Gregoire floats $220 million plan for Puget Sound

The state would spend $220 million in the next two years to accelerate restoration of Puget Sound, including cleaning polluted sediment, repairing shorelines, cutting tainted runoff and leaks from septic systems, and shielding important habitat under a proposal issued this morning by Gov. Christine Gregoire.

But that price tag would be a mere down payment on work that could total many billions by 2020, and require the commitment of people living throughout the region, she said.

"This isn't a job for government, this is a job for all of us," the governor said at a news conference this morning held at the site of the Olympic Sculpture Park in downtown Seattle.

The spending proposal includes:

$54.7 million to clean up and prevent toxic pollution.

$37.4 million to restore shorelines through such measures as removing creosote-soaked logs and derelict vessels.

$25.3 million to reduce stormwater runoff by helping cities and counties meet new runoff control standards, upgrade old systems, and test new development techniques that reduce runoff.

$56.3 million to clean up septic pollution.

All the measures mirror those of a high-profile panel of experts and community leaders that Gregoire has assembled to advise on Puget Sound revival.

The spending would need approval by the state Legislature, as would another proposed change in state policy: banning a widely-used flame retardant that is thought to be toxic. The state Legislature has twice turned down a proposed ban on the chemicals, called PBDE's.

Though Gregoire's package of proposals has been anxiously awaited by environmentalists and others, questions remain whether the general public is as interested.

A statewide poll by Elway Research released last week found that nearly half those surveyed said they think Puget Sound is in good or excellent condition. And there was lukewarm support for additional taxes to finance cleanup.

"The public seems ready to listen," wrote pollster Stuart Elway. "But not yet ready to act."