HB 1404-S - DIGEST
(DIGEST OF PROPOSED 1ST SUBSTITUTE)

Defines "bistate megaproject" as a highway construction project valued at five hundred million dollars or more that extends across the border between this state and another state.

Requires the department of transportation to: (1) Notify the transportation committees of the legislature when it initiates work with another state to prepare an environmental impact statement that complies with the national environmental policy act on a bistate megaproject; and

(2) In conjunction with developing the environmental impact statement, establish a bistate megaproject work group to assist in the preparation of the environmental impact statement and facilitate communication between the legislative bodies and other key stakeholders of the respective states.

Requires the legislature, before establishing the bistate megaproject work group, to consult with the Pacific Northwest economic region to explore examples of bistate, multistate, or state-provincial work groups within the Pacific Northwest.