This evening the State of Washington’s Senate passed SB 1721 (36 Y, 12 N) which will ban coal pavement sealants for use throughout the State. This will require concurrence with the House of Representatives, but it a similar bill has passed both the House and the Senate. The United States’ first statewide ban of coal tar pavement sealants is close!
In its current form, the law would have the following effective dates:
After January 1, 2012, no person may sell at wholesale or retail a coal tar pavement product that is labeled as containing coal tar.After July 1, 2013, a person may not apply a coal tar pavement product on a driveway or parking area.
The makeup of the Senate is 27 Democrats and 22 Republicans. This would mean nearly half the Republicans supported this measure.