What's Upstream's next extension

I'm Bob Larson. As expected, the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission has given organizers of the 'What's Upstream' campaign more time to respond to allegations it broke the law by failing to report its federally funded political activities.

The extension was granted after more information was uncovered last week through a Freedom of Information Act request and the complaint was amended ...

GERALD BARON ... "I think that it may very well further delay the investigation that we requested of the Public Disclosure Commission because with these new charges, Mr. Wasserman, Mr. McLarren and Mr. Marty Loesch will have more questions that they have to answer and we certainly think these charges are serious enough that they should have the time that need they need to prepare to defend themselves."

Save Family Farming's Gerald Baron says some of this new information was already suspected ...

GERALD BARON "One of the new elements that came out, which is something that we suspected but now have confirmed, that the project plan, dated back I believe in 2013, that the final outcome of their project using public money was to pass a citizen's initiative in the 2014 election season. And that citizen's initiative was aimed specifically at mandating 100 foot buffers across the state on farmland."

The EPA inspector general is now auditing to find out just how as much as $655,000 from that agency was spent on the campaign.

The PDC is now giving What's Upstream leadership until December 1st to respond to the allegations.