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Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council to discuss improving infrastructure for ecosystems and people

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
March 10, 2023

*MEDIA CONTACT: *Kevin Hyde, 360.819.3045, [email protected]?

The Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council will meet on Wednesday, March 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Capital Events Center, 6005 Tyee Dr. SW, Tumwater, WA 98512.

All are welcome to attend the meeting.?With the expiration of the Governor?s COVID-19 State of Emergency, masking for Partnership staff, board members, and attendees is voluntary. We continue to strongly support those who choose to wear a mask. We plan to have gallery seating for partners and other members of the public who join us and we will make every effort to provide (but cannot guarantee) adequate spacing between seats within the constraints of our meeting space.

We?ll be providing an all-virtual livestream of this meeting, through TVW (link below). We highly encourage partners and other members of the public to use this virtual option, if possible, to reduce carbon emissions and to minimize COVID risks for everyone. If you do elect to use the livestream option and wish to submit public comment, please send your written comments to [email protected]?by noon on Tuesday, March 14. We will review public comments submitted by email during the general public comment period on March 15.

TVW web link:?[link removed]

The agenda and meeting materials are available through our board meetings page: [link removed]

Meeting highlights include:


* A forum about Sound Safe Infrastructure and funding infrastructure for ecosystems and people. With the passage of the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, and the 16-year, nearly $17 billion State of Washington transportation funding package, the Puget Sound region will be receiving a large influx of money over the next five years dedicated to improving transportation infrastructure. This session will include a discussion about using this opportunity to direct these substantial transportation investments to projects that simultaneously advance Puget Sound restoration and the human wellbeing benefits of improving the regional infrastructure. This session will also include a discussion with the Leadership Council about?possible actions that can be pursued so that more restoration projects are able to successfully compete for transportation funds. Forum participants include Kirsten Feifel, adaptive systems manager at the Puget Sound Partnership, Ahren Stroming, special assistant for federal affairs at the Puget Sound Partnership, Theresa Mitchell, Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project manager at the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Ahmer Nizam, director, Environmental Services Office at the Washington State Department of Transportation.?


* A presentation and discussion about the 2023 Washington state legislative session. This session will include an update from Partnership staff about the 2023 Washington State legislative session and a discussion of policies in play. Presentation by Don Gourlie, legislative policy director at the Puget Sound Partnership.?


* A presentation and discussion about Action Agenda Progress Indicators (Progress Indicators),?a new suite of indicators developed by the Partnership to?track progress in implementing 2022-2026 Action Agenda strategies and assess our collective success in making progress towards Puget Sound recovery. Partnership staff have been working with partners to identify and scope an initial set of Progress Indicators pertaining to smart growth, agriculture, habitat restoration, and Onsite Septic Systems (OSS) management. Partnership staff will provide an update to the Leadership Council on the vision and status of this work. Presentation by Kirsten Feifel,?adaptive systems manager at the Puget Sound Partnership, and Beihua Page, adaptive systems lead at the Puget Sound Partnership.?


* A presentation and decision on the Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force (PSFLTF). This session will include an update on recent federal funding opportunities and the PSFLTF and a decision by the Leadership Council about designating members of a State Advisory Committee to assist and advise the new PSFLTF. There will also be a briefing about current federal appropriations requests and the upcoming Puget Sound Day on the Hill event. Presentation by Peter Murchie, program manager, EPA Geographic Programs Section, and Ahren Stroming, special assistant for federal affairs at the Puget Sound Partnership.?


* A presentation and discussion about the Leadership Council's work plan. This session will include a discussion about the implementation status of the Leadership Council's 2022/2023 work plan priorities in preparation for adopting a new or revised work plan in June.?Presentation by Dennis McLerran, chair of the Leadership Council, and Tristan Contesse,?boards program manager at the Puget Sound Partnership.

The full Leadership Council agenda and meeting materials are available?through our board meetings page at:?[link removed].

If you need special accommodations to participate in this meeting, please notify Special Assistant to the Boards Anna Petersen at 360.338.2384.

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About the Leadership Council

The Leadership Council is the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Its seven members are leading citizens chosen from around the Sound and appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms. Dennis McLerran currently chairs the Leadership Council.

About the Puget Sound Partnership

The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency formed to lead the region?s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. Working with hundreds of government agencies, tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits, the Partnership mobilizes partner action around a common agenda, advances Sound investments, and tracks progress to optimize recovery.

For more information, go to www.psp.wa.gov [ [link removed] ].







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