CCA Suit Dismissed Pt 2

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. After a judge dismissed a suit brought by the Washington Farm Bureau to get the Department of Ecology to uphold its end of the Climate Commitment Act fuel tax exemption for agriculture, there appears to be few options remaining.

Farm Bureau Director of Governmental Affairs, Bre Elsey …

ELSEY … “There are a handful of pathways that the Washington Farm Bureau legal foundation could pursue. They can appeal this decision. It’s difficult when the judge doesn’t articulate what he thought was defensible because it’s almost like an appeal of what at this point?”

So, Elsey says an appeal is one way, but …

ELSEY … “Agriculture does have the ability to appeal directly to the Washington State Supreme Court, but of course, you know, we also have this looming initiative that’s going to be on the ballot this November where this program, if enough citizens vote yes on 2117, could be repealed in its entirety.”

But, Elsey says it will take a team effort …

ELSEY … “If we want to support agriculture and keep them alive in the state of Washington it can’t be agriculture who’s only fighting this fight. It’s going to take everybody in this state coming together, voting and saying, we support our local farmer and what’s happening is wrong. And we need to change the tide. We need to make a different Washington going forward because we’re not willing to let them go.”

Elsey says they urge everyone who supports local farmers to join them in voting YES on I-2117 this November.

She says without your help, food costs will continue to rise and local farms will continue to disappear.