Cleaning Up The Sound

According to the Puget Sound Partnership, 150,000 pounds of toxic chemicals find their way into the Puget Sound every day. That, along with being absolutely disgusting, is one of the primary reasons behind the urgency of the group's creation of an action agenda to restore the Sound to at least something resembling its former pristine glory. Yesterday, the PSP submitted a full agenda to the Washington state legislature at Gov. Gregoire's request; if you're interested in the details, here is the plan's full text [pdf].

Today, the P-I reports that though the action agenda is "the most ambitious effort to date to rescue the Sound," the state money's not quite there to follow through on it. Gregoire's fully committed to increasing funding for the effort, but that means pulling the extra out of thin air, and that means asking Obama to include the Sound restoration funds in his stimulus package for the love of Washington's economic health.

From the PSP's agenda introduction: "Not taking the steps outlined in the Action Agenda will ultimately place a much higher burden on all of us – both economically, in health costs from exposure to toxic substances, and environmentally, in the loss of the stunning and vibrant life of Puget Sound, the economic engine for our state." Say that again.