Please Sign in pro to support HB1303-2025
First hearing in the House Environment Committee Thursday January 23 8:00AM.
This is the most important airport legislation of the year you don’t know about. It is exactly what was missing from the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Draft EA. It will require a supplemental environmental impact statement on mega-projects that considers the long term impacts on the surrounding community.
Please Sign in pro to support HB1303-2025
And watch the hearing here:
This bill aims to reduce environmental and health disparities in Washington by requiring comprehensive environmental justice impact assessments for potentially impactful projects located in pollution-burdened communities. The bill mandates that lead agencies must add environmental justice as an element of environmental review and complete a detailed environmental justice impact statement for projects in communities ranked high on the state’s environmental health disparities map. This impact statement must provide an in-depth analysis of existing environmental and public health stressors, potential project impacts, alternative locations, and mitigation measures. For projects that cannot avoid creating additional cumulative stressors, agencies must propose ways to minimize negative impacts or demonstrate how the project serves a compelling public interest. The bill defines “pollution burdened communities” as those ranked seven or higher on the environmental health disparities map and establishes strict requirements for public notice, community engagement, and detailed project analysis. Importantly, the bill prohibits agencies from considering economic benefits when evaluating a project’s environmental justice impacts and requires a thorough examination of potential health and environmental risks to vulnerable communities. The legislation applies to various types of potentially impactful projects, including major air pollution sources, incinerators, sewage treatment plants, and certain industrial facilities, with some specific exemptions for clean energy and national security projects.