_______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 5544
_______________________________________________
AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
Passed Legislature - 1995 Regular Session
State of Washington 54th Legislature 1995
Regular Session
By
Read first time 01/26/95. Referred to Committee
on Natural Resources.
Concerning the leasing of state
shoreline for the exploration of oil or gas.
AN ACT Relating to
ocean resources; and amending RCW 43.143.010.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF
WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 43.143.010 and 1989
1st ex.s. c 2 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The purpose of this
chapter is to articulate policies and establish guidelines for the exercise of
state and local management authority over Washington's coastal waters, seabed,
and shorelines.
(2) There shall be no
leasing of Washington's tidal or submerged lands extending from mean high tide
seaward three miles along the Washington coast from Cape Flattery south to Cape
Disappointment, nor in Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and the Columbia river
downstream from the Longview bridge, for purposes of oil or gas exploration,
development, or production until at least July 1, ((1995)) 2000.
During the ((1995)) 2000 legislative session, the legislature
shall determine whether the moratorium on leasing should be extended past July
1, ((1995)) 2000. This determination shall be based on the
information available at that time, including the analysis described in RCW 43.143.040.
If the legislature does not extend the moratorium on leasing, the moratorium
will end on July 1, ((1995)) 2000. At any time that oil or gas
leasing, exploration, and development are allowed to occur, these activities
shall be required to meet or exceed the standards and criteria contained in RCW
43.143.030.
(3) When conflicts
arise among uses and activities, priority shall be given to resource uses and
activities that will not adversely impact renewable resources over uses which
are likely to have an adverse impact on renewable resources.
(4) It is the policy of
the state of Washington to actively encourage the conservation of liquid fossil
fuels, and to explore available methods of encouraging such conservation.
(5) It is not currently
the intent of the legislature to include recreational uses or currently
existing commercial uses involving fishing or other renewable marine or ocean
resources within the uses and activities which must meet the planning and
review criteria set forth in RCW 43.143.030. It is not the intent of the
legislature, however, to permanently exclude these uses from the requirements
of RCW 43.143.030. If information becomes available which indicates that such
uses should reasonably be covered by the requirements of RCW 43.143.030, the
permitting government or agency may require compliance with those requirements,
and appeals of that decision shall be handled through the established appeals
procedure for that permit or approval.
(6) The
state shall participate in federal ocean and marine resource decisions to the
fullest extent possible to ensure that the decisions are consistent with the
state's policy concerning the use of those resources.
