AN ACT Relating to floating aquaculture; amending RCW 34.04.150, 90.58.030, and 90.58.180; adding a new section to chapter 90.58 RCW; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. Section 15, chapter 234, Laws of 1959 as last amended by section 8, chapter 141, Laws of 1984 and RCW 34.04.150 are each amended to read as follows:

Except as provided under RCW 34.04.290, this chapter shall not apply to the state militia, or the board of prison terms and paroles, or any institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.19.020. The provisions of RCW 34.04.090 through 34.04.130 shall not apply to the board of industrial insurance appeals or the board of tax appeals unless an election is made pursuant to RCW 82.03.140 or 82.03.190. The provisions of RCW 34.04.090 through 34.04.130 and the provisions of RCW 34.04.170 shall not apply to the denial, suspension, or revocation of a driver's license by the department of licensing. To the extent they are inconsistent with RCW 80.50.140, the provisions of RCW 34.04.130, 34.04.133, and 34.04.140 shall not apply to review of decisions made under RCW 80.50.100. To the extent they are inconsistent with any provisions of chapter 43.43 RCW, the provisions of this chapter shall not apply to such provisions. To the extent they are inconsistent with RCW 90.58.180(3), the provisions of RCW 34.04.090, 34.04.100, and 34.04.105 do not apply to the review by the shorelines hearings board of the granting or denying and remanding of a permit for floating aquaculture along the shorelines of the state. All other agencies, whether or not formerly specifically excluded from the provisions of all or any part of the administrative procedure act, shall be subject to the entire act.

Sec. 2. Section 3, chapter 286, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 1, chapter 474, Laws of 1987 and RCW 90.58.030 are each amended to read as follows:

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, the following definitions and concepts apply:

(1) Administration:

(a) "Department" means the department of ecology;

(b) "Director" means the director of the department of ecology;

(c) "Local government" means any county, incorporated city, or town which contains within its boundaries any lands or waters subject to this chapter;

(d) "Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation, association, organization, cooperative, public or municipal corporation, or agency of the state or local governmental unit however designated;

(e) "Hearing board" means the shoreline hearings board established by this chapter.

(2) Geographical:

(a) "Extreme low tide" means the lowest line on the land reached by a receding tide;

(b) "Ordinary high water mark" on all lakes, streams, and tidal water is that mark that will be found by examining the bed and banks and ascertaining where the presence and action of waters are so common and usual, and so long continued in all ordinary years, as to mark upon the soil a character distinct from that of the abutting upland, in respect to vegetation as that condition exists on June 1, 1971, as it may naturally change thereafter, or as it may change thereafter in accordance with permits issued by a local government or the department: PROVIDED, That in any area where the ordinary high water mark cannot be found, the ordinary high water mark adjoining salt water shall be the line of mean higher high tide and the ordinary high water mark adjoining fresh water shall be the line of mean high water;

(c) "Shorelines of the state" are the total of all "shorelines" and "shorelines of state-wide significance" within the state;

(d) "Shorelines" means all of the water areas of the state, including reservoirs, and their associated wetlands, together with the lands underlying them; except (i) shorelines of state-wide significance; (ii) shorelines on segments of streams upstream of a point where the mean annual flow is twenty cubic feet per second or less and the wetlands associated with such upstream segments; and (iii) shorelines on lakes less than twenty acres in size and wetlands associated with such small lakes;

(e) "Shorelines of state-wide significance" means the following shorelines of the state:

(i) The area between the ordinary high water mark and the western boundary of the state from Cape Disappointment on the south to Cape Flattery on the north, including harbors, bays, estuaries, and inlets;

(ii) Those areas of Puget Sound and adjacent salt waters and the Strait of Juan de Fuca between the ordinary high water mark and the line of extreme low tide as follows:

(A) Nisqually Delta‑-from DeWolf Bight to Tatsolo Point,

(B) Birch Bay‑-from Point Whitehorn to Birch Point,

(D) Skagit Bay and adjacent area‑-from Brown Point to Yokeko Point, and

(E) Padilla Bay‑-from March Point to William Point;

(iii) Those areas of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca and adjacent salt waters north to the Canadian line and lying seaward from the line of extreme low tide;

(iv) Those lakes, whether natural, artificial, or a combination thereof, with a surface acreage of one thousand acres or more measured at the ordinary high water mark;

(v) Those natural rivers or segments thereof as follows:

(A) Any west of the crest of the Cascade range downstream of a point where the mean annual flow is measured at one thousand cubic feet per second or more,

(B) Any east of the crest of the Cascade range downstream of a point where the annual flow is measured at two hundred cubic feet per second or more, or those portions of rivers east of the crest of the Cascade range downstream from the first three hundred square miles of drainage area, whichever is longer;

