Washington Bill Would Delay Copper Paint Ban

The State of Washington was slated to ban copper-based anti-fouling bottom paint as of January 1, 2018, but legislation is pending that would extend that deadline to January 1, 2021. The state’s Department of Ecology proposed the legislation and the Washington legislature picked it up with Senate Bill 6333 and House Bill 2634. Senate Bill 6333 was referred to the Energy Committee, which passed it, and the bill is now is pending in Rules. The Department of Ecology has said it will not dedicate resources to enforcement of the original ban while these bills are pending.

The original rule bans the sale or application of copper-based anti-fouling paint with more than .5 percent copper. The ban was to be put in place provided there was sufficient evidence of the harm the paints were causing to the environment and that there was an effective and affordable alternative to copper paint. While studies have been undertaken on alternatives, nothing has been found conclusive and more research is needed to determine the environmental impact of the paint. The state will use the extra time to do more studies.