testing in biosolids (SB 5033), higher Clean Fuels targets (HB 1409), wildfire emergency funding and other measures. The governor called the recycling bill the biggest overhaul in decades.
Governor Bob Ferguson held a bill‑signing ceremony at the state capitol, where he signed a package of environmental, natural‑resources and public‑safety measures into law and invited sponsors, staff and young participants to join for photos.
The most high‑profile measure was the Recycling Reform Act (Senate Bill 5284). "This is the biggest overhaul of our recycling system in decades," Ferguson said, summarizing the bill as a shift to producer responsibility that expands curbside recycling to hundreds of thousands of households and requires producers to cover most recycling costs by 2032. The governor credited extensive stakeholder work and named Senator Liz Lovett and Representative Liz Berry as the bill's legislative leads.
Other signed measures address pollution, public health and disaster response. Senate Bill 5033 requires wastewater treatment facilities to begin testing biosolids for PFAS chemicals starting in June 2028, a step the governor said will help the state assess the extent of contamination that may be spreading onto farms and forests. House Bill 1409 strengthens the Clean Fuels Program and raises the program's reduction target to support transportation decarbonization. House Bill 1670 directs the Department of Ecology to provide accessible public information about untreated sewage spills, and House Bill 1473 transfers nearly $77.7 million from the Budget Stabilization Account to the Department of Natural Resources for firefighting costs tied to the 2024 fire season.
The ceremony also included bills to adjust fees and program structures: Senate Bill 5390 raises the Discover Pass fee beginning Oct. 1 to sustain parks and trails; Senate Bill 5319 modestly increases fees for surface mine reclamation permits managed by the Department of Natural Resources; and Senate Bill 5583 modestly updates hunting and fishing license fees, the first such increase noted since 2011. Governor Ferguson said he removed a proposed work group in one section of SB 5390 before signing but left the bill's core funding purpose intact.
The governor acknowledged prime sponsors and companions for each measure during the event. He thanked Representative Davina (variant spellings in the transcript) for multiple environment bills, Representative Victoria Hunt for sewage‑spill reporting, Senator Jeff Wilson for the PFAS testing bill, and other legislators including Representative Joe Fitz, Representative Christine Reeves, Senator Mike Chapman and Representative Mia Gregersen for their roles on respective bills.
Votes at a glance: all listed bills were ceremonially signed into law at the event (signing noted on the record during the ceremony): SB 5284 — Recycling Reform Act: signed into law (major overhaul of recycling; producer responsibility model; producers to cover an estimated 90% of costs by 2032). SB 5033 — PFAS testing in biosolids: signed into law (testing required beginning June 2028). SB 5212 — Nooksack Basin water adjudication: signed into law (opens adjudication participation to all water users). HB 1154 — solid waste facility standards: signed into law (statewide standards and enforcement tools). HB 1293 — litter fines and reusable bag policy delay: signed into law (stricter fines; delay in bag thickness requirement until Jan. 1, 2028). HB 1462 — refrigerants: signed into law (phases in lower global‑warming‑potential limits and creates a Ecology task force). HB 1497 — waste material/organic collection: signed into law (standardizes containers; expands multifamily organic collection). HB 1670 — sewage spill reporting: signed into law (public access to spill information). HB 1409 — Clean Fuels Program updates: signed into law (increases reduction targets). HB 1975 — Climate Commitment Act adjustments: signed into law (expanded analysis and reporting flexibility). HB 2003 — Columbia River salmon/steelhead endorsement reinstated: signed into law (endorsement fee and 2027 evaluation). SB 5653 — Fish & Wildlife bargaining rights: signed into law (extends arbitration rights to captains/lieutenants). SB 5390 — Discover Pass fee increase: signed into law (fee raised Oct. 1; section creating a work group removed by the governor). HB 1539 — wildfire mitigation work group (insurance/lands): signed into law (directs convening of mitigation work group). HB 1473 — wildfire BSA appropriations: signed into law (transfer of ~$77.7 million for 2024 firefighting costs). SB 5319 — DNR surface mine permit fee increase: signed into law (modest fee increase to sustain program services). SB 5334 — DNR burn permit appeals: signed into law (authorizes Pollution Control Hearings Board to hear appeals). SB 5583 — hunting and fishing license updates: signed into law (modest fee increases).
What happens next: most of the measures direct state agencies (for example, the Department of Ecology and the Department of Natural Resources) to implement new rules, reporting or testing schedules; SB 5033 establishes a June 2028 start date for PFAS testing in biosolids, and the Recycling Reform Act sets multi‑year producer responsibility targets culminating in 2032. The governor invited attendees to remain for photos and informal conversation following the signings.
Reporting note: direct quotes and attributions in this story come from the bill‑signing transcript. Where the transcript used variant spellings for some sponsor names, the article adheres to the names as spoken and identified during the ceremony.