(vi) Those wetlands associated with (i), (ii), (iv), and (v) of this subsection (2)(e);

(f) "Wetlands" or "wetland areas" means those lands extending landward for two hundred feet in all directions as measured on a horizontal plane from the ordinary high water mark; floodways and contiguous floodplain areas landward two hundred feet from such floodways; and all marshes, bogs, swamps, and river deltas associated with the streams, lakes, and tidal waters which are subject to the provisions of this chapter; the same to be designated as to location by the department of ecology: PROVIDED, That any county or city may determine that portion of a one-hundred-year-flood plain to be included in its master program as long as such portion includes, as a minimum, the floodway and the adjacent land extending landward two hundred feet therefrom;

(g) "Floodway" means those portions of the area of a river valley lying streamward from the outer limits of a watercourse upon which flood waters are carried during periods of flooding that occur with reasonable regularity, although not necessarily annually, said floodway being identified, under normal condition, by changes in surface soil conditions or changes in types or quality of vegetative ground cover condition. The floodway shall not include those lands that can reasonably be expected to be protected from flood waters by flood control devices maintained by or maintained under license from the federal government, the state, or a political subdivision of the state.

(3) Procedural terms:

(a) "Guidelines" means those standards adopted to implement the policy of this chapter for regulation of use of the shorelines of the state prior to adoption of master programs. Such standards shall also provide criteria to local governments and the department in developing master programs;

(b) "Master program" shall mean the comprehensive use plan for a described area, and the use regulations together with maps, diagrams, charts, or other descriptive material and text, a statement of desired goals, and standards developed in accordance with the policies enunciated in RCW 90.58.020;

(c) "State master program" is the cumulative total of all master programs approved or adopted by the department of ecology;

(d) "Development" means a use consisting of the construction or exterior alteration of structures; dredging; drilling; dumping; filling; removal of any sand, gravel, or minerals; bulkheading; driving of piling; placing of obstructions; or any project of a permanent or temporary nature which interferes with the normal public use of the surface of the waters overlying lands subject to this chapter at any state of water level;

(e) "Substantial development" shall mean any development of which the total cost or fair market value exceeds two thousand five hundred dollars, or any development which materially interferes with the normal public use of the water or shorelines of the state; except that the following shall not be considered substantial developments for the purpose of this chapter:

(i) Normal maintenance or repair of existing structures or developments, including damage by accident, fire, or elements;

(ii) Construction of the normal protective bulkhead common to single family residences;

(iii) Emergency construction necessary to protect property from damage by the elements;

(iv) Construction and practices normal or necessary for farming, irrigation, and ranching activities, including agricultural service roads and utilities on wetlands, and the construction and maintenance of irrigation structures including but not limited to head gates, pumping facilities, and irrigation channels: PROVIDED, That a feedlot of any size, all processing plants, other activities of a commercial nature, alteration of the contour of the wetlands by leveling or filling other than that which results from normal cultivation, shall not be considered normal or necessary farming or ranching activities. A feedlot shall be an enclosure or facility used or capable of being used for feeding livestock hay, grain, silage, or other livestock feed, but shall not include land for growing crops or vegetation for livestock feeding and/or grazing, nor shall it include normal livestock wintering operations;

(v) Construction or modification of navigational aids such as channel markers and anchor buoys;

(vi) Construction on wetlands by an owner, lessee, or contract purchaser of a single family residence for his own use or for the use of his family, which residence does not exceed a height of thirty-five feet above average grade level and which meets all requirements of the state agency or local government having jurisdiction thereof, other than requirements imposed pursuant to this chapter;

(vii) Construction of a dock, including a community dock, designed for pleasure craft only, for the private noncommercial use of the owner, lessee, or contract purchaser of single and multiple family residences, the cost of which does not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars;

(viii) Operation, maintenance, or construction of canals, waterways, drains, reservoirs, or other facilities that now exist or are hereafter created or developed as a part of an irrigation system for the primary purpose of making use of system waters, including return flow and artificially stored ground water for the irrigation of lands;

(ix) The marking of property lines or corners on state owned lands, when such marking does not significantly interfere with normal public use of the surface of the water;

(x) Operation and maintenance of any system of dikes, ditches, drains, or other facilities existing on September 8, 1975, which were created, developed, or utilized primarily as a part of an agricultural drainage or diking system;

(xi) Any action commenced prior to December 31, 1982, pertaining to (A) the restoration of interim transportation services as may be necessary as a consequence of the destruction of the Hood Canal bridge, including, but not limited to, improvements to highways, development of park and ride facilities, and development of ferry terminal facilities until a new or reconstructed Hood Canal bridge is open to traffic; and (B) the reconstruction of a permanent bridge at the site of the original Hood Canal bridge.

