SB 6355 — Recognizing the contributions of the state's forest products sector as part of the state's global climate response.

S-6089.2SUBSTITUTES-5083.2SENATE SENATE BILL 6355State of Washington66th Legislature2020 Regular SessionBySenateSessionBySenators Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks (originally sponsored by Senators Van De Wege, Short, Takko, King, Mullet, Salomon, Zeiger, Conway, Sheldon, Liias, Warnick, Honeyford, and Wagoner)READWagonerRead FIRSTfirst TIMEtime 02/07/20.AN01/15/20.Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks.AN ACT Relating to recognizing the contributions of the state's forest products sector as part of the state's global climate response;

Recommendations from these reports are critical as Washington develops its own climate response and charts how the state can use its forestland base and vibrant forest products sector to do what it is positioned to do best as part of its contribution to the global climate response.(2) The legislature further finds that the 2019 intergovernmental panel on climate change report identifies several measures where sustainable forest management and forest products may be utilized to maintain and enhance carbon sequestration.

These include afforestation and reforestation to increase the carbon sequestration potential of trees by expanding the forestland base, reducing emissions from land conversion to nonforest uses, increasing forest resiliency to reduce the risk of carbon releases from disturbances such as wildfire, pest infestation, and disease, and applying sustainable forest management techniques to address the naturalissue of sink saturation by maintaining or enhancing forest carbon stocks and maintaining forest carbon sinks, including through the transference of carbon to wood products.(3) The legislature further finds that the food and agricultural organization of the United Nations reports similar recommendations, with a focus on forest management tools that increases the carbon density in forests, increases carbon storage out of the forest in harvested wood products, utilizes wood energy, and suppresses forest disturbances from fire, pests, and disease.Sec.

and (d) reduce emissions at the lowest cost to Washington's economy, consumers, and businesses.(4) ((InIn the event the state elects to participate in a regional multisector market-based system, it is the intent of the legislature that the system will become effective by January 1, 2012, after authority is provided to the department for its implementation.

By acting now, Washington businesses and citizens will have adequate time and opportunities to be well positioned to take advantage of the low-carbon economy and to make necessary investments in low-carbon technology.(5)))technology.(5) It is also the intent of the legislature that the regional multisector market-based system recognize Washington's unique emissions and sequestration portfolio, including the ((state's)):

(b) opportunities presented by Washington's abundant forest resourcesresources, and the associated forest products industry,infrastructure, and aquatic and agriculture land((,));

and ((the))(c) state's leadership in energy efficiency and the actions it has already taken that have reduced its generation of greenhouse gas emissions and that entities receive appropriate credit for early actions to reduce greenhouse gases.(((6)))(5)gases.(6) If any revenues that accrue to the state are created by a market system, they must be used to further the state's efforts to achieve the goals established in RCW 70.235.020, address the impacts of global warming on affected habitats, species, and communities, promote and invest in industry sectors that act as sequesterers of carbon, and increase investment in the clean energy economy particularly for communities and workers that have suffered from heavy job losses and chronic unemployment and underemployment.NEW SECTION.  Sec.

A new section is added to chapter 70.235 RCW to read as follows:(1)(a) Washington's existing forest products sector, including public and private working forests and the harvesting, transportation, and manufacturing sectors that enable working forests to remain on the land and the state to be a global supplier of forest products, is one of the state's only industrial sectors that currently operates as a significant net sequesterer of carbon.

This value, which is only provided through the maintenance of an intact and synergisticindivisible industrial sector, is an integral component of the state's contribution to the global climate response and efforts to mitigate carbon emissions.(b) Satisfying the goals set forth in RCW 70.235.020 requires supporting, throughout all of state government, the economic vitality of the sustainable forest products sectorsector. and other business sectors capable of sequestering and storing carbon.

This includes support for working forests of all sizes, ownerships, and management objectives, and the necessary manufacturing sectors that supporttransform the transformation of stored carbon into long-lived forest productsproducts, whileto maintainingensure the state's working forests avoid deforestation and enhancingremain on the carbonlandscape mitigationin benefitsthe face of unprecedented conversion pressures.(c) It is the policy of the state to support the complete forest products sector, sustainingwhich ruralincludes communities,landowners, mills, bioenergy, pulp and providingpaper, and the related harvesting and transportation infrastructure that is necessary for wildlife,forestland cleanowners water,to continue the rotational cycle of carbon sequestration in growing trees and biodiversityallows suchforest asproducts providedmanufacturers to store the captured carbon in chapterwood 76.09products, RCW.thus naturally mitigating a significant percentage of the state's carbon emissions while providing other environmental benefits and supporting a strong rural economic base.

