The department shall administer the trust land transfer program as follows:

(1) Any citizen, state and federal agencies, counties, cities, towns, federally recognized Indian tribes, nonprofit organizations, special purpose districts, public development authorities, and other political subdivisions of the state, may nominate a parcel of state land or state forestland for the trust land transfer program. The nomination must be made to the department on forms provided by the department and accompanied by the fee provided under RCW 79.02.250.

(2) The department shall perform an initial review to determine whether the transfer of a nominated parcel is in the best interest of the trust for which the land is held and whether a public agency, as defined in RCW 79.17.200, is willing to take ownership of the parcel and is capable of managing the land for the public benefit. The department may require prenomination review of parcels over 4,500 acres or parcels over an estimated appraised market value of $15,000,000, including the value of the land, valuable materials, and improvements, if any.

(3) If the department determines through its initial review that transfer would be in the best interest of the trust for which the land is held and a public agency is willing and able to take ownership and manage the land, the department shall consult with potentially affected federally recognized Indian tribes, consistent with the department's consultation policy to identify and address cultural resource issues.

(4) Following the department's initial review and tribal consultation, the department may submit parcels to an advisory committee that shall evaluate and prioritize nominated parcels according to criteria approved by the board, including social, ecological, economic, and other values. The advisory committee may include representatives of trust beneficiaries, public agencies, federally recognized Indian tribes, overburdened communities, and vulnerable populations as defined in chapter 70A.02 RCW, and other stakeholders as determined by the department.

(5) The department, with approval of the board, shall determine the final, prioritized list of trust land transfer parcels to submit to the legislature for funding. If a legislative appropriation includes the full fair market value for the trust land transfer parcel, and the board determines that the transfer is in the best interest of the trust for which the land is held, the department shall complete the transfer.

Findings—2023 c 383: See note following RCW 79.17.300.