A very balanced look at the issue of the effectiveness of the Puget Sound Partnership. Daniel misses a bit of the positive that has been done by the partnership, but my main criticism of it has been that it has not taken politically sensitive stands for key processes done on the local levels, such as support for the Shoreline Master Programs. There is never anyone from the Partnership coming out to the local meetings to help show it’s support for the issue. Often these public meetings are the only place that the opposition to these protections show up. The meetings can be truly ugly, and the non profits, local government officials and environmental supporters are left to take the heat from the angry crowds. Usually these crowds are fueled by stands with no scientific support, promoted by people who stand to profit by a lack of shoreline protections. Support from the Partnership would be of immense help in these meetings, and has been, to put it kindly, nonexistent.
In other areas, the Partnership has done some good, with their attempts at bringing together the various factions. It’s been my opinion though, as one who has attended years of the Partnerships meetings, that we are stuck in analysis paralysis, many people who used to go to the original meetings no longer attend, and that there is much more that could be done that is not being done. There could be much more time spent in actually figuring out exactly how the Partnership could help and getting that support tuned in. Many of the people that the Partnership is helping, have stated that they are unclear that the Partnership is actually making a difference. The Partnership needs to do a better job of showing how it’s is actually achieving it’s mandate, if it actually is.
An example: It has dribbled out funds to help educate the Puget Sound population to the issues, and the actual work on this has been left to the local groups, which is a good thing. But the amounts given to these local regional efforts, while appreciated, is not enough to make a dent in the issue.
I would have to say that if needing to give a grade to the Partnerships efforts, it would be a C, meaning that I would say it’s close to failing, but certainly not living up to it’s immense potential. Can any government based agency do so anymore? My guess is no. Are we better off for it’s existence? Yes. I do think so.
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The great crusade to restore Puget Sound is five years old. What crusade? People who’ve moved here since that start of the financial crisis may not recall that on May 7, 2007, Gov. Chris Gregoire stood on the shore of Puget Sound, signed the law that created the Puget Sound Partnership, and launched a campaign to restore the Sound by 2020. The time laid out for the cleanup is more than one-third up. By now, some political insiders have grown to think badly of the Puget Sound Partnership, but most people don’t think of it at all. The Sound currently inspires little or no visible leadership. Dan Chasan at Crosscut writes.
http://crosscut.com/2012/06/06/puget-sound/109036/puget-sound-cleanup-gregoire-governor/
Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: Puget Sound, Puget Sound Partnership |
