Oddly, Senator Kevin Van de Wege is promoting a terrible bill, (SB5517) which would dramatically alter the issue of the instream flow rule. Eastern Washington has been trying for years to get something like this through but the Dems have been not been willing to support it. Now, with Van de Wege co-sponsoring this bill, it seems possible. Below you will find a Sierra Club overview of the problems with this bill. I am surprised if the Tribes support this. My guess is that the farmers of the Dungeness valley are behind this and getting Kevin to promote it. With only two sponsors my experience tells me it’s just a straw dog that Kevin did for them. We encountered this same kind of bill a few years ago regarding gravel bed “management” by farmers down on the Chehalis River. The tribes killed the bill. But it’s not to say that there ought to be a solid showing of dislike for this.
Please contact Kevin’s office and also put your comments in down at the State web site.
. Quick action – sign in “CON”
- Go to the SB 5517 Sign-In webpage. (this is a direct link to the SB 5517 specific sign on)
- Choose CON as your position
- Fill in the remaining boxes: First name, Last name, Email, Address, and Phone
- Leave Organization blank
- Check the box “I’m not a robot”
- Finally, hit submit!
