H-4095.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2428
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State of Washington 54th Legislature 1996 Regular Session
By Representative Pennington
Read first time 01/10/96. Referred to Committee on Natural Resources.
AN ACT Relating to the watershed coordinating council; and amending 1994 c 239 s 3 (uncodified).
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. 1994 c 239 s 3 (uncodified) is amended to read as follows:
(1) The watershed coordinating council is hereby established. The council shall be comprised of the commissioner of public lands or the commissioner's designee and the director or the director's designee or the secretary or the secretary's designee of the following agencies: The department of transportation, the department of agriculture, the department of ecology, the department of fish and wildlife, the department of health, the department of community, trade, and economic development, the interagency committee for outdoor recreation, the Puget Sound water quality authority, and the conservation commission. The members of the council shall coordinate their watershed planning and implementation activities. Meetings of the council shall be subject to the provisions of the open public meetings act.
(2) In conjunction with the council's efforts, the commissioner of public lands shall continue to coordinate the department of natural resources' landscape planning and implementation activities with landowners and other interested parties.
(3) The council shall coordinate its activities set forth in section 4 of this act with federal, tribal, and local governments.
(4)(a) By July 1, 1996, the watershed coordinating council shall implement a pilot project to coordinate watershed restoration activities in at least four watersheds within the state. The council shall select the pilot watershed areas based on local willingness to participate in the pilot program and on other relevant factors as determined by the council.
(b) State agencies participating in the council shall form interagency teams in each selected watershed. The teams shall work with local agencies, volunteers, nonprofit organizations, and any other interested party or entity to coordinate and expedite watershed restoration and management activities within the pilot area. In implementing the pilot programs, the interagency teams shall cooperate fully with local entities to:
(i) Establish a watershed restoration information bank to facilitate volunteer participation and to consolidate existing watershed data;
(ii) Provide training for volunteers as necessary through the Washington State University cooperative extension service;
(iii) Establish a prioritized list of watershed restoration activities to be developed after an examination of watershed needs and resources; and
(iv) Establish an ongoing organizational framework to implement and monitor restoration activities.
(c) The interagency teams shall consolidate and expedite permit requirements necessary for projects identified as a result of this section and take all possible steps to identify and resolve any policy conflicts that may exist between participating agencies.
(d) The watershed coordinating council shall submit a report to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature before June 30, 1997. The report shall evaluate the pilot program and make recommendations to the legislature to further consolidate and enhance state agency delivery of services for local watershed restoration.
(5) The directors of the departments of agriculture, fish and wildlife, and ecology and the commissioner of public lands shall organize meetings of the council and shall cooperatively ensure a reasonable level of staff support for the council and for the task force established in section 5 of this act.
(((5)))
(6) The watershed coordinating council shall expire on June 30, 1997.
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