(4) "Floating aquaculture" means the farming or culture of food fish, shellfish, or other aquatic plants and animals in fresh or salt water areas, and may require development such as floating rearing pens and structures, and shellfish rafts.

Sec. 3. Section 18, chapter 286, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 2, chapter 292, Laws of 1986 and RCW 90.58.180 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Any person aggrieved by the granting, denying, or rescinding of a permit on shorelines of the state pursuant to RCW 90.58.140 as now or hereafter amended may seek review from the shorelines hearings board by filing a request for the same within thirty days of the date of filing as defined in RCW 90.58.140(6) as now or hereafter amended.

Concurrently with the filing of any request for review with the board as provided in this section pertaining to a final order of a local government, the requestor shall file a copy of his request with the department and the attorney general. If it appears to the department or the attorney general that the requestor has valid reasons to seek review, either the department or the attorney general may certify the request within thirty days after its receipt to the shorelines hearings board following which the board shall then, but not otherwise, review the matter covered by the requestor: PROVIDED, That the failure to obtain such certification shall not preclude the requestor from obtaining a review in the superior court under any right to review otherwise available to the requestor. The department and the attorney general may intervene to protect the public interest and insure that the provisions of this chapter are complied with at any time within fifteen days from the date of the receipt by the department or the attorney general of a copy of the request for review filed pursuant to this section. The shorelines hearings board shall initially schedule review proceedings on such requests for review without regard as to whether such requests have or have not been certified or as to whether the period for the department or the attorney general to intervene has or has not expired, unless such review is to begin within thirty days of such scheduling. If at the end of the thirty day period for certification neither the department nor the attorney general has certified a request for review, the hearings board shall remove the request from its review schedule.

(2) The department or the attorney general may obtain review of any final order granting a permit, or granting or denying an application for a permit issued by a local government by filing a written request with the shorelines hearings board and the appropriate local government within thirty days from the date the final order was filed as provided in RCW 90.58.140(6) as now or hereafter amended.

(3) (a) The review proceedings authorized in subsections (1) and (2) of this section are subject to the provisions of chapter 34.04 RCW pertaining to procedures in contested cases, except where the local government holds a hearing on a floating aquaculture permit, review by the shorelines hearings board shall be on the record and not de novo.

(b) Additional testimony may be presented to the shorelines hearings board if the board determines, prior to the hearing, that the new testimony was not available and could not have been available at the local government hearing on the permit application.

If the shorelines hearings board allows additional testimony, the case shall be remanded to the local government for rehearing to be conducted within thirty days of the decision to remand. The party requesting introduction of new testimony shall make such testimony available to all interested parties at the time the request is made.

(c) Review on the record by the shorelines hearings board shall be limited to a determination as to whether the local government's action on the floating aquaculture permit application was (i) in accordance with required procedures, (ii) arbitrary and capricious, or (iii) consistent with the intent of the shoreline management act. Judicial review of such proceedings of the shorelines hearings board may be had as provided in chapter 34.04 RCW.

(4) Local government may appeal to the shorelines hearings board any rules, regulations, or guidelines adopted or approved by the department within thirty days of the date of the adoption or approval. The board shall make a final decision within sixty days following the hearing held thereon.

If the board determines that said rule, regulation, or guideline:

(a) Is clearly erroneous in light of the policy of this chapter; or

(b) Constitutes an implementation of this chapter in violation of constitutional or statutory provisions; or

(d) Was developed without fully considering and evaluating all material submitted to the department by the local government; or

(e) Was not adopted in accordance with required procedures;

the board shall enter a final decision declaring the rule, regulation, or guideline invalid, remanding the rule, regulation, or guideline to the department with a statement of the reasons in support of the determination, and directing the department to adopt, after a thorough consultation with the affected local government, a new rule, regulation, or guideline. Unless the board makes one or more of the determinations as hereinbefore provided, the board shall find the rule, regulation, or guideline to be valid and enter a final decision to that effect.

(5) Rules, regulations, and guidelines shall be subject to review in superior court, if authorized pursuant to RCW 34.04.070: PROVIDED, That no review shall be granted by a superior court on petition from a local government unless the local government shall first have obtained review under subsection (4) of this section is filed within three months after the date of final decision by the shorelines hearings board.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 90.58 RCW to read as follows:

If a hearing is to be held on a floating aquaculture permit application, written notification of such hearing shall be made by the local government to the departments of fisheries, wildlife, natural resources, agriculture, and ecology at least thirty days before the hearing date. Written notification of such hearing shall also be made at least thirty days before the hearing date to any person who has filed with the local government a written request to receive notice of the hearings on local floating aquaculture permit applications. The local government shall ensure that adequate records of the hearing are maintained.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.