This bill creates a new statutory section and amends RCW 36.75.040 to authorize county boards of commissioners to enter into shared stewardship agreements with federal land management agencies, explicitly including the United States Forest Service, to maintain and manage fuel breaks on federally owned land up to one mile on either side of any road a county chooses to include (including interstate and intrastate highways). Any shared stewardship agreement under the amended RCW must include a revenue sharing agreement under which the county retains the proceeds from any timber sales. The amendment to RCW 36.75.040 also lists and clarifies powers and duties of county boards in relation to roads and bridges: acquiring property (including by eminent domain), maintaining a county engineering office and records, performing acts necessary for road administration, and renting or leasing lands, improvements, or air space above or below county roads subject to conditions (no interference with vehicular traffic or adverse effect on public safety, by public bid as provided by law, and not prohibiting easements of necessity). Affected parties named in the text include county boards of commissioners, counties and county engineering offices, federal land management agencies (including the Forest Service), bidders on county sales or leases, and, in legislative findings, rural schools. The text does not define key terms used in the new provisions (for example, "fuel breaks," "proceeds," or "timber sales"), does not specify procedural details for how counties and federal agencies will negotiate or approve shared stewardship or revenue sharing agreements, and does not state an effective date or implementation timeline. The bill was read for the first time on 01/26/26 and referred to the Committee on Local Government.

If enacted, county commissioners would get a clear new option to partner with federal land managers (including the U.S. Forest Service) to create and maintain fuel breaks on federal land out to one mile on either side of roads the county chooses, and those partnerships must let the county keep the proceeds from any timber sales tied to that work. Practically, that gives counties a way to generate local revenue from timber near roads while taking on the planning, maintenance, and coordination duties for those fuel breaks; counties may also use expanded authority to buy land for roads, run an engineering office, and rent or lease road-related land or airspace (subject to safety rules and public bidding), which could create additional income streams but also new operational and oversight costs. The groups most affected are county governments (who gain revenue options and new responsibilities), federal land agencies (who must negotiate and share stewardship), and companies or individuals who bid on timber or leases. Rural schools are mentioned as likely to be affected by timber revenue changes and could see increased funding if counties actually collect and pass on proceeds, but the bill does not specify how proceeds must be used. Important details are missing—key terms like “fuel breaks” and “proceeds,” how agreements are to be negotiated or approved, and any effective date—so how quickly or smoothly counties can act and how revenue will be applied remain uncertain.