Washington state residents have been increasingly impacted by natural disasters such as floods, landslides, wildfires, earthquakes, and the COVID-19 pandemic and they continue to be at risk from these and other natural disasters, with communities of color and vulnerable populations disproportionately impacted. The legislature finds that it is critical to better prepare Washington for disasters to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters with coordinated resiliency strategies. The legislature further finds a resilient Washington increases quality of life for Washingtonians while every one dollar spent on mitigation saves six dollars spent on recovery. To address this critical need, the legislature intends to implement a statewide resiliency program for the benefit of all Washingtonians while conserving expenditures by both public and private sectors.
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The governor shall develop and administer a statewide disaster resiliency program. The program may be developed in conjunction with a climate resiliency program. The program must include:
(A) Developing, administering, tracking, and communicating progress of overall disaster resiliency efforts;
(B) Coordinating funding to maximize federal, state, local, and private investments;
(C) Serving as a public and private resiliency resource center; and
(D) Enhancing interagency collaboration, education, and outreach programs;
ii. A strategy for addressing the impacts of natural disasters, including flooding, on communities and ecosystems, including:
(A) Developing, coordinating, and communicating resiliency initiatives and projects across state agencies and local governments;
(B) Conducting policy research and recommendations related to enhancing resiliency;
(C) Coordinating research, data collection, and analysis; and
(D) Researching economic tools to address resiliency; and
iii. Support functions to agencies, departments, tribes, and other stakeholders to develop natural climate resiliency solutions that improve the resiliency of the state's waters, forests, and other vital ecosystems to the impacts of climate change, and increase their carbon pollution reduction capacity through sequestration, storage, and overall ecosystem integrity. This includes programs, activities, or projects that:
(A) Restore and protect estuaries, fisheries, and marine shoreline habitats, and prepare for sea level rise;
(B) Increase the ability to remediate and adapt to the impacts of ocean acidification;
(C) Reduce flood risk and restore natural floodplain ecological function;
(D) Increase the sustainable supply of water and improve aquatic habitat, including groundwater mapping and modeling;
(E) Improve infrastructure for treating stormwater from previously developed areas within an urban growth boundary designated under chapter 36.70A RCW, with a preference given to projects that use green stormwater infrastructure;
(F) Either preserve or increase, or both, carbon sequestration and storage benefits in forests and agricultural soils;
(G) Increase forest and community resiliency to wildfire in the face of increased seasonal temperatures and drought; or
(H) Improve forest health and reduce vulnerability to changes in hydrology, insect infestation, and other impacts of climate change.
b. For the projects listed in (a)(iii) of this subsection, priority must be given to projects that implement community-scale hazard mitigation activities that use nature-based solutions.
The sum of $250,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, and $250,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, from the general fund to the office of the governor for the purposes of this act.