S-4809

AN ACT Relating to creating partnerships for strategic freight investments; amending RCW 47.05.051; adding a new section to chapter 47.06 RCW; and adding a new chapter to Title 47 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that:

(1) Washington state is uniquely positioned as a gateway to the global economy. As the most trade-dependent state in the nation, per capita, Washington's economy is highly dependent on an efficient multimodal transportation network in order to remain competitive.

(2) The vitality of the state's economy is placed at risk by growing traffic congestion that impedes the safe and efficient movement of goods. The absence of a comprehensive and coordinated state policy that facilitates freight movements to local, national, and international markets limits trade opportunities.

(3) Freight corridors that serve international and domestic interstate and intrastate trade, and those freight corridors that enhance the state's competitive position through regional and global gateways are strategically important. In many instances, movement of freight on these corridors is diminished by: Barriers that block or delay access to intermodal facilities where freight is transferred from one mode of transport to another; conflicts between rail and road traffic; constraints on rail capacity; highway capacity constraints, congestion, and condition; waterway system depths that affect capacity; and institutional, regulatory, and operational barriers.

(4) Rapidly escalating population growth is placing an added burden on streets, roads, and highways that serve as freight corridors. Community benefits from economic activity associated with freight movement often conflict with community concerns over safety, mobility, environmental quality. Efforts to minimize community impacts in areas of high freight movements that encourage the active participation of communities in the early stages of proposed public and private infrastructure investments will facilitate needed freight mobility improvements.

(5) Ownership of the freight mobility network is fragmented and spread across various public jurisdictions, private companies, and state and national borders. Transportation projects have grown in complexity and size, requiring more resources and longer implementation time frames. Currently, there is no comprehensive and integrated framework for planning the freight mobility needs of public and private stakeholders in the freight transportation system. A coordinated planning process should identify new infrastructure investments that are integrated by public and private planning bodies into a multimodal and multijurisdictional network in all areas of the state, urban and rural, east and west. The state should integrate freight mobility goals with state policy on related issues such as economic development, growth management, and environmental management.

(6) State investment in projects that enhance or mitigate freight movements, should pay special attention to solutions that utilize a corridor solution to address freight mobility issues with important transportation and economic impacts beyond any local area. The corridor approach builds partnerships and fosters coordinated planning among jurisdictions and the public and private sectors.

(7) It is the policy of the state of Washington that limited public transportation funding and competition between freight and general mobility improvements for the same fund sources require strategic, prioritized freight investments that reduce barriers to freight movement, maximize cost-effectiveness, yield a return on the state's investment, require complementary investments by public and private interests, and solve regional freight mobility problems. State financial assistance for freight mobility projects must leverage other funds from all potential partners and sources, including federal, county, city, port district, and private capital.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Board" means the freight mobility strategic investment board created in section 4 of this act.

(2) "Department" means the department of transportation.

(3) "Freight mobility" means the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of goods within and through the state to ensure the state's economic vitality.

(4) "Local governments" means cities, towns, counties, special purpose districts, port districts, and any other municipal corporations or quasi-municipal corporations in the state excluding school districts.

(5) "Public entity" means a state agency, city, town, county, port district, or municipal or regional planning organization.

(6) "Strategic freight corridor" means a transportation corridor of great economic importance within an integrated freight system that:

(a) Serves international and domestic interstate and intrastate trade;

(b) Enhances the state's competitive position through regional and global gateways;

(i) Four million gross tons annually on state highways, city streets, and county roads;

(ii) Five million gross tons annually on railroads; or

(iii) Two and one-half million net tons on waterways; and

(d) Has been designated a strategic corridor by the board under section 3(3) of this act. However, new alignments to, realignments of, and new links to strategic corridors that enhance freight movement may qualify, even though no tonnage data exists for facilities to be built in the future.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The board shall:

(a) Adopt rules and procedures necessary to implement the freight mobility strategic investment program;

(b) Solicit from public entities proposed projects that meet eligibility criteria established in accordance with subsection (4) of this section; and

(c) Review and evaluate project applications based on criteria established under this section, and prioritize and select projects comprising a portfolio to be funded in part with grants from state funds appropriated for the freight mobility strategic investment program. In determining the appropriate level of state funding for a project, the board shall ensure that state funds are allocated to leverage the greatest amount of partnership funding possible. After selecting projects comprising the portfolio, the board shall submit them as its budget request to the office of financial management and the legislature. The board shall ensure that projects submitted as part of the portfolio are not more appropriately funded with other federal, state, or local government funding mechanisms or programs. The board shall reject those projects that appear to improve overall general mobility with limited enhancement for freight mobility.

The board shall provide periodic progress reports to the governor and the legislative transportation committee.

(2) The board may:

(a) Accept from any state or federal agency, loans or grants for the financing of any transportation project and enter into agreements with any such agency concerning the loans or grants;

(b) Provide technical assistance to project applicants;

(c) Accept any gifts, grants, or loans of funds, property, or financial, or other aid in any form from any other source on any terms and conditions which are not in conflict with this chapter;

(d) Adopt rules under chapter 34.05 RCW as necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter; and

(e) Do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers expressly granted or implied under this chapter.

