Private Property Road Maintenance & Abandonment Plan Required in WA


editorial by Robin Stice
Okanogan County, WA

After attending the County Information meeting in Okanogan on March 26, 2002:

In 1999 the WA State Legislature passed HB2091 requiring private property owners to develop
something akin to an EIS [Environmental Impact Study] for any roads on their property.  It will be MANDATORY like taxes, and ultimately effect owners of as small as two acres by 2005.  

Currently it targets those with 500 or more acres to have this done now.  This will cost private land owners so much that many will have to sell their property.  Some families have had property for many generations and now are threatened.

This law states that all forested roads on state and private land be abandoned or improved and maintained to new standards within 15 years!

The new jargon is Road Maintenance and Abandonment Plan (RMAP)

The DNR [Department of Natural Resources] is charged with policing private property owners for doing this in addition to performing it for all state DNR land. You can guess how this will affect the money for schools!  The planning and road upgrades are an unfunded mandate and will cost DNR hundreds of millions of dollars.

Furthermore, this law attempts to give others rights to "inspect" roads on private property in direct violation to current real-estate laws in WA state.

I urge you to find out more.  This law will generate the break-up of many large properties. This law is expected to generate ranchettes and is so constricting many are in danger of losing their property, and some are selling now.  The counties will lose tax base and then they will inherit the responsibilities set forth in this law.

References:

    1. http://www.mrsc.org/environment/forest/forest.htm
    2.Okanogan Farm Bureau (509) 422-4703
    3.ESHB 2091, WSR 01-12-042 - Permanent Rule
    4.Dept. of Natural Resources has more data.


Many of us are still absorbing the far reaching effects this law will have on all the people of Washington.  It seems to be in direct violation of private property rights.  The next year will be a battle.  I am beginning to think we have terrorists in Olympia. And for those with no property or that under 2 acres, this is just the beginning of an attempt to erode your personal rights as they now stand.  So the way I see it all citizens in WA are affected!

Robin Stice
Oroville, WA 98844