[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6366055,"mediaKeyId","2159678-0215394da9283eba49ee536ba942eca7","parentId",2159678,"title","House Bill 1208 hearing examines permanent habitat recovery permitting pilot","audioSeconds",4545,"startMs",81000,"endMs",4626000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2159678-0215394da9283eba49ee536ba942eca7&start=81&end=4626","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2159678-0215394da9283eba49ee536ba942eca7/thumbnail_81000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6366055/Washington/House-Bill-1208-hearing-examines-permanent-habitat-recovery-permitting-pilot","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6366055-c1f0281156546355b92bf3a9a97a0faf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158076&Signature=chQCJkX0gygrzCCJxohMbObbmzWXhB8HnGk4qAOSfvjhv4~FB6r3g7zeuWe8IGfo55sE8TyZWctjdLungrD9MRLIhoTnZ7FUozRuQYwCvc6fc8JCJclYi21cpu9IBxAL~4K9m1vAIPdxPi-X652-sKdEil48eaHSxi7sbsL9-yknbbitiU0tI3AE2HHNPc-GsNOoNJo5H7wUwaMfGCUtNR7C5TjP8T7o7~SRhBy-1xVd9QkOuSGYhAXNqqSTCxD3O5ZbMQeBOsOFLFFgJ8-I9BcAjLb6HPIfa80zJIyMRHq2Mis38cUFfhNHMpq5G~pJWW6cuvKuB~JUpcPJqXQr4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","House Agriculture & Natural Resources","date","2025-01-28T00:00:00Z","article","The Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee opened a public hearing on House Bill 1208 on Jan. 28 to receive the prime sponsor's testimony and hear staff and public comment. Representative Steve Tharinger, prime sponsor and chair of the House Capital Budget Committee, told the committee the bill would “put[] into statute a program … to streamline permitting projects, particularly on fish restoration projects.”

Rebecca Lewis, staff to the committee, summarized the bill and the existing pilot. She said the Habitat Recovery Pilot Program (HRPP) was created in 2021 and expires June 30, 2025; HB 1208 would rename the pilot and make it permanent while adding two additional eligible funding programs. Lewis said projects approved under the program are not required to provide an environmental impact statement under the State Environmental Policy Act and that the bill adjusts the cultural-resource review and the aquatic-lands (DNR) timing and submittal steps.

Agency witnesses told the committee the pilot produced measurable time and cost savings. Matt Curtis, Production Division manager in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) habitat program, said the program “should be made permanent.” WDFW reported more than 45 projects processed under the pilot, 26 projects completed to date, projects spanning 16 counties, and that participating projects reported between three and 12 months of permitting time savings and cost savings ranging from $1,000 to $80,000 per project.

Representatives of Ecology and the Puget Sound Partnership described how the HRPP’s multi-agency permitting team reduces redundant reviews and coordinates across state, local and federal authorities. Samantha Weinstein of the Department of Ecology said the program “streamlined all of those reviews,” citing the Snow Creek project as an example that saved six to 12 months and $20,000–$80,000. Don Gourley of the Puget Sound Partnership said the pilot reduces barriers that otherwise delay construction and can prevent projects from using grant funding.

Supporters from conservation groups and restoration backbones said the program speeds pre-disaster mitigation and floodplain projects and produces multi-benefit results for salmon, flood risk and agriculture. Caskey Jose of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation noted that each dollar spent on pre-disaster mitigation can save an estimated $7 in disaster response and recovery.

Opponents — largely local governments and drainage/diking districts in the Skagit delta — urged the committee to exclude certain Skagit watersheds (referred to in testimony as WIRA 3 and 4) from the bill. Skagit County Commissioner Peter Browning, county staff and several drainage and diking district representatives said many HRPP projects in the Skagit are multimillion-dollar infrastructure undertakings that require local coordination because they affect dikes, pumps, bridges, drainage and farmland. Ellen Bynum of Friends of Skagit County and Jenna Freyvel of the Skagit Drainage and Irrigation District Consortium said the local permitting process provides needed checks and balances and that prior projects that bypassed local processes caused major costs and repairs.

Port of Tacoma and other port and local government witnesses asked only for small changes to the eligibility list under Section 2 (for example adding watershed councils, conservation districts or flood control districts) so more locally led entities can qualify for the streamlined process.

