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GOP leader
says shoreline regulations The new regulations, set to take affect in February, would prohibit the use of all lands within 200 feet of a shoreline, including commercial development, farming, ranching, etc. "First of all, these regulations were not enacted by the Legislature," said Mulliken, co-chair of the House Local Government Committee. "They are rules created by DOE bureaucrats at the behest of our state's most extreme environmental lobbyists. "Second, this is an unfunded mandate - again, not by the Legislature, but by a state agency under the authority of Governor Locke - that will cost millions to local governments," she said. "This is in direct violation of I-601, passed by the voters in 1993, and is the basis for claims already filed by several city and county governments who face footing the bill for all compliance costs." The legislation introduced by Mulliken today would direct the Department of Ecology to repeal the new guidelines adopted in November and reinstate the guidelines previously in effect as permanent rules. The bill declares a present state of emergency for immediate action and implementation of this legislation upon being enacted into law. "These new rules are a direct threat to our farmers, ranchers, dairy producers, and other agricultural industries," said Mulliken. "Not only do they pose an immediate danger to our state's agricultural community, but they are a direct assault against private property owners across our state. "The Legislature did not adopt these ridiculous new rules and I certainly won't be forced by either Gary Locke or the Department of Ecology into funding their implementation," concluded Mulliken.
For more information, please contact:
Sean McCaffrey
House Republican Caucus
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