HOUSE BILL ANALYSIS
HB 2079
Title: An act relating to salmon
recovery.
Brief
Description:Promoting
salmon recovery.
Sponsors:Representatives Regala, Buck,
Eickmeyer, Anderson, Rockefeller, Romero, Veloria and Keiser.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL
RESOURCES
Meeting Date:February 24,
1999.
Bill
Analysis Prepared by:
Bill
Lynch, Counsel (786-7092)
Background:
The
Legislature enacted salmon recovery legislation during the 1998 legislative
session which, among other provisions, created a critical pathways methodology
to ensure salmon restoration activities would be prioritized and implemented in
a sequential manner, created an independent science panel to assist in salmon
recovery efforts, and an interagency review team to rank and dispense funds for
habitat restoration projects.
Although
an adaptive management strategy must be used as part of the critical pathways
methodology, and the critical pathways methodology requires an identification
of how projects will be monitored and evaluated, the critical pathways
methodology does not specify that there must be a review of the monitoring data
and an evaluation of the project performance. If there is no lead entity for
an area, the interagency review team must rank and dispense funds for the area
based upon whether there is a greater benefit to salmon recovery and whether it
will be implemented in a critical area, but there are no standards for making
these determinations listed in statute. Some additional minor amendments would
assist in the implementation of the original legislation.
Summary
of Bill:
The
critical pathways methodology must include a review of monitoring data, an
evaluation of project performance, and recommendations to the committee which
compiled the list of habitat projects for the area as well as the interagency
review team. The technical advisory team for the area is responsible for this
task.
Vacancies
on the independent science panel are filled in the same manner in which the
original appointments were filled. The Governor=s Salmon Recovery
office may enter into a personal services contract with members of the
independent science panel for compensation based upon available funding.
References to compensating members of the independent science panel in
accordance with the rate established for members of class four boards and
commissions are deleted.
Representatives
of the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation and the Department of
Ecology are added to the interagency review team to rank and dispense funds for
habitat projects
Habitat
project lists are submitted to the interagency review team for funding once a
year instead of twice a year.
If
there is a lead entity established for an area, the interagency review team
must give preference to projects that are on the project list submitted by the
lead entity. If there is no lead entity for an area, the interagency review
team must give preference to projects that are based upon the limiting factors
analysis identified for the area, provide greater benefit to salmon recovery based
upon information contained in the Department of Fish and Wildlife salmonid
stock inventory or a comparable science-based assessment, will be implemented
in a more critical area based upon the stock status information contained in
the department=s salmonid stock inventory or a
comparable science-based assessment, and other factors.
.
References
to salmon habitat restoration projects are changed to salmon habitat projects
to allow the funding of habitat protection projects, habitat projects that
improve water quality, habitat projects that protect water quality,
habitat-related mitigation projects, fish passage projects, fish screening
projects, habitat project corrective maintenance, and monitoring activities.