FINAL BILL REPORT

2SSB 6578

C 162 L 10

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Concerning the creation of optional multiagency permitting teams.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Swecker, Jacobsen, Kastama, Pflug, Becker and Fraser).

Senate Committee on Economic Development, Trade & Innovation

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

House Committee on Ways & Means

Background: The Washington State Office of Regulatory Assistance (ORA) was created in the Office of Financial Management in 2003. ORA helps answer permitting questions, provides access to information about state regulations, and assists with coordinating between the layers of state, local, and federal permit review. The ORA provides a variety of services, including acting as the central point of contact and coordination, conducting project scoping, and assisting in conflict resolution. The ORA assists local jurisdictions with their local project review requirements. Project proponents may request designation as a fully-coordinated project. The ORA may enter into cost-reimbursement agreements with project proponents.

Summary: ORA is to develop an optional multiagency permitting team for coordinated permitting and integrated regulatory decision-making. The team is to start its work in the Puget Sound basin. With the exception of some initial costs, the expenses of the team are to be recovered through cost-reimbursement and cost-sharing. The Director of ORA is authorized to solicit funds to cover initial or non-recoverable costs. An account for solicited funds is created.

The team is to be staffed by personnel from the departments of Ecology, Fish and Wildlife, and Natural Resources, and managed through a team leader from ORA. The team leader is to:

• develop coordinated permitting and integrated decision-making services;

• develop funding agreements;

• conduct outreach and advertising;

• develop partnerships with organizations that can join the team on a project-by-project basis;

• implement dispute resolution protocols; and

• use virtual tools to support the work of the team.

The core services of the team are to include:

• a preapplication coordination service;

• permit advisory and coordination services;

• an integrated, unified decision-making service; and

• a mitigation coordination service.

The team is to target:

• environmental clean-up, restoration, and enhancement projects;

• large scale development projects;

• aquaculture and complex aquatic resources permit application projects; and

• energy, power generation, and utility projects.

Votes on Final Passage: