OLYMPIA — The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee has recommended giving counties a second chance to join the Voluntary Stewardship Program, seen by farm groups as an option that is preferable to mandatory riparian buffers.

Some 27 of the state’s 39 counties joined VSP a decade ago. House Bill 1856 would give the other 12 counties until July 1, 2023, to opt in. Rather than forced buffers, VSP relies on voluntary conservation projects by farmers to enhance riparian habitat.

The Democrat-controlled agriculture committee endorsed the VSP legislation Friday with a 15-0 vote.

Meanwhile, Gov. Jay Inslee’s mandatory buffer bill has stalled in the House and Senate. The governor said last week he was not optimistic his buffer bill will pass.

Washington Farm Bureau CEO John Stuhlmiller said Monday he was encouraged by the House committee’s unanimous support for expanding VSP.

Under the program, counties must retain riparian habitat, but farmers aren’t required to give up land. “It doesn’t make life a whole lot easier for ag, but it provides certainty,” Stuhlmiller said. 

Farm groups say mandatory buffers would destroy that certainty and blow up VSP, which the Legislature created in 2011 to resolve an earlier dispute over buffers.

“As we look at the ongoing challenge of restoring our salmon runs and rehabilitating our riparian management zones, what comes up as an effective program over and over again is the Voluntary Stewardship Program,” said Rep. Larry Springer, D-Kirkland.

A decade ago, lawmakers gave county commissioners a limited time to join VSP, or stick with Growth Management Act regulations. Eastern Washington counties mostly embraced VSP, while the program got a mixed reception in Western Washington, especially in counties with large urban centers.

Pierce County, the state’s second most populous county, didn’t join VSP, but farmers and officials there are pushing for a second chance.

“The program is established and proven now,” Pierce County Councilman Hans Zeiger told the House committee. “We’ve heard particular interest in reopening this program from some of our local farmers.”

It’s unknown how many new counties would join VSP. Washington State Conservation Commission policy director Ron Shultz said he’s heard interest from several counties.

The Washington Association of Counties supports the bill. The association’s policy director, Paul Jewell, said VSP fosters cooperation between farmers, tribes, environmentalists and regulators.

“It’s exactly the type of program we should support and encourage,” Jewell said. “We believe absolutely we should allow more counties and the farming industry within those counties to take advantage of this innovative approach.”

The counties not in VSP are Clallam, Clark, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Klickitat, Pierce, Skamania, Snohomish, Wahkiakum and Whatcom.