DATE: June 23, 1996

TO: Land Use Study Commission

FROM: Harry Reinert

RE: Revised Draft Issue Paper

At the May 14 Commission meeting, the Chair distributed a draft issue paper with suggestions for topics for the Commission to consider over the remainder of 1996. In addition to the suggestion for topics, the draft issue paper also included the suggestion that the Commission appoint a sounding board to assist it in working through the issues.

Both at that meeting, and in conversations with Commission member since, the staff has received many comments and suggestions for changes to the paper. Attached to this memorandum is a revised issue paper that incorporate many of these comments. In addition, the staff has also included some other suggestions and changes based on its review of the public comments received to date.

There are two major differences in this second draft. First, the provisions relating to the sounding board have been deleted. The Chair and the steering committee thought that the question of process should be handled separately from the question of developing policy. The sounding board issue will be presented to the Commission at a later meeting.

The second major difference is the addition of what is now Discussion Item 1. The two items of "flexibility and equity" and "rural lands" from the first draft have been combined into a single issue in this draft. The dispute resolution item remains, although it has been renumbered as the third issue.

The reason for adding Issue 1 is the belief on the part of several Commission members that there needs to be more "currency" on the table. The first draft focused largely on procedural changes to GMA. A recurring theme in discussions on GMA and environmental issues over the last several years is that Washington has historically used procedure to address substantive issues. If procedural protections are limited in some ways, the reasoning goes, there need to be clearer guidelines. Issue 1 is intended to get at this question.

Attached to the Issue Paper is a two page summary of the issues and questions included in the paper. This summary will serve as the focal point for discussion at the Commission's June 11 meeting.