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August 2025 Quarterly Update
Ecology has been working steadily on the state rulemaking process to amend Chapters 173-18, -20, -22, -26, and -27 under the Shoreline Management Act since we formally announced rulemaking on May 2, 2024.
Informal comment period ends soon
Reminder: the informal comment period ends on Aug. 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
Please submit your feedback on the preliminary draft rule using our online comment form. We welcome all types of comments at this stage of the process, from detailed recommendations to high-level areas of support or concern. Please feel free to submit a comment expressing your areas of interest and/or interest in continuing to coordinate with Ecology on this rulemaking over the coming months. It is helpful to us to know who is interested in further conversations and around which topics.
What we've been doing
We completed a preliminary draft of the rule amendments and released them for public review on June 16, 2025. We announced that we kicked off a 60-day informal comment period on June 16. The draft rules are posted on our website, where we also provide supporting materials including a summary of the preliminary rule amendments, which describes the primary topics that the rule changes address.
We held monthly meetings with our local government sounding board in June and July. At the June meeting we presented an overview of the preliminary draft rules and gave time for Q&A. At the July meeting, we opened the time for sounding board members to ask questions and provide feedback on the draft rules.
During the informal comment period, we also held a public information session (you can watch the recording here), a public listening session, an environmental justice-focused listening session, Tribal listening sessions, and agency listening sessions to hear feedback on the draft rules. We also met with several groups who requested meetings to go over the informal drafts.
What's coming up: virtual open houses and sounding board meetings
We will review the comments we have received as we revise the drafts in preparation for filing the formal draft (called the CR-102). We expect to file the formal draft in spring of 2026, at which time we will kick off a formal comment period.
Ecology is providing ongoing opportunities for engagement during this phase of the rulemaking. We will be holding a series of monthly virtual open houses on Zoom, August through December. The first meeting will be Aug. 19. These open houses are for anyone who would like to come and ask questions or offer feedback about the draft rules. Please see our website for the schedule and registration links.
After a break in August and September, we will resume the local government sounding board meetings in October. These meetings are open to the public and include time for public input. Our website has a meeting schedule as well as a link to register for the meetings.
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Rebecca Rothwell
Rulemaking Lead
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