Building Insight - The News Tribune

Building Industry Association of Washington
March 2008
Building Insight
What’s News…
Democrats help kill
builder-hating bill
Special Insert:
Global
W
Warming—
How BIAW is
Protecting
Your Business.
See page 19-22.
What’s Inside…
President’s Letter
p. 2
Executive Vice President’s
Letter
p. 3
The real reason for WA’s
inflated home prices
p. 7
Just how similar are radical
enviros to the Nazi party?
p. 8
BIAW calls for scholarship
entries
p. 15
News from the BIAW Rossi
ePosse
p. 17
ith the fall of the gavel on March
13 signaling sine die (adjournment)
for the 2008 Legislature, BIAW emerged
miraculously unscathed from a legislative
session where Democrats hold a super
majority in both houses.
While this year’s session will be once
again be remembered for BIAW’s battle
to defeat Senator Brian Weinstein’s (DMercer Island) so-called “homeowner bill of
rights” legislation, BIAW also successfully
played defense in stopping many other
bills harmful to the homebuilding industry,
as well as passing two bills favorable for
homebuilders.
Weinstein’s Builder-Hating Bill Dies
Kool and the Gang’s 1980 number one
hit song “Celebration” says it best regarding
the final death of builder-hating, trial-lawyer
Senator Brian Weinstein’s legislation which
would have allowed trial attorneys to sue
every contractor, subcontractor and supplier
for negligence. Despite a maelstrom of bad
press from media intent on ignoring the
facts, BIAW scored a major victory with the
defeat of SB 6385.
“With the exception of BIAW’s victory
See LEGISLATURE on page 5
BIAW renews $100k
reward for ELF terrorists
I
n 2005 the Building Industry Association
of Washington partnered with the Federal
Bureau of Investigation to offer a $100,000
reward for the arrest and conviction of Earth
Liberation Front (ELF) terrorists burning
down homes in Washington State. After the
devastating arsons claimed by ELF early
this month in Snohomish County, BIAW
has renewed the $100,000 reward.
ELF is a radical environmental
terrorist organization whose members
utilize economic sabotage and property
destruction as a means to call attention
to suburban “sprawl.” In recent years,
the radical terrorists of ELF’s militia
burned down new homes in subdivisions
in Washington State, causing millions of
dollars in property damages.
The March 3 arsons in Snohomish
County claimed by ELF resulted in $7
BIAW advertised its $100,000 reward for
the capture and conviction of ELF ecoterrorists with a large billboard near the
crime scene.
million in damage, completely destroying
three homes and damaging a fourth
showcased in the 2007 Seattle Street of
Dreams. Ironically, the homes targeted by
ELF were constructed to the highest level
See ELF on page 6
President’s Letter
Who encourages and supports ELF’s terriorist tactics?
W
e all know
that children
Brad Spears, CGB
take their cues from
President
adults. They look
to us to help them learn right from wrong;
they look to us to learn what is safe and
what is not; they look to us to help shape
who they will become as an adult.
Everything we, as adults, do, say and
believe has a profound influence. Our
opinions become the foundation for what
their opinions will become. And while our
opinions may not be the same opinions our
children ultimately hold, they certainly
play in role in forming them.
And
through
this
evolutionary
transference of our belief systems to our
children, desensitization occurs over each
generation—ideas that may once have
seemed outrageous, unacceptable or radical,
over time become less outrageous, more
acceptable and ultimately mainstream.
As I watched in horror as three beautiful
homes in Snohomish County burned to
the ground earlier this month, a cowardly
act of eco-terrorism claimed by the Earth
Liberation Front (ELF), I wondered what
kind of person could think the violent
destruction of someone else’s property
was a legitimate form of self-expression?
As I struggled to understand the mindset
of these terrorists, it struck me that what
I was witnessing is the result of a gradual
desensitization that has been taking place
for decades.
It began with the realization in the
60s and 70s that humans had a certain
responsibility to act as stewards of the
planet and resources God had so generously
provided. After the progress, success
and excess of the Industrial Revolution,
followed by the economic prosperity and
contentment of the post WWII years,
Americans began paying attention to their
impact on the environment.
But what started as a genuine concern
for ensuring the sustainability of the
environment over the decades morphed
into an obsession with the environment.
Now we have Al Gore telling our kids in the
classroom, the movie theater and YouTube
that the earth is dying. The sense or urgency
is undeniable—the ice caps are melting, the
sea level is rising and the polar bears are
drowning. The danger is imminent. Our
children have heard the message.
They have been indoctrinated in an
era marked by increasingly strident and
passionate calls to save Mother Earth.
They have also been formed at a time
when more and more often the ends justify
the means. If the motivation is right, then
you can circumvent the rules. Society—
our elected officials, our schools and the
media—have given tacit approval of this
principle.
Examples abound: Recently at The
Evergreen State College in Olympia, a
professor urged students not to cooperate
with the police in its investigation of a
student riot that resulted in tens of thousands
of dollars of damage. The riot itself was
TESC students’ response to police attempts
to maintain law and order—an effort TESC
students characterize as an affront to their
social justice sensibilities. Students didn’t
like the way the police treated a student—
so they rioted. The professor
didn’t like the police’s response
to the rioting students—so he
urged them to defy the police
in the subsequent investigation.
Their motivation is “right” so
breaking the rules is okay. The
end justifies the means.
Another example: King County
Executive Ron Sims’ “donut
hole” deal. When the government
sells public land, the law requires
competitive bids so taxpayers get
the best deal. Sims simply ignored
the law and brokered a no-bid
agreement to sell coveted rural county land
to a single developer—a private deal cut
without public scrutiny and no competitive
bidding. Claiming a dubious “unique
circumstance” exemption, Sims defended
his action with the excuse that the “unique
circumstance” was the deal he brokered
with the developer gave the County the
opportunity to purchase environmentally
sensitive land the County had long sought.
Sims wanted this environmentally sensitive
land in the County’s hands so it could be
protected, so he skirted the rules to make it
happen. The end justifies the means.
Given this attitude that permeates
environmental debate today, can we really
be shocked when our youth takes this green
light to skirt the rules to the extreme by
burning down homes?
The kids who torched the houses in
Snohomish County and the kids who
earlier burned down a research center at
the University of Washington are simply
expressing what they’ve been taught:
Preserve the earth at all costs.
The older folks in the mainstream enviro
groups silently applaud this new and novel
approach: If you build it, we will burn it. It’s
the next, natural step in the environmental
movement. Building Insight | March 2008
Executive Vice President’s Letter
Homebuilders spared wrath
of trial attorney’s legislation
B
IAW won a near-miraculous victory
this month, defeating trial attorney,
builder-hater Senator Brian Weinstein’s
(D-Mercer Island) disastrous legislation
allowing trial attorneys to sue builders,
subcontractors and suppliers at a whim.
The legislation, if approved, would have
bankrupted many BIAW members and
devastated our state’s economy.
There are several reasons the legislation
failed, none of which you read or heard about
from the media which was too busy cozying
up to Weinstein to report the facts. Here are
just a few reasons BIAW stopped Weinstein:
1. It’s the Economy Stupid
House Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle)
and other reasonable legislators, both
Democrats and Republicans, recognize
that builders have sustained Washington
State’s economy during the past five years.
The building industry has created jobs and
provided unprecedented tax revenue to state
and local government. That revenue has
allowed legislators to increase spending on
education, to increase salaries for teachers
and state workers and to give tax breaks to big
corporations like newspapers. (Legislators
this month granted newspapers a massive
reduction in their business and occupation
taxes for on-line advertising.)
So, why pass Weinstein’s bill when it
would destroy the only industry still adding
jobs and producing more tax revenue?
2. Another Idea Will Work
Rep. Mark Ericks (D-Bothell) introduced
legislation backed by BIAW and many
others which would have explored licensing
for builders and thoroughly examined
construction defects and homebuyer
complaints. Why not really solve the problem
rather than enrich a few trial attorneys like
Weinstein?
3. BIAW’s Coalition with Low-
Building Insight | March 2008
Income Housing Providers and other
Business Groups
BIAW assembled a coalition, including:
nonprofit developers, architects, insurance
companies, Weyerhaeuser, mortgage lenders
and low-income housing advocates, which
strongly opposed Weinstein’s legislation.
4. Class Warfare
The irony of Weinstein’s legislation was
not lost on many legislators: Weinstein, a
multi-millionaire, was promoting a bill to
permit other multi-millionaires to make
more money by suing home builders, most
of whom are not wealthy and never will be.
5. BIAW’s Lobbyists Are Well
Respected and Liked by Democrat
Legislators
BIAW’s lobbying team, led capably
by Brian Minnich, has good working
relationships with many Democrats. The
legislators respect BIAW lobbyists for their
professionalism, honesty and temerity. This
session, BIAW lobbyists communicated
daily with Democratic legislators, providing
information and updates and determining
how best to deal with our state’s media
which was fawning over Weinstein.
