PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
Subject of Possible Rule Making: Amend Title 222 WAC, Forest practices, related to a small forest landowner option to receive permits effective for a longer term than is currently allowed and specifying content requirements and processing steps of long-term plans.
Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 76.09.040.
Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: This would provide management flexibility to small forest landowners in the timing of their forest practices activities, as well as certainty for continued public resource protection.
Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: No other agencies regulate forest practices permits or the effective time periods of forest practices permits.
Process for Developing New Rule: The board will request input from interested stakeholders to develop rule language. Also, prior to filing the CR-102 proposed rule making for public review, the board will also solicit input from the counties of the state and the Washington department of fish and wildlife per RCW 76.09.040(2), and also the department of ecology and tribes.
Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by commenting to Patricia Anderson, Forest Practices Board Rules Coordinator, Department of Natural Resources, Forest Practices Division, 1111 Washington Street S.E., 4th Floor, P.O. Box 47012, Olympia, WA 98504-7012, fax (360) 902-1428, e-mail forestpracticesboard@wadnr.gov.
Pat McElroy
Chair