Nomination Support & Retirement Announcement

Nomination Support & Retirement Announcement

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

On March 7th U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray delivered opening remarks at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the nomination of Washington native Sally Jewell, president of REI, and member of the University of Washington Board of Regents, and the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association, for the next Secretary of the Department of Interior. Cantwell strongly voiced her support for Jewell and guaranteed her as the right person for the job.

CANTWELL: We all know that the Interior Department faces many challenges ranging from – how to figure out the best use of our public lands, to the various legal challenges the department faces, to modernizing our bureaucracy, to thinking about climate and deep-water drilling. Having grown up in the state of Washington where over 40 percent of our land is public land, I guarantee you that she understands these Western issues. Whether it’s water rights, salmon recovery, understanding the impact on water levels, fire seasons, wildlife on BLM  lands, or the importance of public access to hiking and hunting and fishing, I guarantee you that Sally Jewell has read about these, has been involved in organizations addressing these issues and has tried to provide a leadership role.

Washington ranchers were saddened by the announcement of Washington state veterinarian Leonard Eldridge that he will be retiring as of July 1st. Eldridge joined the state Department of Agriculture as the state veterinarian in 2004, after having a private veterinary practice for thirty-seven years. Eldridge’s time as state veterinarian has been hallmarked by his approachability and accessibility, to ranchers and ag reporters alike. He will be missed by the industry, and we here at the Ag Information Network wish him the very best.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.