After the Weinstein bill failed to pass, a
few naysayers who, for reasons known only
by them, criticized BIAW for not having a
communication’s strategy. BIAW had a plan
(see paragraph above).
And although Weinstein took a few
shots at builders, he saved his rage and real
blows for House Speaker Frank Chopp,
who absorbed the punishment without even
flinching. Mr. Chopp and BIAW members
agree that it’s far better to have a spate of bad
media than to have trial attorneys knocking
on your door.
Speaking of bad media, I am astounded
at the enabling role the media provides for
guys like Weinstein. For two years, reporters
acted as Weinstein’s mouthpiece, never
questioning
his
veracity and all
Tom McCabe
but ignoring his
Executive
lies.
Vice President
After the fall of
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, the Wall Street Journal’s
Kimberly Strassel wrote a column (3/12/08)
condemning the media for failing to
scrutinize Spitzer’s attacks on innocent
people. Everything she said can be easily
applied to Weinstein’s media enablers.
Strassel wrote:
“The press corps acted as an adjunct
of Spitzer power, rather than a skeptic of
it. Mr. Spitzer portrayed himself as the
moral avenger. He was the slayer of the big
guy, the fat cat, The Wall Street titan, [the
homebuilder] – all allegedly on behalf of the
little guy. The press ate it up, and came back
for more.”
According to Strassel, Spitzer “played
the media like a Stradivarius. He knew what
sort of storyline they’d be sympathetic to,
and spun it.”
Again, that’s exactly what Weinstein
did. Frankly, it was embarrassing to watch
as the press corps idolized Weinstein while
refusing to listen to so many voices who
dared object to Weinstein’s perspective. Quote of the Month
“Claims of faulty
construction often can
result from the unrealistic
expectations of buyers,
who often think home
ownership is worry free,
and that suing someone is
the best solution.”
—Robert Jones, home inspector,
Business Examiner,
February 4, 2008
Annual Legislative Reception
T
he BIAW annual legislative reception was a highlight of the Winter Board of
Directors meeting held at the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia last month. Statewide
elected officials, including Supreme Court justices, legislative candidates and over
75 lawmakers attended the evening festivities. All photo captions are left to right.
A
A) BIAW President Brad Spears greets gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi prior to the
BIAW General Membership Luncheon. B) Central WA HBA member Mike Elliot, Central
WA HBA member Gary Allen and Senators Janea Holmquist and Curtis King. C) 2003
BIAW President Randy Gold, Representative Cary Condotta and candidate for State Treasurer Allan Martin. D) BIAW First Vice President Kyle LaPierre and Representative Larry
Haler. E) Representative Barbara Bailey, 1992 BIAW President John Piazza, Representative Doug Ericksen, BIA of Whatcom County member Sue Reid and WBBT Trustee Rick
Tremaine. F) BIAW Secretary Juli Bacon, Representative Jim Honeyford, Supreme Court
Justice Charles Johnson and BIAW Membership Vice Chair Joel Tanasse. G) Representative Ed Orcutt and BIAW Treasurer Matt Clarkson.
B
D
F
C
E
G
Building Insight | March 2008
known with her support for Weinstein’s
SB 6385. In a last minute ploy to rally
Democrats and resurrect the bill, Weinstein
several years ago in defeating a politically
and newspapers reported Governor Gregoire
motivated regulatory and legislative attack
supported the legislation and was eager to
on BIAW’s workers’ compensation (retro)
sign the bill into law. program, stopping Weinstein’s vitriolic
“Anyone who needed proof of Gregoire’s
assault on contractors ranks as one of
hate for the homebuilding industry need look
BIAW’s biggest successes of all time,”
no further than her support of SB 6385,”
said BIAW President Brad Spears. “BIAW
said Spears. “Proving once again she is not
overcame a campaign of lies propagated
averse to using the power of the legislature
by Weinstein, all of which were
to attack her critics, Gregoire was
unquestioningly repeated verbatim by
willing to sign bad policy into law,
the media, to kill a bill that would have
jeopardizing the state’s economy
devastated homebuilders,” said Spears.
in the process,” he said. “Gregoire
“If SB 6385 had passed, liability
also supported legislative attempts in
insurance would be either unavailable
2005 to defund BIAW and other proor outrageously expensive; putting
business critics via an attack on retro
many builders and subcontractors out
programs, a tactic deplored by even the
of business.”
media as nothing more than ‘political
Resisting
tremendous
public
payback’.”
pressure
from
Weinstein
and
BIAW thanks Speaker Chopp and
Representative Brendan Williams
every legislator who opposed SB 6385
(D-Olympia), sponsor of the House Despite Weinstein’s untruthful claim that “homeown- for holding firm against the criticism
version of the bill, as well as pressure ers can’t sue builders in Washington State,” Weinstein and for thoroughly understanding the
from liberal newspaper editors who received a $200,000 settlement after suing the builder of negative impact SB 6385 would have
his Mercer Island home (photo above). Weinstein built the
refused to acknowledge the inaccuracy home for $920,000 in 1993. The home is now worth $2.3 on the housing industry and the state’s
of Weinstein’s wild claims in support of million (Zillow.com).
economy. SB 6385, the House held firm. Just as
last year, House Speaker Frank Chopp (D- This approach took the form of HB 3349, Other Good News
Seattle) and many Democrat and Republican sponsored by Ericks. The bill authorized the
BIAW’s defeat of SB 6385 was not the
legislators realized Weinstein’s bill would state Department of Licensing to conduct association’s only victory. BIAW stopped
seriously harm the homebuilding industry a study on whether contractors should be legislation ranging from gutting vesting laws
and the state’s economy.
licensed, as well as evaluate existing claims and expanding the use of impact fees, to
BIAW and members across the state against homebuilders to determine the increasing workers’ compensation benefits,
worked aggressively to stop SB 6385 in severity of the problem. to name just a few. both the Senate and House forms. BIAW
Ironically, Weinstein killed HB 3349 out
BIAW also helped pass SB 6732, a first
also helped coordinate a broad coalition of of spite and even rejected a compromise offer step in addressing the problem of the state’s
construction and business organizations,
“underground economy” in the construction
including low-income housing providers, “Mr. Weinstein’s approach
industry, whereby contractors illegally
to vigorously oppose the bill.
The
operate without insurance or registration.
is let everybody sue the
increased liability for profit and non-profit
BIAW also worked with the state Department
homebuilders would, as happened during world, and the world is a
of Ecology (DOE) to pass SB 6504,
the liability insurance crisis of 2002-03,
legislation exempting minor construction
better place.”
have resulted in some insurers refusing to
projects from SEPA if the project needs a
—Representative Mark Ericks (D-Bothel),
write liability insurance policies for profit
stormwater permit, reestablishing categorical
The Olympian,
and non-profit builders in the state and,
exemptions to what they were before DOE’s
March 11, 2008
at the very least, dramatically driven up
construction stormwater permit was issued
the cost of insurance. As a low-income from Speaker Chopp to provide funding for in December 2005. Both bills now await
housing provider, Speaker Chopp realized a consumer advice/protection hotline to help Governor Gregoire’s signature. the disastrous impact SB 6385 would have homeowners. Despite HB 3349’s failure,
on the homebuilding industry and remained the Legislature will likely request the
admirably steadfast in his opposition to SB Department of Licensing conduct a study on
6385, enduring a vicious smear campaign contractor licensing. BIAW looks forward
by Weinstein and a woefully misinformed to participating in this effort.
media. He was joined by a strong contingent
Unfortunately, Governor Gregoire made
of pro-business Republicans and Democrats, her hostility for the homebuilding industry
LEGISLATURE from page 1
Building Insight | March 2008
including Representative Mark Ericks (DBothel), who offered a reasonable alternative
approach to SB 6385. Ericks was appointed by the Speaker
last year to lead a Task Force charged
with exploring ways to better protect
homebuyers. BIAW worked with Ericks
and other legislators on the Task Force to
find a reasonable approach to protecting
consumers and evaluating the number and
types of complaints against contractors. ELF from page 1
of Built Green standards, using pervious
materials, recycled components, drought
tolerant landscaping and energy efficient
appliances. Two of the homes gutted by the
Bedsheets scrawled with ELF’s antigrowth mantra claiming responsibility for their acts of eco-terrorism
have been left at homes destroyed by
arson.
ELF arsons were built by BIAW members.
ELF’s Hidden Agenda
“The fact that ELF terrorists targeted
Built Green homes, one of which received
a 5-Star Built Green rating, says a lot about
the real agenda of these environmental
radicals,” said BIAW President Brad
Spears. “Ten years ago the environmental
extremists wanted homes to be more
environmentally conscious,” said Spears.
“Now we’re discovering environmentally
friendly homes aren’t good enough—their
new agenda is no development,” he said.
“There is clearly no meeting these thugs
half way—the only thing that will make
them happy is when there are no homes
and everyone is living in mud huts.”
