What is the purpose of Ecology’s 2003 Shoreline Management Act guidelines?
The guidelines set minimum procedural and substantive standards for local governments updating their programs. Ecology and state Growth Management Hearings Boards also use the guidelines to review and approve local shoreline master program updates. The 2003 guidelines now in place resulted from a negotiated settlement between business interests, ports, environmental groups, shoreline user groups, cities and counties, Ecology, and the courts. Also in 2003, the state legislature provided funding and established a mandatory schedule for local shoreline program updates through 2014.
