Around 100 people gave up part of a recent Saturday afternoon to attend a post-session town hall with the delegations from the neighboring 8th Legislative District and our 16th Legislative District. Keep reading for more details!
Dear Neighbor,
In a guest column published during this year’s legislative session I speculated that the administration changes in both Olympia and the District of Columbia would start to take the bullseye off the four federal dams on the lower Snake River.
I really didn’t have to go out on a limb to make that prediction. After all, President Trump is too pro-energy to walk away from the hydropower produced by the dams. Also, our new governor seems to recognize that the chief executive of a state has little influence over the future of federal facilities – something Jay Inslee either didn’t grasp, or didn’t want to grasp.
But even I didn’t expect action this soon, less than six months into the second Trump administration. While I would have chosen different words for a couple of these recent headlines, it’s good to see the situation regarding the dams is heading in a positive direction:
- Trump breaks historic Columbia River deal between U.S. government, tribes, NW states (Washington State Standard)
- President Trump revokes Biden EO related to the lower Snake River dams (The Center Square)
- Trump upends historic Columbia River Basin agreement, bringing uncertainty to salmon recovery efforts (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
- “Dam Good News”: Trump Blocks Dam Destruction, EV Mandates in Major Environmental Policy Shift (KVI Radio/Seattle)
As a farmer and as the Republican leader on the Senate committee that addresses trade policy, I have two reasons to keep a close eye on federal actions that could affect our state’s agricultural sector.
While it isn’t clear how the Trump administration’s tariff moves are going to play out for our state and its commodity producers, and I hear regularly from constituents who are concerned about other moves being made in D.C., I’m glad the lower Snake River dams are no longer in limbo to the degree they’ve been for many years.
Great turnout at our recent town halls
The best times to hold town-hall meetings are before, during or after a legislative session, when the public’s interest in legislative matters seems higher. Recently we took a different approach to our post-session town halls, holding one jointly with the senator and representatives from the neighboring 8th Legislative District.
Considering that a good part of the 16th District was within the 8th until a controversial federal-court order changed the boundaries this past year, it made sense to team up – and the turnout was great, with around 100 people joining us at Columbia Basin College in Pasco on the afternoon of May 31.
Our 16th District delegation has found that having town halls on weeknights seems to fit with our constituents’ schedules better. But this time, as we were already on the road on a Saturday, we doubled down by scheduling a second town hall for that evening back in Walla Walla, which drew another 60 people.
They were productive meetings with many good questions and comments – which led me to report on them in more detail in this recent guest column. If you weren’t able to participate but have questions or concerns about what came out of this year’s legislative session, please reach out using the contact information at the end of this report. It’s your government!
Having secured $1 million in the state’s new capital budget for the Mid Columbia Children’s Museum, it was my honor to be invited to celebrate the museum’s progress with others this past week. The MCCM is on The Parkway in Richland, within the area served by the Port of Benton — led by executive director Diahann Howard, pictured here with me. As a member of the Senate’s capital-budget team I see a lot of requests for project funding; this one stood out, as a tremendous asset for families and schools. It can’t get built soon enough!
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I am working to make living in our state more affordable, make our communities safer, uphold our paramount duty to provide for schools, and hold state government accountable. I’ll work with anyone who shares those goals and wants to find solutions.
Please reach out to my office with your thoughts, ideas and concerns on matters of importance to you. I am here to serve and look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
