H-2818.1

SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2336

ByHouse Agriculture and Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representatives Morgan, Dent, Chapman, Kloba, Orcutt, Ormsby, Wylie, Doglio, Fey, Street, Stearns, Riccelli, Gregerson, Mena, Walen, Peterson, Berg, Fosse, Davis, Reed, Duerr, Entenman, Leavitt, Springer, Ryu, Waters, Ortiz-Self, Bronoske, Bateman, Simmons, Berry, Kretz, Schmick, Ramel, Macri, Caldier, Abbarno, Cheney, Goehner, Jacobsen, Klicker, Eslick, Barnard, Walsh, McEntire, Bergquist, Sandlin, Christian, Nance, and Pollet)

AN ACT Relating to assessing the suitability of lands in Washington for agricultural and renewable energy purposes; adding a new section to chapter 43.23 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.23 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a)(i) The department, in consultation with the state conservation commission, shall perform an assessment of unused and underutilized state-owned lands to determine the suitability of such lands for agricultural purposes, including grazing.

(ii) For the purposes of this assessment, "underutilized state-owned lands" means lands that do not assist in meeting the goals of the state agency that owns or manages the land and that are already being considered for sale or surplus. "Underutilized state-owned lands" does not include state-owned lands held under lease or that are otherwise intended for specific purposes.

(b) The assessment must be completed no later than June 30, 2025.

(c) The department shall submit the results of the assessment to the office of the governor, to the commissioner of public lands, to the director of the Washington State University energy program, to the director of the department of commerce, and to the committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over agricultural matters.

(2) For unused and underutilized state-owned lands that the department determines to be suitable for agricultural purposes, including grazing, the department shall engage in a campaign to promote agricultural production opportunities on such lands. The department's promotional campaign must include outreach, education, and technical assistance. The department shall ensure that the promotional campaign reaches new and emerging agricultural producers, with an emphasis on reaching communities that historically may have lacked access to opportunities as agricultural producers.

(3)(a) The department shall assess and evaluate, on an ongoing basis, land utilization in the state for agricultural purposes, including grazing. The assessment and evaluation must include identification and mapping of agricultural land uses and water resources throughout the state, including data regarding surface water and groundwater resource availability and water quality.

(b) The department shall use the data obtained from this assessment and evaluation to support and expand agricultural opportunities throughout the state.

(b) For the purposes of this assessment, "agrivoltaics" means the use of land for both agriculture and solar photovoltaic energy generation.

(2) The assessment must be completed by June 30, 2026.

(3) The Washington State University energy program shall submit the results of the assessment to the office of the governor, to the commissioner of public lands, to the director of the departments of commerce and agriculture, and to the committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over energy matters.

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