Public invited to learn about the Draft 2016 Action Agenda for Puget Sound
The Puget Sound Partnership
will release the Draft 2016 Action Agenda for Puget Sound at the
end of March. Community members are invited to learn about and provide feedback on the draft at three upcoming open houses:
Edmonds - EdmondsLibrary Plaza Room, 650 Main St., Tues., April 5, 5:00-7:30 p.m.
Tacoma - Center for Urban Waters, 326 East D St., Thurs., April 7, 5:00-7:30
p.m.
Mount Vernon - Best Western Plus, 2300 Market St., Tues., April 12, 5:00-7:30 p.m.
All information and comment
opportunities provided at these open houses will also be available
online March 28 – April 29, 2016, at PugetSoundActionAgendaUpdate.publicmeeting.info. Public comments will be
accepted until midnight April 29, 2016.
Meeting venues are ADA
compliant. If you would like to receive open house information in an
alternative format, please contact Kelly Adams at 360-464-1233.
About the Action Agenda
First developed in 2008, the Action Agenda for Puget Sound is the
region's shared vision for Puget Sound recovery. The Action Agenda identifies
priorities for the protection, restoration and cleanup of Puget Sound and
articulates opportunities for federal, state, local, tribal and private
entities to align priorities, invest resources and coordinate actions. It also
includes the framework used by the Puget Sound Partnership to track recovery
progress.
By statute (RCW 90.71), consideration of revisions must be made
every two years. The 2016 update
of the Action Agenda includes revisions to Near Term Actions, which are actions
that should begin or be completed within the next two years. Near
Term Actions identify what organization is the “owner” of specific actions and
includes specific actions and milestones to measure progress.
The Leadership Council, the governing body of the Partnership appointed by the Governor, will consider public comments before adopting the final 2016 Action
Agenda for Puget Sound, scheduled for June 2016.
About the Washington State Environmental Policy Act review
The Action Agenda public
comment period, from March 28 through midnight on April 29, satisfies public
comment requirements of the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The
SEPA review process involves the identification of possible environmental
impacts that may result from governmental decisions and proposals, including the
adoption of a comprehensive planning document, such as the Puget Sound Action
Agenda. Comments collected through
this process will be summarized and considered in the development of the final 2016
Puget Sound Action Agenda.
In addition to collecting
public feedback, the Partnership is preparing a programmatic environmental
checklist pursuant to SEPA. The checklist evaluates the full range of potential
impacts of the Action Agenda. The expected outcome of this review is that the
proposal does not have a probable significant adverse impact on the
environment. The SEPA checklist and the determination of non-significance (DNS)
will be circulated for review, along with the draft Action Agenda, on March 28.
These documents will be made available on the Partnership website or by mail if
requested. Comments regarding the these SEPA documents can be submitted with
other feedback and are also due by midnight April 29, 2016. SEPA-related comments will
be considered in the Action Agenda’s final SEPA determination.
About the Puget Sound Partnership
The
Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency formed to lead the region’s
collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. Working with hundreds of governments, tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits,
the Partnership mobilizes partner action around a common agenda,
advances Sound investments, and tracks progress to optimize recovery.