One Elf Terrorist Finally Convicted
The FBI has made capturing ELF
terrorists in the Pacific Northwest one of
their top priorities. In fact, the arsons in
Snohomish County occurred in the final
days of the highly publicized trial of
former Evergreen State College student
and accused ELF terrorist Brianna Waters.
Three days after the fires in Snohomish
County, Waters was found guilty of two
counts of arson by a federal jury for the
2001 firebombing of the University of
Washington Center for Urban Horticulture.
Defense attorneys for Waters asked
the judge to declare a mistrial because
of the arsons in Snohomish County. The
attorneys argued the
FBI may have set fire
to the homes in order
to win sympathy from
the jury. The judge
denied their request
and now Waters faces
a minimum sentence
A federal jury this
of five to 20 years in month convicted
prison.
Interestingly, ELF terrorist and
the Snohomish arsons former Evergreen
College
were started using State
student Brianna
material collected on Waters.
the jobsite, not the
incendiary devices ELF has used in
previous home burnings. The FBI theorize
those responsible might have chosen not to
use any incendiary devices to avoid long
sentences if they ever stood trial.
A Financial Incentive
“It took seven years for the people
who knew who, or suspected who, the
dustry
ding In
l
i
u
B
criminals were that burned down the UW
research center to relay that information
to authorities,” said Spears. “BIAW hopes
offering a financial incentive will provide
the motivation for someone with knowledge
of the eco-terrorist acts in Snohomish to
contact authorities immediately.”
BIAW Offers Reward
BIAW is offering up to $100,000 for the
identification of and information leading
to the arrest and conviction of individuals
responsible for arsons on homes in
Washington State claimed by ELF. BIAW,
working with its local association, Master
Builders Association of King & Snohomish
Counties, erected a large billboard
advertising the award near the arson site.
“BIAW hopes providing the $100,000
reward for the arrest and conviction of ELF
terrorists will assist the FBI in capturing
these criminals,” said Spears.
BIAW has reward posters available.
Call Erin Shannon at 800-228-4229 to
obtain a reward poster. Anyone who has
information regarding possible ELF related
activities should contact the FBI’s Joint
Terrorism Task Force at 206-622-0460, or
e-mail seattle@fbi.gov. Association of Wash
ingto
n
Political Toolbox
L
BIAW’s Talk-Radio Show
ooking for the inside scoop on Washington politics? Want the political perspective on what’s going on in Washington State?
Join BIAW Executive Vice President Tom McCabe and Public Relations Director Erin Shannon every week for the Political Toolbox. Every week Political Toolbox tackles a variety of issues and features live
interviews with distinguished guests such as national, state and local
elected officials, best-selling authors, and public policy makers. You’ll
get news and views you can use.
Radio Schedule
Tuesdays: Noon-1pm
1180 AM KLAY, Tacoma (LIVE!)
Saturdays: Noon-1pm
93.9 FM KTAC, Moses Lake & Othello
101.3 FM KGDN, Tri-Cities & Walla
Walla
106.5 FM KSPO, Spokane
810 AM KTBI, Wenatchee & Central WA
930 AM KYAK, Yakima
Saturdays: 7-8 pm
1300 AM KKOL, Seattle
Sundays: 2-3pm
630 AM KTW, Spokane
Sundays: 8-9 pm
1240 AM KGY, Olympia
Mondays: 5-6pm
1230 AM KSBN, Spokane
Listen via Streaming Audio
The Political Toolbox is also available via streaming audio through your
computer. Go to BIAW.com during any shows’ broadcast and listen via
streaming audio.
Past Shows
Archived editions are available online at BIAW.com.
Building Insight | March 2008
Tax & Housing Report
Biggest obstacle to affordable housing is government
O
n January 6, 2007 The Seattle Times
published a column co-written by the
executive director of Futurewise, a left-wing
environmental organization, and the executive
director of the Housing Development
Consortium, a Seattle-based trade association
of non-profit housing developers. The title
of the column was, “Don’t Blame Growth
Management for Higher Housing Prices.”
Central to their argument was the assertion
that strong demand for housing has been and
is the primary driver behind Washington’s
skyrocketing home prices in recent years.
The column refuted claims implicating
growth management and environmental laws
as the cause of escalating home prices to be
contrary to the evidence, “misleading” and
“unwarranted.” The next day the column
received a rebuff via letter-to-the-editor by
Wendell Cox, a well known international
demographic, urban policy, and transportation
consultant, stating growth management is in
fact the precise reason affordability has been
destroyed in many locations. Cox reminded
the two columnists it is the law of supply and
demand that determines prices, not simply
the law of demand.
Fast forward one year later. On February
15 The Seattle Times published the results
of a study by Theo Eicher, an economics
professor and the director of the Economic
Policy Research Center at the University of
Washington, which further demonstrates the
veracity of Cox’s claim. The study, Growth
Management, Land Use Regulations, and
Housing Prices: Implications for Major
Cities in Washington, concludes with solid
evidence the dramatic rise in home prices
in Washington State since 1989 have been
the result of restrictive regulations that have
artificially reduced supply.
According to the UW study, between 1989
and 2006, government regulations constituted
44 percent of the total cost of a Seattle median
priced house in 2006, 43 percent of a median
priced house in Everett and Kent, 35 percent
in Tacoma, and 30 percent in Vancouver.
Eicher thus calculated our state’s land use
Cost of a Median Priced Home in 2006
with Regulatory Costs added between 1989-2006
MEDIAN PRICE OF HOME
$450,000
$447,800
$350,000
$258,000
$300,000
$228,300
$233,600
$81,515
$71,231
$281,600
$200,000
$199,726
$100,000
$0
44%
$121,335
35%
Seattle
Tacoma
Building Insight | March 2008
$110,797
43%
43%
Vancouver
Everett
Kent
Source: University of Washington
30%
restrictions
and
Eric Lohnes
regulations added
Tax & Housing
approximately
Analyst
$200,000 to the
median price of a house in Seattle in 2006;
$121,000 to the price of a house in Kent;
$111,000 in Everett; $82,000 in Tacoma; and
$71,000 in Vancouver.
In comparison, Eicher found growth in
income and population accounted for only
$36,000 of the $448,000 price tag of a median
priced house in Seattle during 2006; $24,400
of the $281,600 house in Kent; $7,500 of
the $258,000 house in Everett; $8,500 of the
$228,300 house in Tacoma; and $49,900 of
the $233,600 house in Vancouver. Among all
five cities, the cost of restrictive regulations far
outstripped the cost contributed by demand.
Even in Vancouver, where demand has had
the largest impact, the impact of regulation
added significantly more to the price of a
home than income and population.
The conclusion drawn from the UW study
is that Washington’s inflated home prices and
affordable housing crisis are largely the result
of land-use regulations and laws such as the
Growth Management Act and restrictive
stormwater rules—not to mention costly
permit delays and impact fees. So contrary
to the claims of Futurewise and the Housing
Development Consortium, so-called smart
growth is to be blamed for the ludicrously
high home prices that have spurred what
everyone readily agrees is an affordable
housing crisis. The foremost obstacle to
housing affordability in Washington is state
government.
But there is a silver lining—since home
prices have not been determined primarily
by free market supply and demand forces,
rather by the political and legislative forces
of our state, there is much room to rethink
and correct past decisions that have added
substantial costs to housing. We can start by
electing Dino Rossi. Stormwater Report
Hitler’s Nazi party:
They were eco extremists
A
s homebuilders
Mark Musser
in Washington
Stormwater Field
State
struggle to
Representative
comply with the
state Department of
Ecology’s (DOE) unreasonably restrictive
stormwater regulations, I drew an interesting
parallel last month to the cartoonish drawings
illustrating the Best Management Practices
(BMPs) DOE is demanding builders use to
treat stormwater runoff to the farcical snow
cave drawings Hitler sent his troops to prevent
them from freezing to death in Stalingrad.
In both cases, what was/is needed
was/is a solution that would work: In the
case of Hitler’s army, a way to survive the
stranglehold of an encircling Soviet Army;
in the case of builders in Washington State,
a realistic and doable way to treat stormwater
runoff in compliance with DOE’s demands.
What both received are laughable sketches
that offer neither a reasonable, nor effective,
way to accomplish the task which they have
been given.
Knowing my parallel would illicit screams
of protest—how politically incorrect of me to
mention Hitler and Nazis in the same breath as
DOE or the environmental lobby—I explored
the actual connection between environmental
extremism and Hitler’s Nazi party.
The German Nazi party expressed many of
the ecological refrains we hear today. Nazis
were the vanguard of conservationism—they
sought to remedy the increasing alienation of
people from the natural world, deforestation,
urban sprawl, the destruction of ecosystem
balance, the extinction of species and the
indiscriminate slaughter of animals. Hitler
himself was a sometime vegetarian and
an animal lover, and the Nazi government
implemented some of the first laws protecting
animal rights. The Nazis also blamed
capitalism for destroying the European
continent and believed environmental
holism was the solution. They investigated
sustainable forestry and institutionalized
organic farming to advance experimental
homeopathic cures and medicines. Nazi bioengineers were also very concerned about
construction maintaining harmony with the
natural landscape—the autobahn freeway in
Germany was designed by Nazis with the
utmost ecological care in mind and presented
as a way to bring Germans closer to nature.
