In NW Daily Marker, Cryrus Krohn wrote an opinion piece where he described the problems facing the Western states:
Drought in Washington and across the West have caused billions of dollars in impacts and are predicted to cost billions more in the coming years.
Our elected officials have taken notice.
This summer California Rep. David Valadao (R-CA-21) and 25 bipartisan co-sponsors — including Newhouse and Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO-3) — introduced HR 2898, a drought relief bill that would benefit Washington, as well as California and our other Western states. It passed in the House, but was coldly received by the Senate, even though many knew that California senator Dianne Feinstein contributed to its provisions.
California Senators Feinstein and Barbara Boxer responded with an alternative, a bill that would grab $1.3 billion in federal funds for California; 12 environmental activist groups helped Feinstein and Boxer draft their measure. While these senators command respect, their bill would do little for Washington and other Western states. Rather, it would simply help expand California’s environmental mandates to our state and many others.
Krohn concludes by stating that the drought is bigger than just California alone and that any fix should address the needs of the West not just one state. It seems that Senators Feinstein and Boxer are holding Washington State and the Western states hostage.
