Event Title
Presentation Abstract
Innovations in Regulatory Permit Processes for Aquatic Habitat Protection and Restoration in Washington Aquatic habitats are vital for the region’s salmon, steelhead, and Southern Resident Killer Whales. Regulatory permitting is our principal mechanism for protecting these ecosystems from human activities. Projects that affect aquatic habitat are subject to a complex and often lengthy local, state, and federal regulatory process commonly intersecting more than nine agencies and consulting with tribes. Each permit has specific requirements for application, review, and compliance, shaped by a constantly evolving legal, social and economic context. Permitting processes may discourage or delay restoration projects, reducing the effectiveness of state and federal restoration funding. On the other hand, pressure to minimize regulatory impacts on private activities may result in development that damages the very resources we are attempting to restore. Recognizing these challenges, three pilot efforts are working to remove barriers to restoration and improve protection. With support from the Puget Sound Federal Task Force, a Multi-Agency Review Team of federal and state regulatory agencies is testing a coordinated, collaborative approach to permitting marine shoreline enhancement. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been authorized to establish a four-year program to streamline permitting for qualifying fish habitat projects. Over the same time period, NOAA Fisheries has been developing tools to quantify nearshore habitat services. Such tools allow for shoreline development that has unavoidable long-term impacts on shoreline habitats to offset those impacts by supporting restoration. Panelists will present on these three programs and their lessons learned to date and open a discussion about how we can continue to improve regulatory permitting as a critical component of our ecosystem recovery system.
Session Title
Innovations in Regulatory Permit Processes (Panel)
Conference Track
SSE11: Floodplains & Estuaries
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-panels-397
Start Date
27-4-2022 11:30 AM
End Date
27-4-2022 1:00 PM
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Innovations in Regulatory Permit Processes for Aquatic Habitat Protection and Restoration in Washington
Innovations in Regulatory Permit Processes for Aquatic Habitat Protection and Restoration in Washington Aquatic habitats are vital for the region’s salmon, steelhead, and Southern Resident Killer Whales. Regulatory permitting is our principal mechanism for protecting these ecosystems from human activities. Projects that affect aquatic habitat are subject to a complex and often lengthy local, state, and federal regulatory process commonly intersecting more than nine agencies and consulting with tribes. Each permit has specific requirements for application, review, and compliance, shaped by a constantly evolving legal, social and economic context. Permitting processes may discourage or delay restoration projects, reducing the effectiveness of state and federal restoration funding. On the other hand, pressure to minimize regulatory impacts on private activities may result in development that damages the very resources we are attempting to restore. Recognizing these challenges, three pilot efforts are working to remove barriers to restoration and improve protection. With support from the Puget Sound Federal Task Force, a Multi-Agency Review Team of federal and state regulatory agencies is testing a coordinated, collaborative approach to permitting marine shoreline enhancement. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been authorized to establish a four-year program to streamline permitting for qualifying fish habitat projects. Over the same time period, NOAA Fisheries has been developing tools to quantify nearshore habitat services. Such tools allow for shoreline development that has unavoidable long-term impacts on shoreline habitats to offset those impacts by supporting restoration. Panelists will present on these three programs and their lessons learned to date and open a discussion about how we can continue to improve regulatory permitting as a critical component of our ecosystem recovery system.