The Nazis also came up with far reaching land
use restrictions and centralized environmental
planning for the same purposes, and were
very zealous about protecting wetlands and
other ecological sensitive areas. Thus green
building and smart growth ideas are not
something new.
Another familiar refrain—the Nazis
complained the degradation of German soil
was due to the landless, capitalistic, greedy
Jews who pillaged and raped the European
landscape for money and power. Today’s
environmentalists still blame capitalism for
the destruction of the natural world—greedy
builders are routinely accused of pillaging
and raping the landscape for money.
Of course, this Nazi environmental
zealotry was insanely tied to German
nationalism (racism), which relied heavily
on the ideals of social Darwinism, a doctrine
which some environmentalists have kept
alive in spite of its evil reputation. When
radical environmentalists oppose famine
relief, medical aid and sanctuary for refugees
because of overpopulation concerns, the whiff
of Nazism is unmistakable. Less vocally
strident enviros are not quite sure what to do
about overpopulation, aside from an insane
obsession with anti-development, urban
sprawl land use restrictions. Hitler, of course,
had his own solution—wipe out the Slavs so
the Germans could enjoy greater ecological
health. Himmler had all kinds of grandiose
ecological plans in mind for a depopulated
Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus.
What environmentalists offer today,
instead of the racist German National
Socialism that defined the Nazi party, is an
international environmental socialism, an
amalgam of Nazism and communism—an
international environmental socialism with
a centralized planning scheme. But this
amalgam is increasingly at odds with itself,
causing a rift within the environmental lobby,
with builders caught in the middle.
Case in point: Builders in Washington
State are being squeezed by an environmental
movement which extols ecofascism on the
one hand (where the most important thing
on the construction jobsite is not a house but
“Earth First”), while on the other hand they
are micromanaged to death by an ecological
bureaucracy that would make any Soviet
commissar green with envy. This communistic
ecological micromanagement is perfectly
exemplified in DOE’s breathtakingly detailed,
976-page stormwater manual and BMPs.
So, much like Stalin and Hitler were
divided on how to best go about their
socialistic schemes, environmentalists are
also divided over how to best go about their
socialistic scheme of controlling human
development—either by burning houses down
with Molotov cocktails, or slowly squeezing
the life out of it through extensive, Sovietesque micromanagement. Homebuilders are
thus caught between militant ecofascism
(radical environmentalists like ELF) and
communistic bureaucracy (DOE).
For the time being, it is the suffocating
Soviet version which is winning this war,
but the recent arsons claimed by ELF, and
the mainstream environmentalists’ refusal to
denounce them, demonstrate the other side’s
“ecological blitzkrieg” approach could be
gaining traction. Building Insight | March 2008
Join BIAW’s R.O.I.I. Program…
Save Time! Save Money!
Join Today!
BIAW’s ROII Program
and receive an
average refund of
25% on your L&I
premiums.
Apply Now!
Ask for Cindy Martin,
Jennifer Wright or
Lara Hastings.
Call Today!
1-800-228-4229.
Don’t miss your
opportunity to save
yourself and receive
an average refund of
25%.
receive
25%
average refund on
your L&I premiums.
Enrollment deadline is April 30, 2008.
Building Insight | March 2008
BIAW Board Endorses
Statewide Candidates
D
uring the February Winter Board meeting, BIAW’s
political action committee—the Washington Affordable
Housing Council—and the Board of Directors unanimously
agreed to endorse the following candidates for statewide
office:
4
4 4
Attorney General
Rob McKenna
State Auditor
Brian Sonntag
Yes
Yes
Yes
Commissioner of
Lands
Doug Sutherland
Health Insurance
B Did
I you
Aknow?
W
Tip of the Month
As a Regence BlueShield health care participant through the BIAW Health Insurance Program, you could save as much as 50% on
medication costs?
The RegenceRX Half Tablet Program was designed for members who have prescription coverage and allows them to save money
by buying a drug at twice the strength required, then cutting the pill in half. Only medications which can safely and appropriately
be cut in half are included. Drugs that require exact dosing, are time-released, or are coated to protect the stomach are not
appropriate for splitting.
Drugs Safe for Use in the Half Table Program:
Benicar® / Benicar HCT®, mirtazapine (Remeron®), citalopram (Celexa®), nefazodone (Serzone®), Crestor®, paroxetine (Paxil®),
enalapril (Vasotec®), Risperdal®, Lamictal®, Valtrex®, leflunomide (Arava®), simvastatin (Zocor®), Lexapro®, Zoloft®, Lipitor®,
Zyprexa®
How the Program Works
 Check the list of Half Tablet drugs above to see if you are taking a medication that can safely be split.
 Talk to your doctor—make sure s/he agrees the program is right for you and is willing to double the dosage of your prescription.
 Pick up a tablet splitter from your pharmacy. Your insurance will cover the full cost of one splitter per year. Simply have your pharmacist submit a claim.
 When you receive your new prescription drug at double dosage, cut the tablets in two to achieve the proper dosage.
 Cut only one pill at a time and use the halves successively in order to maintain the most accurate dosing (for example, the first half on day one, the next half on day two.)
To find out more about the RegenceRX Half Tablet Program, call EPK & Associates at (800) 545-7011 ext. 5.
10
Building Insight | March 2008
Locals Show Clout
Eight of BIAW’s local
associations make
Top 100 rankings
Page 2A
Spikes Honored
BIAW awards recruiters
during Winter Board
Meeting
Page 3A
Spikes
BIAW SP KE CLUB
A publication of the Building Industry Association of Wasington | March 2008
2008 BIAW
Membership
Campaign
Incentive Program
The BIAW Membership Campaign
incentive program will present a multifaceted
approach—incorporating
incentives for success in recruiting
and retention, with a special focus
on the renewal of those members
recruited during the October 2007
statewide membership drive.
n Recruiting
Each local association will receive
a reward based on their NET NEW
builder and associate members*.
1—5.9%+ increase.................$20/member
6—8.9%+ increase.................$30/member
9%+ increase..........................$40/member
n Overall Retention
Each local association which meets
or exceeds an 85% retention rate*
will receive an award of $30 per
NET NEW builder and associate
member.
n Drive Retention
Each local association will receive
a reward of $30 for each renewal of
those members who were recruited
during the October 2007 statewide
membership drive.
*Calculation of incentive awards will be based on
the NAHB Membership Summary dated 12/31/08
and will not include affiliate members.
BIAW Ranked #3
National rankings of state
associations show BIAW
firmly in third
Page 4A
only
BIAW kicks off year
on strong foundation
B
IAW had an outstanding year in
2007, under the leadership of
Spike Chair Juli Bacon, Secretary
and Membership Chair Linda MosierVaudt and Second Vice President Darylene
Dennon. BIAW ended the year with a tremendous net gain of 1,112 members—an
impressive 8.9% increase—more than four
times the 2007 national increase of 1.9%.
BIAW also held an exceptionally strong retention
rate of 84.9%, again well
above the national average
of 75.9%.
As your Spike Club
Chair and Membership
Joel Tanasse
Vice Chair for 2008, I hope
Spike Club
to continue this tradition
Chair
of excellence in recruiting
and retention. BIAW exceeded its 2007
membership goal and ended the year with
an amazing 13,560 members. The Winter
Board of Directors meeting held in Olympia honored the BIAW 2007 Top Spike,
Category Winners and Top Recruiters.
Spike Party
The 2008 Spike Party will be held in
conjunction with the Summer Board of
Directors meeting Wednesday evening,
June 18th at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA. Invitations to qualified Spikes
will be sent out in May.
To qualify for admittance to the Spike
Party invitation you must have:
1) achieved Spike status and recruited at
least one new member between October 1,
2007 and April 30, 2008; Or,
2) achieved the 100 Spike Credit Level by
April 30, 2008 (regardless of whether you
have recruited any new members during
the timeframe).
I am honored to have been selected to
serve as the 2008 Spike Club Chair and
appointed as the 2008 Membership Committee Vice Chair. Representing the Home
Builders Association of Tri-Cities as a
BIAW State Director since 1999, I look
forward to contributing to the BIAW leadership and hope to bring the same passion
and dedication of my predecessors.
“As your 2008 Spike Club Chair and Membership Committee Vice Chair,
I pledge to continue BIAW’s tradition of excellence in recruiting and retention.”
—2008 Spike Clube Chair Joel Tanasse
Top
100
Eight of BIAW’s 15 local
associations finished in the
2007 National Association of
Home Builders Top 100.
