Download the report here. The 2020 Legislative session has come to a close, concluding its intense 60-day session on time. The session began focusing on homelessness, housing and transportation in light of voter-approved $30 car tabs. However, the final days of the session were dominated by fears about the potential economic fallout from COVID-19. These fears led lawmakers to cut ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist The 2020 legislative session wrapped up on March 12, concluding its intense 60-day session on-time for the third year in a row. Legislators began the 2020 session primarily focused on homelessness, housing and figuring out transportation funding in light of voter-approved $30 car tabs. Democratic lawmakers also hoped to use their large majorities in the ... Read More »
There’s some good news for Douglas County producers who are wondering what to do with their expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage. At February’s state board meeting of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG), Jon Wyss, Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Washington state executive director, announced a temporary fix for growers in Douglas County who are ineligible for the current ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Tuesday marked the 57th day of the 2020 Legislative Session which is scheduled to end on March 12. Another important legislative deadline occurred last week, in which all bills must have passed out of both chambers to remain alive, unless they are deemed Necessary To Implement the Budget. Over the next four days the legislature ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist During the 2020 Legislative Session, state lawmakers are once again considering adopting a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) for transportation fuels. A top priority of Gov. Inslee’s, LCFS legislation passed the House last year, but stalled in the Senate. Aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a LCFS would require fuel suppliers to reduce the carbon ... Read More »
We are looking for a dedicated, passionate advertising sales professional, preferably with print industry experience, to join our team as our ad sales manager for Wheat Life Magazine. Our ideal candidate lives in Eastern Washington, has a background in agriculture and cares deeply about promoting the people who grow the best wheat on earth. Wheat Life is a high quality, ... Read More »
From the Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the Washington Grain Commission Nearly four years after U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon ordered the federal government to develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that included a dam breaching alternative for restoring endangered species salmon runs, the draft report reviewed and rejected the approach. Released jointly by the U.S. Army Corps ... Read More »
The Columbia River Systems Operations draft EIS was released today by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration. The EIS presents a no-action course and five alternatives, one of which includes breaching the four lower Snake River dams. According to the executive summary, “Despite the major benefits to fish expected from (breaching the lower Snake River ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Tuesday marked the 44th day of the 2020 Legislative Session. On Wednesday, Feb. 19, the Legislature reached a milestone—the deadline to pass bills out of the house of origin (House Bills must be voted out of the House, and Senate Bills must be voted out of the Senate). Bills that were not voted on are ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Yesterday marked the 37th day of the 60-day session. This past week saw the passing of the second cut-off of the 2020 Legislative Session. Cut-off dates play a crucial role in the legislative process as any bill that has not made it out of a policy and fiscal committee is considered dead and no longer ... Read More »
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