SupportPolicies forthat thesupport forestworking sectorforests also ensuresallow theWashington state'sto workinghave forestsparticipants avoidin catastrophiccurrent wildfire and otherfuture similarvibrant disturbancesprivate andcarbon avoidtransaction deforestationmarkets, tostrengthening remainthe onstate's therole landscapeas ina valuable contributor to the faceglobal carbon response while supporting one of unprecedentedits conversionlargest pressures.(c)manufacturing sectors.(d) It is further the policy of the state to supportutilize net flux stock-change carbon accounting principles consistent with the synergisticreporting forestguidelines productson sector.land use, land use change, and forestry as established for greenhouse gas reporting by the intergovernmental panel on climate change and as used in the United States' national greenhouse gas reporting inventories.

This(2) includesAny landowners,state mills, bioenergy, pulp and paper, and the related harvesting and transportation infrastructure that is necessary for forestland owners to continue the rotational cycle of carbon captureprograms andmust sequestrationsupport in growing trees and allows forest products manufacturers to store the capturedpolicies carbonstated in woodthis productssection and maintainrecognize and enhance the forest sector'sproducts roleindustry's incontribution mitigatingto a significant percentage of the state's carbonclimate emissionsresponse.NEW whileSECTION.  Sec. providing other environmental and social benefits and supporting a strong rural economic base.

Policies that support working forests also allow Washington to have participants in current and future vibrant private carbon transaction markets, strengthening the state's role as a valuable contributor to the global carbon response while supporting one of its largest manufacturing sectors.(d) It is further the policy of the state to utilize carbon accounting land use, land use change, and forestry reporting principles consistent with established reporting guidelines, such as those used by the intergovernmental panel on climate change and the United States' national greenhouse gas reporting inventories.(2) Any state carbon programs must support the policies stated in this section and recognize the forest products industry's contribution to the state's climate response.NEW SECTION.  Sec.

A new section is added to chapter 89.08 RCW to read as follows:(1)(a)follows:(1) The forest carbon reforestation and afforestation account is created in the custody of the state treasurer.

(b)All Thespecified followingstate moneysfunding maymust be deposited intoin the account:account, including appropriations from the general fund, the capital budget, and the revenues from any policies that establish a price on carbon.

All moneys directed or appropriated to the account by the legislature, including appropriations from the general fund, the capital budget, and any specified revenues from other sources, including policies that establish a price on carbon or related federal grant programs.(c) The commission may also deposit into the account any grants, gifts, or donations to the state for purposes consistent with the allowable uses of the account.(d)account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for commission administrative costs and grants consistent with this section.

Expenditures from the account may be used only for commission administrative costs and grants consistent with this section.

The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.(2) The commission shall use all moneys in the forest carbon reforestation and afforestation account, less reasonable administrative overhead costs, as grants to any private landowner,landowner or organization that works with private landowners,landowners nonprofit organization, local government, Indian tribe, or state agency to advance the state's carbon sequestration goals outlined in section 3 of this act.

Allowable grant projectprojects typesare:(a) includeFunding funding:(a)for For reforestation of forestlands after a wildfire or other disaster for which the landowner was not responsible;(b) ForFunding for afforestation projects to return fallow land capable of supporting trees to forestlands;(c)a Toworking plantforest; sustainable forested buffers and remove nonnative invasive species along otherwise nonforested fish bearing streams;

and(d)and(c) ForFunding urbanto forestplant restoration.(3)sustainable forested buffers along otherwise nonforested fish bearing streams.(3) All recipients of funding under this section must agree in contract, as a condition of funding, to maintain all reforested or afforested land in forested uses for a minimum of fifty years.(4) In addition to administrative costs and grants as provided in this section, the commission may also use funds in the forest carbon reforestation and afforestation account to conduct an opportunity analysis of land in Washington to determine how many acres of deforested land could be returned to forestlandsworking forests without decreasinghaving an effect on food production.Sec.

and (((e)))(v) establish and operate foreign offices promoting overseas trade and commerce.(b) As part of implementing this subsection, the department shall contribute to meeting the policies outlined in section 3 of this act by actively promoting markets for the state's forest productsproducts. when doing so maintains or enhances the forest sector's contribution to climate change mitigation.

Promotion of long-lived forest products includes any products of aan synergisticindivisible industrialindustry sector necessary for the support,maintenance maintenance, and expansion of the sector.(2)sector including, but not limited to, sawlogs, dimensional lumber, mass timber and other engineered wood products, bioenergy, and pulp and paper and other wood biomass-derived products.(2) The department shall identify and work with Washington businesses that can use local, state, and federal assistance to increase domestic and foreign exports of goods and services.(3) The department shall work generally with small businesses and other employers to facilitate resolution of siting, regulatory, expansion, and retention problems.