Natural Resources Reform

Washingtonians value their natural environment. Our air, water, farms, fish, forests and wildlife are central to our quality of life, and a big reason visitors flock to our state.

Yet the time has come to reform for state agencies to work more efficiently and effectively protect the environment and improve service to the public.
Following on six months of study and public outreach by agency directors and policy and budget experts, Governor Gregoire and other state officials will ask members of the 2010 Legislature to:

  • Reduce duplication by cutting the number of growth management hearings boards while maintaining citizens’ rights to appeal decisions.

  • Simplify appeal procedures and timelines by creating just one timeline for quasi-judicial appeals of government actions involving environmental and land use laws.

  • Cut red tape by eliminating agency review processes that duplicate appeals to environmental hearings boards.

The Governor and other officials also have agreed to work closely to bring greater coordination and efficiencies in the management of state lands and recreation.

The Governor also established a Natural Resources Cabinet to make state government more accountable to citizens. Her executive order, with a companion agreement signed by leaders of independent agencies:

  • Creates ‘one front door’ to improve access to environmental permits, technical information, recreational opportunities and other services now scattered among multiple agencies and offices.

  • Directs agencies to establish a single set of regional boundaries for natural resource agencies with local field operations.

  • Directs the sharing of scientific expertise so a scientist doing fieldwork for one agency can simultaneously collect data for another agency.

  • Simplifies permitting by expanding the use of multi-agency permit teams to cover all agencies’ environmental permits for major projects in a geographic area and with a willing local government partners.

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