New Shoreline Master Program Guidelines Adopted

MRSC
November 30, 2000

On November 29, the Department of Ecology adopted new shoreline master program guidelines (Chapter 173-26 WAC), ending a five-year effort to review and update the state regulations.

A key feature of the final guidelines is a two-path approach that gives cities and counties a choice in how they write and implement their shoreline master programs. "Path A" allows local governments flexibility in meeting the Shoreline Management Act standards, while "Path B" contains specific measures for protecting shoreline functions.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have agreed that any local master program that complies with Path B will automatically get an exception under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This will shield cities and counties from federal penalties and citizen lawsuits if an ESA-listed fish is harmed or its habitat disturbed as the result of an activity covered by the exception.