Washington approves $1.1 billion for culvert removal; permitting reform bill dies in committee. The 2026 legislative session included $1.1 billion in highway construction funds for fish barrier removal under the federal court injunction requiring Puget Sound and Chehalis basin culvert replacement by 2030. Separately, HB 2193 — which would have created a regulatory sandbox allowing temporary waiver of regulations hindering salmon recovery projects — died in committee without a vote. The Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board awarded $30 million for the 2025–2027 cycle.
What this means for restoration portfolios. The $1.1 billion accelerates the pipeline of fish passage projects that entities in barrier-dense watersheds are already coordinating around. But the death of HB 2193 means the permitting process that governs those projects remains unchanged — entities continue navigating the same multi-agency review timelines. For organizations managing multiple fish passage obligations simultaneously, the funding acceleration without permitting reform compresses the administrative burden into the same procedural window.
Source: WA 2026 Legislative Session (60-day); SB 5690 (Ch. 106, Laws of 2026); Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board
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