ISRI’s Pacific Northwest (PNW) Chapter held its 2024 lobby day and winter meeting on Thursday, Jan. 18 in Olympia, Washington. Holly Chisa, PNW’s Chapter’s lobbyist, organized a day with a full agenda that provided ISRI members with several opportunities to actively engage with elected officials and set the stage for future direct communication.
Members met with several state representatives and senators, including Representative Cindy Ryu, the sponsor of HB 2153. HB 2153 requires all purchasers of catalytic converters to be licensed and subject to regulation and inspection. The bill also requires permanent marking of catalytic converters for the purpose of identifying the originating vehicle. The chapter testified in support of the legislation at its initial hearing before the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee. Members also met with Senator Jeff Wilson, who is sponsoring SB 5740 and SB 5844. SB 5740 addresses catalytic converter regulations, while SB 5844 creates a dilapidated recreational vehicle disposal program.
Left to Right: Sean Daoud of PNW Metal Recycling, Tony Belot of Radius Recycling, Representative Cindy Ryu, and Riley Sweeney of ABC Recycling
After the lobby day, members convened for their Winter Chapter meeting, during which ISRI staff member Kristen Hildreth delivered an update on policy trends at the state, federal and international level. Hildreth also provided a brief overview of ISRI’s Workforce tools, including the Workforce Management resources and the Sustainability Pathways Program, and how members could actively participate with and benefit from these resources.
During the Chapter meeting, Jim Gallas of PNW Metal Recycling was awarded the Legend Award, honoring him for his commitment to the recycled materials industry. The chapter also held its 2024-2025 leadership elections, and selected Leah Glucoft of BladeCore and ShearCore as president, Amber Schultz of Pacific Recycling as vice president, Tony Belot of Radius Recycling as treasurer and Dan Lundquist of RyPac Aluminum as secretary. In addition, the following members were elected to the PNW board: Jacqueline Lotzkar of Pacific Metals International, Ryan Glant of Pacific Iron & Metal, Sean Daoud of PNW Metal Recycling, Mike Yochlowitz of ABC Recycling, and Peter Van Houten of Bob’s Metals.
Left to Right: Sean Daoud of PNW Metal Recycling, Tony Belot of Radius Recycling, Chapter Lobbyist Holly Chisa, Senator Jeff Wilson, and Riley Sweeney of ABC Recycling
As Washington advances through its legislative session, the chapter is committed to monitoring a range of bills. ISRI supports chapter lobbying efforts, including tracking specific bills in each state. For detailed information on the specific bills that ISRI is actively tracking in each state, we encourage you to explore ISRI’s State Resources and Tracking webpages. These pages are designed to keep users well-informed about legislation that directly impacts recyclers, providing updates categorized by state or specific issue areas.