(3) The board shall designate strategic freight corridors within the state. The board shall update the list of designated strategic corridors not less than every two years, and shall establish a method of collecting and verifying data, including information on city and county-owned roadways.

(4) From the effective date of this act through the biennium ending June 30, 2001, the board shall utilize threshold project eligibility criteria that, at a minimum, includes the following:

(a) The project must be on a strategic freight corridor;

(b) The project must meet one of the following conditions:

(i) It is primarily aimed at reducing identified barriers to freight movement with only incidental benefits to general or personal mobility; or

(ii) It is primarily aimed at increasing capacity for the movement of freight with only incidental benefits to general or personal mobility; or

(iii) It is primarily aimed at mitigating the impact on communities of increasing freight movement, including roadway/railway conflicts; and

(5) From the effective date of this act through the biennium ending June 30, 2001, the board shall use the multicriteria analysis and scoring framework for evaluating and ranking eligible freight mobility and freight mitigation projects developed by the freight mobility project prioritization committee and contained in the January 16, 1998, report entitled "Project Eligibility, Priority and Selection Process for a Strategic Freight Investment Program." The prioritization process shall measure the degree to which projects address important program objectives and shall generate a project score that reflects a project's priority compared to other projects. The board shall assign scoring points to each criterion that indicate the relative importance of the criterion in the overall determination of project priority. After June 30, 2001, the board may supplement and refine the initial project priority criteria and scoring framework developed by the freight mobility project prioritization committee as expertise and experience is gained in administering the freight mobility program.

(6) Each project included in the board's project portfolio submitted to the legislature must have a minimum of twenty percent funding from sources other than appropriations to the freight mobility strategic investment program. This requirement may be met using cash, donations of land, or other tangible assets.

(7) The board shall develop and recommend policies that address operational improvements that primarily benefit and enhance freight movement, including, but not limited to, policies that reduce congestion in truck lanes at border crossings and weigh stations and provide for access to ports during nonpeak hours.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) The freight mobility strategic investment board is created. The board shall convene by July 1, 1998.

(2) The board is composed of twelve members. The following members are appointed by the governor for terms of four years, except that five members initially are appointed for terms of two years: (a) Two members, one of whom is from a city located within or along a strategic freight corridor, appointed from a list of at least four persons nominated by the association of Washington cities or its successor; (b) two members, one of whom is from a county having a strategic freight corridor within its boundaries, appointed from a list of at least four persons nominated by the Washington state association of counties or its successor; (c) two members, one of whom is from a port district located within or along a strategic freight corridor, appointed from a list of at least four persons nominated by the Washington public ports association or its successor; (d) one member representing the office of financial management; (e) one member appointed as a representative of the trucking industry; (f) one member appointed as a representative of the railroads; (g) the secretary of the department of transportation; (h) one member representing the steamship industry; and (i) one member of the general public. In appointing the general public member, the governor shall endeavor to appoint a member with special expertise in relevant fields such as public finance, freight transportation, or public works construction. The governor shall appoint the general public member as chair of the board. In making appointments to the board, the governor shall ensure that each geographic region of the state is represented.

(3) Members of the board may not receive compensation but may be reimbursed for travel expenses under RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

(4) If a vacancy on the board occurs by death, resignation, or otherwise, the governor shall fill the vacant position for the unexpired term. Each vacancy in a position appointed from lists provided by the associations and departments under subsection (2) of this section must be filled from a list of at least four persons nominated by the relevant association or associations.

(5) The appointments made in subsection (2) of this section are not subject to confirmation.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The board shall appoint an executive director, who shall serve at its pleasure and whose salary shall be set by the board. Staff support to the board shall initially be provided by the department of transportation, the transportation improvement board, and the county road administration board or their successor agencies. The board shall develop a plan that provides for administration and staffing of the program and present this plan to the office of financial management and the legislative transportation committee by December 31, 1998.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. (1) For the purpose of allocating funds for the freight mobility strategic investment program, the board shall allocate the first fifty-five percent of funds to the highest priority projects, without regard to location.

(2) The remaining funds shall be allocated equally among three regions of the state, defined as follows:

(a) The Puget Sound region includes King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties;

(b) The western Washington region includes Clallum, Jefferson, Island, Kitsap, San Juan, Skagit, Whatcom, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties; and

(c) The eastern Washington region includes Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Whitman, Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Kittitas, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties.

(3) If a region does not have enough qualifying projects to utilize its allocation of funds, the funds will be made available to the next highest priority project, without regard to location.

(4) In the event that a proposal contains projects in more than one region, for purposes of assuring that equitable geographic distributions are made under subsection (2) of this section, the board shall evaluate the proposal and proportionally assign the benefits that are attributable to each region.

