It’s win/win for veterans and the environment in South King County

Upthegrove assists local vets organization secure funding for conservation work

January 21, 2009

A veterans group with an educational base at Green River Community College can now perform water quality analysis on the Green River basin thanks to the efforts of Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D - Des Moines).

The Veterans Conservation Corps (VCC), which helps veterans with volunteer opportunities and job training in the environmental field, was slated to receive a total of $13,500 for the purchase of portable analytical equipment to monitor water quality. The funds were comprised of settlements paid by several private companies that had been sued for violating the state’s Clean Water Act.

Waste Action Project, an environmental organization, filed the suit against the polluting companies. The outcome was a federal consent decree directing over $100,000 in settlement funds to be paid to municipal governments and the state Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA).

The City of Kent and King County received the bulk of the money for restoration projects in the Mill Creek and Mullen Slough basins. The remaining $13,500 was supposed to be given to the DVA with the understanding that it would pass through to the VCC.

But the state budget crisis got the in the way.

"The funds mistakenly got caught up in the governor's freeze on hiring and equipment purchases," Upthegrove said. "Clearly, there was a misunderstanding; the money was never part of the state general fund, and therefore not subject to any freeze. But the belt-tightening process had begun, and suddenly the funding was in limbo when it shouldn’t have been."

Upthegrove's office was contacted late last year about the limbo, and the representative - whose district includes Green River Community College - wanted to try to help the vets.

"The ‘green’ jobs performed by the VCC are the kind the legislature has been trying to promote," Upthegrove said. "It's consistent with the goal of transitioning to an economy that both creates jobs and protects the environment."

As chairman of the House Ecology and Parks committee, Upthegrove intervened and worked with both the governor’s office and the DVA to facilitate release of the funds.

Now, Washington veterans will gain valuable work experience as they monitor the Green River for pollutants.

“This is an example of a public-private partnership that is going to be extremely important,” said Greg Wingard of Waste Action Project. “We’re very grateful to Rep. Upthegrove for cutting through the fog and making sure that this valuable program was able to finally move forward.”