BILL REQ. #: S-4585.2
| State of Washington | 58th Legislature | 2004 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/06/04.
AN ACT Relating to regulatory improvement; and adding a new chapter to Title 43 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that the protection of
Washington's natural resources and environment is a vital interest of
the state, and that providing a high quality of life for the citizens
of the state requires both a healthy environment and a strong economy.
The legislature further finds that the federal, state, and local
permitting systems that have been established for the protection of the
environment are extremely time consuming, and may conflict, be
inconsistently applied, or duplicative, yet may not yield positive
environmental outcomes or adequately involve the public.
It is therefore the intent of the legislature to foster a public-private partnership dedicated to improving the state's competitiveness
by developing new approaches to environmental permitting.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 The Washington regulatory improvement
project is created to be a collaborative effort between private
industry, the state's universities, and government.
The mission of the regulatory improvement project is to improve the
state's economic competitiveness and environmental outcomes by
assisting state, federal, and local governmental entities to revise and
streamline environmental permitting processes. The project may engage
in the following activities:
(1) Develop recommendations for single or multiagency programmatic
permits for routine or industry-specific activities, with cooperation
from representatives of affected industries, state, federal, and local
agencies, and the public. Such recommendations may be implemented
through agency policy changes or recommendations to the legislature for
statutory change;
(2) Develop recommendations or guidance for facilitating watershed-based environmental mitigation. This should include methods for
collating and accessing watershed data, methods to identify and
prioritize mitigation opportunities, and methods to implement
watershed-based mitigation through local, state, and federal permitting
systems;
(3) Identify opportunities in the environmental permitting process
to improve the value of public involvement and participation and
improve environmental outcomes;
(4) Develop recommendations for future streamlining and
effectiveness efforts, which may include their structure, staffing,
funding, inclusion of pilot projects, and any other elements; and
(5) Develop recommendations for funding the project and the related
work of its members from public and private sources.
Quarterly progress reports will be made to the legislature. The
first report is due December 1, 2004.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 (1) The Washington regulatory improvement
project consists of the following members:
(a) Two members of the senate, one from each of the two largest
caucuses, appointed by the president of the senate;
(b) Two members of the house of representatives, one from each of
the two largest caucuses, appointed by the speaker of the house of
representatives;
(c) The director or director's designee of the office of regulatory
assistance;
(d) The director or director's designee of the department of
ecology;
(e) The director or director's designee of the department of fish
and wildlife;
(f) The commissioner of public lands or the commissioner's
designee;
(g) The director or director's designee of the department of
transportation;
(h) A representative of the association of Washington cities,
appointed by the governor;
(i) A representative of the Washington state association of
counties, appointed by the governor;
(j) A representative of the Washington public ports association,
appointed by the governor;
(k) One representative of environmental interests, appointed by the
governor; and
(l) One representative of the business community, appointed by the
governor from nominees proposed by the association of Washington
business, the building industry association of Washington, and the
association of general contractors.
(2) Representatives of federal permitting agencies, tribes, and the
state's universities must be invited to participate.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 The role of the Washington regulatory
improvement project is solely that of research, coordination, and
development of recommendations for system improvements. Nothing in
this chapter may be construed to diminish the functions, powers, or
duties granted to any permit agency by law. Nothing in this chapter
grants the Washington regulatory improvement project the authority to
issue, condition, or deny any permit.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 Sections 1 through 4 of this act constitute
a new chapter in Title