PASCO -- Representatives of Washington's $5 billion-a-year agriculture industry on Thursday asked Gov. Gary Locke for protection from state and federal regulations that threaten their livelihoods.
"Water is the lifeblood of the tree fruit industry," said Jim Kelly, president of the Washington State Horticulture Association.
"Washington must, in light of the Endangered Species Act, protect state water rights."
Kelly was one of seven representatives of agribusiness who, at the annual meeting of the Columbia/Snake River Irrigators Association, asked Locke for help in dealing with water and environmental regulations, many designed to protect salmon habitat.
"We want our state government, when necessary, to stand up against federal agencies that try to take our land and water," said Steve Appel, president of the Washington State Farm Bureau.
Agriculture is the No. 1 employer in the state with roughly 200,000 jobs, associated with 30,000 farms and 1,200 processors.
Farmers here in irrigated orchard country have been frustrated in particular by National Marine Fisheries Service regulations to protect dwindling wild salmon runs and the state Department of Ecology's moratorium on granting new water rights and backlog on water rights transfers.
Locke urged the agriculture industry to work with the state, much in the way Washington's timber industry did, to come up with a policy and rules of its own that pass muster with NMFS.
The "Forest and Fish" agreement, passed by the state Legislature last year, stops timber companies from logging around streams and some hillsides in exchange for tax breaks and 50 years of freedom from unexpected regulatory changes.
"We expect and hope for the same thing from agriculture," Locke said.
Washington is still working under a set of antiquated water laws, developed a century ago.
But with growth and development, salmon runs are facing extinction, the health of streams and rivers is threatened by over-use, and 650 bodies of water in the state fail to meet minimum water standards.
Locke said significant changes need to be made, including more efficient and wiser use of water; increased water storage capacity for the dry seasons; and acceptance of the fact that fish and wildlife are entitled to some share of water.
"Our ability to secure rural economic development, respond to future growth and restore salmon runs (depends) upon our ability to preserve, develop and deliver water," Locke said.
Prior to speaking to the irrigators' group, Locke announced a partnership program to help workers gain the skills necessary to work in agricultural processing and packing.
Under the $1.25 million program, agribusiness will help develop community college and technical curricula for training skilled workers.
Mike Gempler, director of the Washington Growers League in Yakima, said agriculture is increasingly computerized -- everywhere from tractor controls to irrigation systems to packing machinery.
"The skills gap in the food-processing industry and agriculture is vast," said Pam Lund, director of the Eastern Washington Agriculture and Food Processing Partnership.
As many as 500 people could be trained in the first year, she said.
