Senator Honeyford proposes Water Bill

Senator Honeyford proposes Water Bill

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. The Senate Ag and Water Committee got an ear-full last week when a tribal attorney and a Department of Ecology official warned them not to overturn control of water policy from decisions made by the State Supreme Court ...

JIM HONEYFORD ... "I'm very concerned about the three decisions, the Swinomish, the Foster or Yelm decision, and now the Hirst decisions that pretty well stops all home construction, essentially economic development in rural Washington, not just Eastern Washington, but rural Washington. And I am concerned that if we don't try to find solutions, then we're not doing our job and that, I think my comment in the hearing was something to the effect of, "we might as well adjourn sine die and let the black robes do it all."

I asked Sunnyside Senator Jim Honeyford if this amounted to overregulation ...

JIM HONEYFORD ... "I don't know if I'd call it over-regulation, but the fact that they take away tools that the Department of Ecology could use to provide a better distribution of water."

Honeyford says there are better ways, like the agreement reached last week between the Lummi Nation and Whatcom Dairy farmers ...

JIM HONEYFORD ... "Well, that's uh, to me that's the American way of doing things to sit down with your neighbors and try to come to solutions that both are beneficial, and that's apparently what they've done up there."

We'll tell you about a bill to address the matter, tomorrow.

Previous ReportPear Growers Vote on OR/WA Partnership Pt 2
Next ReportSenator Honeyford proposes Water Bill Pt 2