Current through Register Vol. 24-18, September 15, 2024
(1)
The policies and goals in this section are supplementary to existing
authorities of the department.
(2)
It is the policy of the department to avoid or mitigate adverse environmental
impacts which may result from the department's decisions.
(3) The department shall use all practical
means, consistent with other essential considerations of state policy, to
improve and coordinate plans, functions, programs, and resources to the end
that the state and its citizens may:
(a)
Fulfill the responsibilities of each generation as trustee of the environment
for succeeding generations;
(b)
Assure for all people of Washington safe, healthful, productive, and
aesthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings;
(c) Attain the widest range of beneficial
uses of the environment without degradation, risk to health or safety, or other
undesirable and unintended consequences;
(d) Preserve important historic, cultural,
and natural aspects of our national heritage;
(e) Maintain, wherever possible, an
environment which supports diversity and variety of individual
choice;
(f) Achieve a balance
between population and resource use which will permit high standards of living
and a wide sharing of life's amenities; and
(g) Enhance the quality of renewable
resources and approach the maximum attainable recycling of depletable
resources.
(4) The
department recognizes that each person has a fundamental and inalienable right
to a healthful environment and that each person has a responsibility to
contribute to the preservation and enhancement of the environment.
(5) The department shall ensure that
presently unquantified environmental amenities and values will be given
appropriate consideration in decision-making along with economic and technical
considerations.
(6)
(a) When the environmental document for a
proposal shows it will cause significant adverse impacts, the responsible
official shall consider whether:
(i) The
environmental document identified mitigation measures that are reasonable and
capable of being accomplished;
(ii)
Other local, state, or federal requirements and enforcement would mitigate the
significant adverse environmental impacts; and
(iii) Reasonable mitigation measures are
sufficient to mitigate the significant adverse impacts.
(b) The responsible official may:
(i) Condition the approval for a proposal if
mitigation measures are reasonable and capable of being accomplished and the
proposal is inconsistent with the policies in this section; or
(ii) Deny the permit or approval for a
proposal if reasonable mitigation measures are insufficient to mitigate
significant adverse environmental impacts and the proposal is inconsistent with
the policies in this section.
(c) The procedures in WAC
197-11-660 shall also be followed
when conditioning or denying permits or other approvals.
Statutory Authority:
RCW
43.70.040. 91-02-050 (Order 122), §
246-03-110, filed 12/27/90, effective
1/31/91.
