(1) The air quality and health disparities improvement account is created in the state treasury. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account are intended to:

Terms Used In Washington Code 70A.65.280

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
(a) Improve air quality through the reduction of criteria pollutants, including through effective air quality monitoring and the establishment of adequate baseline emissions data; and
(b) Reduce health disparities in overburdened communities by improving health outcomes through the reduction or elimination of environmental harms and the promotion of environmental benefits.
(2) Moneys in the account may be used for either capital budget or transportation budget purposes, or both. Moneys in the account may not be used for projects that would violate tribal treaty rights or result in significant long-term damage to critical habitat or ecological functions. Investments from the account must result in long-term environmental benefits and increased resilience to the impacts of climate change.
(3) It is the intent of the legislature that not less than $20,000,000 per biennium be dedicated to the account for the purposes of the account.
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