FINAL BILL REPORT

2SSB 5694

C 245 L 03

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Creating a pilot project to develop an integrated environmental permit system.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Swecker, Jacobsen, Horn, Doumit, Haugen and Rasmussen).

Senate Committee on Economic Development

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

House Committee on State Government

House Committee on Appropriations

Background: The environmental review and permitting process is controlled by a number of statutes. It has been suggested that the integration of the documentation and procedures needed for agency decision-making would streamline the permitting process.

Summary: By December 1, 2005, the Office of Permit Assistance must develop: (1) a guide for creating a unified project decision support document for state and federal agencies and local governments; (2) recommendations for an integrated permit system to integrate project design, review, permitting, and mitigation; recommendations for legislative changes needed to establish the system; and recommendations for full-scale testing of the system through a pilot project.

Meeting the requirements to develop a guide and recommendations is done through a pilot project of economic development significance. The office must submit reports on its efforts on December 1, 2003, and December 1, 2005.

The act expires December 31, 2005, and has no legal force if not specifically funded in the budget.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate       48  0

House       89  0    (House amended)

Senate       45  0    (Senate concurred)

Effective: July 27, 2003