03/15/06 FB take on legislative session

Washington Ag March 15, 2006 From water issues, to biofuels to tax breaks, Washington Farm Bureau spokesman Dean Boyer, says farmers and ranchers faired pretty well in the recently concluded legislative session. A major breakthrough was the Columbia River Management plan lawmakers approved and also provided 200 million dollars in bond authority over the next ten years to explore new water storage facilities. Boyer says two thirds of such water would be for agricultural and municipal use and one-third would go back to the river for fish. Boyer: "Farm Bureau has maintained for many years that we don't have a water shortage problem in the state of Washington, we have a water management problem. This simply follows in line with that philosophy. We have more fresh water that falls on or flows through the state of Washington than all the lower 48 states. This just says we are going to do a better job of managing that water for our residents, for farmers and for fish." State lawmakers also passed a measure that gives those relying on the declining Odessa aquifer a time out from the state's use it or lose it water law in order to encourage conservation until other sources of water are found. That measure does sunset in 2021. I'm Bob Hoff.