NAHB 2007 Membership Competition
T
he National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has announced the final results of the
2007 Membership Competition between local and state associations of similar size. BIAW
is the third largest state association within NAHB with 13,560 member companies.
BIAW along with its fifteen local associations, has once again distinguished themselves in
their field of membership. BIAW placed first in Retention (the percentage of members renewing their annual membership); third in both Percentage of Increase (the percentage of total
membership increased over 12/31/06) and Numerical Increase (the net number of members
increased over 12/31/06). Additionally, nine local associations distinguished themselvs with
honors in onew of more of four categories:
State Associations
BIAW’S Ranking
Competition
#1
#31
#46
#47
#52
#75
#78
#98
MBA of King and Sno. Counties
4,448 Members
Spokane HBA
1,205 Members
MBA of Pierce County
1,053 Members
Olympia Master Builders
1,042 Members
BIA of Clark County
1,013 Members
HBA of Tri-Cities
789 Members
Central Washington HBA
788 Members
Retention Rate
Percentage Increase
Numerical Increase
Ranking
Result
Category
Ranking*
#7
#2
#3
#2
#7
#7
#3
Retention
84.9%
89.3%
87.6%
91.1%
87.6%
88.2%
96.5%
Category
Group 1
Group 2
Group 2
Group 3
Group 3
Group 4
Group 6
Ranking*
#4
#5
#6
#10
#6
Percentage Inc.
17.0%
16.7%
11.3%
9.5%
24.3%
Category
Group 1
Group 2
Group 2
Group 2
Group 3
Ranking*
#4
#5
#7
#10
#5
New Members
235
149
91
80
123
Category
Group 1
Group 2
Group 2
Group 2
Group 3
#1
#3
#3
Local Associations
Retention Competition
Local Association
MBA of King & Sno.
Central WA HBA
Olympia Master Builders
BIA of Whatcom County
HBA of Kitsap County
North Peninsula BA
San Juan BA
Percentage Increase
Local Association
Spokane HBA
Olympia Master Builders
Central WA HBA
MBA of Pierce County
BIA of Whatcom County
Numerical Increase
Local Association
MBA of King & Sno.
Olympia Master Builders
MBA of Pierce County
Central WA HBA
BIA of Whatcom County
Skagit-Island Counties BA
685 Members
2A
84.4%
Group AA
8.9%
Group AA
1,112 members Group AA
Local Association Groups
Group 1.............................................1,000 + members
Group 2............................................700-999 members
Group 3............................................350-699 members
Group 4............................................350-699 members
Group 5............................................100-199 members
Group 6......................................49 or fewer members
*rankings include affiliate members
BIAW Awards Top Spike
Kevin Kartak presented with Omar Brown Award
in recognition of his outstanding recruiting skills
I
n recognition of his outstanding recruiting skills, Kevin Kartak became the sixth
recipient of the BIAW Omar Brown Award
during the BIAW Winter Board of Directors
meeting held in February. Kartak recruited an
unprecedented 78 new members in 2007.
The BIAW Omar Brown Award was established in 1999 in honor of nationally recognized recruiter and 1977 BIAW President
Omar Brown to recognize BIAW’s top recruited for the year.
2007
Top Spikes
BIAW Member
New
Members
Kevin Kartak
78
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
Leonard Terzenbach
46
Spokane HBA
Doug Barnes
36
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
Juli Bacon
32
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
LaPierre Reaches Statesman Level
L
ongtime Spike Duane LaPierre recently
joined the elite ranks of Statesman Level
Spike by accumulating 500 Spike Credits. Besides his tenure as BIAW President in 1999,
LaPierre is also a BIAW Hall of Fame honoree as well as a BIAW Life Director.
LaPierre also served as President of his local association—the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities. Duane received his award
from BIAW Second Vice President Linda
Mosier-Vaudt.
Dave Main
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
Brenda Renrick
Corey Condron
Steve Cory
29
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
Sam Vilhauer
29
BIA of Clark County
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
IAW honored the 2007 Spike
Contest Category winners
during the Winter Board of Directors meeting. Spikes who received
the awards were (l to r): Charlie
Brown, Kevin Kartak, Bill Taylor accepting for Corey Condron;
Gordon Neu, Doug Barnes, BIAW
Membership Chair Juli Bacon,
Sherry Schwab accepting for Patrick McCourt and Anita Wong.
Skagit-Island Counties BA
1,500+ Category Winner .......................................................................... Patrick McCourt
1,000-1,499.5 Category Winner . ................................................................ Charlie Brown
500-999.5 Category Winner . .........................................................................Kevin Kartak
250-499.5 Category Winner . .................................................................... Brenda Renrick
150-249.5 Category Winner . ........................................................................ Doug Barnes
100-149.5 Category Winner . .......................................................................... Anita Wong
50-99.5 Category Winner . ............................................................................... Steve Cory
25-49.5 Category Winner . .........................................................................Corey Condron
6-24.5 Category Winner . ............................................................................... Gordon Neu
32
Spokane HBA
2007 Spike Category Winners Honored
2007 BIAW Spike Contest Category Winners
32
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
Charlie Brown
B
32
Bob Johnson
Anita Wong
28
28
25
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
Matt Willard
24
Central HBA
Bob Smith
23
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
Don Koidahl
23
Olympia Master Builders
Joe Truglio
23
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
Dennis Poppe
23
MBA King & Snohomish Counties
3A
2007 BIAW Membership Standing
Local Association Membership and Retention Rates
MEMBERSHIP
12/31/06 12/31/07
BIAW*
12,428
BIA of Clark County
Central Washington HBA
Jefferson County HBA
MBA of King & Snohomish Co.
HBA of Kitsap County
Lower Columbia Cont. Assn.
North Central HBA
North Peninsula Building Assn.
Olympia Master Builders*
MBA of Pierce County*
San Juan Builders Association
Skagit-Island Counties BA
Spokane HBA*
HBA of Tri-Cities
BIA of Whatcom County
985
708
88
4,213
547
235
514
279
893
962
57
621
1,030
789
506
GAIN
13,560 1,112
1,013
788
104
4,448
559
275
532
355
1,042
1,053
63
685
1,205
790
629
28
80
16
235
12
40
18
76
149
91
6
64
175
-1
123
Retention
84.4%
77.8%
89.3%
84.1%
84.9%
87.6%
75.7%
79.6%
88.2%
87.6%
83.3%
96.5%
82.1%
84.2%
81.8%
91.1%
National Membership Day
is May 20th
Level 1: Rhino
Recruit 1 Builder or Associate:
Receive an 8-function tool with LED light
Level 2: Elephant
Recruit 2 Builder or Associates:
Receive a Captain’s nylon folding chair
with arms and mesh cup holders
Level 3: Lion
Recruit 3 Builder or Associates:
Receive a men’s/ladies’ zippered fleece
jacket with contrasting collar
*totals include affiliate members
Contact your local association for more details.
National Association of Home Builders
State Association Standings*: Membership and Retention Rate, 2007
19,000
18,000
MEMBERSHIP
17,000
16,000
15,000
2007
2006
GAIN/LOSS
18,483
20,115
-1,632
16,808
16,020
788
14,000
13,000
13,415
12,350
1,065
12,000
11,000
10,000
13,379
11,269
2,110
12,788
13,726
-938
9,000
11,909
11,105
804
9,982
11,676
-1,694
8,798
9,765
-967
8,700
9,096
-396
MI
WI
KY
79.8%
83.3%
8,000
7,887
7,555
332
7,000
RETENTION RATE
FL
4A
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
NC
WA
TX
GA
AL
71.5%
70.4%
68.1%
73.0%
74.6%
76.4%
84.4%
PA
81.1%
*standings do not include affiliate members
Education Report
BIAW Scholarship Program
benefits future builders
B
IAW’s participation in October’s
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was
an event that couldn’t help but produce a
lot of inspirational stories, and if you were
one of the 700 volunteers on the jobsite
every day, you probably have a few of your
own. Here’s mine: It was about midnight
at the staging area when a young guy came
out of the pouring rain into the check-in
tent. He said he heard on the late news that
BIAW was involved in the Extreme Home
Makeover project, the project was running
behind and we needed finish carpenters. I
replied in the affirmative. He then told me
he had twice been the recipient of a BIAW
scholarship and was now a skilled finish
carpenter with a growing business. He
went on to say he would be there for as long
as BIAW needed him and he still couldn’t
begin to repay the huge debt of gratitude he
owed BIAW. He was there all night, back
the next day and the night after, each night
with tools in hand and a big smile on his
face.
The BIAW Scholarship Program
recognizes education as the very core of the
homebuilding industry. For over a decade,
BIAW has reached out to help hundreds of
students who have selected homebuilding
as their life’s work in an effort to support
future generations of homebuilders and
housing professionals. I can’t tell you
BIAW Education Program
Distributes Checks
how rewarding it
Jan Rohila
was to have one
Education
of these students
reach out to support BIAW.
