Locke's CEO Strategy Sells Salmon and Citizens Down the River

by Mark Gardner, The Free Press

ome events in a politician's life are defining political moments. For Governor Gary Locke, one such moment occurred in April 1999. In response to deadlocks on legislation affecting health insurance availability and salmon recovery, Locke shut out citizens and lawmakers, plotting instead with industry giants. After the meeting, the Governor sent the CEOs to the legislature to lobby for his -- and their -- favorite bills.

The dangerous results of this undemocratic strategy are evident in the Governor's plan for averting federal receivership on salmon recovery. His proposal, which will affect 10 million acres of state and private forest land, is a gift to the timber industry that provides no certainly of effectiveness. The bill, P2SHB 2091, directs the state Forest Practices Board to implement Locke's blueprint for salmon, the "Forests and Fish Report." This bill and the associated report, much of which were written by the timber industry and the principles of which were vetted in high-end seminars in corporate law firms, are almost completely devoid of input from the scientific or environmental communities. Not surprisingly, the legislation is opposed by environmentalists, American Indian tribes, and "good government" groups such as the League of Women Voters. Recently, 29 scientists penned a letter to Locke arguing that the plan lacked all scientific credibility.

The legislation locks in a specific plan that will provide regulatory certainty to industry regardless of whether the plan turns out to be effective in saving salmon. For example, a provision in the Forests and Fish Report calls for at most 100-foot stream buffers against logging damage, whereas many scientists believe that buffers need to be at least 250 feet to provide real protection. P2SHB 2091 effectively gives regulatory control to the industry, since the decision-making body it authorizes makes it easy for industry to block any change.

The bill also includes three taxpayer subsidies to industry. First, limitations on logging in stream buffers or on steep slopes would be rewarded with tax credits, projected to escalate to at least $8 million per year. Second, landowners would be compensated for conservation easements, which would expire in 50 years, at half the value of uncut timber. Third - and more defensible - the bill would create an open space fund to purchase land or easements in areas where rivers change channels frequently.

These buyouts create a precedent for compensating industry for following environmental rules. This is the "property rights" approach that was soundly defeated by Washington voters just a few years ago. Providing compensation for logging interests at the outset of the recovery process sets a very dangerous precedent. Where will it end? Agriculture lobbyists are already proposing that farmers be paid for water conservation. You can expect the real estate industry to stake its claims soon. Meanwhile, taxpayers will be picking up the tab for all public expenses involved in salmon recovery.

The Locke plan may be useful as a starting point - not as a final strategy. A crisis of this magnitude requires adjustment for new scientific findings, and to minimize the economic impact on landowners. Flexibility and monitoring, not finality, are needed at this point.

Last November, Locke spent an evening at Seattle's Benaroya Hall collecting tithes totaling $315,000 for his undeclared next campaign. Guests came from all sectors of industry, including timber. According to the Seattle Times, the evening was a "...blitz that climaxed with a $1,000-a-plate, herb-crusted salmon dinner...." Let's hope the irony of the cuisine, and the influence of industry on Locke's policies, becomes clear to us before the last wild Chinook dies on its way back to the site of its birth.

The special legislative session to consider salmon, health care, and transportation, among other issues, will convene mid-May. There is still time to leave a message with the Governor or your representative by calling a toll free number: 1-800-562-6000. To get additional contact information for your representative, search http://dfind.leg.wa.gov.