Section 173-166-090. Funding assistance—General criteria.

Ecology may provide funding assistance to public bodies for projects and measures designed to alleviate drought conditions relating to agricultural and fisheries survival. Funding is available from emergency agricultural water supply funds under RCW 43.83B.300. Funding assistance will be based upon the total funds available at the beginning of the current biennium. General criteria under which funds will be provided:

(1) Public bodies eligible to receive emergency funds are defined in RCW 43.83B.050 as ". . . the state of Washington, or any agency, political subdivision, taxing district, or municipal corporation thereof, an agency of the federal government, and those Indian tribes now or hereafter recognized as such by the federal government for participation in the federal land and water conservation program and which may constitutionally receive grants or loans from the state of Washington."

(2) The public body applying for emergency funds must be conducting the previously established activity for which they seek funding assistance within an area declared to be suffering from drought conditions as defined in WAC 173-166-030(2).

(3) The public body applying for emergency funds must be receiving, or be projected to receive, less than seventy-five percent of normal water supply, as the result of natural drought conditions, for the previously established activity for which they seek funding assistance and experiencing, or be expected to experience, undue hardship as a result.

(4) Funding assistance will be for planning, acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of water supply facilities and for other appropriate measures to assure the survival of irrigated agriculture and the state's fisheries resource.

(5) Funding assistance will be available only for projects or measures undertaken in response to drought conditions which are beyond the normal scope of operations of the public body applying for emergency funds.

(6) No more than ten percent of total available funds will be allocated for nonagricultural drought relief purposes, including the preservation of the state's fisheries during a given biennium.

(7) Funding assistance may be in the form of a loan or a grant or a combination loan and grant.

(8) Loans, grants, or combination loans and grants may be used as matching funds in cases where federal, local, or other funds are also available.

(9) Emergency loans may be approved with a payback period not to exceed fifteen years, with the interest rate to be equal to the final discount rate established for one year U.S. Treasury Bills at the first auction following the beginning of the state fiscal year in which the loan is approved.

(10) Ecology, plus all state and local agencies that are affected by the proposed project or measure, in keeping with the emergency nature of these provisions, will process the respective application(s) and provide a decision(s) to the applicant in an expeditious manner.

(11) To expedite the implementation of drought relief projects and measures, ecology can approve funding assistance without compliance with requirements for:

(a) Notice of publication.

(b) The State Environmental Policy Act.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 43.83B.420. WSR 91-03-081 (Order 90-53), § 173-166-090, filed 1/17/91, effective 2/17/91.]

RCW 43.83B.420. WSR 91-03-081 (Order 90-53), § 173-166-090, filed 1/17/91, effective 2/17/91.

Rules

173-166-030,