BIAW is proud to once again announce
over $30,000 in scholarship money
is available to assist and encourage
workforce training in the construction
industry. Scholarship Application forms
are now available on BIAW’s website
at www.BIAW.com or by calling me at
800-228-4229. Completed applications
must be submitted by May 19, 2008. Education Program
Check Distribution
Central WA HBA....................... $1,546
BIAW Clark County................... $7,695
Jefferson Co. HBA....................... $579
MBA of King/Sno. Counties...... $3,227
HBA of Kitsap County............... $5,276
LCCA........................................... $905
N. Central HBA......................... $2,002
N. Peninsula BA.......................... $316
Olympia Master Builders.......... $3,772
MBA of Pierce Co..................... $6,894
The BIAW Education Program celebrated a banner year in 2007—and distributed
nearly $40,000 to local associations who participated in the program, established in
1997. These smiling faces represent fourteen of BIAW’s fifteen local associations that
received participation rewards and helped make the program a resounding success.
The checks were handed out during the BIAW Winter Board of Directors meeting in
Olympia last month.
Building Insight | March 2008
SICBA....................................... $2,444
Spokane HBA........................... $1,544
HBA of Tri-Cities.......................... $895
BIA of Whatcom Co.................. $1,872
15
e
n
u
J
14
2008 Trade Show &
Graduation & Awards Banquet
with Keynote Speaker Tim Gard!
Holiday Inn - Downtown
Proudly Sponsored by:
Platinum
Federated Insurance
Gold
Dahl’s Valley Electric
Fluke Electronics
Platt Electric
Table
Energized Electric
Arcadia Electric
McMullen Electric
Lunch
Bergelectric
●
3105 Pine Street
●
Everett, Washington
Exciting Events of the Day:
CEU Opportunities
2005 NEC Update Course(8 CEU) $100.00
8am - 12pm & 1pm - 5pm
WAC/RCW Course (4 CEU): $50.00
8am - 12pm
Wire-Off Competition
State-wide competition for top skilled apprentice
9am - 2pm
Just Some of the Vendors
You Can Visit!
All Phase
Allstate Insurance
Aflac
Eylander Electric
Eylander Sales & Service
Federated
Greenlee-Textron
IEC
Silver
Aflac
Sprint
Delta Electric
Klein Tools
Milwaukee Tools
Platt
Break
Sail Electric
Walla Walla Electric
Doyle Electric
Werner Ladder
Independent Electrical Contractors
Northwest Washington Chapter & IEC of Washington Apprenticeship
Northwest WA IEC
1004 Commercial #114
Anacortes, WA 98221
www.iecnorthwestwa.org
16
IEC of Washington
11630 Airport Rd, Ste 300
Everett, WA 98204
www.IECofWA.org
Building Insight | March 2008
On the Campaign Trail: Election 2008
Rossi speaks with BIAW members
Olympia Master Builder First Vice President Tim
Dickey (l) and his wife take a moment to visit with
gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi (R) during the
OMB General Membership meeting. Rossi also addressed BIAW members during the Winter Board
meeting General Membership Luncheon. Rossi
emphasized BIAW members must get involved at
the grassroots level if there is going to be a change in the Governor’s mansion
in November.
Become a part of the Rossi Insider ePosse
Become a part of BIAW’s statewide grassroots organization and help get Dino Rossi
elected governor in November. Rossi Insider ePosse is a quick and easy way to stay
informed and stay connected on everything the happening with the campaign.
Join the Rossi Insider ePosse Today!
Send us your email at insider@biaw.com and become part of a
grassroots movement committed to electing Dino Rossi governor, again.
“The SEIU [Service Employees
International Union] has
not been shy about attacking
Democrats who don’t back the
union’s causes, and supporting
Republicans who do. And [state
Representative] Jacobsen
contends they are doing it with
taxpayer-funded dues.
‘We’re going to end up having
just an SEIU caucus. The only
legislators down there will be
the ones who agree with SEIU,’
said Jacobsen.”
­—article highlighting concern with what
many legislators, such as Representative Ken
Jacobsen, a Seattle Democrat and outspoken
critic of SEIU tactics in Olympia,
see as power grab by unions such as SEIU,
The Seattle Times,
March 10, 2008
2008 Northwest Builders show
Dec. 9 and 10 | Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue
The Northwest Builders Show offers extensive
opportunities for our building and remodeling
community to explore what is new in the marketplace.
The 2008 Northwest Builders Show will feature:
• National speakers
• Economic forecast and political review luncheons
• Built Green® products and seminars
• Networking opportunities at the largest regional
homebuilding show in the Northwest
sPoNsored BY:
Contact Lesley Odland, Director of Trade Show Operations at lodland@mbaks.com or (425) 278-0220.
www.NorthwestBuildersshow.com
Building Insight | March 2008
17
Claims Corner
L&I implements new vocational
rehabilitation rules in pilot project
Rules intended to reduce time-loss and costs to employers
D
uring the 2007 Legislative Session
new vocational rehabilitation rules
were adopted that became effective January
1, 2008. Intended to give workers more
choices and control over their future and
reduce time-loss and costs to employers, the
new rules are being tested in a pilot project
that will span the next five years.
The new rules are primarily related to
the last two of the four phases of vocational
services—Plan Development and Plan
Implementation. There are only a small
percentage of injured workers who make
it to these levels, but the ones who do will
have an important decision to make—a
decision that will affect their future and their
employer’s workers’ compensation rates.
The reason so few injured workers make
these final phases, which are the retraining
phase of services, is because they must
negotiate a myriad of steps to get there,
and the employer can resolve the claim by
offering light duty work during any of the
four phases.
Early Intervention
The first phase of vocational services
is Early Intervention. In this phase the
employer has the opportunity to offer
transitional light duty work. If this is not
done, either because the employer does not
make an offer or the doctor disapproves the
work, the injured worker moves into the
second phase.
Ability to Work Assessment
The Ability to Work Assessment (AWA)
is the second phase of vocational services.
The new rules strictly mandate that the
claimant has to be found to have permanent
restrictions from returning to work at the
job of injury before entering AWA. The
vocational counselor will obtain the work
history of the claimant and determine, with
the doctor, if the claimant is able to work
18
with transferable skills. If the claimant
cannot return to their prior job, the claimant
undergoes aptitude and interest testing to
determine what type of training should be
provided. If the employer doesn’t tender
a light duty return to work offer during
this phase, the claimant moves to the third
phase.
Plan Development
In Plan Development the employer is
given one last chance to make an offer
for light or modified duty work, but under
the new rules has only 15 days to do so.
Because the new rules are evolving, there is
some confusion regarding how the employer
should make the job offer during Plan
Development—any employer considering
such an offer should contact their BIAW
Claim Specialist to assist them with the new
requirements.
If the employer does not make an offer,
under the new rules the vocational counselor
and the claimant now have only 90 days to
decide on a retraining plan. The retraining
options range from skills enhancement of
transferable skills, short on-the-job training
(such as fast food worker), short certification
training (such as flagger) and one or two year
training program at a community college to
obtain an Associate of Arts degree (such as
computer assisted drafting).
Once a retaining plan has been chosen,
it is submitted to the claimants’ doctor and
the state Department of Labor & Industries
(L&I) for approval.
Plan Implementation
Approval of the retraining plan by
L&I moves the claimant to the fourth and
final phase of vocational services, Plan
Implementation.
It is in this phase the new rules have the
most impact. First, the amount of tuition
money and time to complete a retraining
plan has increased from $4,000 for tuition
and costs and one year of training (with
the possibility of a second year) to $12,000
for tuition and costs and two years of
retraining.
Second, the claimant is provided with a
“cash out” option. In the past, the claimant
would be retrained using the allotted tuition
money, while receiving time loss benefits
until the retraining was completed. Under
the new rules, this course is called Option
1. Claimants now have a second option. If
the claimant chooses Option 2, s/he receives
six months of time loss benefits in one lump
sum payment and the $12,000 of tuition
money is held in an account for up to five
years after the claim has closed to be used by
the claimant for any (approved) schooling.
These changes are intended to give the
injured worker more options for deciding
their future and contain claim costs against
employer’s accounts.
Each case is different and has to be dealt
with on its own merits. But BIAW strongly
recommends employers do whatever
possible to offer light duty work at the onset
of a claim. And remember—job offers
should be made in writing, so make sure the
claim contact person at your company has a
copy of the ROII Claim Procedure Packet
(green cover sent to all members in July
2007 and also available on line at BIAW.
com).
As always, members should contact their
BIAW Claim Specialist if they have any
questions or concerns about claim issues.
You can read more about the rules at the state
Department of Labor & Industries website
at www.improvevoc.lni.wa.gov. Building Insight | March 2008
Special insert to Building Insight
global warming
Report
global warming breathes life into SEPA
If you hear drumbeats
and the pounding of feet in the distance, it’s probably a group of enviros celebrating the revival of the State Environmental
Policy Act. Once popular as the state’s first environmental regulation, SEPA has been increasingly overshadowed by critical
areas regulations, shoreline master programs, stormwater ordinances, and zoning restrictions. It’s not that SEPA disappeared—
checklists and an occasional EIS are still required—but the SEPA process is fairly routine and manageable for the average
building project. In fact, momentum was building to limit—if not repeal—SEPA as archaic and unnecessary.
