Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg, offered the following remarks after Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency for the drought in eastern Washington.

“The governor has known how harsh this drought in eastern Washington has been for over a month now and should have acted sooner. The United States Department of Agriculture recognized the severity of this situation in late June when it designated 14 Washington counties as primary natural disaster areas due to drought. Our region is experiencing unprecedented lack of moisture this year that is resulting in quality concerns and a sharp reduction in crop yield. The lack of rainfall implications is far reaching; if we don’t get moisture soon, complete crop loss will be reality for some dryland growers.

“Now that a state of emergency has been declared, our local growers will have access to the critical resources they desperately need during these challenging times of economic hardship. While I appreciate the governor for providing relief to local farmers, doing so sooner would have greatly reduced the burden brought on by this drought.”