Shoreline Management Act Rulemaking

Virtual Open Houses

We wanted to remind everyone that we are holding Shoreline Management Act rulemaking virtual open houses in the coming months. The next open house will be on September 16, at 6 pm. Please join us!

The Department of Ecology is updating the rules that shape how local governments manage and protect shorelines across the state along lakes, rivers, and the coast.

The goal of the open houses is to provide information on our preliminary draft rules while also creating an interactive space for you to ask questions and share your views about how the rule topics may impact you, your community, or communities you serve. Our intent is to provide ongoing opportunities for engagement during this phase of the rulemaking.

Who should participate? Anyone with an interest in shoreline management.

Why participate? The open houses are a chance for you to stay engaged as we revise the preliminary draft rules. We invite your feedback to inform changes to the Shoreline Management Act rules. We’re especially interested in understanding how rule changes could impact Tribal communities and communities that experience environmental harms or health impacts.

The open houses will focus on:

• Community input: Provide your feedback on the preliminary draft rules and ask questions. We’re interested in general feedback about the rules, including what is concerning, confusing, and interesting to you.
• Awareness: Learn about the Shoreline Management Act and updates we’re considering in our rules, our timeline, and opportunities to get involved.

Dates:

• August 19
• September 16
• October 21
• November 18
• December 16

Time: 6-7 pm

Register for the open houses. The registration page will give you the option of signing up for any or all of the open houses.

Upon registering, you’ll receive a Zoom registration email. All virtual houses will be hosted in English. Please email SMArulemaking@ecy.wa.gov if you need translation or interpretation services, additional accommodations for the meeting, or need help registering.

Background resources

• Shoreline Management Act rulemaking web page. This page contains information about the rulemaking, including links to the preliminary draft rule language.

• June 25 Information session recording. This recording will explain many of the topics we're proposing to add or update in the rules.

• Summary of preliminary draft rules: This document offers a summary of the changes in the preliminary draft rules.

If you have suggestions for topics for us to cover, or questions to answer during the open houses, email us at SMArulemaking@ecy.wa.gov prior to the session you plan to attend.