H-3661.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2741
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 53rd Legislature 1994 Regular Session
By Representatives Linville, Pruitt, King, Rust, Valle, R. Johnson, Roland, Rayburn, R. Meyers, J. Kohl, Kremen, L. Johnson and Karahalios
Read first time 01/21/94. Referred to Committee on Natural Resources & Parks.
AN ACT Relating to coordinated, watershed-based natural resource planning; and creating new sections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that:
(1) Comprehensive planning for the management of natural resources on a watershed basis is desirable because it has the potential to address multiple concerns in an integrated and efficient manner;
(2) Implementation of watershed-based planning can be complicated by multiple land ownerships, different management missions and objectives, different ways of collecting information, and legal constraints such as federal and state antitrust statutes;
(3) Many different entities, including federal, state and local governments and tribes and landowners, are already conducting watershed-based planning, research, and monitoring programs;
(4) It is critically important to ensure the efficient use of scarce financial resources by avoiding overlap and duplication of effort among watershed-based planning efforts;
(5) There exists a compelling need for coordination of these various watershed-based planning efforts and for a consistent process for collecting and sharing information and data among all interested parties; and
(6) There also exists a compelling need to identify regional natural resource goals and objectives as a clear direction for future planning efforts.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) State agencies involved in watershed-based natural resource planning efforts shall coordinate their planning processes. These cooperating state agencies shall include, but not be limited to, the departments of natural resources, agriculture, ecology, fish and wildlife, and community, trade, and economic development; the Puget Sound water quality authority; and the office of the governor. These agencies are encouraged to meet as a group and to include at those meetings representatives of federal agencies, local governments, tribes, private landowners, environmental groups, and other interested parties.
(2) The commissioner of public lands shall coordinate discussions of watershed-based natural resource planning among these various parties. The department of natural resources will provide a reasonable level of staff support for the work of the group.
(3) On or before December 15, 1994, the department of natural resources shall report to the legislature on behalf of the cooperating state agencies and other involved parties. At a minimum this report shall include:
(a) Identification of barriers to coordination and cooperation in watershed-based planning and management of natural resources;
(b) Recommendations on the collection, storage, and maintenance of information in watershed level analysis, planning, monitoring, and research programs. These recommendations could lead to the establishment of protocols governing data collection and information exchange;
(c) Identification of actual and potential overlap and duplication of effort in watershed-based natural resource planning efforts;
(d) Identification of gaps of coverage in existing and proposed watershed planning projects;
(e) Examination of the possible establishment of a central depository and of a process for periodically updating and distributing information on watershed-based natural resource planning efforts;
(f) Identification of regional results-oriented natural resource management goals and objectives to be submitted to the legislature for possible adoption as state policy; and
(g) Recommendations on how to support local integrated watershed management plans and implementation strategies within the context of regional goals and objectives.
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