News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 23, 2003
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Locke Vetoes Controversial Utility Relocation Legislation

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke today vetoed legislation that would have required Sound Transit to pay the costs of relocating private utility facilities for construction of its light rail projects.

Senate Bill 5632 would have required regional transportation authorities to pay for relocating private utility facilities, such as telephone and electric power lines located in local roadways. Under current law, private utilities must pay the costs of relocating facilities when they install lines in publicly owned rights-of-way.

Concerns surrounding the legislation focused on the potential fiscal impact on Sound Transit’s current light-rail projects in Tacoma and Seattle.

Locke’s veto message stated the following:

“Under traditional common law and under current state statute, when local governments make improvements to rights-of-way, utilities displaced by those improvements are required in most instances to pay the costs of relocation. Sound Transit and local governments properly relied on this existing law in preparing their budgets and design plans for the Tacoma and Central Link light rail projects.

“Construction, including utility relocation, of the Tacoma and Central Links projects is already under way. To shift relocation costs from the utilities to Sound Transit at this late date would potentially disrupt or delay transportation projects that are vital to the Puget Sound region. I also have concerns with the provisions of the bill that could be interpreted as requiring utilities’ approval of engineering, design and route selection of the system.”

The governor’s message also said, “Citizens are both taxpayers and utility ratepayers. Whether the costs of transit projects are paid by taxpayers or by utility ratepayers, they are paid by citizens.” The veto message called for “thoughtful, comprehensive legislation” of utility relocation policies that address both public and private utilities, and encompass projects sponsored by state government, local government, regional transit authorities and other public or quasi-public entities.

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Editor’s Note: The complete text of the governor’s veto message is available by calling the Governor’s Communications Office at 360-902-4136.


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