(1)(a) Counties and cities with clean energy projects that are determined to be eligible for the fully coordinated permit process shall enter into an agreement with the department of ecology or with the project proponents of clean energy projects for expediting the completion of projects.

(b) For the purposes of this section, "expedite" means that a county or city will develop and implement a method to accelerate the process for permitting and environmental review. Expediting should not disrupt or otherwise delay the permitting and environmental review of other projects or require the county or city to incur additional costs that are not compensated.

(2) Agreements required by this section must include requirements that the county or city coordinate with the department of ecology and conduct environmental review and permitting to align with the work plan described in RCW 43.158.120(4) and:

(a) Expedite permit processing for the design and construction of the project;

(b) Expedite environmental review processing;

(c) Expedite processing of requests for street, right-of-way, or easement vacations necessary for the construction of the project;

(d) Develop and follow a plan for consultation with potentially affected federally recognized Indian tribes; and

(e) Carry out such other actions identified by the department of ecology as needed for the fully coordinated permitting process.

Findings—Intent—2023 c 230: See note following RCW 43.394.010.