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Puget Sound Partnership & Action Agenda Update
August 2011
Background
The 2007 Legislature created the Puget Sound Partnership (Partnership)
to develop a new strategy to focus and finish Puget Sound restoration by
2020. The Partnership replaced the previous Puget Sound Action Team,
which was created in 1996 to oversee restoration of the environmental
health of Puget Sound.
Governance
The Partnership is governed by a seven-member Leadership Council. The
first Chair of the Leadership Council was William Ruckelshaus; the
current chair is Martha Kongsgaard.The other six members of the
Leadership Council represent various interests including business,
agriculture, and tribes, among others. The Leadership Council adopted an
Action Agenda in late 2008 that identified and assigned priorities to
actions needed to get to a healthy Puget Sound by 2020.
The Partnership has appointed the Ecosystem Coordination Board (ECB),
whose main role is to advise the Leadership Council in carrying out its
responsibilities. The Board is made up of 27 individuals representing
specific interests around the Sound. Counties have several
representatives on the ECB.
More information about the Puget Sound Partnership can be found at
www.psp.wa.gov.
WSAC Support
For the past several years, the Partnership has provided funding to WSAC
to hire a part-time program consultant to work with Puget Sound counties
in participating in action plan development and implementation. Under
this funding, Neil Aaland is available to answer questions and provide
assistance to affected counties.Neil can be reached by e-mail at
naaland@comcast.net and by phone at (360) 791-8905.
Current Activities
1. Action Agenda/Biennial Science Plan Updates: The Action Agenda, first
developed in 2008, explains what a healthy Puget Sound is, describes the
current state of Puget Sound, prioritizes cleanup and improvement
efforts, and highlights opportunities for federal, state, local, tribal
and private resources to invest and coordinate. By statute, the
near-term strategies and actions described in the Action Agenda must be
updated every two years. See this link for more details on this update:
http://www.psp.wa.gov/action_agenda_2011_update_home.php
There are several upcoming opportunities for county participation/review
and comment on draft update language:
- September 13-15: Workshops for
participants/partners
- Mid-September 2011: Special workshop targeted to
local governments will be held (focusing on the issues of
primary interest to cities and counties); the exact date
will be publicized when scheduled
- Public open houses end of September (scattered
around the Sound and aimed at the general public)
- A draft Action Agenda will be presented to the
Leadership Council at its December 2011 meeting, and a
public review process will begin
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2. Grant availability:EPA provided funding to Washington state agencies
(Lead Organizations) to develop and implement six-year strategies for
four categories of Puget Sound ecosystem protection and restoration. EPA
funds for the four categories total $12 million for the first year, $3
million for each category. EPA expects to provide approximately $5.5
million in addition to each Lead Organization in the second year.
Potentially EPA could provide up to $192 million over the next six
years, dependent on federal appropriations. Lead organizations are
making early direct investments to move their strategies forward and
implement specific tasks and actions identified in the 2008 Puget Sound
Action Agenda.
Several grant/RFP opportunities have already been publicized. See this
website for additional information: http://www.psp.wa.gov/epafunding.php
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