SENATE BILL REPORT

                            SB 5424

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, FEBRUARY 19, 1993

Brief Description:  Exempting site exploration from shorelines management regulation.

SPONSORS: Senators Loveland and Fraser; by request of Department of Transportation

SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

Majority Report:  Do pass. 

     Signed by Senators Owen, Chairman; Hargrove, Vice Chairman; Franklin, Haugen, Oke, Sellar, Snyder, and Spanel.

Staff:  Vic Moon (786‑7469)

Hearing Dates: February 17, 1993; February 19, 1993

BACKGROUND:

The Department of Transportation must obtain a shoreline permit when planning and designing transportation projects within shoreline areas.  The permit process can take up to six months or more to authorize exploratory activity for information necessary to plan such things as bridges and road foundations.  The department needs information on soil composition in order to design the footings for bridges.  The exploratory activity has a minor shoreline impact, and when the project is fully developed, a shoreline permit must be obtained prior to construction.  An exemption for public and private geotechnical surveys would assist in development of data for the final permit which would be obtained before construction of any project.

SUMMARY:

Geotechnical exploration activity within shoreline areas of the state is exempt as a substantial development and does not require a permit if the exploration activity does not:  (1) interfere materially with normal public use of water surfaces, (2) materially injure the state shorelines, (3) violate water quality standards, and (4) create a public nuisance. 

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  requested

TESTIMONY FOR:

The proposal has been worked out with the Department of Ecology and would not have any negative impacts.  It would save time and costs -- about $1 million a year could be saved through more timely permitting.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Bernie Chaplin, Department of Transportation; Rod Mack, Department of Ecology; Karen Larkin, City of Tacoma; Eric Berger, County Road Administration Board