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                       ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5728

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State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1992 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Environment & Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Senators Amondson, Vognild, Owen, Bauer, Stratton, McCaslin, West and Johnson)

Read first time 02/04/92.Requiring that threshold determination must be completed within fifteen to thirty days.

     AN ACT Relating to the state environmental policy act; adding a new section to chapter 43.21C RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.      The legislature recognizes that land use decisions have been delayed because threshold determinations are not being completed within a reasonable time, after being postponed for months beyond the recommended state agency fifteen-day guideline.  The effect has been unreasonable and costly delays for land use decisions.  To correct his problem, the legislature recognizes the need for a definite time limit for making threshold determinations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 43.21C RCW to read as follows:

     A threshold determination shall be completed within fifteen days if possible, but under no circumstance shall take longer than sixty days unless the applicant consents to an extension.  If no agency decision has occurred after sixty days, a declaration of nonsignificance shall automatically be issued, not subject to administrative, legal, or other appeals.