(5) If the board identifies a project for funding, but later determines that the project is not ready to proceed at the time the legislature's funding decision is pending, the board shall recommend removing the project from consideration and the next highest priority project shall be substituted in the project portfolio. Any project removed from funding consideration because it is not ready to proceed shall retain its position on the priority project list and is eligible to be recommended for funding in the next project portfolio submitted by the board.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. In order to aid the financing of eligible freight mobility projects, the board may:

(1) Make grants or loans from funds appropriated for the freight mobility strategic investment program for the purpose of financing freight mobility projects. The board may require terms and conditions as it deems necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

(2) The state shall not bear the financial burden for project costs unrelated to the movement of freight. Project amenities unrelated to the movement of freight may not be submitted to the board as part of a project proposal under the freight mobility strategic investment program.

(3) All freight mobility projects aided in whole or in part under this chapter must have a public entity designated as the lead project proponent.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. The board shall keep proper records and shall be subject to audit by the state auditor.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. To the greatest extent practicable, port districts in the state shall submit their development plans to the relevant regional transportation planning organization or metropolitan planning organization, the department, and affected cities and counties to better coordinate the development and funding of freight mobility projects.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. A new section is added to chapter 47.06 RCW to read as follows:

The state-interest component of the state-wide multimodal transportation plan shall include a freight mobility plan which shall assess the transportation needs to ensure the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of goods within and through the state and to ensure the state's economic vitality.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. In order to encourage joint transportation planning activities proximate to international borders, the department shall make incentive grants to metropolitan and regional transportation planning organizations that share a common border with Canada. As a condition of receiving a grant under this section, the planning organization shall assure the department that it commits to be engaged in joint planning with its counterpart agency in Canada. Such grants shall be used to develop project plans and implement coordinated and comprehensive projects to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or across the boarder. Grants shall be made on the basis of:

(1) Expected reduction in commercial and other travel time through a major international gateway as a result of the project;

(2) Leveraging of federal funds provided, including use of innovative financing, in combination with other sources of federal, state, local, and private funding;

(3) Improvements in vehicle and highway safety and cargo security in and through the gateway;

(4) Degree of binational involvement in the project, and demonstrated coordination with other federal agencies responsible for inspection of vehicles, cargo, and persons crossing international borders, and their counterpart agencies in Canada;

(5) Demonstrated local commitment to implement and sustain continuing comprehensive border planning processes; and

(6) Improved use of existing and underutilized border crossing facilities and approaches.

Sec. 12. RCW 47.05.051 and 1993 c 490 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

The comprehensive six-year investment program shall be based upon the needs identified in the state-owned highway component of the state-wide multimodal transportation plan as defined in RCW 47.01.071(3) and priority selection systems that incorporate the following criteria:

(1) Priority programming for the preservation program shall take into account the following, not necessarily in order of importance:

(a) Extending the service life of the existing highway system;

(b) Ensuring the structural ability to carry loads imposed upon highways and bridges; and

(c) Minimizing life cycle costs. The transportation commission in carrying out the provisions of this section may delegate to the department of transportation the authority to select preservation projects to be included in the six-year program.

(2) Priority programming for the improvement program shall take into account the following:

(a) Support for the state's economy, including job creation and job preservation;

(b) The cost-effective movement of people and goods;

(d) Protection of the state's natural environment;

(e) Continuity and systematic development of the highway transportation network;

(f) Consistency with local comprehensive plans developed under chapter 36.70A RCW;

(g) Consistency with regional transportation plans developed under chapter 47.80 RCW;

(h) Public views concerning proposed improvements;

(i) The conservation of energy resources;

(j) Feasibility of financing the full proposed improvement;

(k) Commitments established in previous legislative sessions;

(l) Relative costs and benefits of candidate programs;

(m) Major projects addressing capacity deficiencies which prioritize allowing for preliminary engineering shall be reprioritized during the succeeding biennium, based upon updated project data. Reprioritized projects may be delayed or canceled by the transportation commission if higher priority projects are awaiting funding; and

(n) Major project approvals which significantly increase a project's scope or cost from original prioritization estimates shall include a review of the project's estimated revised priority rank and the level of funding provided. Projects may be delayed or canceled by the transportation commission if higher priority projects are awaiting funding.

(3) The commission may depart from the priority programming established under subsections (1) and (2) of this section: (a) To the extent that otherwise funds cannot be utilized feasibly within the program; (b) as may be required by a court judgment, legally binding agreement, or state and federal laws and regulations; (c) as may be required to coordinate with federal, local, or other state agency construction projects; (d) to take advantage of some substantial financial benefit that may be available; (e) for continuity of route development; or (f) because of changed financial or physical conditions of an unforeseen or emergent nature. The commission or secretary of transportation shall maintain in its files information sufficient to show the extent to which the commission has departed from the established priority.

(4) The commission shall identify those projects that yield freight mobility benefits or that alleviate the impacts of freight mobility upon affected communities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 13. The governor shall take the steps necessary to ensure that this act is implemented on its effective date and that the freight mobility strategic investment board convenes by July 1, 1998.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 14. 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. 15. Sections 1 through 9, 11, and 13 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 47 RCW.