Legislature Considering Banning All Lead Tackle Under 1 oz. HB 2241.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rodney Heupel on January 18, 2012 at 5:46pm

I have all ready sent my letters against and placed a link to this on the Western Bass Club site and encouraged its members to take action too.

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 18, 2012 at 7:31pm

Thanks to you, Tory and Todd! 

 

I just found out the the Enivornment Committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning has been postponed due to weather.  This can work in our favor since it gives everyone more time to send in their messages to the Environment Committee members.  I am hearing that some of the sponsors are backing away from their support saying they had no idea of the impact this ban would be on us anglers.  They were told lead alternatives were effective and available, and assumed this was simply a good thing.

 

Please continue to email the committee members listed above, and your legislator and let them know how harmful this bill is to our economy, and to your right to enjoy Washington's great outdoors.  We have a good chance of killing this bill in the committee. 

 

Not sure when the public testimony meeting will be rescheduled; I'm hearing possibly next Tuesday.  Hopefully I will be able to arrange to be there.

 

ciao,
Marc Marcantonio

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 18, 2012 at 7:45pm

Thanks Rodney; as you can see by my post above, we have more time to get the word out!  If we flood the committee members with our emails they will realize how important this is to us, and they will back away from this issue fast!  The last thing any legislator wants or needs these days is to get their voters angry at them.  There are a whole lot more anglers than ban proponents, so lets make sure they know it!

 

ciao,

Marc Marcantonio

Rodney Heupel said:

I have all ready sent my letters against and placed a link to this on the Western Bass Club site and encouraged its members to take action too.

Permalink Reply by Ben Holten on January 19, 2012 at 5:25pm

What about spinnerbaits, and swimbaits like Huddelston with lead in them? Talk about a pain when you have regionals for BASS or FLW in Washington and guys are scrabling through there equipment. All the loons I have ever seen where in deep muddy water, but I haven't seen a ton of them. I am thinking lead is probably not a reason for any decrease in there population. What we need to do is remove all houses within .5 miles of Lake Washington.... HMM

Permalink Reply by Chad Simon on January 20, 2012 at 11:56am

The only committee member I received a response from was Rep. Harris. He stated, " I oppose this bill 100% and will work to defeat it." I still haven't received a response from my local representative. This snow delay was a truely a blessing for us being able to get the word out!

Permalink Reply by Don Hogue on January 20, 2012 at 12:52pm

I received replies from Nealey, Harris and Shea.  All were opposed to the bill.

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 20, 2012 at 1:29pm

Excellent!  I will be on the radio tomorrow morning talking about this bill, and will be able to testify in person with a couple of other key players I have managed to gather together.  Anyone available to come and testify in person, it would sure help!  Even if all you say is that this bill is unfair to you and you don't want it to pass! 

 

Here is what I have learned for the Environment Committee Hearing:  Monday night, Jan 23 at 6 p.m. in HHR C (wherever that is...which I assume is House Hearing Room C). 

Keep spreading the word to send emails to the committee members so we can kill this in committee.

ciao,
Marc Marcantonio

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 20, 2012 at 3:50pm

Yes, HHR does stand for the House Hearing Room (room C) in the John L. O'Brien building. 

ciao,

Marc

Permalink Reply by Jordan Doucet on January 20, 2012 at 5:11pm

My thoughts exactly!!!

Jon Sessler said:

Wow! You mean she got it before?

Gary Lucas said:

Hi Marc

Maria Cantwell will not get my vote next time. I did the keep America fishing thing and her respose was that the loon lookers are going to win.   

 

Permalink Reply by Keith Brooks on January 22, 2012 at 8:43am

 I would like to thank Mark Byrne and Marc Marcantonio for always being on point for WA anglers! You both have been fantastic over the years at keeping us informed and active.

 I did write my Representatives, and all members of the Environment Commitee. It only takes a few minutes thanks to the links provided...

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 22, 2012 at 1:59pm

Thanks Keith for taking the time to write letters.  If we keep the pressure on the Environment Committee prior to Monday night's 6 p.m. hearing, I think we can kill this bill in committee! 

Every letter counts!!

ciao,

Marc Marcantonio

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 22, 2012 at 10:37pm

OK, Here is my testimony; I really believe everyone's letters are going to make a difference, so please continue flooding the committee with your concerns.

 

My name is Andrew Marcantonio (better known as Marc). 

I urge the Committee to drop HB 2241.  The proposed ban is neither scientifically supported or warranted, and will cause serious economic and recreational hardship.