Then along came Al Gore.
Regardless of whether you believe global
warming is happening, government and
environmentalists believe it is and are
acting. Enviros are suing local, state,
and federal agencies for not considering
greenhouse gas emissions in SEPA
and NEPA reviews, and several courts
are buying the argument. Agencies
that haven’t been sued are afraid of
being targeted, so they are changing
their environmental review
documents as
quickly as they
can.
As
reported
in
Building
Insight last
month, the
Department
of Ecology
recently
announced that SEPA
already requires
developers and builders
to account for greenhouse gas
emissions. (We disagree.) In the next
few months—and without legislative
approval—Ecology will adopt new SEPA
rules on global warming and “technical
guidance” on how to measure your
project’s greenhouse gasses.
Race to Become Most Green
However drastic this seems, Ecology
isn’t leading the charge. In the frantic,
“Who-Can-Be-More-Green” contest, King
County Executive Ron Sims is elbowing
aside Ecology Director Jay Manning
by announcing plans to stop or modify
development if it contributes to global
warming. King County would be the first
local government in the nation to do so,
and it was also the first to add greenhouse
gas emissions to its SEPA checklist.
Previously, King County’s checklist had
questions relating to the project’s
air emissions—smoke, dust,
and automobile—during
construction. Now air
emissions include
a calculation of
greenhouse gasses
over the life of
the home. This
includes obtaining
construction
materials (extracting,
processing, and
transporting), fuel
used during construction,
energy consumed by the new
home, and transportation by the
new building occupants. The list is as farreaching as it is speculative.
Because it is almost impossible to attach a
number to every possible greenhouse gas
Special Insert | Global Warming Report
emission related to a project, King County
(out of the goodness of its heart) has done
the work for you. It has a worksheet that
estimates all emissions created over the
life of a project. For a single family home,
King County estimates 1562 (MTCO2e)
lifespan emissions.
Feel Good Carbon Credits
So you fill in the blank on your SEPA
checklist with 1562. Now what? For now,
nothing. But if Ron Sims has his way and
local comp plan amendments are adopted
later this year, the county will be able to
reject the project or require mitigation
based on this number. Sims’ proposed
ordinances also offer “carbon credits” for
the transfer of rural development rights
to urban areas. Basically, it’s a contrived
scheme to stop development.
While King County is in the throes of
figuring out what kind of mitigation it
is going to require for greenhouse gas
emissions, Ecology is gearing up to
draft rules on the same subject. Local
governments are watching King County’s
progress with interest, and several are
expected to mimic its work. Those not
interested in requiring greenhouse gas
calculations and mitigation will be bullied
into doing so by environmental groups
like Futurewise—it already sued Thurston
County for not considering greenhouse
gasses in determining UGA size. BIAW will
fight these efforts every step of the way.
19
the truth about global warming
a short quiz on your knowledge of global warming
What is the main cause of Global
Warming?
a) pollution from factories and
automobiles
b) orbital eccentricities of Earth and
variations in the Sun’s output
c) the Greenhouse Effect
Global Warming occurs in cycles caused
mainly by changes in the Sun’s energy output
and the sun’s relative position to the Earth.
How much Carbon dioxide (CO2) is in
Earth’s atmosphere today?
a) 10% or greater
b) 2% to 10%
c) less than 1/10th of 1%
CO2 is a small component of Earth’s
atmosphere (380 parts per million or
0.038%). Compared to former geologic
times, Earth’s atmosphere is “CO2
impoverished.” There has historically been
much more CO2 in our atmosphere than
exists today. For example:
n During the Jurassic Period, average CO2
concentrations were about 1800 ppm or
about 4.7 times higher than today.
n The Carboniferous Period and the
Ordovician Period were the only geological
periods during the Paleozoic Era when
global temperatures were as low as they
are today. To the consternation of global
warming proponents, the Late Ordovician
Period was also an Ice Age while at the
same time CO2 concentrations then were
nearly 12 times higher than today—4400
ppm.
n According to greenhouse theory, Earth
should have been exceedingly hot.
Instead, global temperatures were no
warmer than today. Clearly, other factors
besides atmospheric carbon influences
Earth’s temperatures and global warming.
Which answer below provides the best
explanation for the earth’s temperature
record?
a) Industrial pollution from factories,
power plants, and cars caused global
warming
b) Natural variations in global
temperatures may occur in roughly
500-year cycles
c) Global cooling occurred as a result of
the Renaissance Period
The primary cause of variations in global
20
temperature is due to the cycles of the Sun
and Earth’s orbit abound the Sun.
Which most accurately describes the
effects of Global Warming in the U.S.
over the last 100 years?
a) temperatures have risen > 5° C
b) temperatures have risen > 2° C
c) temperatures have risen < 1° C
Temperatures have gone through nearly
two complete cycles of warming and cooling
over the last 100 years. During the period
1900 to 1940 temperatures were increasing.
Then from 1940 to 1975 temperatures were
decreasing. Currently, temperatures are
increasing back to about where they were in
the 1930s.
Overall, the total average annual
temperature increase in the last century is so
slight the actual amount is uncertain—maybe
1/3° C.
Which of the following is not true about
an increasing greenhouse effect?
a) the consensus of scientists is that
the problem warrants drastic action
b) nighttime temperatures may increase,
but daytime temperatures will not
c) the coldest, driest regions of the planet
will warm first
n In 1989 the Union of Concerned Scientists
began to circulate a petition urging
recognition of global warming as potentially
the great danger to mankind. The petition
was signed by 700 scientists—only three or
four of the signers had any involvement in
climatology.
n Global warming supporters cite a letter
signed by 2,600 “scientists” that global
warming will have catastrophic effects
on humanity. Fewer than 10% of these
“scientists” know anything about climate
change. Among the signers: a plastic
surgeon, two landscape architects, a
hotel administrator, a gynecologist, seven
sociologists, a linguist, and a practitioner of
traditional Chinese medicine.
n Over 17,000 scientists have signed the
Global Warming Petition that “there is no
convincing scientific evidence that human
release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other
greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in
the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic
heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and
disruption of the Earth’s climate.”
The Greenhouse Effect is caused
primarily by?
a) water vapor
b) carbon dioxide
c) ozone-destroying aerosol sprays
Over 95% of the greenhouse effect is
the result of atmospheric water vapor in
Earth’s atmosphere.
True or False?
Carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants damages
forests.
False: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the principal gas that trees and other plants need to survive, just
like oxygen (O2) is the principal gas that humans and other animals require. Trees absorb CO2
and release O2— animals inhale O2 and exhale CO2. See how nice this all works!
Life as we know it could not exist without carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.
The “Greenhouse Effect” is real and contributes
to global warming.
True: The ‘greenhouse effect’ helps to moderate temperatures—especially nighttime
temperatures. Without the greenhouse effect, the average temperature of the Earth would be
0°F.
Special Insert | Global Warming Report
what is BIAW doing
to protect your business?
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Supported HB 2558 and SB 6504 to protect small projects
from new SEPA requirements—the bills passed the
legislature and were signed into law by the Governor.
How will global
warming change
SEPA?
Opposed SB 6580, a global warming bill laying the
foundation for more enviro lawsuits.
Longer SEPA checklists with
accounting for greenhouse gas
emissions
Considering legal challenge to Ecology’s climate change
rulemaking.
Fewer determinations of
nonsignificance
Submitted lengthy comments opposing Gregoire’s Climate
Action Team recommendations.
More environmental impact
statements
Filed a public records request to Ecology for all plans to
regulate global warming.
More mitigation and fees
required
Considering other legal challenges and will intervene in
global warming lawsuits filed by Futurewise and other enviro
groups.
More NIMBY appeals of
project decisions
Participating in Ecology’s climate change rulemaking
committee.
More enviro appeals of local
and state environmental
reviews
Including regular updates on global warming in the Friday
Fax and Building Insight.
Endorsing Dino Rossi for Governor.
True or False?
‘Global warming’ is a real phenomenon: the Earth’s temperature is increasing.
True: “Global Warming” is something that
has been happening for a long time. The
temperature of the earth has been increasing
more or less continuously since the time of the
cave man. Approximately 18,000 years ago
the earth began a gradual process of warming
up after more than 100,000 years of Ice Ages.
Much of North America, Europe, and Asia lay
buried beneath great sheets of glacial ice. By
about 15,000 years ago the earth had warmed
sufficiently to halt the advance of glaciers, and
sea levels worldwide began to rise. By 8,000
years ago the land bridge across the Bering
Strait was drowned, cutting off the migration of
men and animals to North America. Since the
end of the Ice Age, Earth’s temperature has
risen approximately 16 °F and sea levels have
risen a total of 300 feet! Forests have returned
where once there was only ice.
