The Department of Ecology today released a new draft clean water rule (also known as the fish consumption rule) that contains a more protective cancer risk rate, in keeping with the governor’s directive from October 2015. The Environmental Protection Agency also is preparing a rule for Washington in case the state’s rule is not finalized. EPA released its draft rule ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Last Friday marked the end of the third week of the legislative session. The first legislative deadline is fast approaching. All policy bills must make it out of their policy committee of house of origin (i.e. Senate bills must pass out of their Senate policy committee and House bills must pass out of their House ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Week 2 of the legislative session was busy with public hearings on legislation. The first legislative deadline is Feb. 5, 2016, when all policy bills must make it out of their policy committees. Tim Eyman’s I-1366 Latest Initiative Ruled Unconstitutional Last Thursday, a King County Superior Judge ruled I-1366 unconstitutional and voided it. I-1366, approved ... Read More »
The National Association of Wheat Growers has honored three members of Washington state’s federal delegation and one staffer for their support of the U.S. wheat industry. All the awards are given to people who have demonstrated support for the industry above and beyond the norm. Sen. Maria Cantwell has been named the 2015 Wheat Leader of the Year. The Wheat Leader ... Read More »
Today, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) released its draft Clean Air Rule to limit carbon pollution. Organizations that emit 100,000 metric tons or more of greenhouse gases in the state would be required to reduce their carbon emissions 5 percent every three years beginning in 2017. Besides gradually reducing their carbon pollution, organizations could meet their reduction goals ... Read More »
From the Capital Press Washington farmers lost at least $336 million to the drought last summer, a preliminary estimate likely to climb as more figures on yields and prices became available, according to a report by the state Department of Agriculture. The report estimated specific dollar losses for only a handful of crops — wheat, apples, blueberries and red raspberries. Read ... Read More »
Regardless of whether or not carbon pollution is the actual crisis some make it out to be, it is a topic that is not disappearing from headlines anytime soon. To the right is graph of greenhouse gas (ghg) pollution sources in Washington state. As the chart shows, 6 percent of our state’s ghg emissions are attributed to agriculture, but that is ... Read More »
In early December, Governor Inslee told business leaders in Washington state that our state has done nothing about Carbon since 2008. This is untrue for many business industries, from manufacturing to transportation and agriculture. Farmers sequester carbon in the soil every day by: • Looking for and finding ways to leave more plant residue on the field without losing vital ... Read More »
From Agri-Pulse EPA violated restrictions on using appropriations for grassroots lobbying when it employed social media to promote the proposed Clean Water Rule, the Government Accountability Office said in a legal opinion Application of the rule, also known as “WOTUS” for “waters of the United States,” has been stayed by federal courts, and language prohibiting the rule’s implementation has become an ... Read More »
From the Association of Washington Business Last week, shortly before he took off for Paris and the global climate summit, Gov. Jay Inslee met with members of AWB’s Executive Committee. The meeting provided an opportunity for a frank and informal discussion that might have touched on a half dozen or more issues, but it was clear that both the governor and ... Read More »
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