There was no committee vote recorded during the meeting. Staff noted the bill carries a fiscal note, includes an emergency clause, and would take effect June 30, 2025 if enacted.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Agriculture & Natural Resources - 1/28/2025 10:30 AM","oneSentenceSummary","The Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee opened a public hearing on House Bill 1208 on Jan. 28 to receive the prime sponsor's testimony and hear staff and public comment.","taxTitle","Agriculture and Natural Resources, House of Representatives, Legislative Sessions, Washington","taxId",20253,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6366051,"State officials brief committee on salmon recovery: modest gains, persistent threats",1223,356000,1579000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2159678-0215394da9283eba49ee536ba942eca7&start=356&end=1579","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2159678-0215394da9283eba49ee536ba942eca7/thumbnail_356000.jpg","/articles/6366051/Washington/State-officials-brief-committee-on-salmon-recovery-modest-gains-persistent-threats","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6366051-930be4412ab816015bfa3ba59f91563a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158076&Signature=n6ZKdynDJEvm4IRoSjjJOklRJXHjs6nKE8UnryrCRgsJNHC0mqYWttVD2bm8fopOsSxPjdppGyYah-ylpdAjFUiOYJztoun-X96bVSJzSH964hXTQAOYjNgb6PUhAWwwW9LzojIgupYKO~eAVcqFQC6elPznqSn-smnXki63IDlG-~wS-dW-Cys1kL8rBB98UJUO4EXF4NL5oGHpmAaKxmP7fxarxyo17d3Xvz46ZdJC9f34dq3YACF5~lkI7zj4zxi-bHwCPX3tQb1uXqdz7Gz26yVyjCYWxxPJazsTajqehjt9W6vAk3SaGBA3SdgMHJvXHEzWtov~~nhnlIG2sw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Agency directors and recovery partners provided a work-session briefing to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 28, outlining how Washington coordinates salmon recovery and reporting modest progress on Chinook abundance alongside major outstanding challenges.

Eric Netherland, director of the Governor's Salmon Recovery Office within the Recreation and Conservation Office, described Washington's locally based framework: regional recovery organizations aligned to federal ESA listings, watershed-scale lead entities, a Salmon Recovery Funding Board that prioritizes voluntary habitat projects, and a governor's statewide salmon strategy first issued in 1999 and updated in 2021. Netherland said Washington was “looked at as a model” for locally driven recovery and emphasized tribes’ sovereign roles as partners and government-to-government participants.

Netherland said 14 salmon populations in Washington are currently listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. He told the committee the state is “making modest progress” and that some species have moved from “not keeping pace” toward recovery goals. He also said funding for restoration has increased but still covers only roughly 25–30% of estimated need for full recovery work.

Melissa Speeg, Salmon Recovery Manager at the Puget Sound Partnership, focused on regional indicators for Puget Sound. She said the region tracks 22 independent Chinook populations across 16 watersheds and uses indicators for abundance, floodplain connectivity and estuary function. Speeg reported that Chinook abundance is improving in some watersheds and that recent indicators show 2–4% abundance increases for Chinook in the last two years; however, most populations remain well below recovery targets. She cited Port Susan Bay as an example where protection and staged restoration (3,900 acres protected in 2006; 150 acres restored in 2015; a later 115-acre restoration) and continued monitoring led practitioners to adjust designs and expand habitat reconnection.

Jeremy Cram of the Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed monitoring, hatcheries, fish passage, toxics and predation. Cram called hatcheries “probably the most complex component of the salmon recovery landscape,” noting they both support fisheries and pose ecological or genetic risks to wild fish. He highlighted fish-passage work (including the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board funding), emerging reintroduction efforts above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams led by Upper Columbia United Tribes, and growing concern about toxics and predation. Speakers stressed that improvements on the ground — restoring floodplain connectivity, estuaries and providing cold-water refugia — increase the likelihood salmon will fare better in variable ocean conditions.

Committee members asked about measurement of success, regional breakdowns (Columbia River Basin/Snake River), predation, engagement of children in recovery programs, forestry partners’ roles, and how ocean conditions interact with freshwater restoration. Panelists answered that success is measured both by habitat metrics (stream miles and acres restored) and biological indicators (fish abundance and survival), and that local partnerships and targeted monitoring are critical to tracking progress. There were no formal committee actions or votes taken on policy in the work session.","Agency leaders and the Puget Sound Partnership reviewed Washington's salmon recovery framework, reported modest improvements for Chinook abundance and estuary/floodplain restoration, and flagged continued challenges from climate, toxics, predation and funding shortfalls.","actionData","errors"]

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House Bill 1208 hearing examines permanent habitat recovery permitting pilot

State officials brief committee on salmon recovery: modest gains, persistent threats