From a geological perspective, global
warming is the normal state of our accustomed
natural world. Technically, we are in an
“interglacial phase,” or between ice ages. The
question is not really if an ice age will return,
but when.
Don’t panic when you hear global alarmists
Special Insert | Global Warming Report
warning the earth may have warmed almost
1°F in the last 200 years. Although this still
hasn’t yet been proven, it is in fact exactly what
should be happening if everything is normal.
If Global Warming stops, then you can start
worrying! It means our warm interglacial phase
is over and we may be heading into another
Ice Age!
21
What Others Are Saying
the sun also sets
Investor’s Business Daily, February 7, 2008
Climate Change: Not every scientist is part of Al Gore’s mythical “consensus.” Scientists worried about a new ice
age seek funding to better observe something bigger than your SUV—the sun.
Back in 1991, before Al Gore first
shouted that the Earth was in the balance,
the Danish Meteorological Institute
released a study using data that went
back centuries that showed that global
temperatures closely tracked solar cycles.
To many, those data were convincing.
Now, Canadian scientists are seeking
additional funding for more and better
“eyes” with which to observe our sun,
which has a bigger impact on Earth’s
climate than all the tailpipes and
smokestacks on our planet combined.
And they’re worried about global
cooling, not warming.
Kenneth Tapping, a solar researcher
and project director for Canada’s National
Research Council, is among those looking
at the sun for evidence of an increase in
sunspot activity.
Solar activity fluctuates in an 11-year
cycle. But so far in this cycle, the sun
has been disturbingly quiet. The lack
of increased activity could signal the
beginning of what is known as a Maunder
Minimum, an event which occurs every
couple of centuries and can last as long as
a century.
Such an event occurred in the 17th
century. The observation of sunspots
showed extraordinarily low levels of
magnetism on the sun, with little or no
11-year cycle.
This solar hibernation corresponded
with a period of bitter cold that began
around 1650 and lasted, with intermittent
spikes of warming, until 1715. Frigid
winters and cold summers during that
period led to massive crop failures, famine
and death in Northern Europe.
Tapping reports no change in the sun’s
magnetic field so far this cycle and warns
that if the sun remains quiet for another
year or two, it may indicate a repeat of
that period of drastic cooling of the Earth,
bringing massive snowfall and severe
weather to the Northern Hemisphere.
Tapping oversees the operation of a
60-year-old radio telescope that he calls a
22
“stethoscope for the sun.” But he and his
colleagues need better equipment.
In Canada, where radio-telescopic
monitoring of the sun has been conducted
since the end of World War II, a new
instrument, the next-generation solar
flux monitor, could measure the sun’s
emissions more rapidly and accurately.
As we have noted many times, perhaps
the biggest impact on the Earth’s climate
Did you know...?
The world’s
natural
wetlands
produce more
greenhouse gas
contributions
annually than all
human sources
combined.
over time has been the sun.
For instance, researchers at the Max
Planck Institute for Solar Research in
Germany report the sun has been burning
more brightly over the last 60 years,
accounting for the 1 degree Celsius
increase in Earth’s temperature over the
last 100 years.
R. Timothy Patterson, professor of
geology and director of the OttawaCarleton Geoscience Center of Canada’s
Carleton University, says that “CO2
variations show little correlation with our
planet’s climate on long, medium and even
short time scales.”
Rather, he says, “I and the first-class
scientists I work with are consistently
finding excellent correlations between the
regular fluctuations of the sun and earthly
climate. This is not surprising. The sun
and the stars are the ultimate source of
energy on this planet.”
Patterson, sharing Tapping’s concern,
says: “Solar scientists predict that, by
2020, the sun will be starting into its
weakest Schwabe cycle of the past two
centuries, likely leading to unusually cool
conditions on Earth.”
“Solar activity has overpowered any
effect that CO2 has had before, and
it most likely will again,” Patterson
says. “If we were to have even a
medium-sized solar minimum, we
could be looking at a lot more bad effects
than ‘global warming’ would have had.”
In 2005, Russian astronomer
Khabibullo Abdusamatov made some
waves — and not a few enemies in the
global warming “community” — by
predicting that the sun would reach a peak
of activity about three years from now, to
be accompanied by “dramatic changes” in
temperatures.
A Hoover Institution Study a few years
back examined historical data and came to
a similar conclusion.
“The effects of solar activity and
volcanoes are impossible to miss.
Temperatures fluctuated exactly as
expected, and the pattern was so clear that,
statistically, the odds of the correlation
existing by chance were one in 100,”
according to Hoover fellow Bruce
Berkowitz.
The study says that “try as we might,
we simply could not find any relationship
between industrial activity, energy
consumption and changes in global
temperatures.”
The study concludes that if you shut
down all the world’s power plants and
factories, “there would not be much effect
on temperatures.”
But if the sun shuts down, we’ve got a
problem. It is the sun, not the Earth, that’s
hanging in the balance.
Special Insert | Global Warming Report
Residential Building Permits Issued
December 2007 & January 2008 (in units)
DECEMBER 2007
Single Multi-
Family
Family
JANUARY 2008
Total
Dec. 2007
YTD
TOTALS
2007
Total
Dec.
2006
YTD
TOTALS
2006
Single Multi-
Family Family
Jan. 2008
Jan.
2007
BENTON
19
0
19
574
31
826
BENTON
24
0
24
44
CHELAN
7
0
7
321
28
391
CHELAN
7
0
7
18
CLALLAM
5
0
5
215
18
290
CLALLAM
7
0
7
17
CLARK
88
126
214
2,350
142
2,990
CLARK
68
8
76
184
COLUMBIA
0
0
0
5
0
4
COLUMBIA
0
0
0
0
COWLITZ
28
0
28
422
34
491
COWLITZ
13
0
13
26
DOUGLAS
3
0
3
478
31
339
DOUGLAS
15
2
17
13
FRANKLIN
23
0
23
567
56
1,034
FRANKLIN
29
0
29
60
GARFIELD
0
0
0
3
0
1
GARFIELD
0
0
0
0
GR. HARBOR
11
0
11
172
9
181
GR. HARBOR
9
0
9
6
ISLAND
13
0
13
338
24
509
ISLAND
14
0
14
26
JEFFERSON
7
0
7
212
12
224
JEFFERSON
4
0
4
17
KING
267
532
799
15,472
1,102
14,227
KING
278
495
773
1,718
KITSAP
35
6
41
1,079
68
1,023
KITSAP
45
0
45
63
KITTITAS
9
0
9
313
16
364
KITTITAS
17
0
17
18
LEWIS
9
0
9
508
28
576
LEWIS
16
0
16
47
MASON
12
2
14
414
25
517
MASON
14
0
14
26
OKANOGAN
6
0
6
179
3
227
OKANOGAN
6
0
6
4
PACIFIC
0
0
0
4
0
6
PACIFIC
0
0
0
1
PEND OREILLE
0
0
0
9
0
2
PEND OREILLE
0
0
0
0
PIERCE
162
198
364
5,128
279
6,159
PIERCE
174
59
233
388
SAN JUAN
5
0
5
158
12
185
SAN JUAN
14
0
14
11
SKAGIT
31
6
37
672
23
736
SKAGIT
30
15
45
40
SKAMANIA
2
0
2
82
6
123
SKAMANIA
3
0
3
11
SNOHOMISH
131
90
221
4,860
355
5,662
SNOHOMISH
189
83
272
484
SPOKANE
38
8
46
1,819
122
2,830
SPOKANE
33
7
40
320
STEVENS
0
0
0
19
1
16
STEVENS
1
0
1
0
THURSTON
35
0
35
2,125
89
2,995
THURSTON
73
2
75
294
WHATCOM
19
16
35
952
83
1,027
WHATCOM
13
16
29
137
WHITMAN
0
2
2
276
6
325
WHITMAN
2
10
12
2
YAKIMA
24
0
24
33
16
310
YAKIMA
12
0
12
18
WASHINGTON STATE*
989
990
1,979
40,059
2,628
44,590
WASHINGTON STATE*
1,110
807
1,807
3,993
*Only counties reported are represented in state totals.
Building Insight | March 2008
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
23
or
f
k
s
a
Leonard
Terzenbach
2008 BIAW Officers
President......................................Brad Spears
1st Vice President..................... Kyle LaPierre
Treasurer............................Matthew Clarkson
2nd Vice President............. Linda Mosier-Vaudt
Secretary......................................Julie Bacon
Imm. Past PresidentDaimon Doyle, GMB, CAPS
Exec. Vice President.................... Tom McCabe
Building Industry Association of Washington
P.O. Box 1909 • Olympia, WA 98507
Ph. (360) 352-7800 • Fax (360) 352-7801
Toll Free: (800) 228-4229 • BIAW.com
email: tomm@biaw.com
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Standard
U.S. Postage
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