Pollution Control Hearings Board/Shorelines Hearings Board Member

Remote Optional: This position may be full- or part-time remote.

The Pollution Control Hearings Board and Shorelines Hearings Board (Board/Boards) are seeking applications to fill an upcoming Board member vacancy beginning July 1, 2026. 

**This position must be filled by an attorney licensed to practice law in Washington state who resides in Washington state and is not a member of the Democratic party. (Board members are appointed by the Governor and serve 6-year terms).

The Pollution Control Hearings Board and Shorelines Hearings Board 

The Boards provide administrative review of environmental decisions made by state agencies, local governments, and others. The Boards issue decisions on important environmental matters impacting Washington’s natural resources, citizens, communities, and economies.

The Pollution Control Hearings Board was created in 1970 and reviews environmental permitting and enforcement decisions. Respondents to Board cases include the Department of Ecology, local air pollution control authorities, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and local agencies such as ports and municipalities. There are over 40 separate environmental statutes that are appealable to the Pollution Control Hearings Board. Jurisdictional areas include water and air pollution, water resources, hydraulic project approvals, forest practices, toxic pollution, oil spills and hazardous waste, dairy nutrient management, floodplain management, solid waste, surface mining, greenhouse gas emissions – cap and invest, derelict vessels, and several other areas.
  
The Pollution Control Hearings Board is governed by Chapter 43.21B RCW and the Administrative Procedure Act, Chapter 34.05 RCW. The Board is comprised of three members qualified by experience or training in pertinent matters pertaining to the environment. Board members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Washington State Senate. No more than two members can be of the same political party. Board members serve six-year.The Board operates full-time.

The Shorelines Hearings Board was established in 1971 and reviews permitting and enforcement decisions of local governments and the Department of Ecology under the Shoreline Management Act. The Shorelines Hearings Board is governed by the Shoreline Management Act, Chapter 90.58 RCW, and the Administrative Procedure Act, Chapter 34.05 RCW. The Board is comprised of the three members of the Pollution Control Hearings Board, the Commissioner of Public Lands or designee, one member appointed by the Association of Washington Cities, and one member appointed by the Washington State Association of Counties. The Chair of the Shorelines Hearings Board is the Chair of the Pollution Control Hearings Board. The Shorelines Hearings Board operates as needed when cases are filed.
  
The Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office (ELUHO) is the administrative agency that supports the Pollution Control Hearings Board, the Shorelines Hearings Board, and the Growth Management Hearings Board. The Boards are supported by a small legal support team, a law clerk, and a small team of administrative appeals judges. ELUHO’s office is located in Olympia.

What you will do as a Board member:

Board members are assigned cases by the Chair, including cases in which they are the presiding officer. Day-to-day work includes legal research, legal analysis, and legal writing, presiding over pre-hearing conferences and hearings, determining evidentiary and procedural matters, and producing complete and legally sound orders with consideration of the facts.

Most cases before the Boards are reviewed de novo with full evidentiary processes and the creation of a case record. The Boards issue decisions setting forth legal analyses of claims, and if a case goes to hearing, the Boards issue findings of fact and conclusions of law that inform all parties of the reasons for the decision. Most Board pre- and post-hearing dispositive decisions must be decided by a quorum of Board members. Final orders have the force of law and parties can appeal Board decisions to the courts.

Board members must display a judicial temperament by remaining impartial, considering competing arguments, and rendering informed and unbiased decisions. They must maintain confidentiality and conduct themselves with a commitment to ethics and integrity.

Board members convene and participate in meetings under the Open Public Meetings Act. Board members also support ELUHO’s administration by attending open public Board meetings and informing agency decisions regarding policy, budget, and operations.

Board members often attend meetings, including case deliberation discussions and Board meetings, in-person. Hearings and conferences have been conducted remotely since the onset of the pandemic but are transitioning to allow hybrid and in-person options.

Who we are looking for:

This position must be filled by an attorney with experience or training in environmental matters who is not a Democrat.  RCW 43.21B.020 (no more than two Board members shall be of the same political party). Preference will be given to candidates with administrative, environmental, or land use law experience.

This is a unique opportunity:

This is an opportunity to serve on two of Washington’s most distinguished boards. The Pollution Control Hearings Board and Shorelines Hearings Board oversee cases filed and defended by some of the state and nation’s most prominent attorneys. The Boards are the first stop for deciding important environmental legal issues of first impression. The caseload is highly diverse and the legal issues are interesting. 

Board members and administrative appeals judges comment that working for the Boards has re-energized their love of the law and legal profession. The Boards are impartial and Board members are not advocates for any party. There are no billable hours and ELUHO values work/life balance for all employees. As a presiding officer, Board members have flexibility in setting case schedules. Board members are provided training and growth opportunities as well as opportunities to speak at CLEs and other conferences. The state offers comprehensive compensation packages, including benefits and paid leave. Board members also have opportunities to mentor law student externs, law clerks, and administrative appeals judges.

Contact Information:

You may contact the ELUHO Director, Dominga Soliz, with any questions about the position at Dominga.Soliz@eluho.wa.gov or (360) 664-9173. 

How to apply: