SB 6070 -
By Committee on General Government Appropriations
ADOPTED AND ENGROSSED 4/14/09
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 79.140
RCW under the subchapter heading "special provisions and leases" to
read as follows:
(1)(a) The legislature finds and declares that an extraordinary
volume of material washed down onto beds of navigable waters and
shorelands in the Toutle river, Coweeman river, and portions of the
Cowlitz river following the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.
(b) The legislature further finds that the owners of private lands
located near the impacted rivers were authorized to sell, transfer, or
otherwise dispose of any dredge spoils removed from the river between
the years of 1980 and 1995 without the necessity of any charge by the
department.
(c) The legislature further finds that the dredging activities
following the eruption of Mount St. Helens are no longer adequate to
protect engineered structures on the affected rivers or the public
health and safety of the communities located in proximity to the
affected rivers. Future river dredging will be necessary as part of
managing the post-eruption state of the rivers, and with the
commencement of new dredging activities, the underlying conditions
leading to the previous authority for private landowners to dispose of
the dredged materials without the necessity of any charge by the
department are replicated.
(d) The legislature further finds that just as between the years of
1980 and 1995, the dredge spoils placed upon adjacent publicly and
privately owned property in the affected areas, if further disposed,
will be of nominal value to the state and that it is in the best
interests of the state to allow further disposal without charge.
(2)(a) All dredge spoil or materials removed from the state-owned
beds and shores of the Toutle river, Coweeman river, and that portion
of the Cowlitz river from two miles above the confluence of the Toutle
river to its mouth deposited on adjacent public and private lands prior
to January 1, 2009, as a result of dredging the affected rivers for
navigation and flood control purposes may be sold, transferred, or
otherwise disposed of by owners of the lands without the necessity of
any charge by the department and free and clear of any interest of the
department.
(b) All dredge spoil or materials removed from the state-owned beds
and shores of the Toutle river, Coweeman river, and that portion of the
Cowlitz river from two miles above the confluence of the Toutle river
to its mouth deposited on adjacent public and private lands after
January 1, 2009, but before December 31, 2017, as a result of dredging
the affected rivers for navigation and flood control purposes may be
sold, transferred, or otherwise disposed of by owners of the lands
without the necessity of any charge by the department and free and
clear of any interest of the department if the land in question was not
used as a source for commercially sold materials prior to January 1,
2009. If the land in question was used as a source for commercially
sold materials prior to January 1, 2009, the dredge spoils may be used
without the necessity of any charge by the department. However, any
sale of the materials would not be exempt from charges by the
department consistent with this title.
(3)(a) Prior to selling or otherwise using any materials under this
section for commercial purposes, written notification must be provided
by the owners of the lands to the department outlining the type and
amount of material that is planned to be sold or otherwise used.
(b) The department shall report to the appropriate committees of
the legislature each biennium through the end of the 2015-2017 biennium
a summary of any notifications received under (a) of this subsection.
The report must include a determination of whether any revenue that
would otherwise accrue to the state has been diverted by the provisions
of this section and a summation of the diverted amount for the previous
biennium. The initial report is due by January 2, 2012, with
subsequent reports due by January 2nd of each even-numbered year.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 RCW 79.140.120 is decodified."
Correct the title.