Tag Archives: Inslee

Warnick urges stiff penalties for Inslee’s apple maggot gaffe

In an effort to console eastern Washington communities devastated by wildfires, Gov. Jay Inslee recently stopped for a public event in the town of Malden. During his remarks, Inslee offered words of encouragement and a seemingly benign gift – a box of apples picked from his own yard.

However, the token of solidarity ran afoul of state regulations, and now reports indicate has exposed eastern Washington’s already-fragile agricultural industry to the apple maggot. Although classified as a misdemeanor, the agency in charge of enforcing these agricultural rules rarely, if ever, prosecutes.

“I’m surprised and frankly disappointed,” said Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, former chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “It was a nice gesture, but not well thought through. As the state’s executive, he should have followed the law to keep our state’s agriculture safe, instead of putting it at risk. I think that the stiffest penalties are in order.”

In a video posted to YouTube by the Cheney Free Press, crowds can hear Inslee say, “My wife Trudi and I picked a bunch of good Washington Honeycrisp off the governor’s tree this morning…” at the 22-second mark. If true, produce from western Washington must undergo stringent safety measures to prevent the importation of the apple maggot into eastern Washington. Malden resides in a quarantine area where no such pests currently exist.

“The state requires strict protocols to be followed when transporting produce because we want to keep our industry safe,” Warnick added. “I think it’s a fairly serious gaffe by the state’s executive and warrants a strong penalty.”

Warnick is urging the state’s Department of Agriculture to investigate the matter and ensure compliance with state regulations.

Warnick appointed to drought committee as governor declares emergency

Sen. Judy Warnick has been appointed to the Joint Legislative Committee on Drought. Her selection came ahead of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Friday-morning declaration of a drought emergency for the east side of the central Cascade Mountains.

“I spoke with the Department of Ecology about the impending drought declaration and am glad that the governor is prioritizing this issue,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “There may be funding available and we will look at any options to make sure that we can respond proactively to issues raised by the drought.”

According to Inslee’s office, the state Department of Ecology has requested $9 million to address drought relief via emergency water-right permits, transfers and changes to current water rights.

Prior to the drought declaration Warnick, chair of the Agriculture, Water and Rural Economic Development Committee, had scheduled a work session March 23 to discuss drought issues.

“Water access and conservation is something that affects our entire state,” Warnick said. “Drought conditions place pressure on our food supply, our families and communities. We need to find creative and collaborative solutions to make sure we can continue to provide water in critical areas. I will be bringing up these issues in my committee and fighting for relief when the drought committee meets.”

Washington has 62 watersheds, 34 of which are projected to have less than 75 percent normal water supply. Ecology has been working with municipalities to review the watersheds, several of which are in the 13th District.