I have more than a casual familiarity with lead, and its impact on the environment and wildlife populations.  My credentials include BS Degrees in Ecology and Entomology.  I served 23 years of Active Duty Army service, with half of my career as a Chemical Corps officer, and the second half in the Medical Department.   After retiring from the Army, I was a senior Fisheries Biologist (Level 4), as the Program Manager for the Salmon Habitat Recovery Program in Pierce County.  I am currently the General Manager of a public drinking water utility serving the City of Edgewood (in Pierce County), and licensed by the Department of Health.  

I have studied and published papers regarding lead toxicosis with waterfowl as far back as 1975.   Yes, lead toxicosis can occur in individual bird species including the Common Loon, but sound wildlife management considers the total population, not individuals.   To determine the impact of any single factor on the overall population of a species, a “Limiting Factors Analysis” is necessary, such as the Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Limiting Factors for WRIA 12 that I co-authored and published in June, 2003. 

It is important to note that lead fishing tackle has NOT been identified as a limiting factor in any similar study in Washington State for Loons, or any other wildlife species.  

Lead ban proponents often point to a single study (Pokras, M. A., and R. M. Chafel. 1992. Lead toxicosis from ingested fishing sinkers in adult Common Loons (Gavia immer) in New England. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 23(1): 92-97.), yet ignore more conclusive studies published in recent years in the very same study area (Evaluation of disturbance factors and their effect on breeding common loons at Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, New Hampshire and Maine, Kyle P., Feb 2010.) 

The EPA considered petitions for a National ban on lead fishing tackle as recently as Nov. 4, 2010.  The EPA dismissed the petition stating that "petitioners have not demonstrated that the requested rule is necessary to protect against an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment".  The biological facts, economic impacts and social unacceptability did not merit the requested action.

I served on the WDFW Lead Fishing Tackle/Common Loon Advisory Committee.   The members of the group did not reach consensus that a ban was warranted.  The Fisheries Commission subsequently approved a lead ban on 13 specific lakes with the intent a ban would not occur anywhere else since it is not scientifically warranted.  That is why the proponents of this ban have laid this in your lap.

I own a business in Washington that manufactures a specialty fishing sinker named QuickDrops dropshot weights.  Although the business is not my primary income at this time, my retirement plan is to expand my business.  If approved, this bill will kill my business and more than 25 other Washington fishing tackle manufacturers who are much larger than me.  It will not only kill jobs directly produced, but many associated jobs in Washington State and across the USA.  This bill will send our jobs to China.

Regarding the myth of lead substitutes being readily available, satisfactory, and environmentally friendly; I would suggest the ban proponents do their fishing homework.  The most common alternative to lead is Tungsten.  More than 50% of the earth’s Tungsten is in China, and the vast majority of Tungsten weights are made in China, and the rest are manufactured in Japan and Korea.  Tungsten fishing sinkers are not made in the USA because of environmental regulations and expense (Tungsten costs up to 20 times that of lead).  Tungsten is not environmentally friendly in that it takes more than 6,000 degrees of heat to melt Tungsten so it can be shaped.  The manufacture of Tungsten weights requires excessive energy consumption to produce this heat, creating a huge carbon footprint.   Manufacturing processes are not clean, hence too costly in the USA, so instead we are going to ship more jobs and dirty manufacturing to China and call it environmental stewardship?  

I don’t have time to discuss the problems with other alternatives, but there is good reason lead is the best material for fishing weights and jigs.  It is effective because it is heavy without bulk.  Angler success depends on fish not seeing bulky weights.  It helps thousands of Washington children and adults alike enjoy fishing because lead is key to their ability to catch fish.  Anglers can afford lead.  Many manufacture their own lead weights and lures at home to be able to afford fishing.  You cannot make lead substitutes at home, so lead substitutes exclude all anglers who cannot afford $5.00 for a single Tungsten fishing sinker made in China.  Children and adults can afford pennies for the same sinker in lead.

Ingestion of fishing sinkers made from Tungsten, steel, or tin by any animal is not healthier than lead; so even if ingestion of fishing tackle were a problem, alternatives are not proven better.

Lead is an element, and exists naturally in the environment without harm.  No matter what action this committee takes, there will be just as much lead in the environment tomorrow as there is today.  Occurrences of lead harm are rare, and have not been shown to threaten Washington’s increasing loon population (despite shoreline development and increasing eagle predation). 

With the financial concerns we all face, there is important work to be done by all, and HB 2241 should not be part of the agenda.    When anglers learn of this bill, it will go over like a lead balloon!  Thank you for the opportunity to present my views, and thank you for your service!

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