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Pearson's
emergency flood bill signed into law
House Bill 2525 will help
save homes, land
Several years of hard work
for
Rep.
Kirk Pearson and local residents finally paid off this week when
House Bill 2525 was signed into law. House Bill 2525 will increase the ability of landowners to take immediate emergency actions to protect land and structures in the event of a
flood.
Landowners will no longer be required to obtain a
verbal permit for flood mitigation efforts in areas
where the governor has declared a state of emergency due to a flood.
"Families in my district have
been dealing with chronic flooding for years. I've witnessed the rivers erode
their land and we have literally watched the impact of the river sweep away homes,"
said Pearson, R-Monroe. "The devastation of a flood is heartbreaking. I
believe my bill has create the right balance between protecting
our environment and safeguarding our homes.
The bill was amended to
also include a trigger that would allow the county to give verbal
approval of a hydraulic permit if a chronic danger, or two consecutive
years of flooding, is declared. Work to protect the land and structures
could begin immediately upon receiving the permit.
"This bill is a good
compromise that received overwhelming Legislative support," added Pearson. "I know
it will go a long way to ensuring families can take the necessary
actions to save their homes and land from fast-rising flood waters. It
has been a privilege to work with the dedicated, hard-working local
residents to get this measure passed by the Legislature and signed into
law."
Pearson worked closely
with local landowners affected by past floods to craft the language in
HB 2525.
"We lost a quarter of our
farm to floods. Of the 160 acres of timberland we own, 40 percent was
washed away," said Diane Boyd of Darrington. "Passage of this bill gives us hope that
we can keep the land we have left. This is a great step forward in
protecting property owners from future losses."
Concrete resident Virgie Eldridge echoed
Mrs. Boyd's comments when she said residents were grateful to finally
have a roadmap to follow.
"In the past, it was
frustrating to hear government focus on telling us what we couldn't do,
and not focus on how we could protect our families and our homes," said
Eldridge. "We are thankful to finally have a roadmap to follow, we now
know who to call and what to do in the case of future floods."
"Passage of House Bill
2525 is a big step for landowners. We are hopeful counties will move
forward in the same direction because they have an important role in
implementing the spirit of this bill," said Lori Kratzer, who
lives in Arlington and is the River Resource
Trust spokeswoman.
The law goes into affect
June 12, 2008.
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For more information, contact:
Lisa Fenton, Communications
Director:
(360) 786-7728
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