(1) The department is authorized to create and manage a trust land transfer program. Real property available for the trust land transfer program is economically underperforming state land and state forestland with high ecological or public benefit and deemed appropriate for state parks, fish and wildlife habitats, natural area preserves, natural resources conservation areas, community forests, recreation, or other public purposes. (2) Underperforming state land and state forestland is land that the department determines has limited potential to generate income in the reasonably foreseeable future due to physical, legal, access, or other constraints. The department may use the real property transfer authorities under this chapter and chapter 79.22 RCW, as appropriate, to complete transfers under the trust land transfer program. (3) The department shall use legislative appropriations for approved trust land transfers to acquire replacement real property that will provide long-term, sustainable revenue to the trust beneficiaries or is otherwise desirable to be added to the affected trust and to pay for the department's administrative expenses to complete the transfer, including the cost of department staff time, appraisals, surveys, environmental reviews, and other similar costs of the program. (4) Transfers funded by legislative appropriation must be at fair market value, including the value of land, timber, other valuable materials, and improvements owned by the state. The legislative appropriation must be deposited in the natural resources real property replacement account created in RCW 79.17.210 and the parkland trust revolving fund established in RCW 43.30.385, as appropriate. (5) The department shall prioritize the acquisition of working farms and forests when acquiring replacement real property for state lands transferred under this program when it can be demonstrated that the trust fiduciary obligations can be better fulfilled with these lands. The department shall endeavor to acquire replacement real property as quickly as practicable. (6) The department shall only submit real properties for trust land transfers to the board or legislature through the process created in RCW 79.17.310 if at least 50 percent of all previous appropriations provided after July 23, 2023, for purchase of replacement lands for the trust land transfer program have been utilized to purchase replacement trust lands. The list of properties submitted to the board or legislature for possible trust land transfers through the process created in RCW 79.17.310 may not exceed $30,000,000 in total property value for each year the list is submitted. [ 2023 c 383 s 2.]
‹ Prev All Washington sections Next ›
Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.