Senate panel hears testimony to make habitat permitting pilot permanent, Skagit officials seek carve-outs

Senator Solomon, chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, introduced legislation to rename the Habitat Recovery Pilot Program as the Habitat Restoration Permit Pathway and make it permanent after a work session that featured state agency staff, tribes and regional restoration partners.

The bill would continue a multi‑agency, streamlined permitting pathway used by salmon restoration projects. "The pilot was a success in achieving the legislative intent," Don Gourley, legislative policy director for the Puget Sound Partnership, told the committee, citing reduced delays and reported savings for project sponsors.

Why it matters: Sponsors and project proponents said HRPP cuts months or more from permitting timelines that otherwise can push in‑water construction out of narrow seasonal work windows, raising costs and risking redesigns. Matt Curtis, protection division manager in the habitat program at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the multi‑agency permitting (MAP) team is the mechanism that lets the program consider a broader range of restoration project types than existing streamlined pathways.

Proponents provided program results and examples.…