As we reported last week, a large coalition of statewide environmental groups, the Environmental Priorities Coalition, has scaled back its legislative priorities for 2010. Goal No. 1: Preserve funding for existing environmental programs while restoring money for some of the programs, like the Water Quality Account and the Model Toxics Control Act, that the legislature slashed last year. Judging from the second-round budget Gov. Chris Gregoire released earlier this week, however, even that modest goal may be out of reach.

After unveiling an "all-cuts" budget that would fill the state's $2.6 billion budget shortfall by slashing state programs like children's health care, all-day kindergarten, and $18 million in environmental programs, Gregoire released a second budget this week that includes $779 million in so-called "buybacks"—programs that would be restored through a combination of federal money and new state taxes. However, those buybacks do not restore a single environmental program.

The cuts are in keeping with predictions that the left's agenda in Olympia this year would be more blue (jobs and labor) than green (environmental protections).

"We already took disproportionate cuts to our programs last year," says Cliff Traisman, the Olympia lobbyist for the Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters. "At some point, the well's going to run dry."

In addition to pushing for environmental programs to be included in the governor's list of "buybacks," the environmental coalition is seeking a fee on petroleum companies to help pay for clean-water protection projects. "We're in a fight for our lives in trying to generate revenue" to pay for environmental programs, Traisman says. He calls Gregoire's latest budget "yet another indicator that we need to sharpen our message about the importance of having environmental protection as the foundation of a strong economy."

A list of some of the environmental programs being cut in Gregoire's budget is below the jump.

Hazardous Waste Cleanup, Department of Ecology:  $500,000

Solid Waste Cleanup, Department of Ecology:  $273,000

Funding to prevent long-term storage of mercury, Department of Ecology: $300,000

Toxic Cleanup, Department of Ecology:  $2,900,000

Air Quality Activities, Department of Ecology:  $300,000

Water Quality Cleanups, Department of Ecology:  $204,000

Water Quality Monitoring, Department of Ecology:  $200,000

Environmental Health Programs, Department of Health:  $500,000

Aquatic Lands Habitat Conservation Plan: $ 1,000,000

Water Supply Activities, Department of Ecology:  $354,000

Local Watershed Planning Assistance, Department of Ecology:  $5,309,000

Water Resources activities, Department of Ecology:  $1,044,000

Natural Heritage Program, Department of Natural Resource:  $318,000

Wildlife disease monitoring and scientific assistance for salmon recovery, Department of Fish and Wildlife:  $370,000

Salmon recovery data coordination and Biodiversity Council, Recreation and Conservation Office Funding Board:  $160,000