Support for state legislation mandating the Worker and Community's right to know concerning hazardous materials; support for state efforts to ensure public safety and the protection of the environment in the transportation of hazardous materials.
It became apparent that the Worker and Community's right to know was to become a legislative issue in 1986. In addition, legislation regarding the transportation of hazardous materials was being prepared. The LWVID Board selected Hazardous Waste legislation as a priority item for the 1986 session. In order to speak to the area of waste transportation, a concurrence was necessary. Local Leagues were able to utilize study materials on right-to-know and a video of the workshop on the "Status of Hazardous Waste in Idaho" to become informed about this issue.
The League's Concurrence was upheld in February of 1986.
The League of Women Voters of Idaho believes that state laws are necessary in the area of hazardous materials handling because federal laws are not adequate to protect the worker and the community from involuntary exposure to hazardous materials. Both industry and government must share in the responsibility to protect citizens and the environment.
Access to basic information about hazardous materials, including identity, flammability, reactivity, acute and chronic health effects and routes of exposure should be mandated. Information related to use, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials within the state, should be gathered and made available to the public. (Adopted May of 1985 and amended in October of 1985)
The state Department of Transportation should have the authority to monitor and regulate the passage of hazardous materials or waste into or across Idaho, as well hazardous shipments within the state. The League supports all state efforts to protect the public and the environment. (Adopted February of 1986 and reorganized in May of 1988)
