Periodically at intervals to be determined by the board, the department shall cause an economic analysis to be made of those state lands held in trust, where the nature of the trust makes maximization of the economic return to the beneficiaries of income from state lands the prime objective. The analysis shall be by specific tracts, or where such tracts are of similar economic characteristics, by groupings of such tracts.

The most recently made analysis shall be considered by the department in making decisions as to whether to sell or lease state lands, standing timber or crops thereon, or minerals therein, including but not limited to oil and gas and other hydrocarbons, rocks, gravel, and sand.

The economic analysis shall include, but shall not be limited to the following criteria: (1) Present and potential sale value; (2) present and probable future returns on the investment of permanent state funds; (3) probable future inflationary or deflationary trends; (4) present and probable future income from leases or the sale of land products; and (5) present and probable future tax income derivable therefrom specifically including additional state, local, and other tax revenues from potential private development of land currently used primarily for grazing and other similar low priority use; such private development would include, but not be limited to, development as irrigated agricultural land.

Intent—2003 c 334: See note following RCW 79.02.010.