FINAL BILL REPORT

HB 1102

C 187 L 03

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Revising the provision for exchange agreements for environmental mitigation sites.

Sponsors: By Representatives Murray, Ericksen, Rockefeller, Wood and Mielke.

House Committee on Transportation

Senate Committee on Highways & Transportation

Background:

Through local, state, and federal permitting processes, the Department of Transportation (Department) is required to conduct ecological restoration and enhancement activities to compensate for transportation activity impacts to environmentally sensitive areas. The Department often purchases properties for mitigation sites. Because some sites are distant from the highway right of way, site maintenance can be more difficult, and it is both beneficial and useful to have these properties managed by parties charged with land management.

In 2002 legislation authorized the Department to convey properties which serve as environmental mitigation sites as consideration for those agencies or groups assuming maintenance obligations required to maintain the site in perpetuity. These conveyances may be to governmental agencies, tribal governments, or private nonprofit groups incorporated in this state that are organized for environmental conservation purposes. This definition inadvertently excluded large conservancy organizations that are incorporated elsewhere.

Summary:

For consistency in statute, a change is made among those parties to whom the Department may convey environmental mitigation sites. The term referring to groups organized for environmental conservation purposes is changed to "nature conservancy corporations" as defined elsewhere in statute.

A conveyance is permitted to be by any form of conveyance, not just a quit claim deed.

Votes on Final Passage:

House 93  0

Senate 46  3    (Senate amended)

House 96  0    (House concurred)

Effective: July 27, 2003